Political

Haven’t We Done This Before? – Room: Save the White House 2 – September 13, 2018

~ Jason

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you love books or movies about computer-based terrorism or hacker attacks.

Avoid if… the thought of hackers gaining control of our nuclear arsenal makes you lose sleep at night.

THE BASICS

Room Escape DC

Address: 3949A University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 703-865-4178
[email protected]
https://roomescapedc.com/escape-rooms/save-the-white-house/

Room – Save the White House 2:

Description (from the company website): A group of renegade hackers has taken control of the United States nuclear arsenal and have ordered a strike on several major US cities…you’d think it’d be more secure than that, but that’s not the point. As the Secret Service’s ranking agents, it falls upon you to disarm the attack before tragedy strikes.

Use your knowledge and skills to get the job done. The fate of the country depends on you. Good luck, Agents!

Note: If you played Save the White House prior to June 2018, this is a completely different room with new decorations, puzzles and story.

Difficulty (1-10): 2 of 3

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $27 per person plus tax, but use ERG15 to save 15% on rooms booked for Mondays thru Thursdays

Identifier: R2 (replaced Save the White House)

Party Size: 2-10

Staging Area: Room Escape DC has a lobby with multiple tables, couches/chairs, vending machines, a sign-in station and two restrooms.

Metro Access/Parking: No metro access, so you’ll have to drive or Lyft/Uber. But there’s plenty of parking in adjacent garages.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the Facebook Live video before we entered the room:

This is the Facebook Live video just after we completed the room:

Logistics:

Description of the room: You enter an L-shaped room with the front part mimicking the Oval Office. There is a desk, some other furniture, and artwork and photos along the walls.

Understanding of the Mission: Hackers have taken control of the U.S.’ nuclear arsenal and are attempting to deploy missiles. As ranking Secret Service agents, it is up to us to figure out how to stop them.

Did We Escape: Yes and damn proud of it.

Time Remaining: About 18 minutes

Our Suggested Party Size: Having done the first version of this room, we were delighted when they offered us to come in and review the new version. We’d say 4-ish would be fine for this.

Did the room challenge the entire team? As with the original, there was a lot of back and forth with this room. Thankfully, it was a little easier (in that respect) this time. Yes, though.

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Just us

Jason and Mike donned their best Secret Service identities and stopped hackers from nuking the US.

Worth the time and money? Yeah

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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How to REALLY Cover Your Tracks after Rigging an Election – Room: House of Pawns 4 – April 15, 2018

~ Jason ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you’ve ever thought that our 2016 election had some, um, hidden agendas.

Avoid if… you hide political posts on your Facebook or Twitter feeds.

THE BASICS

Escape Artist DC:

Address: 720 I St SE, Washington, DC 20003(click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 301-502-2043
https://www.escapeartistdc.com

Room – House of Pawns, Episode 4:

Description (from the company website): Not available on their website at the time of posting.

Difficulty (1-10): N/A

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $20 (for adults; $16 with Student ID)

Identifier: R4 (Episodes 1 and 2 have been retired)

Party Size: 3-10

Staging Area: Decent sized waiting area with plenty of things to keep you occupied while you wait. FYI, to access the site you’ll have to go up half a flight of stairs. Then, to get to the actual escape rooms, another flight of stairs.

Metro Access/Parking: Eastern Market is a few blocks away. We recommend that or Lyft/Uber unless you want to roll the dice on driving and finding street parking.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this room for free, with the understanding that we would continue to provide an honest review and follow the same process we’ve used on all of our other ratings.

Logistics:

Description of the room: It is shortly after the election and you are back in now candidate (Senator) O’Conner’s office. The room is essentially the same office you may have seen on previous occasions/episodes.

Understanding of the Mission: You have to search through the room to piece together what happened just prior to the election and what happened on Election Day. Find out who may have rigged the election (by taking money from foreign agents), which States committed voter fraud, and who the REAL President is!

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 15:12 – currently 1st on leaderboard (and first team, at this point, to make it out within 45 minutes)

Our Suggested Party Size: We had 6 this time, which was perfect.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Steph, Eric, Steph and Heather

Team Disturbed Friends (Steph, Jason, Eric, Mike, Steph, and Heather) took first place on the leaderboard and solved the room within 45 minutes!

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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Pawns ARE the Weakest Piece in the Game – Room: House of Pawns, Episode 3 – January 28, 2018 – PLAY TESTED – FAILED!

~ Jason ~ 2 Comments

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you ever had a fantasy of being a burglar in the Watergate scandal, or a private investigator ransacking an office.

Avoid if… you get anxious just walking into someone’s vacant office, let alone having to search their desk for a pen in the fear that someone walks in on you while you’re doing so.

