Escape Rooms

Here are some suggested escape room games that you can set up. Each one of these escape rooms has a basic plot that drives the game along. The anatomy of these escape rooms is described by a collection of rooms and boxes. With each room and box is a suggestion for a puzzle to open it.

Although you are welcome to adhere directly to the suggested rooms, feel free to make changes. Change the ideas at will to fit your physical space, to fit the puzzles you are most interested in constructing, or to match the skills and enjoyment of the players.

Virus

Virus

A new virus outbreak is becoming the next pandemic. Your team must work quickly to avert a world-wide disaster.

Ghost Chasers

Ghost Chasers

A group of paranormal investigators must chase down ghosts, free souls, and battle evil.

Jun 23, 2024

Subsections of Escape Rooms

Virus

Synopsis

Virus is an escape room that follows the players as they battle a new pandemic. This is a good place to start if you are creating your first escape room. It is a fairly small escape room in terms of the number of puzzles and spaces. The suggested puzzles are fairly easy to set up, and there is a lot of flexibility in replacing puzzles if you so desire.

The game is divided into two spaces. They are themed first as an office space and a laboratory. The flow diagram is drawn at the end of this page as well as the setup. This setup also has a list of materials you can use to help you build the puzzles.

Scenario

The players are researchers at a microbiology and infectious diseases laboratory. The lead researcher of the lab, Dr. Sarah Beaker, has been away in the field researching a recent outbreak of NEONORO, a deadly and highly infectious virus, while you work at the home base to understand the nature of the disease.

Today at work, the players are presented with a package sent from Dr. Beaker. It contains a note (among other clues) in which she is requesting help from the players.

As you know, I have been traveling the world researching NEONORO and helping where I can. Thank you for taking care of the laboratory in my absence, but things have gone sideways and now I need your direct help.

First, we need to reestablish communication. General Halftrack, who originally sponsored this excursion, has suddenly tried to block my investigations. He has severed my connection to our mail server. We do not have time to mail letters back and forth.

I cannot fix my connection from here. You must do it from the lab complex. I am sending you the digital codes to do it.

Dr. Beaker is stranded without communication. The players need to reestablish this communication.

Office Space (Room 1)

The players start in a room themed as standard office space. Simple office materials (desk, table, chairs, bookshelf) set the theme.

The players start with a packet of material sent from Dr. Beaker. Other clue puzzles, particularly those that are paper based or require a flat surface, may also be placed around the room.

Reestablishing Email (Box 1)

Using clues from the package provided by Dr. Beaker’s package, the players reestablish communication by connecting to her secret email.

Suggested Puzzle: The package contains a piece of paper containing a QR fold-in. When scanned, the solved QR code sends a player’s phone to an online document or web document that has an email from Dr. Beaker with further instructions to find a formula for virus treatment and break into her private lab.

From: Dr. Susan Beaker <susan.beaker@ccd.gov>
To: Virus Research Team <research-staff@ccd.gov>
Subject: Please help

Good job! You have reestablished my connection to our communication and research notes. Since General Halftrack isolated me 3 days ago, I have been desperate for help.

To start, I need you to find the formula to the virus treatment that I developed merely 2 day before I left for this emergency trip. Sensing danger, I locked away my notes, and it appears I was right to do so. I cannot give you instructions directly over this insecure channel, but you are clever and I know you will figure it out.

Next, I need you create a secure cryptographic link to me so that we can talk more freely. This can only be done from within my private lab. My lab is locked, so you will have to break in.

These 16 weeks on the road have been exhausting, and I’m so glad to be able to talk to you again.

–Suzzy

Getting the Formula (Box 2)

Per Dr. Beaker’s email, the players need to find the formula for treatment. Because the email is not secure, Dr. Beaker cannot overtly say how to get the formula. But the email contains a hidden code that is used to open a box revealing some of Dr. Beaker’s lab notes containing the formula (and multiple other items used later).

