The Infinite Escape Room

It's only taken five years but Jon has finally managed to start a recording ahead of time. It lasts thirty seconds and immeadiately fails. This is followed by an intro section that goes completely out of sequence and one of the most obscure puzzles we've ever done. There are no locks, no keys or codes. All that's needed is the answer to a simple question. What's wrong with Heston? This episode features Jon, Jamie, Ben and even Jon's wife Sinead providing some piano for the ending.

Come join us at the "We've put a flag in it, so it's ours" pub, where Jamie, Mairi and Helen chat about last week's episode - The Museum Anti Heist. We also have a brief chat about weird-flavoured beers, get into just how much stuff the British Museum has stolen over the years, and Jamie leads a call to reclaim Stonehenge for the Welsh. Cool stuff to check out: Cave Escape Nottingham: Project IcemanCase Closed EdinburghQuizzy Dan's Twitch streamCerebral Puzzle Showcase (Steam) Also, our own Mike Collins has co-written a bloody book! Check out the Pedagodzilla book for pop culture and learning deliciousness.

This week, Jamie is joined by Helen and Mairi - two of our wonderful Patreon subscribers - to smuggle a few historical objects from the British Museum. Fictionally sponsored by Mammoth Meat, this episode features much chewing, pocket lint theft, dodgy accents and a surprise cameo. Our top-tier Patreon supporters will get this episode - unedited - in video format! Join our Patreon programme to check out what perks you're missing out on. Check out Mairi's previous episodes: Down the Rabbit's HoleStop The Presses!

Pull up a Wicker armchair and join us for a watery brew at The Arse, or The Forge and Wicker, or The Golden Shower, or whatever we've settled on as the name of this hellish pub. A fitting a retreat after a puzzle described initially by Jon as "definately an easy one," that descended into confusion, public urination and serial village murder. Everything that could be misunderstood, was, and everything that couldn't was as well. Topics of discussion include the traditional Spanish abduction of naughty Dutch children via Steamboat, why Beer definately should be served with chocolate, the human tendency to see patterns in random events and extract meaning from those patterns, and smut. Really, quite a lot of smut. Thie episode features Ben, Annekoos, and Jon. Which is why it is late.

You are in a state of crisis, the puzzle pieces before you make no sense. No answers come to you, no logic pervades, no inspiration. What do you do? Well if this episode is anything to go by, you pee on it. And then expectantly ask the GM whether that "does anything." With teams like these, who needs enemies. This episode features Annekoos, Ben and Jon. Special thanks this episode to Lena Orsa, for the Epic Cinematic Music that Jon glorifies amateurism to at the top of the show.

Gather ye round, settle down, grab a beer and listen in as I chat with David Spira and Peih-Gee Law of Reality Escape Pod about last week's episode - The Wicker Plan. We also touch on why David and PG enjoy leaving one another for dead, we chat about the difficulties of switching you brain between game mode and story mode in an escape room, and we get a little insight into how they make REPOD. Check out Reality Escape Pod and say hi to David at @roomscapeartist and Peih-Gee at @peihgee.

We're joined this week by David Spira and Peih-Gee Law of Reality Escape Pod, where they have to work their way out of a burning wicker man where everything is designed to kill them. It's a nightmare. Here's a handout if you want to play along: Wicker man schematic Check out Reality Escape Pod and say hi to David at @roomscapeartist and Peih-Gee at @peihgee. And remember - don't snort bees, kids. It'll mess you up. Your solvers this week were David Spira and Peih-Gee Law. Game design and hosting by Jamie Gibbs.

Join Annekoos, Bailey, Mike and Aled as they sip their overpriced tipples in The Garrick Club, Jon's natural home. We kick off by discussing the great injustices of Jon's previous room (chief among them that he inadvertently told them not to bother taking notes). Topics of digression then include Overengineered Light Switches, Corporate Flunkies, The Rise of Clickbait Journalism, The Capabilities of The Scorpion and The Death Of Self. Standard night at the pub, then.

Mike's back! And what an absolute hellscape he's returned to! He joins Annekoos, Aled, and Bailey as they wrangle another Jon shaped disaster of misdirection. Tune in and listen to them slowly go mad as they try to figure out who's on top, and what top is, exactly.

