The beat drops and freestylin’ rappers take to the stage, battling it out to see who has the best flow. First to the stage is The Knight, and his other contenders are characters like The Wife of Bath, The Miller, or The Reeve. Our topic today is The Canterbury Tales. This is the story of a group of pilgrims who gather around the fire to tell stories, primarily in verse.

Zach Sherwin, our guest today, knows a thing or two about storytelling in verse. He’s a longtime writer and performer on the Youtube channel Epic Rap Battles of History. This show pits two historical characters against each other, battling it out for rap supremacy. Zach has also created The Crossword Show, a hilarious live show where comedians solve a crossword while Zach performs about the topics. He also shares a few puzzles with us today as well.

Today’s game is called Name Dropping, and it’s all about modern names that come from medieval occupations. Grab your tickets to RECON 26 this summer to see Zach perform The Crossword Show live.

Click here for a playlist of Epic Rap Battles featuring Zach Sherwin.

Time Stamps

• 01:12 Game: Name Dropping
• 14:47 Bonus Puzzle from Zach Sherwin
• 18:45 About: Zach Sherwin & Epic Rap Battles of History
• 22:12 Topic: Canterbury Tales
• 32:26 Credits

Check out REPOD Season 10 Episode 10: Comedy, Rap, and Crosswords: The Crossword Show with Zach Sherwin

Guest: Zach Sherwin

Instagram: @zachsherwin

In THE CROSSWORD SHOW, host Zach Sherwin (“Epic Rap Battles of History,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) presides as a panel of guests solves an actual crossword puzzle live onstage, with everything displayed on a big screen so the audience can follow along. As the solvers decipher the clues, Zach takes the show down rabbit holes of comedy, music, wordplay and trivia inspired by the answer words, and everything ties together at the end for a grand finale that’s as satisfying as it is mind-blowing. You don’t need any crossword expertise to be dazzled by this joyful, brainy, one-of-a-kind experience! “Tons of fun.” –New York Times. “Nerdtastic.” –Washington City Paper. “Jaw-dropping.” –SFGate. 

ZACH SHERWIN is a Los Angeles-based comedian. His writing for the web series Epic Rap Battles of History has received numerous Streamy Awards and Emmy nominations, and the Epic Rap Battles in which he’s co-starred have amassed over half a billion YouTube views and an RIAA-certified Gold record. His own YouTube videos have been viewed many millions of times, and his other writing credits include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) and MAD Magazine. As a performer, Zach has appeared on shows ranging from Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (FX) to America’s Got Talent (NBC), and he has also worked extensively as a TV audience warm-up comic, including at the last three years of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals. In 2025, he published his second crossword puzzle in the New York Times.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse E42: Canterbury Tales (ft. Zach Sherwin) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

“ There’s lots of places in the world you can gamify.”

Emma Rochon and Melissa Eapen were young game masters working at a local escape room company over 12 years ago. They loved this “new” genre of entertainment, and asked the owners how they could get more involved in growing the business or designing new rooms. The owners replied with “There’s no growth in [escape rooms]. Also though, if you try to make your own company, I’ll sue you”.

These famous last words spurred Improbable Escapes co-founders Emma Rochon and Melissa Eapen to quit and start their own company. While looking for locations, they mapped out all the known escape rooms in Canada at the time, and settled on the charming city of Kingston. They chose it primarily for its qualities as an escape room wasteland, because it didn’t have any notable existing escape rooms.

Today, they’ve certainly built out enough games to put Kingston, Ontario, Canada on the map of any escape room enthusiast. They have built and designed over forty different games and experiences, including escape rooms, outdoor escape rooms, large event “podium games,” and even a board game café. They also started a sister company called Visual Menace Creative that builds sets, props, and immersive activations for brands, film, television and music videos.

Emma Rochon joins us on REPOD to share her escape room journey in the industry. I was simply mind-blown by these two young women who built an escape room empire out of nothing but sheer determination and passion. I love stories where someone is told “no” and they proceed to prove nay-sayers wrong in the most epic way possible.

If you enjoyed this episode and you want to hear more from Emma, she will be speaking at this year’s Reality Escape Convention about deconstructing escape rooms, and how to literally think outside the box when it comes to designing interactive puzzle games.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, and Buzzshot. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Support Room Escape Artist on Patreon

Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we’ve been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014.