Suggested Puzzle: Dr. Beaker’s email contains a hidden message with a code to the box containing her formula. The previously shown message fits will with the number words puzzle. This online document can be a target for this puzzle.

Once open, the box contains lab notes describing a formula Dr. Beaker has been working on such as this.

Lab notes of Dr. Susan Beaker

We have made good progress on a formula to reduce respiratory infection in patients. The compound includes the following elements.

  • Sodium
  • Bromine
  • Mercury
  • Boron

The formula is currently unstable, but we have high hopes to stabilize the compound.

Finding the Doctor’s Stash (Box 3)

Dr. Beaker has hiding a secret stash of “oregano.” She has also misplaced some critical items that the players need with this stash, so they will have to find it.

Suggested Puzzle The crossword lookup puzzle works well here. The crossword itself can be simply found in the room as something someone randomly left. A player can solve the crossword while others solve other parts. You will likely need to create a custom crossword to match some sequence of items in the room.

The resulting code opens a box containing some items required for later puzzles. I personally also place a small baggie of oregano, which has no practical value but adds some humor.

The Doctor’s Lab (Room 2)

According to Dr. Beaker’s email, the players need to break into the lab. The lab is a second room behind a locked door. The players will have to solve a puzzle to unlock the door to this room.

The room itself should be themed like a laboratory. It can have props like flasks and tubes that are reminiscent of a lab. More puzzle pieces and boxes are placed in this room.

Suggested Puzzle The stick word grid puzzle can be used here. The sticks can be hid in box 3 and/or others, and the formula gives the arrangement of the sticks. In the example of the formula above, players can translate the names of the elements and convert them to element symbols. (A periodic table should be provided for reference.) I used the list of symbols above to arrange the sticks below to spell out a message with a numerical code.

Random Lab Stuff (Box 4)

Not much to advance the plot here. The players rummage through the lab to find more clues.

Suggested Puzzle You can use a paper segment display to provide a code. The coded pattern can be provided in a box in the previous room, and the decoder device in the room.

A Mutation (Box 5)

On entering the lab, the players search around to find notes from Dr. Beaker about the progression of the NEONORO virus.

Suggested Puzzle One of the items in the lab is a container containing a key and a faux caustic liquid. The players must fish the key with a magnet provided in a previous box.

Along with other clues, this box contains a note with progression of the NEONORO virus and further instructions.

I have discovered something very strange about this recent mutation of the NEONORO. We are starting to see some very unique behavior.

I need to talk to you securely. Hack into our encrypted system so that we can send messages freely.

Suzy

Email Login Page (Box 6)

The players must find a way to log in to Dr. Beaker’s personal email.

Suggested Puzzle The note about the mutation contains a QR code that links to an email login form. The username is provided and the players must fill out the password.

However, there are no clues about what the password might be, and there is no logical answer. This is an example of a pointless form, and attempting to guess a password is pointless. Instead, players need to notice the Reset Password link, which will take them to the correct form.

Survival Kit (Box 7)

The NEONORO virus is about to get much worse. The players need to open a survival kit. The kit contains foam dart blaster toy guns and part of the final clue to the exit door.

Suggested Puzzle You can use a jigsaw holes puzzle for this box. The base board would be placed in the first room, and the first part the fill pieces are in an early box. This gives the players an early chance to get started and might result in a fake code. A final group of puzzle pieces in box 4 reveal the final code.

Zombies! (Box 8)

The players must hack into Dr. Beaker’s personal email to get private messages. Once they do so, they can get important information directly from Dr. Beaker.

Suggested Puzzle The result of box 6 is a reset password form that provides a backdoor to accessing the email without knowing the password. The reset form has 3 typical questions:

  • What are your favorite FOODS?
  • What MONTH were you born?
  • What is the name of your CHILD?

The players don’t directly know the answers to these questions, but there is a clue to help them figure it out.

Throughout the game the players have been collecting Styrofoam cups with letters written around the rims. At this point in the game, the players have collected 5 such cups. When stacked together, the cups form a cryptex.