Join us at The Golden Streak where Dom, Ben and I chat about last week's episode, try to name a Jason Statham film Ben's actually seen, and chat about the current trend for bullshit documentaries. This week's recommendations (gods help me) Bodies (Netflix) Stainless steel (you heard that right) The act of swimming (yup, it's one of those episodes)

This week, Dom crafts a delightful puzzle where Ben and Jamie have to escape from Nitflex - the streaming service with a delightful set of portals we can jump into. Dom also did a fantastic job at hosting this one, too. Tell us if you think he should host more often :) His alliteration skills were also on point. Visuals for your delight SFX used in this episode Trombone sound - https://freesound.org/people/HootOwl/sounds/468909/ Jump scare = https://freesound.org/people/TheSoundFXGuy_YT/sounds/534218/

After a marathon full length escape room Annekoos and Aled join Jon in the vaults of The Counting House. We pick over the bones of The Heist, delve into the affect that the medium of delivery has on the difficulty of different puzzles, reflect on the inherently self defeating nature of late stage capitalism and then talk about Anne of Green Gables. Standard night out in your thirties, basically.

The first number two we've ever done. Yep. Leaving that there. Couldn't be happier with it. I can feel your judgement, I can sense your grimace on the winds that whip around the earth and bind our experience together. And on that wind I can taste your dissappointment. And it tastes good.

SURPRISE, you're doing a real escape room, a full length one, that is real. Or was real. Once. In my mind. In your mind. Well, in my mind first, then in your mind. Minds are great aren't they. Aren't they? Do you care? Do you mind? I don't mind. Don't mind me. Mind out there, I'm doing my mindfulness. Deep breath now. Mind the gap. I may have gotten carried away with today's sponsor.

Whoo boy do we go on some tangents with this one. From Cockneys to Wombles to Batman and back. And for those of you not from the UK - this is the wombles. Ben and Dom were stellar pub friends, keeping the banter flowing when my internet connection went down ... several times. Make sure you comment or send us a message with your answer to our Cockney rhyming slang challenge! Here are some links to the cool things we talk about during the episode: The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing - Margate FhtagnMastadon social networkMaster and Commander: Far side of the worldEvil Genius podcast

'Ello Guv'nor! Ben and Dom find themselves in the midst of a dastardly Cockney plan to summon the Great Cthulu, Spawn of the Stars, at Margate Water Treatment Plant. How will they fare? Will Jamie's AWFUL connection be the death of them? Fear not, dear listener - where there's a will there's a way. Handouts attached if you want to play along: Star chart Sigil Door sign Music used in this episode from FreePD.com: SFX used: Squeaky Scrap 41 by Department64Shower(ernie)05.wave by kokopetiyotBathtub Water Turn On Run and Drain.wav by bbrocer

Join Jon, Jame and Ben as they take a sip of Margate Effluent at this underwater boozer. Topics include Why The Hard Things Are Easy and vice versa, the difficulties of puzzle design that doesn't involve numbers and why the "defeat" ending is a dying art. Also, Jon gives us a One time only performance of his hit parody "Unter Der Sea". Enjoy!

Producer Ben marks his return to the show with this voyage beneath the waves. He joins Jamie as they patiently endure Jon's impersonation of a series of Germanic Mermen. Now. How does a Puffer Fish work? Do you know? Special thanks this episode go to the following FreeSound.org users: cAPSLOCK7 - 00001NoisevaultAlleyWater. kernowrules - Cornish River Estuary thatjeffcarter -underwater loop 120bpm

In this pubisode we go down the rabbit hole with pitches for Disney films that could be remade into horror films. We also get into modern showings of older Disney movies showing content warnings due to dodgy stuff from way back when. And we address certain urban myths about old Walt himself. Timestamps if you want to skip ahead: Maus Trap Here are some things we recommend: Ella Minnow Pea - Mark Dunn (book)Barbarian (film)Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens - David Mitchell (book)SIX (musical)Headlock escape rooms - Keeper and the Fungus Among Us (virtual escape room) Enjoy! Jamie x

Well well well. After 95 years, the OG Mickey Mouse is in the public domain. So of course we see just how close we can get to bringing the fury of the House of Mouse upon us as quickly as possible. What a way to start 2024. Anna and Bailey were excellent solvers, and it was great to have them back on the pod after so many months. If you want to support the show, don't forget to check our Patreon where you can: Game design by Jamie Gibbs (@armchairescapist)