Puzzle designer Sandy Weiss joins us again to talk all things puzzles. We dive more deeply into creating elegant puzzles that connect within their narrative context, and we talk about bringing puzzly games to various audiences. Sandy shares his perspective on Noms, or nicknames, at the National Puzzlers League, and we also talk a bit about his course curriculum and our shared love of Blood on the Clock Tower. This clip is a bit of a teaser for our new show, PG's Playhouse, which will feature gam...
Dec 07, 2024•8 min
“Inelegant is a lot of random noise.” For a long time, I thought that puzzle hunts weren’t for me. They seemed completely inaccessible, like something that only geniuses from MIT could solve, with the price of admission being a massive brain and a penchant for quantum computing. Then, over the pandemic, I discovered The Pilcrow Bar . This was a free, online puzzle hunt commissioned by Michelin 3-star restaurant Alinea and designed as a collaboration between Sandy Weisz of The Mystery League, and...
Dec 03, 2024•57 min•Season 8Ep. 10
In this Bonus Show puzzle designer Oskar van Deventer tells us about some of the latest designs he's working on, and we talk about different types of mechanical puzzles. We also share some tips for how to start solving them, and dig deeper into speed-cubing, ending with discussing mechanical puzzle design in escape rooms. In this clip, we talk about how to get started solving packing puzzles which is a puzzle type where you have to fit a set of puzzle pieces into a specified container, usually a...
Nov 28, 2024•6 min
“The Pursuit Of Difficulty” I’m on a first date, sitting at a hip bar in Los Angeles. In the course of making semi-awkward conversation, he discovers that I like escape rooms. Ta-dah! He brings out a weird little metal ring, pulls it apart into two pieces, hands it to me, and challenges me to form it back into a ring. I was pretty much in love after that… with mechanical puzzles. While that relationship didn't work out, the one with puzzles persists to this day. At one time or another, I’m sure ...
Nov 26, 2024•1 hr•Season 10Ep. 9
Curtis Ratliff and Derek Townsley join us again for more discussion about The Escape Ventures. They share an absolutely outrageous escape room story. We talk more about game stores and the importance of inclusivity. David gives an argument against longer games and escape rooms. We also get into some of the regional differences between the Orlando and Los Angeles scene. in terms of escape room culture and design. In this clip, we talk about the Escape Venture's design philosophy on puzzle flow an...
Nov 25, 2024•7 min
“We try to do something new every three months.” In 2018, Curtis Ratliff and Derek Townsley were both attending college, studying business management and theater set design. Additionally, they were both working at an escape room when the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day happened. Severely understaffed, beset with disasters, and lacking resources or appreciation from the owners, Curtis and Derek realized that if they wanted things to run more smoothly, they were going to have to do it th...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Yannick Trapman-O'Brien joins us again to share some valuable insights on what I think is an especially great episode of our Bonus Show. He tells us about how he accidentally got admitted to college in Abu Dhabi, and we also talk about the importance of Arts Funding and Grants, and how to leverage it. Yannick takes a very thoughtful approach to designing his intimate experiences, and he really gets deeper into how he crafts his shows. He also talks to us about his work with Temple of the Strange...
Nov 15, 2024•7 min
Blackwell Manor is a magnificent horror game created by New Mexico Escape Room in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In this preview we explore the extreme level of detail that was put into this game, and some of the challenges that this devotion created. You can find the rest of this Spoilers Club episode by supporting us on Patreon at patreon.com/roomescapeartist
Nov 14, 2024•6 min
"Bait for the Curious" We’re no strangers to covering secretive experiences. Escape rooms continue to guard their mysteries closely, because a large part of the joy is in the discovery. And yet, because escape rooms generally follow a relatively standard structure, we have a framework when it comes to discussing them. Interviewing Yannick Trapman-O'brien was a bit of a gamble. We knew that we couldn’t explain how any of his immersive shows worked. As Yannick puts it in the episode: “It's the qua...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 8Ep. 7
In this episode, David's wife and business partner, Lisa, joins us again in the Bonus Show to reflect on 10 years of Room Escape Artist. She paints a picture for us of the early years, when it was just David writing reviews in their living room. They talk about how their writing style has changed as they've added more writers to the team, and we discuss some escape room industry trends. There's also a trivia game I crafted based on the number 10. In this preview, Peih-Gee tells a story about how...