The players need to stack the cups in the right order and twist the cups so that the highlighted words in the security questions, FOODS, MONTH, and CHILD, are spelled on the cups. The remaining letters form the words of the answers to the security questions: CANDY, MARCH, and JOHNY.

Once the players enter these words in the reset password form, they are taken immediately to a secure note from Dr. Beaker. At the bottom of the note the code to a box of physical items.

From: Dr. Susan Beaker <susan.beaker@cyberdyne.gov>
To: Virus Research Team <research-staff@ccd.gov>
Subject: Zombies!

Thank goodness you were able to get into the lab and access our secure communication system! I have a lot to tell you that you must keep secret.

My investigation of NEONORO patients has revealed something startling. We all know that 5-10% of patients develop serious respiratory problems. But this turns out to be only a minor side effect of the disease. The true nature is much, much worse.

We have found that the virus lies dormant in seemingly healthy patients. Over the course of about 6 months the virus mutates, and its behavior changes. At this point, the disease attacks the cerebrum, drastically reducing cognitive function. From there, the virus rapidly progresses to the adrenal glands, which respond by generating capacious amounts of cortisone and adrenaline. At this point, the patient becomes mindlessly aggressive.

For lack of a better term, these victims are turning into zombies. They ruthlessly attack any living thing within reach. And as they salivate and bite, they continually spread the disease to other victims. I estimate we have about 4 days to contain this before we have a global disaster.

Keep this on the down low! In particular, I do not trust General Halftrack. The behavior of this virus suggest there might have been some military engineering behind it.

Fortunately, I have prepared for this (rather predictable) event. I stockpiled some supplies in the laboratory. Unfortunately, I don’t remember where I put everything. Start by looking in my briefcase. The code is 4288.

Once you have gathered everything, I need you to come to me. Hurry!

–Suzzy

Find Dr. Beaker (Exit)

The final challenge of this escape room is to meet up with Dr. Beaker so that she and the players can together battle the NEONORO virus raging the planet. This will set the players on a globetrotting adventure following her steps.

Suggested Puzzle To find Dr. Beaker, they have to follow the path she made while in the field investigating the virus. The map trace puzzle allows players to do this. In the room is a provided map of the world. This can be a printed poster, a globe, or board from a game that is played on a map.

Scattered in boxes around the room are clues on the locations Dr. Beaker has visited, perhaps in the form of airline tickets with departing and arrival locations. The players have to put these locations together in the proper order and then trace that itinerary on the map. The directions provide the code for a directional lock on the exit door.

Attack! (Bonus)

Once the players solve the final puzzle and open the exit door, they have completed the escape room. As a fun (optional) bonus reward for completing the room, the players get to shoot their way through an onslaught of zombies.

To set this bonus up, place some foam dart blaster toy guns (such as Nerf guns) in the survival kit. Also, print up some pictures of zombies and post them on the far side of the exit door. When the players open the exit door and see the zombies, you can ramp up the tension by yelling. “Oh, no! Zombies. Quick, grab your guns. Shoot your way out!” At this point, the players are free to get rambunctious in running around and shooting targets.

There is no additional puzzle in this activity. But this is a very fun way to end the challenge of your escape room.

Flow Diagram

The materials and suggested puzzles of this escape room follow the following flow diagram.

graph TB;
  R1(Room 1: Office Space) --> B1 & B3
  style R1 fill:#fee,stroke:#b66
  B1(Box 1: Reestablish Email) --> B2
  B2(Box 2: Getting the Formula) --> R2
  B3(Box 3: 'Oregano' Stash) --> R2
  R2(Room 2: Lab) --> B4 & B5
  style R2 fill:#fee,stroke:#b66
  B4(Box 4: Lab Stuff) --> B7 & B8
  B5(Box 5: A Mutation) --> B6
  B6(Box 6: Login Page) --> B8
  B7(Box 7: Survival Kit) --> E
  B8(Box 8: Zombies!) --> E
  E(Exit: Find Dr) --> Bonus
  style E fill:#fee,stroke:#b66
  Bonus(Bonus: Attack)

Equipment and Setup

Here is a list of equipment you will need if setting up your escape room in the same way as described above. This is organized by the items in the flow diagram above. Where possible, I have provided material for you.