By becoming a Patreon supporter, you’re not just backing a blog — you’re fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. You can also access exclusive Patreon content such as the Bonus Aftershow, Spoilers Club, and get early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles.

Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.

Buzzshot

Buzzshot is proud to announce their new “all-in-one” Booking System designed from the ground up for one type of business, escape rooms.

Offering:

• Easy to use booking UI with no fees or hidden charges.
• Customer waiver capture
• Branded Team Photos
• Player Messaging
• Review Managment
• Automations
• Customer Surveys
• Broadcast Emails

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. FREE Trial Account with full features^* including SMS messaging, and ‘Buzzshot Bookings’ trial upon request. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.

PG’s Playhouse Podcast

If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG’s Playhouse recreates a fun game night with friends, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what’s game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes!

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 00:00 Sponsor Break: RECON – The Reality Escape Convention
• 04:31 Origin Story and Lawsuits
• 07:53 Exploring Improbable Escapes’ Games
• 09:36 Unique Mechanics
• 12:18 Motherhood and Leadership
• 14:57 The Mysterious Miseries of Franklin N. Stein
• 19:23 Down the Rabbit Hole
• 21:24 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 24:04 Outdoor Escape Rooms
• 26:43 Kingston Tourism and Expansion
• 32:28 Wonderland Board Game Cafe
• 34:48 Community and Sales Trends
• 38:19 Sponsor Break: Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 40:45 Visual Menace Creative
• 46:20 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 47:51 Podium Games Explained
• 52:21 Designing Museum Installations
• 54:21 What Comes Next
• 59:23 Bonus Story: Unbirthday Party

Leave a Voicemail

Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Improbable Escapes Website
• Visual Menace Website
• Chris Ramsay Solving an Improbable Escapes Puzzle
• Room Escape Artist Reviews
  • The Mysterious Miseries of Franklin N. Stein
  • Neverland: Heist on the High Seas
  • Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission
  • The TriWizard Trials
  • Legend of the Mayan Temple
  • The Undersea Overthrow [Hivemind Review – Online Implementation]
  • Neverland: Heist on the High Seas [Hivemind Review- Online Implementation]
  • The Hot Chocolate Incident [Hivemind Review – Online Implementation]
  • Seven Dwarfs: Mining Mission [Hivemind Review – Online Implementation]

About Emma Rochon

Instagram: @improbableescapeshq @improbableescapeswonderland @visualmenacecreative

Emma Rochon is co-owner of Improbable Escapes in Kingston, Ontario, one of Canada’s longest-running escape game companies. Having spent over a decade creating immersive entertainment, her lead design credits extend across 40+ projects ranging from traditional escape rooms, outdoor adventures, museum installations, remote games and more.

Support REPOD

• Subscribe to Patreon for bonus content.
• Please rate and review our podcast!

Thanks for listening!

Support Room Escape Artist’s Mission

There are lots of ways to support Room Escape Artist, like buying from Amazon or Etsy after clicking into the links included in this post or backing us on Patreon.

The money that we make from these helps us to grow the site and continue to add more value to the community that we love so much.

The post Gamify the World: Emma Rochon of Improbable Escapes (REPOD S11E2) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

As the sun sets on the barren wasteland of California’s Mojave Desert, synth beats start to pulse and the MegaBlock comes to life under the glow of neon lights. This is Neotropolis, an immersive cyberpunk festival.

For five days, participants come together to explore this annual event, discovering secrets in back alleyways and working missions for the NeoCorps. This open world festival combines elements of larp, music shows, performance, and live action gaming. Attendees can also create their own cyberpunk experiences for other attendees to discover.

Scott Levy of The Immersive Machine in Phoenix, AZ (Sal’s Cybernetics) created a mini escape room called Crux Factory for Neotropolis 2025, and he joins us on Spoilers Club to tell us all about it. We start with an overview of Neotropolis and chat about everything: how factions work, camp life, what to expect when visiting, and how the official NeoMissions work. Peih-Gee also shares insights from the night mission she created.

Scott walks us through Crux Factory and all the other fun elements he created, including a decoder station that many different factions used to enhance their missions, and his robo finder game. You might recognize some of the game titles used for the decoder.

