Montgomery, IL: MindTrap – The Collector / Hand Trap

August 19, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

August 18, 2019 – Christina wasn’t feeling the greatest this weekend, and that could only mean one thing: it was time for me to do a scary escape room.  Christina avoids rooms with jump scares, gore, or the occult, so I’ve got a short list of rooms near home saved for a rainy day.

Geocaching: Mystery at the Museum Event

August 15, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

As a puzzle enthusiast, I get a lot of mileage out of Geocaches (hidden objects at GPS coordinates). They’re great locally for getting out of the house, and while on vacation they can be an excellent way to experience the area.

Impromptu Detroit Getaway

August 4, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Talk about an unexpected journey.  For more than a week Christina and I had planned to go to Traverse City, Michigan again, staying at the bed & breakfast aboard the SS City of Milwaukee, an old 1930s ferry which now stays in one location as a museum.  Unfortunately for us, the rest of the world must have also decided this was a good weekend for northern Michigan, as the SS City of Milwaukee was booked completely and all other hotel options were in the $350 a night range.

Beta Testing with Enthusiasts: Dos and Dont’s

July 31, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

You’re opening a new escape room and you only have one opportunity to beta test it.  You can either bring in a team of family and friends who generally like the idea and enjoy puzzles, or you can bring out a hardcore escape room enthusiast, say one who solved an escape room in every state in under a year.  What do you do?

The Anatomy of a Bad Experience

July 21, 2019 Brian Gondek 1

Christina and I recently completed a negative experience at a nearby escape room, Panic Escape Room.  I don’t like speaking negatively about escape rooms regarding subjective elements that I personally didn’t like, but Panic had enough objective issues that make it a perfect case study for simple things to avoid in room design.

50 States, Pictured

July 18, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

I finally got around to plotting on a map the locations of where I’ve solved escape rooms. Now I’m interested in taking trips to plug some of the biggest geographical gaps.

Fort Collins, CO: ConTRAPtions – Plight of the Margo Part 1

July 13, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

May 11, 2019 – On our most recent trip to Denver, Christina and I wanted to hike a little. There’s no shortage of options around Denver for this, but we had heard from Brian at Rabbit Hole Recreation Services that the Fort Collins area had some great escape rooms in addition to its natural wonders, so we headed in that direction.

Escape Room Prizes

July 4, 2019 Brian Gondek 0

Many escape room businesses offer some kind of prize for winning.  Whether it be a small prize like a sticker or a big prize like a T-shirt, or even proof of victory like a digital leaderboard or a stamp on a “passport,” there are a lot of prizes out there right now.  So what makes a good prize? I’ll break down my thoughts on a few of the prizes I’ve encountered: