34 - Pop Up Escape Rooms with Melissa Eapen

In our 34th episode, we talk to Melissa Eapen of Improbable Escapes about Pop up escape rooms!

We also discuss Ontario's Escape Room 2017 Unconference, where she helped organize the workshops along with Jake Walling of Escape Maze and Christine Hibbard of Looking Glass Adventures.  

You can check out a quick write up of the unconference in the Brantford Expositor. There, you'll find a picture of Scott Nicholson, Manda, Errol, and David Korhonen. 

And finally, the parody for this episode was written by Rob Leveille! He manages the Crux in Niagara! Thanks so much Rob and great job!

33 Room Escape Show Niagara

In our 33rd episode, the divas get a chance to talk to Jen Braverman and Rich Bianco who are running Escape To the North, a room escape conference!

In fact, if you go to their seminar page, you will find us! The Divas are doing a live podcast recording! Huzzah!

We did not write that bio...

If you want more information, you are free to email Jen herself at jen@haashow.com

And Errol wants everyone to know the song was hard to sing.

32 - Singapore Escape Rooms with Janice Heng

In their 32nd episode, the divas get a chance to talk to Janice Heng who runs the Singaporean escape room blog Escaping SG.

Errol also wrote an escape room love song, because he believes there aren't enough of them. He recruited Noelle Sorrell who has been singing since she came out of the womb. She works as the Ops Manager at Hidden Trail in Windsor, Ontario.

31 - Puzzle Design with Dan Katz

This week we interview puzzle designer and enthusiast Dan Katz! This is probably our longest podcast yet. Blame Errol.

Dan Katz has written puzzlehunt puzzles for the MIT Mystery Hunt, the Gen Con Puzzle Hunt, and BAPHL. His puzzles have also appeared in Wired, MAA Focus, and Games World of Puzzles. His most notorious gift to the puzzling community is the follow-the-deranged-directions puzzle format known as the Duck Konundrum, for which he sincerely apologizes.

Check out Dan's new puzzle blog at puzzlvaria.wordpress.com

For the curious, see the most excellent Xbox puzzle on youtube.

And the parody song was written and performed by Dan Katz himself!

30 - Hype in Escape Rooms - Interview with David and Lisa Spira

This week, we interview David and Lisa Spira of Room Escape Artist to talk about the hype in escape rooms! Manpans was quite happy because we were able to get Naomi Lewin to do the sound editing. We are eternally grateful.

Also, behold our new look! It's glorious!

29 - Escape Rooms in the UK - Interview with Chris Dickson and Ken Ferguson

It's Season 2 of the Room Escape Divas, and in our first official podcast for 2017, we have a great interview with Ken Ferguson of The Logic Escapes Me and Chris Dickson of Ex Exit Games. 

[Let's Play Video] Room Escape Divas GoPro a Pop up Escape Room

Armed with a few GoPros, the Room Escape Divas play through a 45 minute pop up escape room. 

Watch as they demonstrate how lacking their observations skills are. 

Thanks to Ray Davies and Nick Newell at Panic Factory for letting us play their Krampus Room.
http://panicfactory.ca

2016 Year in Review

We take a look back at our favourite and least favourite rooms of 2016! Thanks so much for listening, everyone! We're very excited for 2017!

"Ask Why" - Escape Room Design with Scott Nicholson

It's Episode 27! And we have brought back Scott Nicholson to discuss his newest paper - Ask Why: Creating a Better Player Experience through. Environmental Storytelling and Consistency in Escape Room.

He also discusses the differences between 5 Wits and Boda Borg!

Let's Play Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat

Mike and Ruby aren't here in our 26th episode, however, we did have Margeaux join us! She's a brand new enthusiast and purchased Thinkfun's "Escape the Room: Secret of Dr. Gravely's Retreat!" which was designed by Nicholas Cravotta and Rebecca Bleau. 

Of course, we had to do a Let's Play, so again the obligatory warning:

WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND! Do not listen to this podcast if you have not played the game!

Oh! The parody was written and sung by our very own Manpans! Huzzah!

Club Drosselmeyer - Escape Room meets Immersive Theater and Swing Dance!

It's episode 25, and we've taken a break from our normal format because we wanted to get this podcast up as soon as we could!

