PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery

David takes us on a journey to Bannerman Castle, a crumbling Scottish-style fortress built on an island in New York's Hudson River. Frank Bannerman is the eccentric founder of America's first Army-Navy surplus store, which he ran out of his Brooklyn apartment. The city chased him out, citing reasonable concerns about storing such large quantities of ordnance within city limits. Bannerman then set his sights on a small island in the middle of Hudson River and decided to build himself a fortress. This enormous castle once housed an unbelievable collection of military equipment, including cannons, rifles, and explosives. What could possibly go wrong? (Spoiler: Quite a lot.) We're joined by our most requested guest yet: Tom Scott, a popular British educational presenter and host of the podcast Lateral. Lateral is a delightfully nerdy podcast where the panel of guests must use lateral thinking to solve unexpected questions. Tom even gives us a Lateral style question on today's show. Today's game is called Concealed Weapons, where every answer is a word that also contains the word for a type of military supply.     Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Sheena Vira Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

It's Halloween at PG's Playhouse, and we're celebrating with the delightfully disturbing tale of Der Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures. Gentle parenting? We don't know her. This was a set of cautionary tales designed to scare naughty children into being good little angels. These "merry" stories feature children getting their thumbs snipped off by a giant scissor-wielding man, burning to death after playing with matches, and wasting away because they refuse to eat their soup... all accompanied by some very graphic illustrations. Who better to join us for Halloween than The Haunt Girl, Christine Barger? The Haunt Girl has been covering haunted attractions and spooky experiences in the SoCal area for over a decade. Christine talks to us about some of her favorite Halloween experiences and what to look out for when interacting with haunt actors. Our game today is called Even Monsters Need Love. Our players are given 3 clues from the "dating profile" of a monster or movie villain and must guess who the dating profile belongs to. To hear more from Christine, check out her episode of Reality Escape Pod (REPOD S6E3). Check out her Halloween recommendations on The Haunt Girl, or her escape room at Exit Game OC. Her game, 13th Basement is a great pick if you're looking for a funny horror game to celebrate haunt season, and we even have a Spoilers Club episode about it!   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Sheena Vira Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Is diplomatic immunity really a legal loophole for avoiding parking tickets? Does the land upon which the embassy sits belong to the embassy or the host country? We’re joined by the author of Because Internet, and co-host of Lingthusiasm, Gretchen McCulloch, for a deep dive into diplomatic immunity. David takes us from the ancient and extremely hazardous job of being a wartime messenger to the modern rules governing diplomats, embassies, and diplomatic bags. Along the way, Gretchen talks nerdy to us about language in the modern era, explaining how the internet has transformed memes, and what it means for communication today. She also gets into how spellcheck influenced modern British spelling. Today's game is Cover Story, where the players must suss out the "spy" hidden in a group of words by figuring out which word doesn't belong.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza & Sheena Vira Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Whatever you do, don’t listen to this episode. And definitely don’t read these show notes. Because if you do, you might discover that we’re talking about the Streisand effect: the phenomenon where trying to hide something only makes everyone more interested in it. Our guest is puzzle and game designer Mark Larson, who has contributed to some of my favorite games, including the RECON convention game. (Seriously, his games are great). Mark also tells us about one of his wildest escape room projects: building a 15-minute escape room inside an actual ambulance for a medical convention. What could possibly go wrong? David then dives into the Streisand effect. This was an attempt to suppress a photograph of Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home, which actually resulted in hundreds of thousands of people suddenly going looking for it. Before the lawsuit, only six views. After the lawsuit, over 420,000. Sometimes the best way to make something famous is to loudly announce that everyone should avert their eyes. Today’s games include The Puzzle Effect, where players must find the missing word connecting two compound phrases, and an onerous round of Barbra Streisand trivia. Mark turns the tables on me with his game, Where’s the Break? In his game, two clues are crammed into a single sentence, and we had to figure out where one clue ended and the other began.   Full Show Notes     Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza & Sheena Vira Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

