NATHAN STONE
NDWCC escape room challenges teams to find treasure for a good cause
By Nathan Stone,
Trident Staff
NATHAN STONE
There’s treasure to be found in the Cambridge Military Library. The historic building inside Royal Artillery Park has been transformed into an escape room game that challenges teams of puzzle enthusiasts to find a hidden inheritance inside a one-hour timeslot.
The escape room is a fundraiser for this year’s Halifax & Shearwater Region Nation Defense Workplace Charitable Campaign (NDWCC). The room opened on November 12 and will close on December 18.
The NDWCC escape room presents players with a twist on the normal format. Instead of trying to find their way out of the building, teams must work their way deeper into the library and uncover a fortune, said to be left to the team by a recently deceased family member.
In the game, teams are challenged with finding hidden objects, solving number and logic puzzles and searching out clues that are scattered through the play space.
Teams of eight can book a time slot to play the room for a $20 donation per person. Games can be scheduled throughout the week and on weekends, and the experience is open to the Defence Team as well as members of the public.
The room and its riddles were designed by a small team of volunteers, headed by Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax Events and Outreach Coordinator Joseph Abando. He has masterminded several NDWCC escape rooms, including holiday-themed rooms at the dockyard and a naval-focused escape room at the Naval Museum of Halifax.
It took Abando’s team about a month to plan and set up the activity, with special attention paid to tying in the game’s story with the building’s past.
“I learned a lot of history for this room,” says Abando.
NDWCC escape rooms have proven popular and “good at raising money for the cause,” says Abando, adding that the escape room has raised more than $8,500 dollars so far. While the planning and setup is hard work, he said he enjoys running the games.
A team from Canadian Forces Health Services Centre (Atlantic) (CF Hlth Svcs C [A]) took a crack at the room on December 3. Led by the unit’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel (LCol) Justin Keddy, the team was a mix of experienced escape room enthusiasts and first-time players.
They were accompanied throughout the game by Abando. Acting as gamemaster, he provided guidance and the occasional clue when needed.
The CF Hlth Svcs C (A) challenged themselves to finish the escape room as quickly as possible. With clear communication and teamwork, they achieved a time of 47 minutes.
Afterwards, LCol Keddy praised the experience, calling it a “great time,” with “great puzzles.”
“It’s something that I would seek out again,” added Chief Warrant Officer Dave Finamore.
Abando said the team is already planning for the next charity escape room. They’re also exploring other potential sites to host the activity to keep things fresh and exciting for participants.
“We’re determined to do more.”
