Set up an escape game at home in one hour with a printable kit
A table, a printer, a phone: that is all it takes to turn your living room into a locked laboratory or a sleeping forest. Here is how to go about it, from printing to the final code, using two of our printable kits as examples.
What you need before you start
An escape game at home is a story, a few puzzles and an ending to reach before time runs out. With a printable kit, everything is already written: you do not invent anything, you just prepare. You need a printer (A4, in colour if you can), scissors, a pencil for each player, and a phone, tablet or computer for the final page. For The Fireflies' Forest, add some coloured pencils and a window or a lamp: one of the puzzles is read by holding two sheets on top of each other against the light.
Plan for 2 to 6 players. Beyond that, it is better to make two teams with two copies: with eight people around the same sheets, some end up just watching.
Ten minutes to set up
Both game master's guides allow ten minutes to set up. Print the kit, cut out the hint cards and keep them close to you. For The Fireflies' Forest, print single-sided, every page with the same setting (actual size on A4, “Fit” on US Letter): if you reprint just one half of the map with a different setting, it will no longer line up with the other.
Then comes an optional step that makes all the difference: slip each puzzle into an envelope and hide the envelopes around the room. Everything is played on the table anyway, but hunting for envelopes sets the mood straight away. Finally, open the final page on the phone: the lab door page, or the spring page in the forest. It works without internet and shows a 60-minute timer.
The game master's job
Someone keeps the hint cards and the guide, which contains the solutions. It can be a parent who is not playing, or a player who agrees not to look at the answers. The job is simple: read the story aloud, start the timer, then watch. When a team has been going round in circles on the same puzzle for more than five minutes, give them the next hint. The hints are gradual: the first one points the way, the last one gives the answer. Nobody stays stuck, and the game keeps its pace.
During the game
In Professor Volt's Lab, a storm has blown the fuses: Bit the robot has come back on all wrong and locked the door. Four puzzles in colour each give a digit, and Bit's scrambled screen tells you in which order to type them. The puzzles can be done in any order, several at once, so everyone has something in their hands. No prior knowledge is needed: the professor's notes explain everything. The kit is designed for ages 12 and up.
In The Fireflies' Forest, four guardians (a fox, a stag, a hedgehog and an owl) each hold a secret. You look, count and listen, then a map made of two overlaid sheets shows the way to the spring. It is designed for ages 10 and up, and 8 and up when an adult plays along, thanks to the variations in the guide.
A tip: let the players make mistakes. The lab door counts the attempts and locks for a few seconds after three wrong codes in a row, which stops people from simply trying everything. The fun comes from the moment you understand, not from speed.
One hour, really?
Yes: ten minutes to set up, then 45 to 60 minutes of play depending on the players' age and experience. If you are short of time, both guides offer a shorter version of about 30 minutes. And since you can print the files as many times as you like for your own games, a birthday party with two teams costs just one more print.
On the practical side, each kit is a download: the link arrives by email right after you buy, nothing comes by post, so you can print it the same day. Each kit costs €12, and you can also buy both together for less. Both kits are entirely in English, from the story to the final page.