This Halloween, most of us will undoubtedly be crashing on the couch to binge watch the latest and greatest horror movies Hollywood has to offer. When working in escape rooms, most days are these films played out in real life, as players are unmasked throughout the game as the stereotypical horror movie characters they truly are. More seasoned Game Masters can pick out these archetypes before they even set foot in the room. So here is the Captured LV’s Guide to Escape Room Stereotypes – Horror Movie Edition.
The Macho
- Tries to be the leader, but---
- Has an abundance of confidence before going into the room
- Thinks he is always right and forces the group to accept his misguided solutions
- Takes credit for every puzzle other teammates solve
- Gets clues from the Game Master, solves the puzzle using said clues, and then brags about how he did it all by himself (this happens way too often...)
- Disregards safety rules
- If he can't solve his way out of the room, he'll bust his way out of the room
- Dies (fails the room) trying to be cool
The Blonde
- Is usually drunk, or at least too tipsy to properly solve anything
- Is typically chewing gum
- Spends the game suffering Snapchat/Instagram withdrawal
- Appoints themselves Captain Countdown, giving time updates every 2 minutes
- Over-analyzes the purpose of something decorative in the room -- thinking it is part of a puzzle
- Over-analyzes the purpose of something decorative in the room -- thinking it is part of a puzzle
- Rules don't apply to her because she's pretty... Not.
The Nerd
- Has played online escape rooms before (and reminds the Game Master every 30 secs of this)
- Says “I know what to expect” way too often
- Has some good ideas, but is frequently ignored by the rest of the group
- Has an intense strategy that often miserably fails
- Brings their own tools (flashlights, lock-picks, screwdrivers, etc.)
The Star-Crossed Lovers
- Pays attention to the significant other, not to what's going on in the room
- Say they are here for an escape room, but spend most of the time in their own little world (and the rest of us aren't invited).
- Are together till the very end. No divide and conquer for these two
- Will enthusiastically go along with their partner's bad ideas
- Get a bit handsy -- and I don't mean with the clues
The Lone Wolf
- Hates people but somehow found a group to play a game with
- Solves puzzles by themselves
- Tries to solve puzzles without using clues
- Does not keep the rest of the group updated on useful discoveries
- Becomes annoyed when people can't keep up with their thought-process
The Survivor
- Is technically friends with everybody, but seems... you know.
- Does most of the work and leads group to victory but they don't always realize it
- Is naturally astute, but mostly gets lucky when solving puzzles
- Achieves personal triumph and discovers unknown strengths during the game while their friends "die."