  • Starting packet contents (handed to players at start)
  • Room 1: Office Space
  • Box 1: Reestablish Email
    • Puzzle: QR fold-in
      1. Fold Clue 0.0.2 to build proper QR code.
      2. Code leads to on-line email.
    • Items: This is not really a physical box, but rather a page providing a written message.
  • Box 2: Getting the Formula
  • Box 3: ‘Oregano’ Stash
    • Puzzle: crossword lookup
      1. Solve the crossword puzzle (Clue 0.0.3).
      2. Find equipment listed in Clue 1.0.2 in the completed puzzle.
      3. The numbers for each word forms the digits of the code.
      4. Answer: 6834
    • Items: A container like a bag, duffle, or purse containing personal items.
      • Clue 1.3.1: Popsicle sticks with element symbols written in this pattern
      • Clue 1.3.2: A magnet on a string
      • Clue 1.3.3: Puzzle pieces set 1 (optional)
  • Room 2: Lab
    • Puzzle: stick word grid
      1. Translate the element names in the formula (Clue 1.2.1) with the periodic table (Clue 1.0.1).
      2. Arrange the popsicle sticks (Clue 1.3.1) so that the top element symbols match the translated list in the formula.
      3. The letters of the formula are put together to form a message: N I Ne F O U R Ni Ne O Ne -> NINe FOUR NiNe ONe
      4. Answer: 9491
    • Items:
      • Clue 2.0.1: Acid beaker (A vase or other container with an opening too small to reach into the bottom. In the container is some water and a key. Under the container is a note warning/instructing players not to move or empty the container, which would be cheating.)
      • Clue 2.0.2: Paper with coded segment pattern
      • Boxes 4, 5, 7
  • Box 4: Lab Stuff
    • Puzzle: paper segment display
      1. Lay the coded segment pattern (Clue 2.0.2) on a flat surface.
      2. Place the display hole template (Clue 1.2.2) on the left side of the pattern to reveal the first digit.
      3. Slide the hole template to subsequent positions to reveal the rest of the digits.
      4. Answer: 3594
    • Items:
      • Clue 2.4.1: Cryptex (This pattern to help form cryptex out of styrofoam cups.)
      • Clue 2.4.2: Puzzle pieces set 2
  • Box 5: A Mutation
  • Box 6: Login Page
    • Puzzle: pointless form
      1. Scan the QR code on the message about security protocols (Clue 2.5.2) to access the login page.
      2. The form will always report “Incorrect Password”. There is no correct password.
      3. The players click the “Reset Password” link at the bottom to access the actual form to access the system.
    • Items:
  • Box 7: Survival Kit
    • Puzzle: jigsaw holes
      1. Players add puzzle pieces set 1 (Clue 1.3.3) to base jigsaw puzzle (Clue 0.0.4). This will reveal one set of digits.
      2. Players add puzzle pieces set 2 (Clue 2.4.2) to jigsaw puzzle to reveal second set of digits.
      3. Answer (suggested): 1547
    • Items:
      • Clue 2.7.1: World Map
      • Clue 2.7.2: Foam Dart Guns
  • Box 8: Zombies!
    • Puzzle: cryptex
      1. Players rotate the rings of the cryptex (Clue 2.4.1) to form the words (foods, month, child) highlighted in the password reset form (Clue 2.6.1).
      2. Next to each of these words is a secondary answer word (candy, march, tyler).
      3. These words are entered into the respective box in the form.
      4. Successfully submitting the form provides access to another email from Dr. Beaker.
      5. At the end of the email is a briefcase code.
      6. Final answer: 4288
    • Items:
  • Exit: Find Dr
    • Puzzle: map trace
      1. Order the boarding passes (Clue 2.8.1) by matching arrivals to departures to determine the order countries were visited.
      2. Trace the country order on the world map (Clue 2.7.1).
      3. Enter the primarily North/South/West/East directions into a directional lock.
      4. Answer: South, East, North, East, North, West (i.e., Down, Right, Up, Right, Up, Left)
      5. Note: If you cannot get a directional lock, consider this directional lock alternative.
  • Bonus: Attack (optional)
    • Place some pictures of zombies outside of the exit door.
    • Players grab the foam dart guns (Clue 2.7.2) and shoot at the zombie targets as they “fight” their way to Dr. Beaker.
Jul 1, 2022

