The Keeper’s Collage
A distinguished selection of refined mischief and immersive nerdery.
Escape Room BuildscoNcoCtIoNs cOnCeiVeD bY thE KeEpeR hiMseLf
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The DarKspYre SerIes: dArKspYre caStlE
A malicious, sentient, time-traveling caste.
The setting for the connect arc series: Darkspyre.
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daRksPyre EpiSoDe 1: reFlecTionS of ThE PasT
In which our protagonists must find a…
“WAY IN.”
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dArkSpyrE ePisoDe 1: reFlecTioNs oF thE paSt
The protagonists discover Miranda’s Chamber.
Their friend was imprisoned here in the Past by Master Aven.
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DarkSpyrE epiSode 2: No tiMe for The pResenT
Time-based puzzles. Clues hidden in presents.
Puns intended.
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dArkSpYre EpiSodE 3: ecHoeS of tHe fuTuRe
Our protagonists infiltrate The Simulacrum Lab…
…and construct an ally to help them thwart Dr. Daft.
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DaRkspyRe epIsOde 4: dArKspyre DuNgeOn
Key ingredients for this home-brewed prison break?
Bulk shipping boxes, an exacto knife, and a lot of packing tape.
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daRkSpYrE ePiSOdE 5: THe HoPeligHt
Set in the future, it’s a tech-heavy episode.
The protagonists learn of a weapon known as the “Hopelight.”
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DarKspYre EpiSodE 6: AvEn'S DeMisE
The protagonists employ the Hopelight against Aven.
My deepest dive into set design yet.
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dArksPyrE ePiSode 7: SadIe'S PotIoN LabOraTorY
Chained to a partner on opposite sides of a wall.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
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DarKspyRe EpiSode 8: thE hEarT oF dArkSpyRe
The culmination of the arc, currently a work-in-progress.
A smattering of puzzles and props that I’m working on…
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fUnhouSe: iN-cLasS Pop-uP esCapE roOm
This modular escape room can be packed into the my SUV.
These fifth graders are trying to crack a book cipher.
draWn fRoM thE inKweLl
Dramatis Personae
Miranda. Friend of our protagonists, and object of Master Aven's desire.
Master Aven. The main antagonist of the Darkspyre series, and the current Master of Darkspyre.
Rike. One of Aven's predecessors as a former Master of Darkspyre.
Dalia, the First Mistress of Darkspyre.
Sadie. Once the protagonists' friend, Sadie betrays them to Master Aven. Even after defeating Master Aven, if the protagonists can't put a stop to Darkspyre itself once and for all, Sadie is the heir apparent to be the next Mistress of Darkspyre.
Dr. Daft. Mad Scientist and thrall of Master Aven, who ultimately fails Aven in trying to thwart our protagonists.
Fred Leeman. The first NPC our protagonists meet in the Darkspyre arc, and a recurring ally. Fred is alongside his off-kilter clone, "Friendly Man." Yes, "Friendly Man's" moniker does, in fact, derive from his glitchy way of trying to say "Fred Leeman"... and it sticks.
Fred Leeman kicks off the protagonists' Darkspyre adventure "with an unexpected knock... at the door."
Friendly Man assists the protagonists in their journey through Darkspyre.
"Marci." An interactive droid NPC, who becomes the protagonists' unlikely ally. Formerly designated AR-CI 3, excessive laser testing on this little droid at the hands of Dr. Daft caused her to go haywire... and decide that she had had enough of Dr. Daft and Master Aven's abuses.
Dr. Daft's Team. While beholden to Dr. Daft and Master Aven, they work in secret with the hope that clues they leave about may help our protagonists bring an end to their masters' evil deeds.
Elda Wise. Originally the brilliant assistant to Dr. Daft. Ultimately, his successor... and an ally to the protagonists, working in secret to help them rid the world of Master Aven.
Barny. Master Aven's ale-loving jailor. But Master Aven doesn't know that Barny's actually soft at heart. Our protagonists aren't sure what to make of him... friend or foe?
Miscellany from the Mind of the Keeper puZzleS & pRoTotYpeS & pLaYteSts… oH mY !
In Darkspyre Episode 1, "Reflections of the Past," we were nerding out on bilateral symmetry to hide codes in plain site. The reflections created by mirrors unlock the code.
Ok. So maybe the first Darkspyre episode could have been called "REFRACTIONS of the Past"...
COMPOUND PUZZLE: How many puzzle modalities can we cram together? This incorporated spatial layering with a box that was more than it first appeared to be, hidden in plain sight amongst other boxes.
COMPOUND PUZZLE, CONT'D: Inside the box, the players had to use a visual reflection... and for good measure, the actual reflected image could only be seen with a blacklight.
COMPUND PUZZLE, CONT'D: And to top it off, the reflected clue was tied to a pigpen cipher... which could only be completed by pairing two sheets in their own overlay puzzle!
COMPOUND PUZZLE, CONT'D: The Mad Pen once described this multimodal puzzle to me as "bRaiDed BrAinTeaSerY: eaCh ThrEad eAsY, 'tiL tWisTed uP & maDe tO kNot thE noGgiN."
Why not combine two of my favorite things? Yes. This is a D&D-themed puzzle in the Darkspyre Episode 2 escape room! D&D plus escape room = NERDGASM!!!
In Darkspyre Episode 2, "No Time for the Present," clues, keys, and other objects were locked up inside of gifts.. Yes. "Presents."
Ultimately, the players compiled all the necessary components of a mystical clock in "No Time for the Present." And yes, they did it... just in time... bah dum, dum!
MYSTICAL CLOCK, CONT'D: Components at each numeric point of the clock included mystically aligned items like a pentagram at "5," a magic 8 ball at "8," and salt at "11."
MYSTICAL CLOCK, CONT'D: The "Key of the Present" is shown "plugged" in at the top of the apparatus. (Bonus Nerd Points if you can come up with a better mystically aligned object for "12" than a d12!)
In Darkspyre 3, "Echoes of the Future," hidden QR Codes linked to clue videos that would reveal hints at how to complete puzzles and use objects found throughout the room.
Darkspyre 4, "Darkspyre Dungeon," featured a multitude of cooperative puzzles. In this one, adjacent prisoners used chopsticks to pass a key back and forth until one prisoner could reach it through a slot.
In Darkspyre 5, "Hopelight," custom anaglyphs revealed clues for how to arrange touch lights into the proper trigger sequence. Get a red lens and see if you can find the right pattern...
In Darkspyre Episode 6, "Aven's Demise," the set is littered with headstones like these. In their etchings, clues to opening the Master of Darkspyre's crypt abound.
In Darkspyre 6, the incorporation of a skeletal heart hands sculpture, a blue spotlight, and the resulting shadow cues players toward a code hinted at by the headstones. (Of course, the code itself is not to be found in this particular photo!)
Darkspyre 7 feature a custom Potion Lab wall, built from broken-down boxes & a PVC frame. Add brick-patterned sheeting, load with props & puzzles, the wall was ready for captors to be chained together on opposites sides of it.
In Darkspyre Episode 8, "The Heart of Darkspyre," an in-progress work at this time, AI-generated art is being heavily leveraged to deepen the immersion and embellish puzzles.
Playtest: The Funhouse. Putting this pop-up escape room thorugh end-to-end testing in our garage before its in-classroom debut.