Coming soon to Chatham, Kent: Escape Plan Live

Escape Plan LiveExciting news very recently reached this site about the first British exit game set to open to the south-east of London, in Chatham. Northern monkeys (*puts hand up, pleading guilty*) may not instantly be able to place Chatham on the map; it’s in north Kent – start in London and head in the general direction of France for about thirty miles. This forthcoming exit game, Escape Plan Live, may well figuratively put Chatham on the map – as well as literally putting it on the exit game map.

Chatham’s Fort Amherst lived up to its name as a working garrison for nearly two hundred years; these days it is a popular historic visitor attraction. Escape Plan Live shares space with the fort’s gatehouse, though operates without connection to the fort. The site plans to launch on Saturday 4th April and is set to host four different games: Air Raid, Hostage Rescue, Murder Scene and Asylum. These are big games by UK standards, capable of hosting teams of sizes 6, 6, 8 and 10 respectively, all with a 60-minute time limit. At least in April, games will only be offered at weekends; no word yet about plans for later months.

Take a look at the games’ descriptions to see which one you want to play first. Here are short summaries: Air Raid is a race to find the antidote to a deadly gas which has infected your party, Hostage Rescue sees you seek the keys to rescue a handcuffed friend before their captor returns with malign intent, Murder Scene requires you to determine a serial killer’s concealed identity and then escape from the room before the killer strikes once more and Asylum is a race to discover the truth about the titular abandoned building and then escape within the last hour before its demolition.

The proposed price is extremely attractive at £9 per player; however, the rooms are so big and content-packed that – unusually – the site plans to merge smaller parties together to play the same room at once, so you might end up playing on a team with people you don’t know, but you wouldn’t otherwise stand a chance of filling the room and cracking all its challenges. It is possible to book the rooms outright, for £49, £49, £65 or £79 respectively regardless of team size; even these prices are very competitive, especially if these charges are being split among a large party. The location’s FAQ section is one of the most comprehensive examples of the type that this site has seen; it draws on established good practice rather than springing surprises, though the plan to offer teams who complete their room early entry into a raffle for a free game is distinctive and welcome.

These big games are among the first of their type in the UK; this site looks forward to seeing the reviews and learning just how well a big-group game can work in practice in the UK! That said, if you have a party of even bigger than ten who all want to play on a single team, Room Escape Adventures of central London will trap teams of up to twelve in a room with a zombie.

2 thoughts on “Coming soon to Chatham, Kent: Escape Plan Live”

  1. Would like to enquire about an event on Friday 25th September. Phoned Fort Amhurst who were not very helpful. Sorry I am not on FAcebook.

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