Ghost Chasers

Synopsis

Ghost Chasers is an escape room that puts players in the role of paranormal investigators. The room has plenty of puzzles, fun theming, and multiple developments in the plot. When creating the puzzles for this room, I incorporated ideas from actual tools used in paranormal investigations. Whether you believe in them or not, it is fun to pretend.

The game is divided into two spaces. The first space features a dining table with place settings. A dining area is perfect for this space. The second space represents the spirit world. It should be a dark space with spooky lighting and decorations. Black lights and Halloween decorations work well here. The flow diagram and setup are at the end of this page. The setup also has materials you can use to help you build the puzzles. Also at the bottom is an audio quick reference that you can use as a game master to have audio cues available to play at events.

Scenario

You (the players) are paranormal investigators. Yesterday, a desperate voice on the phone called you to a mansion on the outskirts of town. When you arrive, the door pushes open when you knock, but your host is not there to greet you. When you step inside, the door slams shut and latches behind you. A moment later, candles flicker to life on their own. The room looks normal, but the lack of living people is unnerving. You can feel that there is something wrong.

It is time to get to work. Collect the tools of your trade and investigate what spirits may be infesting this site.

Living Space (Room 1)

The players start in the normal living area of a home. The space is intended to be the area of a house where one might meet guests. A dining room works well for this space.

The room should contain a table with several place settings of plates, glasses, forks, knives, etc.

Start Tool Collection (Box 1)

The players get together their ghost hunting tools. This first box collects items for opening up the tool boxes.

Suggested Puzzle Mounted on one wall is a sequence of digits. Mounted on the opposite wall is a mirror. The players need to solve a reflected code puzzle by positioning themselves to view the digits in the mirror. The mirror reflection has the correct code to open the lock.

Ectoplasm Reveal Tool (Box 2)

The players collect some tools they need for their task. The first tool on the list is an “ectoplasm reveal tool.”

Suggested Puzzle The cutlery in the place settings on the dining table look normal. But on the underside of the knives are letters. The letters will make little sense at first, but the knives can be put together in a stick word grid. The words spell out a message that points to a location for players to find a key where they normally would not look. I made the message “look under chairs”.

The key opens a box that contains, among other things, an “ectoplasm reveal tool” (an ultraviolet light). It will be used later to reveal secret messages.

EMF Tool (Box 3)

Another tool the players collect is an electromagnetic frequency (EMF) detector. An EMF detector reads emissions that come from electric power lines and electric devices. Some paranormal investigators believe that ghosts can emit electromagnetic radiation and use EMF detectors to attempt to find ghosts.

Suggested Puzzle Create an imitation EMF that contains a map of the room that points to the location of a hidden object. The item might be a key, which is easy to hide, that opens a larger box.

I created the map as a simple web site that imitated the EMF tool and provided the map. There are straightforward tools for publishing web sites even for users with no such experience. An even easier solution is to drop a map image as an online document.

A QR code is used to direct players to the online map. I used a QR Cube, but any QR puzzle would work.

EVP Tool (Box 4)

The players search for an electronic voice phenomenon (EVP). EVP is a real thing that paranormal investigators do. The idea is to do an audio recording in a quiet room. Then you play back the recording and listen for stuff in the background static. (Our pretend tool will work better than in real life.)