THE BASICS

Escape Artist DC:

Address: 720 I St SE, Washington, DC 20003(click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 301-502-2043
https://www.escapeartistdc.com

The Room – House of Pawns, Episode 3: RETIRED

Description (from the company website): Esteemed scientist Kumar is dead, and “foul play” is on everyone’s lips. With the Asteroid Bill past the Senate floor, and the Concorde project on schedule, the plot is thickening fast.

Your duty as an oil lobbyist to identify who axed Kumar and why. Was it Frederick O’Connor in a rage of jealousy? After all, Kumar was reportedly having an affair with O’Connor’s wife. Could it have been Mrs. O’Connor herself, a politically ambitious woman who would rather not have had her Kumar antics revealed? Or perhaps someone else altogether with an ulterior motive unbeknown.

All the evidence you need is in Frederick O’Connor’s office. The clock is ticking and you must figure out the plot before the time runs out.

Difficulty (1-10): N/A

Time Limit: 45 minutes

Cost: $20 (for adults; $16 with Student ID)

Identifier: R3 (Episodes 1 and 2 have been retired)

Party Size: 3-10

Staging Area: Decent sized waiting area with plenty of things to keep you occupied while you wait. FYI, to access the site you’ll have to go up half a flight of stairs. Then, to get to the actual escape rooms, another flight of stairs.

Metro Access/Parking: Eastern Market is a few blocks away. We recommend that or Lyft/Uber unless you want to roll the dice on driving and finding street parking.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this room for free, with the understanding that we would continue to provide an honest review and follow the same process we’ve used on all of our other ratings.

Logistics:

Description of the room: You’re now an oil lobbyist who has infiltrated Senator O’Conner’s office, looking for proof of who killed the scientist (Kumar) in an effort to kill the Asteroid Bill that has passed the Senate (the bill, from Episode 2, would advance alternative energy from the element discovered on the asteroid, using the formula that Kumar developed to turn it into efficient energy). Lots of intrigue here.

Understanding of the Mission: Find out who killed Kumar, and the role of the conspirators.

Did We Escape: No, but we had an issue with the timer and never had any idea how much time we had left (so we didn’t ask for any help at a point where it would have made a difference)

Time Remaining: less than zero 🙁

Our Suggested Party Size: We only had 3, and that wasn’t enough. We recommend 5-8.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Heather

Worth the time and money? Yes, however we think not knowing the story may make most of the puzzles and such feel out of place. Read on to understand why.

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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We’re Just Pawns in a Much Larger Game… – Room: House of Pawns, Episode 2 – January 28, 2018 – PLAY TESTED

~ Jason ~ 3 Comments

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you live in DC primarily for the political scene.

Avoid if… you couldn’t make it through Season 1 of House of Cards.

THE BASICS

Escape Artist DC:

Address: 720 I St SE, Washington, DC 20003(click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 301-502-2043
https://www.escapeartistdc.com

The Room – House of Pawns, Episode 2: RETIRED

Description (from the company website):
Fossil fuel dependency may come to an end faster than expected if the Asteroid Bill passes, but not everyone is happy about the prospect of this game-changer. Sen. Frederick O’Connor’s college buddy may have found a way to convert one of the asteroid’s natural elements into abundant fuel. Can you, as a lobbyist for the alternative energy jetsetters, find the element and the formula to secure your freedom from the room?

Do not expect the key to be out in the open. It is hidden among clues everywhere you look. Your objective is to sift through all the chaff to get to the wheat — fast! You will have no time to waste flapping your gums when the world’s energy crisis could be moments from an astounding conclusion.

Difficulty (1-10): N/A

Time Limit: 45 minutes

Cost: $20 (for adults; $16 with Student ID)

Identifier: R2 (Episode 1 has been retired)

Party Size: 3-10

Staging Area: Decent sized waiting area with plenty of things to keep you occupied while you wait. FYI, to access the site you’ll have to go up half a flight of stairs. Then, to get to the actual escape rooms, another flight of stairs.

Metro Access/Parking: Eastern Market metro stop is about 3 blocks away. If you drive, you’re going to be looking for street parking, so we recommend metro or Lyft (or rolling the dice and driving).

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the video we took before we entered the room:

This is the video we took just after we completed the room:

Note: The ERG were given the opportunity to try out this room for free, with the understanding that we would continue to provide an honest review and follow the same process we’ve used on all of our other ratings.

Logistics:

Description of the room: You’re locked in an office and have 60 minutes to find the formula for this alternative energy spectacle.

Understanding of the Mission: While locked in the office, you need to use all the clues hidden in plain sight, as well as your mental faculties (if you have any), to solve the puzzle and find the formula and element needed for this astronomically useful source of new found energy.

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: ~7:30

Our Suggested Party Size: We only had 3, and that wasn’t enough. We recommend 5-8.