If you’re interested in the concept of an immersive open world, Neotropolis is a can’t miss experience. It’s chock full of incredible costumes, rich world-building, live action games, music performances, and unexpected adventure around every corner and hidden alley. You can hear more about it from creator Jared Butler, who was a guest on Reality Escape Pod in Season 7.

And if you’re interested in visiting a cyberpunk world in more familiar settings, make sure to check out Scott’s escape room, Sal’s Cybernetics at The Immersive Machine in Phoenix, AZ.

How to Listen

When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), you get access to the Spoilers Club, our exclusive podcast where hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

The post Building a Cyberpunk Escape Room in the Desert at Neotropolis appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

“One of the highlights of the Finnish larp is heavy, hard emotions. Crying is very much associated with Nordic style and Finnish style larping.”

Have you ever wanted to trauma bond with a hundred strangers aboard a spaceship while fleeing an alien threat? Do you want to be emotionally devastated while making hard choices about love, sacrifice, and humanity? Then Finnish larp is for you!

Laura Kröger is the lead producer and narrative director of Odysseus, a large-scale sci-fi larp run in Helsinki, Finland in 2019 and 2024, in both Finnish and English.

Built for 104 players, it’s set in an original science fiction universe inspired by classics such as Battlestar Galactica. Each participant has a pre-written role with past relationships, loyalties, secrets and fears, but the choices and emotional journeys are in the hands of the players.

Beyond the script, the set of Odysseus is mind-blowingly realistic, considering it was built into an elementary school as a temporary installation during summer break.

Laura talks to us about all the logistics of running such a massively complex larp, including how food and lodging is handled, costuming, and emotional support. I especially enjoyed hearing about how battles and “injuries” are handled. There is even a medical bay with some very graphic special effects “injuries” where “surgeons” are operating. (You can see more photos of Odysseus here).

Odysseus is currently running an Indiegogo campaign because they are trying to build a permanent installation so they can run Odysseus continuously without having to constantly build it and tear it down. If you’re interested in experiencing this yourself, consider supporting their campaign for a chance to attend.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, and Buzzshot. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Support Room Escape Artist on Patreon

Love escape rooms as much as we do? At Room Escape Artist, we’ve been analyzing, reviewing, and exploring the world of immersive games since 2014.

By becoming a Patreon supporter, you’re not just backing a blog — you’re fueling a mission to make the escape room and immersive gaming community stronger, more thoughtful, and more connected. You can also access exclusive Patreon content such as the Bonus Aftershow, Spoilers Club, and get early access to escape room Tour tickets and REA articles.

Your Patreon support goes toward our mission: paying our contributors, funding our infrastructure, and supporting deep research and industry advocacy.

Buzzshot

Buzzshot is proud to announce their new “all-in-one” Booking System designed from the ground up for one type of business, escape rooms.

Offering:

• Easy to use booking UI with no fees or hidden charges.
• Customer waiver capture
• Branded Team Photos
• Player Messaging
• Review Managment
• Automations
• Customer Surveys
• Broadcast Emails

Special Offer for REPOD Listeners:

REPOD listeners get an extended 21-day free trial plus 20% off your first 3 months, with no set-up fees or hidden charges. FREE Trial Account with full features^* including SMS messaging, and ‘Buzzshot Bookings’ trial upon request. Visit buzzshot.com/repod to learn more about this exclusive offer.

Reality Escape Convention

Our convention, RECON, will be in Laval, Quebec Canada on August 16th & 17th, 2026.

RECON offers a curated collection of talks and experiences exploring the business and art of escape room and immersive game creation. All are welcome at this event that is crafted around professionals and aspiring professionals.

PG’s Playhouse Podcast

If you love wordplay, puzzles, and trivia, this is the podcast for you! PG’s Playhouse recreates a fun game night with friends, all in a short, 30-minute format. Of course, what’s game night without making new friends? We bring on different guests for the different episodes!