Suggested Puzzle The first step is to have a QR construction puzzle that will make a players phone EVP recorder. Here is a fold back QR puzzle from box 1 with a QR code that will take players to an EVP simulator.

In the EVP simulator, players first have to hit the “Record” button and then wait for the recording. Players will then be able to play back the recording. They will first have to hit the “Vol Up” button until the volume level is high. Once they do, they can play the following audio.

(Download)

If the players listen carefully, in the static they can hear the numbers six-six-four-three, which form the combination to the box’s lock.

The box contains an encoding for astrological symbols, which will be used in a later puzzle. The encoding can be embedded in its own symbol algebra.

♉ + ♉ + ♉ = 9

♉ + ♑ + ♑ = 13

( ♉ × ♑ ) - ♐ = 13

♉ + ♑ + ♐ + ♐ + ♍ = 13

The answers to this puzzle ♉-3, ♑-5, ♐-2, ♍-1. If you don’t think the players will enjoy doing math homework, you can alternatively just give a straight lookup.

  1. ♍
  2. ♐
  3. ♉
  4. ♊
  5. ♑
  6. ♎
  7. ♓

Research (Box 5)

The players collect some research materials. In particular, they find an article about dream analysis that will be useful later.

The players also find an enigmatic list of phrases.

Secrets to Long Life

Be Loving

Reap Compassion

Laugh Madly

Murder Kindly

Suggested Puzzle Players have to find printed messages underneath or on the underside of the plates in the place settings. The message initially does not mean anything, but a further clue is revealed with the UV flashlight (ectoplasm tool).

There are at least two ways to set up this puzzle. If you have a word lock, print a single word under each plate to form a meaningless phrase, and then circle one of the words with an invisible ink pen. The players must reveal the word with the UV flashlight and use that word on a lock.

If you prefer to use a number lock, print a single digit under each plate and place them in random order. In invisible ink, write numbers to indicate the order of the digits to form a code for a lock.

Summon Lizzy (Box 6)

The players use the tools at hand to summon the spirit that is haunting this house. The players are contacted by a spirit who identifies itself as “Lizzy.” In the box have a picture of Lizzy. (The picture can be of any innocent looking girl. Find a random picture on the internet or that comes with a photo frame.) The picture comes with the following message.

Help! I’m Lizzy and I think I may have been murdered. Now I’m stuck in this limbo space: not alive, not dead. If I don’t escape soon, the wraiths will steal my soul forever. Open the portal to the spiritual world, release the spirit, and save my soul!

After the players open this box, you can play this audio file (for example, from a smartphone) to reinforce the situation.

(Download)

Additionally, players find an excerpt from Lizzy’s diary.

Dear Diary,

Today was the best Day of my life. I met the man of my dreams: Todd. We met at the park. He was walking his ferret. I was hiding in the bushes. He is sooooo cute with his pouting Lips and big brown Eyebrows. I didn’t have the courage to talk, but I did find out where he lives. Tomorrow, we’ll “meet” again. I’ll bring Mr. Knife for luck.

Suggested Puzzle The players summon Lizzy with a Ouija board. You can simulate this by shining the UV flashlight (ectoplasm tool) on a provided Ouija board. The revealed ink shows the path of the entrance code word.

You could probably construct this puzzle with a store-bought Ouija board. But if you are cheap, like me, you can just print the pattern of a board on a piece of paper. When I originally did this, I first attempted to print an image of a board. This, however, did not work because the invisible ink pen smeared the printer ink just enough to make out the path of the ink. Instead, you can use this replica of a Ouija board with a blank background so you can draw in the blank space between letters.

Learn Reiki (Box 7)

The players discover Reiki healing movements helpful for their goals. Reiki is an alternative medicine technique based on energy flows through the body. Part of Reiki involves moving your hands in various patterns to manipulate these energy flows.

This box has several Reiki patterns for the players’ reference.

