The five most common mistakes you can make in an escape room - from the perspective of a game master

1. Poor communication.

One of the most common mistakes is that team members either don't communicate at all or don't do so in the right way.

Let's say you find a clue that immediately grabs your attention and you start thinking about what it could be for. Meanwhile, you forget to tell the others about it, even though the solution might be with them. It's a small thing, but it could cost you the few minutes you need to escape. Always communicate what you've found!

Another basic rule is that there's no such thing as a bad idea. If something comes to mind, be sure to share it with the others, because even if it doesn't lead to a solution right away, it might trigger someone else's thought process that eventually leads to solving the puzzle.

2. Lack of perseverance.

If you find a clue that you can't solve, the biggest mistake you can make is to leave it and move on. Even if you come across something that you can't figure out at first, it's worth coming back to it, because you can be sure that it will be useful later on.

3. The team doesn't ask for help.

There are teams who arrive with the mindset that no matter what happens, they won't ask for help, and they let us know at the beginning of the game. Unless you're a very experienced escapist, this is the biggest mistake you can make. Asking for help is not shameful, quite the opposite. Knowland's escape rooms in Debrecen are designed to provide a challenge even with assistance. Don't be afraid that the game will be too easy if you ask for help!

4. Carelessness.

Often, the simplest tasks pose the biggest problems and cause the most time loss. For example, no one checks inside a drawer where there's a key to start with. It requires nothing but careful attention, yet many teams make this mistake.

So the basic rule is to thoroughly examine everything, even multiple times. Just because you don't find something in a coat pocket, never declare it empty and unnecessary for others to check.

5. Disorderliness.

As the game progresses, teams find more and more things, some of which they've used, some of which they haven't (yet). It's worth organizing the clues according to what may still be needed later on and what you've already finished with. At Knowland, we've put together the rooms so that a key or combination is never used twice, so the team can be sure of what they no longer need. If these aren't organized, it can easily lead to an opaque chaos, which, as the game nears its end with the pressure of time, is a perfect recipe for panic.

In summary, if a team communicates well, perseveres, and requests help at the right pace, and is able to think and work together systematically, there's a good chance they'll successfully complete Metro, Chernobyl, or even Motel escape rooms at Knowland.