Nov 08, 2024•6 min
“Room Escape Artist has built a community within this industry.” The year is 2014. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie just got married. Facebook is the largest social media platform. Celebrities everywhere are doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, and somewhere in New York City, Lisa and David Spira have just written their first review about a new activity called escape rooms. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been ten years since Room Escape Artist started covering escape rooms. A decade is a long tim...
Nov 05, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 8Ep. 6
In this episode, Jeroen van Hasselt, co-creator of Demise of the Grisers, joins us again, and we talk about escape room waivers in the USA versus Europe, discuss some of the clever design choices in Demise of the Grisers, and David talks about trying to balance mystery versus consent, and what it means for game design and safety. In this preview of our Patreon exclusive Bonus Aftershow. We talk about designing games that optimize for mastery of a skill versus offering a wide range of interaction...
Oct 31, 2024•7 min
“It’s entertainment to experience the emotion of fear.” I creep out from the relative safety of the control center. Keeping to the shadows, I stealthily make the journey through an abandoned train yard. Somewhere in the sprawling tangle of train cars, a gricer is hunting me and my team. I complete my mission, and immediately I hear the clang of footsteps approaching. Before I even register what my feet are doing, I’m on the move, weaving through the debris. Reunited with my team, I’m whooping in...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 8Ep. 5
In this Patreon exclusive Bonus Show, Brooke Breit joins us again to talk more Jackbox Games. We talk about takeaways from party games that escape room designers should consider and she also gives us some recommendations for her favorite puzzley video games. In this preview, we talk about why defective mechanics are difficult to incorporate in escape rooms. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon . For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, whe...
Oct 25, 2024•7 min
“We set players up to be the stars of the show.” We’ve gathered a group of 4-6 players to try some collaborative games with mechanics that appeal to a wide variety of skills. These games are hilarious and we emerge feeling smart and witty. No, I’m not talking about the latest escape rooms. We have just finished a session of Jackbox Games. Jackbox Games are games for large groups of people who can participate via personal devices, no controllers needed. They offer a wide variety of gaming styles,...
Oct 22, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 4
In this clip, we talk about David's adventures in solving the beautiful and tiny titanium jigsaw puzzles of Lazels. These things are incredibly cool. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon . For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, where we continually release new episodes, even in our REPOD off-season.
Oct 18, 2024•6 min
“User Centric Design” If you asked me to list some of the skills a good escape room designer should possess, it would look extremely similar to Robert ‘Fro’ Myers’ resume. With a background in theater set design, and a degree from MIT in mechanical engineering, it’s little wonder that David calls Fro’s escape room company Boxaroo “a total package company.” Boxaroo's creations encompass a wide variety of both theme and play structure. Whether it's escape rooms, digital puzzle hunts, or massive ba...
Oct 15, 2024•55 min•Season 8Ep. 3
Escape from Godot is a wildly experimental experience that's half escape room and half theatrical show. This is an event that asks a lot of everyone involved. The multiple actors must be word-perfect. The guests must figure out when to be a passive audience and when it's time to become an active player. In this clip, Andy and Jeff Crocker of Mr & Mischief joins us and we talk about the intentionality of their design decisions. In this clip, they talk about their onboarding process for Escape...
Oct 11, 2024•6 min
In this clip, we talk with magician David Kwong about social media videos that reveal the secrets behind magic tricks and the implications for the future of the art. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon . For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftershow, where we continually release new episodes, even in our REPOD off-season.
Oct 11, 2024•7 min
“Storytelling is really what sells the magic trick.” When David Kwong was a young child, a magician performing at a pumpkin patch fooled his father with a classic magic trick. From that moment, he knew he wanted to be a magician. He has since performed worldwide as an acclaimed magician and even consulted on many movies and TV shows like Now You See Me and After Party. Fast forward to today, David Kwong has written a book for every kid who ever wanted to fool their parents. In this episode of RE...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 2
In this Bonus Show Preview, Elan Lee, CEO of Exploding Kittens, joins us again for a conversation about Taskmaster, growing as a leader, and he gives us an exclusive scoop on the Survivor card game he's developing alongside Jeff Probst. In this sneak preview, he tells us the origin story of Poetry for Neanderthals, one of my favorite games from Exploding Kittens. If you enjoy these previews, I hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon . For only $5 a month, you’ll get access to our Bonus Aftersho...