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 00:00 Sponsor Break: RECON – The Reality Escape Convention
• 03:41 What is Larp
• 05:17 Finnish Style and Secrets
• 07:35 Laura’s Larp Journey
• 08:04 Odysseus Concept and Tone
• 08:59 Battlestar Galactica Episode 33 Inspiration
• 15:17 Origin of the Name & Cost to the Player
• 20:02 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 22:21 International Runs and Language
• 23:31 Building a School Spaceship
• 25:03 Bridge Simulator and Fighters
• 28:49 Developing the Lighting and Sound
• 31:39 Diegetic Audio and Ending Music
• 34:09 Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 36:10 Uniforms and Gear
• 38:48 Special FX Wounds and Deaths
• 40:22 Away Missions Logistics
• 43:10 Keeping Everyone Involved
• 44:49 Food and In-World Meals
• 45:44 Emotional Gameplay Core
• 48:28 The Decisions Made by Normal Characters
• 50:08 Runtime Control and Rails
• 52:51 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 54:16 Management and Logistics in Production
• 56:02 How Odysseus Compares to Other Larps
• 57:36 Sustainability and Future Plans
• 01:00:28 Future Plans to Bring Odysseus Back
• 01:02:31 Where to Follow and Thanks
• 01:04:53 Credits
• 01:06:35 Final Split-Second Call

Leave a Voicemail

Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Ellarion Tales Linktree
• Ellarion Tales Website
• Odysseus—First Light IndieGoGo Campaign
• Join Ellarion Community Discord
• Photos from past Odysseus runs

About Laura Kröger

Facebook @ellariontales

Instagram @ellariontales

Laura Kröger is a Finnish larp designer and producer who has worked with larp since 2000. She has been involved in numerous projects ranging from small events to large-scale productions. She was the lead producer and narrative director of Odysseus, a large-scale sci-fi larp run in Helsinki in 2019 and 2024. The volunteer-driven project gained wide recognition for its scenography, technology, and intricate clockwork design, drawing attention from national media and the international larp community alike. In addition to designing larps, Laura has lectured at multiple events on larp production and design, sharing insights from more than two decades of experience in the field. Laura is a co-founder of Ellarion Tales, a company aiming to continue the legacy of Odysseus by building a permanent spaceship set—and expanding the narrative universe beyond just the story of Odysseus.

Support REPOD

• Subscribe to Patreon for bonus content.
• Please rate and review our podcast!

Thanks for listening!

Support Room Escape Artist’s Mission

There are lots of ways to support Room Escape Artist, like buying from Amazon or Etsy after clicking into the links included in this post or backing us on Patreon.

The money that we make from these helps us to grow the site and continue to add more value to the community that we love so much.

The post “They cry” Laura Kröger on Odysseus & Finnish Larp (REPOD S11E1) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Are you looking to turn your party into a rave? Black light. Trying to find that pet stain you missed? Black light. Hiding secret messages in plain sight? You guessed it, it’s black light! To celebrate our April Fool’s Day project – a whole cookbook and party planning guide for hosting a black light dinner party – today, we explore everything about black lights.

Joining us are the Wild Optimists: Juliana Moreno and Ariel Ruben. They created the Escape Room in a Box series and have since collaborated on many tabletop games and interactive marketing campaigns. Their newest game is Lovecraft and Poe, a cooperative strategy tabletop game. Players choose characters with variable strengths and weaknesses, and work together on an ever-changing board to defeat unique villains in every game.

Today’s game is In the Black, a Taboo-style guessing game where every answer includes the word “black.” Lovecraft and Poe will be available via Kickstarter soon, so follow Wild Optimists and sign up for their newsletter to stay informed. You can also learn more about their work on REPOD S1E3.

Time Stamps

• 01:49 Game: In the Black
• 09:08 About: Wild Optimists’ New Game Lovecraft & Poe
• 19:52 Topic: The Black Light Dinner Party Cookbook
• 23:59 Topic: About Black Light
• 32:20 Credits

Guests: Juliana Moreno & Ariel Rubin of Wild Optimists

The Wild Optimists is an award-winning interactive design company devoted to creating new ways to play. They dream up playful experiences with a focus on games and puzzles for at home gaming, live events, site specific installations and brand marketing. The goal is always to enhance the guest experience by giving players the chance to be the hero.

WO began when Juliana Moreno and Ariel Rubin combined their theatre degrees and Hollywood writing and production backgrounds with their life-long love for gaming to create the first ever at home escape room game: Escape Room In A Box: The Werewolf Experiment. After licensing that project to Mattel, they have since created eight other published tabletop games, selling more than half a million units.

Building upon that success, Wild Optimists has brought the gaming experience beyond the table and out into the real world. Collaborations include interactive design for theme parks such as Universal Orlando and Mall of America, marketing campaigns supporting high-profile Film/TV properties for studios such as Sony and Amazon, and live immersive experiences for companies such as Hasbro, AEG, and the Santa Monica Pier.

