Working in an escape room: what does a Game Master do?

The person running the game, usually called the Game Master (sometimes the host or moderator), makes sure the team gets through the whole adventure well. Before the game they get the room ready and introduce the players to the story. During the game they follow the team’s progress, answer questions and step in when something goes wrong. Afterwards they reset the room to its starting state. At many companies, including in Krakow, the job also covers city games, handling bookings and small jobs around the venue.

The work combines dealing with people and an eye for detail. It isn’t just about knowing the answers. You also have to spot when a group needs a hint, work out how to give it, and tell whether they’re stuck on the puzzle itself or on a misunderstanding.

Getting ready before the team walks in

After each game the room has to go back to its starting state. Objects go back in the right places, and everything the next group needs should be complete. Even a good scenario stops working if a piece is missing or an answer from the last game is still on show.

How much preparation is involved depends on the venue. It can also include checking devices and reporting faults. The Game Master doesn’t have to be qualified to repair every installation on their own: what matters is knowing the procedure and the limits of the role.

The briefing sets the tone

New players need the rules explained without assuming they know the jargon. They should understand the goal, how to ask for help and that they can leave. A good introduction gets this across and draws people into the story at the same time.

Different groups need a different approach. A family with children may have questions about how intense the room is, experienced players about the hint rules, and an international group about the language of the materials. Some games in Krakow escape rooms are run in English, so a foreign language often comes in handy in this job. Listening carefully can matter as much as telling the story with flair.

Helping without taking away the discovery

A Game Master can first draw attention to an object the team has overlooked, instead of giving the answer straight away. If the group still doesn’t see the connection, the next hint can be more specific. The aim is to get the game moving again, not to show off.

Picture a team that has the right materials but puts them in the wrong order. Asking where that order comes from can help more than handing over the code. This is an example of how to communicate, not a description of any particular operator’s procedure.

Running a city game is a different job

A city game happens on the streets, not in a room, so the Game Master can’t see the team for most of the game. Their work focuses on the start and the finish. This is how EscapeCity, the augmented reality city game brand run by Gamescape, describes it:

• Start and briefing: the Game Master introduces the teams to the story, hands out the kit (iPads and props) and explains the safety rules.
• Out in the city: teams are guided by an iPad with a GPS map, and players call up hints themselves in the app, without waiting for the Game Master. A team of moderators keeps an eye on how things are going.
• Finish: all the teams meet in one place, the organiser announces the results, hands out badges and sends souvenir photos.

For games that start from the Gamescape venue at ul. Kościuszki 74, players sign an iPad rental declaration before heading out and hand the kit back at the finish, as described on the Gamescape city games page. For the Game Master, that means responsibility for the equipment, clear instructions on how to use it and getting the team ready to manage on its own out in the city. Then there’s the weather: in light rain the game goes ahead, and in a gale, a downpour or a storm the operator arranges another date.

What players don’t see

A good addition to this general description is the account of Pola Bobrowicz, who worked as a Game Master at Gamescape in Krakow. Her memories were published in 2021 as a Game Master’s guide (in Polish). Below we sum up what she described. It’s her personal experience, not a description of every such job.

Between groups she took care of things players never see: she painted walls, hung decorations, prepared hints on wooden boards, ran the company’s social media profiles and sent players their souvenir photos. On top of that came shopping for the venue, emails, cleaning and keeping on top of paperwork.

Weekends had a rhythm of their own. Several rooms and city games running at once meant a lot to coordinate, and then there were birthday parties and hen and stag dos. For some of them she ran the game in English; for others she looked after surprises ordered in advance, a quiz or a room where guests could eat their cake.

Her account points to three things that matter for anyone applying:

• One late team pushes back the whole day. After every game the room has to be put back in order before the next group arrives.
• Sharing information within the team matters most. On a busy day, everyone needs to know what’s already done, which group is waiting and where help is needed. Short, specific messages are worth more than assuming everyone can see what’s going on.
• Staying calm helps more than rushing. You have to react to a change of plan and still remember what else needs to happen.

The last game of the day can run late. Pola describes an evening when a stag group arrived late for the final game, and after tidying up and doing the reports she missed the night bus she’d planned to take. The group gave her a lift in their hired minibus, which she remembers as an act of kindness. She stresses herself that it’s an anecdote, not how the job works. For anyone applying, the takeaway is simpler: ask the employer when shifts end and how you get home after a late game.

From those weekends she came away with more confidence, the ability to juggle several things at once and to speak up about what she needed. What stayed with her most was the feeling that her work helped someone have a good time.

Does the Game Master design rooms too?

Sometimes staff are involved in creating puzzles, sets or new ideas. It isn’t automatically part of every job offer, though. Running existing scenarios, handling bookings and designing games can be separate roles.

Is this job for you?

Liking puzzles doesn’t tell you whether you’ll enjoy dealing with groups all the time and getting rooms ready over and over. This job is more likely to suit someone who:

• stays calm talking to strangers, including stressed or late ones,
• can keep track of several things at once and doesn’t lose details when resetting a room,
• is fine with working weekends and evenings, because, as the account above shows, that’s when it gets busy,
• doesn’t mind physical work around the venue and, with city games, handling equipment and the weather.

Before you take the job, ask about:

• your everyday tasks: just running games, or bookings, cleaning and social media too,
• training before you run a room on your own,
• shift hours, especially when the last game ends,
• which foreign language you’ll need,
• whether you’ll work on city games and be responsible for equipment.

Most of the variety often comes not from switching rooms but from the people. The same scenario can spark different questions and ideas in every new team.