Live Escape: The Brig (Salisbury)

Something a little different

Play The Brig escape room in Salisbury at our 14th century venue in The Cross Keys.  This game can be played on its own with up to 5 players or as part of a versus escape experience for 4-11 people.

Captured by the East India Trading Company you and your pirate crew have been chained up and locked in the brig of their galleon, anchored in Salisbury Docks.

When the King’s men arrive you and your crew will face the executioner.

Use your collective cunning to escape your floating prison and reclaim your treasure (currently being plundered at The Plume of Feathers Inn).

It had been many many years since we last played a game by Live Escape in Salisbury, which was when we played the now closed ‘Spectre’. We loved that game and have been waiting for them to open a new game. Well, they finally did, and we had a little weekend away in the New Forest which gave us the perfect excuse to pop back up to Salisbury to check out ‘The Brig’.

Live Escape have changed a lot since we last visited and now they are housed in a beautiful 14th building in the centre of Salisbury. We didn’t play it but I should also point out that they have a new concept of game called ‘The Medieval Games’ which is designed for large teams/corporates/parties and with the sneak preview we had, it looked like great fun. So if you want a game for a lot of people that is something a bit different, then definitely check that one out (they also have a special Christmas version).

But I digress. The Brig is what we’re here to talk about. When we arrived we were warmly greeted by our host, Charlie (in full character, of course) and we took a seat at the large wooden table by the (fake) fire. To say this building is beautiful is really an understatement, it’s worth playing just to have a look.

While sat at the table (and having used the facilities), Charlie gave us our briefings, and with our possessions safely put away in a trunk, it was time to head to the brig. The Brig is a classy establishment so for us there was no sharing of cells, both of us were escorted to and safely shackled into our own private cell.

It’s quite an odd setup at Live Escape in that The Brig takes place in the main area of the venue, where the windows look out onto a busy shopping street. We did notice a few people walking past and having a look at what was going on, but for the most part we just got on with our escape and the outside world faded.

Like I said, we were in our own cells, and then we had restraints added. These restraints were done in a way that if there was an emergency, or we needed to let ourselves out, we could simply undo the Velcro and be free. Obviously, that wouldn’t be in the spirit of the game, so they also had padlocks on them that we needed to undo. It was time to escape.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

You can’t really get much more immersed than being in a true 14th century building. Ok, obviously the brig was added by Live Escape, but they’ve done it in such a way that it feels oddly natural. I think that’s one thing that has always stood out for us about Live Escape is that they don’t just buy things cheaply from Amazon, everything has been either made bespoke or customised to look authentic.

We played as a team of two, so the hosts modified things slightly so we could play (which didn’t affect the game at all) but I believe you can play with up to five players, and having more players could make it slightly easier I would think. Equally, if you have more players, you can also book their Pieces of Eight experience and do a bit of a head-to-head.

There’s not really much more to say about the immersion/room design as everything we encountered felt like it belonged, and nothing (except us) felt out of place. The Plume of Feathers is a wonderful place to spend some time.

PUZZLES

As you would expect from a game in a 14th century building, called The Brig, there wasn’t much tech involved and most of the puzzles resulted in codes for padlock-like devices or keys. As you would also expect from a split start game, communication is vital to succeed. Other than that; observation, pattern recognition, searching, and decoding all played a part. One extra thing to add, at least one of the puzzles relies on colours, so if that’s an issue it may be worth considering (we managed to get through with a little trial and error).

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

I always love the clue systems and GM interaction at Live Escape, and once again, they nailed it. If we needed any help, we simply had to shout out and Bartholomew (a fellow inmate) was on hand to assist. Equally, the GM interaction was spot on and was another way that they could give extra assistance without breaking immersion.

Charlie played his character well and was always there when we needed him (and yes, we had some dim moments. Well, Liz did. I blame Liz).

ANYTHING ELSE

Probably not the most challenging, but perhaps one of the more authentic sets we’ve seen. I very much enjoyed our time in The Brig, with fun puzzles, great hosting, and some theatrics to boot!

Definitely keep an eye on Live Escape, we got a sneak preview of their new escape room that they’re building, and it looks like it will be quite a challenge and quite epic. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a large group game in Salisbury, then be sure to check out their Medieval Games offering.

Success/Failed

Final Rating: 

Team Size: 2 people – around 37 mins?

Address: 1, Cross Keys Chequer, Queen St, Salisbury SP1 1EL

Website: https://live-escape.co.uk