Wild Optimists is on a mission to make the world a more joyful, connected, and playful place.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse E41: Black Light (ft. Wild Optimists) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

It’s chonky, furry, and oh so cute! The creature slowly creeps out of its burrow, looking around for his shadow. Good news! It doesn’t see it. The weather will be hot for the forseeable future. Bad news… well, we’re also surrounded by fire and brimstone. Welcome to Groundhog Day in Hell.

Chris Demarais and Blaine Gibson, co-hosts of the hilarious Good Morning from Hell podcast join us for some devilishly fun puzzles.  Good Morning from Hell is a weekly podcast starring Blaine as Clayton, the younger brother of Satan, and Chris as himself. Every week, Chris and Clayton interview someone from Hell. This show is off-the-rails funny.

Today’s topic is Groundhog Day, and we explore the origins and bizarre story behind this annual weather predicting tradition. Today’s game is called Cloudy with a Chance of Puzzles, where the guests must figure out these weather related idioms.

If you want to check out Chris and Blaine’s podcasts, look for Good Morning from Hell or their actual play D&D podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon.

Time Stamps

• 01:56 Game: Cloudy with a Chance of Puzzles
• 14:48 About: Good Morning from Hell podcast
• 22:07 Topic: Groundhog Day

• 34:43 Credits

Guest: Chris Demarais

Chris Demarais is an award-losing writer, director, and actor who loves telling stories and turning bad ideas into ambitious adventures. For his docu-series A Simple Walk Into Mordor, he walked hundreds of miles across New Zealand to climb an active volcano. On his hidden-camera show Social Disorder, he brought a human-sized doll to his 10-year high school reunion and proposed to her (she said no).

He’s written for film, television, and internet powerhouse Rooster Teeth, and has directed or appeared in some of the most-watched and influential web series of all time. Today, he runs two studios and produces and hosts hit podcasts and animations with his friends, including the chart-topping Tales from the Stinky Dragon and the long-running cult sensation Good Morning From Hell.

Guest: Blaine Gibson

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse 40: Groundhog Day ft. Good Morning from Hell appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Salt is a mineral so essential that civilizations literally sprung up around salt and built trade routes to secure it. It’s been used as currency, to preserve foods, and in all manner of industrial manufacturing. It’s also used to make our food taste better.

You know what else makes food taste better? Puzzles! Our guest is Survivor Season 47 Winner Rachel LaMont. She knows a thing or two about food and puzzles, having combined them in her new game Puzzle Hungry: Umami Rush! It’s a 2–4 player Japanese food-themed speed puzzling party game with points, cards, double-sided puzzles, and sabotage elements like “health code violations,” plus interactive callouts.

Today’s game is called Stay Salty, where I’ve “seasoned” a word by adding a letter to the beginning of a word to make a new, “edible” word. Each answer will be something edible.

You can pre-order Puzzle Hungry now for a taste of competitive puzzling.

Time Stamps

• 01:38 Game: Stay Salty
• 09:00 About: Rachel LaMont & Puzzle Hungry
• 15:03 Topic: Salt
• 19:21 Topic: Salt & Survivor
• 24:50 Credits

Guest: Rachel LaMont

Survivor 47 winner, newly minted game designer, adventurer!

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse 39: Salt (ft. Rachel LaMont) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Imagine no more wine bars, no more popping champagne to celebrate special occasions, and no more enjoying a glass of cabernet with your steak. In the 19th century, a tiny little aphid nearly wiped wine off the map, decimating centuries-old vineyards globally. Eventually, wine growers figured out how to combat the phylloxera menace. David shares the story of phylloxera in this episode of PG’s Playhouse.

Joining us are special guests Garrett and Sabrina, hosts of the I Know Dino podcast. They share some fun facts about dinosaurs, including mummified fossils that include skin and feathers and also dinosaur cannibalism. Our game today is “Sour Grapes of Wrath” where I’ve created before and after mashups of two phrases. The players must guess the middle word that links the phrases.

