Felicity Banks

Shooting Through: the escape room that comes to you

January 26, 2019 at 6:45 am (Escape Room, I get paid for this, Interactive Fiction)

It’s happening.

I’ve playtested the escape room three times so far, spotting serious mistakes on my part every time and fixing them for the next time.

Today is the beginning of the Invasion Day long weekend, so I’ll be at CanCon—Canberra’s annual board gaming conference.

The perfect place to test it way, way more!

This weekend I’ll be running free tabletop versions of the game… and signing people up to play it for real.

Here are some gorgeous pics, all taken by Louisette!

Zipper investigates.

Zipper cheats her way out.

Naturally, Louisette focused on the lollies (literally).

Everything in the above picture was laying around the house, waiting for this moment.

Tentative price list:

$25 per person, with the following minimums:

$100 minimum if it’s in my back yard (running approximately 8-9:30PM including introductions).

(NB This will be moved inside if the weather is too hot/cold/rainy, which is rather cramped by climate controlled. It should be noted that my cat will almost certainly come and say hello, and that I supply bug repellant.)

$200 minimum elsewhere in Canberra (or by appointment when I’m at a nearby conference/fair/festival).

(I require a room that can be darkened, free of trip hazards, with a table and chairs—in a house that is fairly accessible by moving trolley.)

I’ll almost certainly increase the price when I’m more confident.

How to book/ask questions:

At the moment, email fellissimo@hotmail.com and/or magicinthemailstories@gmail.com to talk dates and times. Most Saturdays are good for me coming to you, and 8pm is usually good at my place any night except Wednesdays (but definitely including Saturdays).

How long does it take:

Theoretically 1 hour, but usually closer to 2. Allow 2.5 hours if you can, and advise me if anyone in your team has specific time restrictions.

Physical restrictions:

It’s great for wheelchair users (because you can play sitting at a table—although your team members will need to cooperate to pass things close enough for you to examine).

I think most physical or mental restrictions can be balanced by having a range of ability in the group (in much the same way that there’s bound to be ONE person who can add a string of numbers without screwing them up… right?)

There are no physical challenges.

Is it scary?

You will be operating under a threat of (fictional…) monsters, competing against a clock, in near darkness. So the level of scariness depends on your imagination. But it’s definitely rated G, and safe for kids of virtually any age BUT escape rooms are intrinsically frustrating and some items are fragile or sharp. Use your discretion. Kids 10+ should be genuinely useful in places; kids 4+ should be okay IF they’re very well behaved and calm.