Manda and Errol interview Kellian Adams Pletcher and Carly Dwyer-Naik who are two of the organizers of Club Drosselmeyer: an escape room crossed with interactive theater in the Boston area!

They currently have a crowdfunding campaign going on and there are only a few days left! I encourage to check out the page, donate a few funds and listen to this amazing pair who have taken on a fantastic undertaking!

Escape Room Questions Answered

In our 24th episode, Mike, Ruby and Manda answer listener submitted questions such as "What makes an enthusiast" and "What is your winning rate?"

And Eric and Annie are back with a parody song! Eric Boudreau, owner of Escape Capers in Calgary, wrote the lyrics, and it was performed by Annie Pattison. Errol is pretty excited to have youtube celebs sing the opening song! Check out Annie's youtube page to hear more of her songs!)

Scary Escape Rooms - Halloween Episode

It's the Halloween Episode! For the 23rd podcast, the Divas chat about scary escape rooms, costume ideas, and snack foods. Or at least, they snack while talking, which doesn't make for good podcast listening.

This time around, Mike wrote the lyrics for the parody! Huzzah!

In Between Newb and Enthusiast

In episode twenty two, we decide not to go to the experts! Lizette Tanner considers herself not an enthusiast, but also not a newbie. She also happens to be Errol's sister and the teasing is rampant.

Listen to her views as she describes stories about watching enthusiasts, how newbies feel about escape rooms, and ghosting.

The parody song was suggested by Chris Dickson of Ex Exit Games. He and Errol co-wrote the lyrics for "Close Every Door To Me".

Escape Room Enthusiast Survey

We took a survey asking enthusiasts what they liked in a room. In the 21st podcast, we discuss the results of that survey! We've place the survey and the results on thecodex.ca website if you want to follow along.

Customer Service and Escape Rooms

In episode 20, we talk about customer service and our experiences, both good and bad!

Errol was away this week doing other fun stuff, like escape rooms in Calgary.  He'll be back in full force next week.  

No Errol also means, no epic parody.  Manpans, Ruby and Mike try to fill in with "the best parody to date".

Family Focused Escape Rooms with Christine Hibbard

In the 19th episode, we have a wonderful chat with owner Christine Hibbard of Looking Glass Adventures, the first escape room in the GTA to be family focused.

We discuss children and escape rooms! And we discuss escape rooms. We always discuss escape rooms, it being an escape room podcast.

Sadly, Mike and Ruby couldn't join us this episode, but they will be back!

Furthermore, we have upgraded our sound! So we hope it sounds much better!

Defending Escape Room Tropes We Hate

In episode 18, we talk about the board game T.I.M.E. Stories as well as Cyan's latest adventure game Obduction!

We also talk about escape room elements we have ranted about but this time we defend them! At least, we start off defending them.

And there is a lot of Manpans teasing. Errol's a jerk. 

Links Talked About in Podcast

• Sidekicks - Webseries about superhero sidekicks
• First Impressions - Podcast about reactions to the Netflix show Stranger Things
• Escape Games Review - Mike and Ruby's Escape Room review site
• AngrybutCute - Mike & Ruby's cat who has an instagram

Escape Room Related Board Games with Donald Dennis

In Episode 17, we join Donald Dennis who is the host of On Board Games. We have a great discussion on escape room related board games, and other games that struck our fancy!

We are hopeful for the upcoming batches of escape room board games, but our expectations are especially high, being divas and all!

Errol is extremely pleased someone else wrote and sang the parody song! Eric Boudreau, owner of Escape Capers in Calgary wrote the lyrics to "At Least One Way To Leave This Locked Room", and it was performed by the one and only Annie Pattison, who also works there! (Seriously, check out her youtube page to hear more of her singing! She's awesome!)

We really hope you enjoy this episode! And Donald asked a question for the listeners, so by all means, please answer!

Let's Play Mystery at the Stargazer's Manor

In our 16th episode, we do a walkthrough of Mystery at the Stargazer's Manor, an Escape the Room board game created by Nicholas Cravotta and Rebecca Bleau. 

SPOILERS ABOUND! Do not listen to this podcast if you haven't played the game!

Thanks to Christine of Looking Glass Adventures for providing us with a copy to play with (since I couldn't find it anywhere to purchase on short notice!)

If you wish to just hear the review, it starts at 43:13, but it still may contain spoilers.

Music: Mozart's “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, recorded by The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.