Time Stamps

• 02:09 Game: Sour Grapes of Wrath
• 10:35 About: I Know Dino podcast and Dinosaur Fun Facts
• 16:40 Topic: Phylloxera: Grape Vine Pest Apocalypse
• 27:14 Credits

Guest: Garret & Sabrina of I Know Dino

Instagram: @iknowdino

Website: I Know Dino

Garret and Sabrina are the husband & wife team behind the dinosaur podcast I Know Dino. They started the podcast shortly after their dinosaur-themed wedding. Ten years later they’re still going strong, releasing new episodes biweekly covering the latest discoveries, interviewing experts, and nerding out about dinosaurs.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse E38: Phylloxera (ft. I Know Dino) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Nineteen teams of six players each descend on the streets of New York City. The entry fee is $42,000 per team, and the only prize is bragging rights. For twelve puzzle-packed hours, the teams must navigate New York City, all the way from the furthest reaches of Coney Island to the heart of Manhattan. This is Midnight Madness, New York City’s most exclusive puzzle hunt.

Midnight Madness is a one night puzzle challenge across New York City where teams sponsored by large financial institutions compete for bragging rights in a race to the finish line. The entry fee is quite staggering, but that money goes towards both funding the event and charity. At its core, the puzzles and activities of Midnight Madness NYC are about bringing players into unusual and exclusive locations where they compete in strange and novel puzzles… and this year’s event was awe inspiring.

Every year, fresh new puzzles are created for this event, so you can listen to this without fear of being spoiled for future puzzle hunts. And indeed, it may help you get a better understanding of how these puzzles work. I especially loved hearing about the puzzles at the boardwalk, where a contortionist creates angles with her body that players must translate into semaphore.

Midnight Madness is created, produced and run by Gotham Immersive Labs. Producer Theresa Piazza and puzzle creator Emma Alosi join us for a detailed walkthrough of this incredible event. It was a joy to experience this vicariously through their eyes.

How to Listen

When you support Room Escape Artist on Patreon at $15 per month (or above), you get access to the Spoilers Club, our exclusive podcast where hosts David Spira and Peih-Gee Law chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

The post Secrets of NYC’s $42,000 Puzzle Competition appeared first on Room Escape Artist.

Author A.J. Jacobs is no stranger to gonzo journalism. He often puts himself directly into the story he’s writing, whether it’s about taking the Bible literally, or living out the Constitution. Much like gonzo journalism, there’s no attempt or pretense about remaining objective. In A.J.’s writing, he describes in hilarious detail how his lifestyle experiments have impacted his family and work life.

David talks about the origins of gonzo journalism, and we discuss how it differs from A.J.’s own writing style. A.J. also shares some insights he learned from his latest book, A Year of Living Constitutionally. Today’s game is called This Game is LIT…erature. Players are given the names of chapters, and must figure out the subject of the book.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out our interviews with A.J. about his book The Puzzler on S3E11 of Reality Escape Pod and our interview about his puzzling podcast Hello Puzzler on S6E13 of REPOD.

Time Stamps

• 02:15 Game: This game is LIT…erature
• 20:31 About: A.J. Jacobs & A Year of Living Constitutionally
• 26:30 Topic: Gonzo Journalism
• 34:35 Credits

Guest: A.J. Jacobs

Facebook

IG: @ajjacobsinc

Twitter: @ajjacobs

A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. Among his books are “The Year of Living Biblically” and “The Know-It-All.” He has told several Moth stories, and given several TED talks that have amassed over 10 million views.

His latest book is “The Puzzler,” which Booklist called “ridiculously entertaining,” and The New York Times called “A romp, both fun and funny.”

He was the answer to 1 Down in the March 8, 2014 New York Times crossword puzzle.

More Podcasts from Peih-Gee & David

If you enjoy PG’s Playhouse, check out Reality Escape Pod (REPOD), where your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles, alongside guests with incredible experience in this realm.

And by supporting Room Escape Artist on Patreon, you’ll get access to the REPOD Bonus After Show ($5 per month and up) and the Spoilers Club ($15 per month and up) where we chat in depth with creators about iconic escape rooms… spoilers and all!

Production Credits

• Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira
• Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law
• Produced by Theresa Piazza
• Supported by Lisa Spira
• Edited by Peih-Gee Law
• Music by Matt Farthing
• Logo by Theresa Wagner

The post PG’s Playhouse 37: Gonzo Journalism (ft. A.J. Jacobs) appeared first on Room Escape Artist.