ESCAPE FROM HELL is a satirical board game about getting to Manhattan
from Brooklyn during the horrific L Train “partial” shutdown of 2019.
created in collaboration with Hunter Fine
Website | Kickstarter
We launched it on Kickstarter with this video made with Fiverr pupper rapper.
THE PLAYING FIELD
THE OBSTACLE COURSE: Start in Bushwick and take the winding roads past some of the local landmarks and hangouts.
THE PIECES
PLAY THE GAME: The game follows typical rules. Roll the dice to see how far your player moves on the path. The first one to make it to Manhattan from Williamsburg/Bushwick wins. But beware, if you land on a “Draw Card” space you have to test your luck.
THE CARDS: Each card delivers an inevitable and relatable scenario that will result in this new L-trainless world. Your alternate route ends up taking you to Ikea. Your ex shows up in your Uber Pool. The Ferry is full. There’s gridlock on the Wberg bike lane path. You get the idea.
TEASERS
We teased the game further over the following weeks with videos featuring various testimonials of totally believable characters that will be affected by the change of plans.
On the days leading up to the final week we launched this:
GETTING PEOPLE TALKING
Timing was everything. We launched as the news started to heat up on the topic. And the press was ready to play.
FOX NEWS COVERAGE
NEW YORK 1 COVERAGE
RESULTS
In all, we nailed our Kickstarter goal within the first 2 weeks and closed with 308% funding. And The New Yorker drew us!
More Press:
The New Yorker: Andrew Cuomo and the Unwinnable L-Train Game
The New York Times: More fun than a year without subways
New York Post: This board game helps Brooklynites prepare for looming L-train shutdown
AM New York: L train shutdown board game is coming to help you through your commute
Bushwick Daily: Yes, There's a Board Game to Help You Cope with the L Train Shutdown
Bowery Boogie: ‘Escape from Hell’ with this L-Train Shutdown Board Game
To create all the content we used to promote our Kickstarter on Facebook, we used the website Fiverr to bring our strategies to life with videos all for $5 each. Here’s the case study: