[Part II up!] You are the Character: Survive, Part I

[Another_Poet]

Edit: AREA 3 IS NOW UP! Head on over, Areas 1 and 2 are done!

Edit: Part II is now up! Check it out here.

For this what-if, you have only your own real-life skills. You do not have the skills of your D&D character. This is your chance to put your honed gamer mind to work in a real-world environment :)

You are the Character, Area 1

You wake up in the board room of the history museum where you work. You're seated in one of the chairs and had been asleep with your head down on the table.

You get up and try to leave, but find both doors locked. Because this conference room is built to impress donors, the doors are made of thick hardwood (and so is the conference table). The doors have metal frames and are currently secured with magnet-locks, presumably turned on by building security. The museum must be closed.

You have access to everything in the room, which includes a white board, cabinets with place mats and coasters, two shelves of books, the conference table and 20 luxururious rolling chairs upholstered with real leather.

You also have your keys (which include your house keys and the keys to your office door, but no keys to this room), a pen, your wallet and ID tag, and your cell phone with dead batteries.

Adjoined to the conference room is a small side-room which is unlocked. It has cabinets with disposable plates, cups, and plastic silverware. It also has a refrigerator, which contains frozen meals and a tray of ice cubes (top) and lots of sandwiches, leftovers, juices and sodas (bottom). Beside the fridge is a small push-cart (the kind that people use to move projectors, TVs, etc.) and a disassembled metal easel.

The conference room has a row of windows that are not meant to be opened. They overlook the museum patio more than four floors below. You on the top floor of a smooth-sided building.

Get out of the room. :)

About this game:

Spoiler

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I thought it would be fun. I don't think it quite qualifies as a "silly message board game"; that makes me think of tick-tack-toe-by-post. I hope it's okay I posted it in this forum.

If the game is popular I will keep it going.

Be realistic, and ask questions if you're unsure about something. I'll do my best to answer. I'm currently at work at the History Museum where I'm setting this little game, so if I don't know an answer I can probably go check the room and find out. If I take a while to respond it means my work load went up, but I'll be back.

[AstralFire]

Are the magnet locks internal to the room, external, or internal to the frame?

[Adumbration]

Either trigger an alarm to get cops there, or have a nice snack, read some, go to sleep, and wait until other people come in the following day.

[sonofzeal]

Either trigger an alarm to get cops there, or have a nice snack, read some, go to sleep, and wait until other people come in the following day.

+1


Just to clarify - there's frozen dinners, but no microwave?

[Another_Poet]

They're embedded into the door frames. There is a single door and a double door. The single door's magnet lock is presumably on the side of the frame at door-knob height. The double door's ae presumably on the top of the frame, near the centre, to hold the door shut in the middle.

Both doors open outwards and the hinges are on the outside. Both doors' frames extend a half-inch past the start of the door, so you can't directly see the hinges or magnet locks (and preventing any attempted "card swipe" moves).

[Another_Poet]

Sonofzeal: You are correct. The fridge is used by staff to store their lunches, but it was originally put in to accomodate snacks for the board room. There is a coffee room, which is not connected to this room, out in the hall. Way down on the first floor of the building is the staff lounge which has microwaves, toasters, and more fridges.

Also, if your name is a Chrono Trigger reference, you is roxxorz.

Adumbration: do you really want to spend an extra 12-16 hours at work, with no bathroom?

[AstralFire]

Are there any screws in the frame?

[Another_Poet]

None visible.

[Dr Bwaa]

This looks very fun. What about the ceiling? Lighting? Switches inside the room I hope, or are we using the fridge light?

[AstralFire]

Is there a fusebox in the room?

[Kurald Galain]

Surely the office contains a regular phone?

[monty]

Climb into the refrigerator and then wait for a nuclear explosion.

[Another_Poet]

There is sunlight coming through the windows. There is also a large, fancy-upscale-looking wooden platform in the centre of the ceiling above the conference table, which hides the light bulbs so the room has nice 'soft" light. You can turn on the switches to that, and to the normal overhead light in the side-room. (There's even a dimmer switch for the main lighting. Romantic!)

The rest of the ceiling around the light platform is panelling, albeit a bit nicer looking than your standard office ceiling panels. The ceiling is extra tall, 10' instead of the usual 8'.

Astralfire: no fusebox.

[Gralamin]

How big are the windows? How easy to break are they? Could you run the cart into them to break them? If so, could you conceivably climb out?

Are there any markers for the white board?

[AstralFire]

I upturn the pushcart and place it atop the refridgerator, then put the combination atop the table. Then I climb them to the top. I'm 6'3". Do I reach the ceiling?

[Another_Poet]

Windows: Teh windows are quite large. They could be broken with enough pumelling (although the lught plastic cart would not be your best bet). However, explaining a broken 4th floor window to the boss might be bad for your career.

Phones: By going through the cabinets you find a phone which is used for conference calls. You plug it into the jack and get a dial tone.

When you try your coworkers' extensions they ring a few times and go to voicemail. When you try the front desk it rings a few times and goes to the automated system.