Reiki is really a healing technique, not something that meant to unlock doors. But I think it is safe to say it works equally well for either.

Suggested Puzzle This box opens up with a code-word lookup puzzle. First, Lizzy’s diary (from box 6) has several words with odd capitalization: Day, Lips, Eyebrows, and Knife. The players need to match these with the word lists in the paper from box 5. These words translate to the numbers 4 4 8 2.

Spirit World (Room 2)

The second room represents the spirit world. This room should be spooky and contain ghostly decorations. Decorating this room is a chance to be creative. Halloween decorations can work well here. Making the room dark matches the theme, but make sure there is enough light to see the puzzles and avoid any tripping hazards.

Suggested Puzzle Of the symbols provided in box 7, one of them is labeled “open dimensions.” This is a clue that this symbol is used to open the portal (i.e., door) to the spirit world.

The symbol has ordered arrows giving the proper directions to replicate this symbol. The players must replicate these directions on a directional lock to open the door. This is a form of the sketch directions puzzles.

Astrology Reading (Box 8)

The players consult astrological charts to help them in their quest.

(I am unaware real paranormal investigators using astrology, but I think it meets the theme well.)

Suggested Puzzle Inside the spirit world is this map of the night sky with astrological symbols on it.

This map should be printed as large as possible (either on a poster or on multiple pieces of paper) to see its small features.

This map combines with the list of items in box 5 to form a grid lookup puzzle. The items in the list are “Be Loving”, “Reap Compassion”, “Laugh Madly”, and “Murder Kindly”. Focusing on the first letter of each phrase, we get B-L, R-C, L-M, and M-K. If we look up these pairs on the map (looking at columns first), we see that they point to the astrological symbols ♉, ♍, ♑, and ♐.

This still does not provide the code. These astrology symbols must be turned into numbers using the clue provided in box 4. This box either directly has the conversion of symbol to number or has a symbol algebra puzzle to assign a number to each. In the numbering provided in the examples above, these symbols translate to the code 3152.

Banishment Potion (Box 9)

When the players open this box, they find the instructions to create a banishment potion. When the players open this box, they get a potion recipe like this.

Banishment Potion

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Pus
  • 4 sprigs Sneezewort
  • 1 cup Urine
  • 5 Tubeworms
  • 3 Cockroaches

Directions

Melt pus in a large saucepan. Chop sneezewort and add to pus. Sauté until sneezewort is soft. Add urine and bring to boil. Dice tubeworms and add to urine/sneezewort mixture. Return to boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour mixture into a small trifle bowl. Slice cockroaches lengthwise and arrange on top in a pentagram.

Suggested Puzzle The banishment potion box can be opened with a code provided by the tea light message puzzle. The tea light is placed on the table in the first room and is lit as the players walk in. By the time the players open the second room where this box is, the code should be visible in the candle. The players just have to find it.

Lizzy Unchained (Box 10)

The players free the trapped soul, Lizzy, who pleaded for help (box 6). However, as soon as the players succeed in releasing Lizzy, she reveals herself as a malevolent spirit intent on committing evil.

When players unlock this “box,” a horrible figure drops from the ceiling. (The puzzle is set up as a hanging boss. A Halloween decoration of a ghost works well for the figurine of Lizzy.) When Lizzy unfurls, a note is also dropped revealing her true nature.

Fools! Now that you have opened the portal, I will unleash hell upon the Earth!

When Lizzy is revealed, you can also play an audio file to pump up the drama.

(Download)

Also dropping from Lizzy is a list of potion ingredients. This is a long list of weird ingredients, each with a random digit next to it.

Suggested Puzzle The clue to unlocking Lizzy unchained is provided by the EMF tool (box 3). I used the groovy blocks puzzle. This is a tricky puzzle, but providing the blocks early in box 3 will give players some more time to work it out.