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Heather

Worth the time and money? Yes. But we missed episode 1, and we feel that we lost some of the backstory (again, however, it wasn’t a requirement to play this room, which has since been retired and replaced with Episode 3.

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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We’re the Bomb! – Room: Save the White House – March 20, 2017

~ Mike K. ~ 4 Comments

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you are addicted to Designated Survivor or harbor fantasies of being a hero.

Avoid if… you dislike politics.

THE BASICS

Room Escape DC

Address: 3949A University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 703-865-4178
[email protected]
https://roomescapedc.com/escape-rooms/save-the-white-house/

The Room – Save the White House:  – RETIRED (has become Save the White House 2)

Description (from the company website): A radical group has hidden a bomb in the Oval Office in an attempt to assassinate the President. You and the rest of your Secret Service team have intel that the bomb is set to go off in one hour. If it detonates, it will devastate the capital and fling the Free World into chaos. There is only one problem: lockdown has been initiated before you could get the President to safety.

Now, you are all trapped in the Oval Office together. Your only hope is to find the bomb and disarm it. To unravel this enthralling puzzle, you will have to rely on clever strategy and collaboration. Look carefully. Look closely. Everything in the Oval Office is a clue.

The President’s life, and the fate of the United States, rests in your hands. Do you have what it takes?

Difficulty (1-10): 2 of 3

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: $27 per person plus tax

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 2-10

Staging Area: Room Escape DC has a lobby with multiple tables, couches/chairs, vending machines, a sign-in station and two restrooms.

Metro Access/Parking: No metro access, so you’ll have to drive or Lyft/Uber. But there’s plenty of parking in adjacent garages.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This is the Facebook Live video before we entered the room:

This is the Facebook Live video just after we completed the room:

Logistics:

Description of the room: You enter an L-shaped room with the front part mimicking the Oval Office. There is a desk, a long table (for Cabinet meetings?), some other furniture and artwork and photos on the walls.

Understanding of the Mission: Find the bomb and disarm it before time runs out and the entire political landscape is irrevocably changed.

Did We Escape: Yes and damn proud of it

Time Remaining: 4:14

Our Suggested Party Size: We decided to see if we could do this room on our own, so we only had the two of us. We suggest 5-8 if you have a mix of newbies and veterans (the more veterans  you have, the less the number of overall people we think you’ll need).

Did the room challenge the entire team? Um, yeah… we were challenged out the wazoo (there were only two of us in a room that holds up to 10). It was literally a lot of work.

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Zip, zero, zilch, nada.

The Escape Room Guys (Mike and Jason) took on this room on their own and found the bomb! Photo courtesy of Room Escape DC.

Worth the time and money? Oh yeah

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

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Don’t Back Us into a Corner! – Room: Escape the Oval Office – November 1, 2015

~ Mike K. ~ 1 Comment

ESCAPE ROOM REVIEW – THE QUICK AND DIRTY

Play if… you’ve always wanted to be a Secret Service agent.

Avoid if… history just ain’t your thing.

THE BASICS

The Escape Lounge on H Street:

Address: 1322B H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 (click address for Google Map)

Contact and Website: 202-399-0900
http://escapetheroom.today

The Room – Escape the Oval Office:

Description (from the company website): Escape the Oval Office is an escape room game where you are a team of White House correspondents for the National News Agency and you just received an anonymous tip about a brewing “scandal” in the White House. Now you and your colleagues must sneak into the Oval Office to uncover the details so that you can get your story to print in 60 minutes.

Difficulty (1-10): 6/10

Time Limit: 60 minutes

Cost: “From $15”

Identifier: R1

Party Size: 4-10

Staging Area: The room is in a townhouse on the second floor, so it’s basically a living room. It is spacious with a lot of seating.

Metro Access/Parking: Union Station and Galludet Metro stops are both a 1.2 mile walk away from this location, or search for street parking.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Logistics:

Description of the room: It’s a room that is decorated to mimic the Oval Office. Desk, 2 couches, table.

Understanding of the Mission: You are part of the White House press crew and get a tip that there is a scandal being covered up. Does it go all the way to the top? You need to infiltrate the Oval Office, find proof of the scandal, and escape before Secret Service catches you.

Did We Escape: Yes

Time Remaining: 12:45

Our Suggested Party Size: 6-8

Did the room challenge the entire team? Yes

Members of our team (other than the ERG): Steph, Gina, Shanell, Aaron, Jennifer and two random guys.

Our first room! The team (Jason, Mike, Steph, Gina, Shanell, Jennifer and Aaron) escaped the Oval Office!
Our first room! The team (Jason, Mike, Steph, Gina, Shanell, Jennifer and Aaron) escaped the Oval Office!

Worth the time and money? Yes

Where to Eat/Drink Before/After:

Continue reading →