When you try the security desk, it rings four times, no answer, then clicks as if it is going to transfer you somewhere and you get an error message.

If you try to dial out to any any number, including 911, you get the same error message.

[Another_Poet]

Astralfire: Moving the refrigerator onto the table would be super-heavy, plus it would scratch the fancy table :)

However, by standing on top of the refrigerator in its normal position, yes, you can reach the ceiling.

I assume you're thinking of removing ceiling panels, which is fine. Just be aware that they're fragile and a wrecked ceiling would be equally bad to explain to the boss.

[Curmudgeon]

You've got shoes. Kick the door down. It's surprising how easy it is to do this. Just make repeated snap kicks (where you lift your knee straight up, and then kick forward) at the latch area. In no more than a few dozen kicks you'll tear the screws loose from the hardwood and the door will come unlatched.

EDIT: It's against the law to detain someone against their will. If you're stuck in a locked room you have a right to get out, and breakage is the responsibility of those who failed to provide emergency exit capability.

[Dr Bwaa]

I upturn the pushcart and place it atop the refridgerator, then put the combination atop the table. Then I climb them to the top. I'm 6'3". Do I reach the ceiling?

Bear in mind that, in my experience anyway, those metal crossbars are made only for holding tiles, and do not hold up to a person's body weight :p

You've got shoes. Kick the door down. It's surprising how easy it is to do this. Just make repeated snap kicks (where you lift your knee straight up, and then kick forward) at the latch area. In no more than a few dozen kicks you'll tear the screws loose from the hardwood and the doors will come unlatched.

Okay, but you're paying for the new doors.

---

Do I know how the door would normally be opened/unlocked from the other side? Where are the locks activated?

Also, how long is the phone cord?

[Another_Poet]

Curmudgeon: A disabled door would probably be less embarassing than shattered windows or a collapsed ceiling, but still not a great thing to have on your personnel record. Also, magnet-locked doors are going to be a pain to batter down. After a half-dozen tries you find your leg a bit door but the door isn't loose. Maybe if you had a better method?

[Gralamin]

Windows: Teh windows are quite large. They could be broken with enough pumelling (although the lught plastic cart would not be your best bet). However, explaining a broken 4th floor window to the boss might be bad for your career.

I don't see why that should matter. My goal is obviously to get out, not to keep my job. Besides, I've been locked in by him.
I'd break the windows. If that starts an alarm, then I'll wait for 911, otherwise, I'll start using my keys (Or a sharp knife, if I can find one), to start dissecting the chairs leather to make myself a rope.

[AstralFire]

Bear in mind that, in my experience anyway, those metal crossbars are made only for holding tiles, and do not hold up to a person's body weight :p

Ah, but the pipes in them will.

[Another_Poet]

Do I know how the door would normally be opened/unlocked from the other side? Where are the locks activated?

Also, how long is the phone cord?

You've only ever seen the doors locked when you've stayed late at work. They're probably on a timer, or else done manually by security. You haven't seen anything obvious, like a "Magnet Lock Activation" button or anything.

The cord from wall to phone is longer than normal (so it can reach the middle of the conference table); let's say 12'. The cord from phone to receiver is normall, 3'.

[Starbuck_II]

You've got shoes. Kick the door down. It's surprising how easy it is to do this. Just make repeated snap kicks (where you lift your knee straight up, and then kick forward) at the latch area. In no more than a few dozen kicks you'll tear the screws loose from the hardwood and the door will come unlatched.

EDIT: It's against the law to detain someone against their will. If you're stuck in a locked room you have a right to get out, and breakage is the responsibility of those who failed to provide emergency exit capability.

Remember, you work there. Your boss might be upset I'm assuming.

OP: Describe the "a disassembled metal easel". What does it do normally? (I'm not up on that term)

[Curmudgeon]

Curmudgeon: A disabled door would probably be less embarassing than shattered windows or a collapsed ceiling, but still not a great thing to have on your personnel record.

As I mentioned in my edit, it's against the law to detain you. It would be against labor laws to in any way have your lawful exit -- even with breakage -- impair your future employment or compensation.

[Flashlight]

How hard is the ironwood door (I'm no wood expert)? I'm putting either the refrigerator or the shelf (after removing the books) on the cart, make room in the main room and use my sprint skills to accelerate the cart into the door. (I suck at these games)

[Dr Bwaa]

Ah, but the pipes in them will.

Good call, though finding pipes in the ceiling above the top floor might be unlikely-- what do you say, AP, are there pipes in the ceiling here?

EDIT: Also I second a request for a description of the easel. metal tube legs/bars, or what? Does it have paper?

[JBento]

Do I have money in my wallet?

[Dr Bwaa]

How far is it from the door to the wall directly across from it?

[Starbuck_II]

Are there any electrical devices in the room like lamps, etc that are mobile?
If so do any of them have power?

If I am able to do it right I can jury rig the circuits to create a EMP (it worked in Toy Soldiers with a power line...just need a big enough one). All hypothetical, but still maybe could shock the door with the electrical stuff.

Magnets would be affected if it is a magnetic lock. If it fails, I'll keep looking.