Oct 04, 2024•7 min
“We don’t just make entertaining games. We make the people you’re playing with more entertaining.” “Do you want to play again?” This is the only question Elan Lee asks when playtesting his games. Millions of people have answered yes, which explains why the Exploding Kittens games have dominated the best seller lists for almost a decade. Elan has now set his sights on conquering the world of entertainment beyond board games, starting with a namesake animated Netflix show. Elan Lee was the very fi...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 8Ep. 1
"Incredible from the minute you walk in." While we’re in off-season for the podcast, we still continue to produce episodes of our Bonus Aftershow for Patreon Supporters. This summer, we decided to go all-in reporting on our escape room adventures abroad. Nothing excites me more than journeying to far off places in search of delicious foods, wondrous sights, and of course, renowned escape rooms. David and I separately made trips to Spain, Belgium, and London to play as many escape rooms as we cou...
Sep 24, 2024•35 min
Season 8 is coming very soon. In the meantime, Peih-Gee was recently interviewed for episode 100 of Brentfast with Brent Pope: "Brent sits down with the delightful and witty Peih-Gee Law, best known for appearing on Survivor (two different times!) and co-hosting the Reality Escape Pod! They discuss: Growing up Asian in the 90's, being on 2 different seasons of Survivor, the allure of escape rooms, and their Brentfast meal from Bamboo Bistro!"
Sep 18, 2024•44 min
In this clip, Brian Corbitt - game designer of Treasure Island at Brain Games in San Pedro, California - talks about the original, unused plan for the finale puzzle and why he decided against it. Brian is most well known for the raunchy, actor driven game Miss Jezebel, and he also talks about how that game completely changed his design philosophy. He also gives us a preview of the new game he's working on. How to Listen When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), ...
Sep 05, 2024•7 min
In celebration of RECON LA, we are releasing our Bonus Show with Michael Borys. We hope that you enjoy and consider subscribing. https://www.patreon.com/roomescapeartist In this episode, David & Peih-Gee were joined by guest Michael Borys, creator of The 49 Boxes. David share stories about his own pool hustling days and educates everyone on how to not be "a jerk." They also talk about the inspiration behind The 49 Boxes, and the dilemma of using authentic, valuable props in experiences combi...
Aug 20, 2024•46 min
"Why is there blacklight from the killer helping me?" We groggily wake up in a dingy bathroom. It's creepy and dark with an ominous sense of dread. Our kidnapper comes on the screen and explains what will happen to us. "I am also an escape room enthusiast and a horror fanatic. Therefore, I built a horror themed escape room. You are about to experience my masterpiece." While these words are uttered by an actor playing the part of a psycho killer, the sentiment is straight from the heart of creato...
Aug 06, 2024•5 min
To sleep, perchance to dream… Sleep No More, the seminal immersive theater piece from Punchdrunk, has inspired countless immersive creators, including Haley and Cameron Cooper of Strange Bird Immersive. Haley and Cameron make no secret that it has heavily influenced their acclaimed escape room The Man From Beyond . When we heard that Punchdrunk would close Sleep No More’s New York location, we decided to pay homage to this influential work with a feature on our Spoilers Club. Haley and Cameron a...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 29 min
There's a reason Los Angeles is known as the City of Dreams. It's a town populated with dreamers and makers. They concoct fantasy worlds filled with quirky characters, dashing heroes, and tormented villains. Oftentimes, the backdrop of Southern California serves as inspiration itself, with its wide sandy beaches, snowy mountaintops, and the desolate wilds of the Mojave desert. In honor of RECON Los Angeles, Season 7 of REPOD is filled with creative luminaries all hailing from Southern California...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 7Ep. 13
In April, David and Peih-Gee were guests for two episodes of The Infinite Escape Room, a comedy puzzle show where a group of pals sit down, have a drink, and work together to solve an audio escape room. This time around, they needed to escape a giant, flaming wicker man, and all sorts of silliness ensued. The game episode is now available on the Reality Escape Pod feed: And you can find the followup hangout episode where David and Peih-Gee had a casual chat with host Jamie Gibbs on The Infinite ...
Jun 25, 2024•47 min