Spirit Box (Box 11)

A spirit box in another device that paranormal investigators will use. It is an electronic device that makes a cyclic static sound and occasionally barks out words. What the spirit box is doing is quickly cycling through FM radio channels. It’s basically a digital FM radio with the tuner up button held down. As the radio scans through frequencies, it occasionally picks up a sound. Some people think this is spirits trying to communicate. (Others think it is a radio making sounds like radios do.)

Suggested Puzzle Like the other tools, the spirit box is emulated on a player’s phone and accessed through a QR code. Thus, a QR construction puzzle is appropriate. You can use a jigsaw QR puzzle here. The following QR code with the suggested cutout pieces works well.

These puzzle pieces come from box 8 (and possibly others).

Lizzy Defeated (Box 12)

The players concoct a banishment potion and apply it on the evil spirit Lizzy. On solving the puzzle, the players unlock the second part of the hanging boss. Lizzy falls to the ground, defeated. When Lizzy falls, you can play this audio file.

(Download)

After Lizzy falls, players find a shopping list.

Lizzy’s Shopping List

  1. Blood
  2. Bone
  3. Gore
  4. Pickles
  5. Violence
  6. Fructose
  7. Sweat
  8. Evil
  9. Dark
  10. Red Rum

Suggested Puzzle The banishment potion from box 9 and the list of potion ingredients from box 10 are combined in a variation of the code-word lookup puzzle. The ingredients of the banishment potion are Pus, Sneezewort, Urine, Tubeworms, and Cockroaches. Looking these up in the list of potion ingredients, we see these are associated with the digits 1, 2, 5, 9, and 0, respectively.

But this is not the correct order of the digits. Each ingredient has a quantity containing a number. The ingredients need to be listed in the order of these numbers: 1-Urine, 2-Pus, 3-Cockroaches, 4-Sneezewort, 5-Tubeworms. This order yields the correct code: 51029.

Escape House (Exit)

With Lizzy defeated, the players must close the connection to the metaphysical world and unlock the door to the outside world. Then they can emerge from the house victorious.

Suggested Puzzle The spirit box from box 11 plays a sound:

(Download)

Within this sound, words can be discerned: Evil, Gore, Blood, Pickles. In another variation of the code-word lookup puzzle, these words are cross-referenced in Lizzy’s shopping list from box 12. This provides the digits 8, 3, 1, and 4, which form the proper code 8314.

Flow Diagram

The materials and suggested puzzles of this escape room follow the following flow diagram.

graph TB;
  R1[Room 1: Living Space] --> B1 & B2 & B3
  style R1 fill:#fee,stroke:#b66
  B1(Box 1: Start Tools) --> B4
  B2(Box 2: Ectoplasm Tool) --> B5 & B6
  B3(Box 3: EMF Tool) --> B10
  B4(Box 4: EVP Tool) --> B8
  B5(Box 5: Research) --> B7 & B8
  B6(Box 6: Summon Lizzy) --> B7
  B7(Box 7: Reiki) --> R2
  R2[Room 2: Spirit World] --> B8 & B9 & B10
  style R2 fill:#fee,stroke:#b66
  B8(Box 8: Astrology Reading) --> B11
  B9(Box 9: Banishment Potion) --> B12
  B10(Box 10: Lizzy Unchained) --> B12
  B11(Box 11: Spirit Box) --> E
  B12(Box 12: Lizzy Defeated) --> E
  E(Exit: Escape House)
  style E fill:#fee,stroke:#b66

Equipment and Setup

Here is a list of equipment you will need if setting up your escape room in the same way as described above. This is organized by the items in the flow diagram above. Where possible, I have provided material for you.

Audio Quick Reference

As the players progress in the game, there are some audio files you can play at certain events to add ambience. Here is a quick reference tyo play each file.

Box 6: Summon Lizzy opened (Lizzy asks for help)
(Download)

Box 10: Lizzy Unchained (Evil Lizzy is revealed and threatens players)
(Download)

Box 12: Lizzy Defeated (Lizzy is defeated and falls to the ground)
(Download)