" It spawned the term 'bathroom reading'" There was something magical about cracking open a gigantic Sears Catalog and imagining a life filled with hundreds of pages of things you never knew you needed. It was Amazon before Amazon. In today's episode, David takes us shopping, vintage style. We talk about the origins of the Sears Catalog, and how it played an important role during the Jim Crow era. We also learned about its eventual home in the outhouse, and where the term "bathroom reading" originated. Writer, actress, and comedian Aparna Nancherla joins us today to talk about puzzle streak addictions, imposter syndrome, and comedy. She's the author of Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome. Check out her comedy special on Dropout called Hopeful Potato, or catch her voicing Dr. Nisha in Pixar's latest movie, Hoppers. Our game today is called Initial Here Please, where every answer is a two-word phrase starting with S and C.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Diamonds are formed under a million years of crushing pressure, and for many couples, they're also the ultimate symbol of commitment. Coincidence? Maybe not. That's why we welcomed back couples therapist Zach Brittle, host of the Marriage Therapy Radio podcast. He talks to us about the secret to healthy relationships an – spoiler alert – it's not just vibes or diamond rings. So how did diamonds become synonymous with engagement rings? What are they good for, really? David dives into the history and science of diamonds, including the most successful marketing campaign of all time, industrial uses, and more. I also share perspective as a working jeweler. Check out some of my work on my Instagram @loradorjewelry. Today's game is called Uncut Gems. Players must polish and cut a word by removing the first and last letter to reveal the "diamond" word inside. Check out Zach Brittle’s Website for more info on his podcast and his work. I recommend starting with David and Lisa’s episode, Ep 409 – No One Wins Alone: Lessons in Partnership from Escape Room Experts David and Lisa Spira.   Full Show Note     Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

For centuries, language was one of the great barriers to travelling, to sharing cultures and to humans understanding one another. Even though online tools have now made translations and language barriers more accessible, sometimes even our own language can feel foreign. This is where linguists enter the picture. They explore the role of language and how people use it to communicate. Guest Gretchen McCulloch is a linguist and she co-hosts Lingthusiasm, a podcast discussing all the hidden linguistic patterns you didn't realize you were already doing. Gretchen literally wrote the book on how the internet is changing the english language - Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language. I especially enjoyed hearing about why "um's & uh's" drive us crazy in a podcast, but we don't seem to notice them in live conversations. Today's topic is passports! David talks about the function of passports, what all the different colors mean, and historical usage. Our game today is called A Passion for Ports, where each answer will contain the letters "pass" or "port."   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

It's the summer of 1980. You're a bored teenager in New Jersey with a few bucks, questionable judgment, and an afternoon to kill. At Action Park, you can spend the day hurling yourself down water slides, shooting battle tanks, and losing some skin on the alpine slide. The possibility of imminent death makes it extra exciting. There's a reason this was affectionally known as "Class Action Park" or "Traction Park." The attractions were built by amateurs, largely run by teenagers, and the legal liability was merely a suggestion. This park ran from the late 70s into the mid-90s, the golden age of latchkey kids and danger as entertainment. David recounts his own memories of visiting Action Park as a kid. He tells us about the crazy Cannonball Loop, where guests lost teeth, and the ridiculously fun Battle Tanks. Tommy Wallach & Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp of Hatch Escapes join us to chat all about the wild history of Action Park. They also talk about their escape rooms and maximizing for joy in their games. Today's game is Common Grounds, where the players must find the connection between a set of four words. To hear more about Hatch Escapes, check out their interview on REPOD S7E12.     Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

Meep meep! Special Delivery! Warning: This episode may contain falling anvils, plunger guns, painted tunnels, and a stick or two of dyno-MITE, all courtesy of The Acme Corporation. As anyone who has watched Saturday morning cartoons knows, Acme Corporation is synonymous with Looney Tunes. They're the delivery company famous for supplying Wile E. Coyote with everything from rocket skates to dehydrated boulders and giant rubber bands. Long before Looney Tunes, however, Acme was a commonplace business name, thanks to the yellow pages phone directory. Joining us to explore the Acme Corporation is Mark Larson. Mark Larson is a game designer, puzzle creator, and all around professional maker of fun, and if you have ever played a game at RECON, our escape room convention, there is a good chance it was one of his. For this episode, he even brought a game of his own! And if you want to check out BLOT, the audio escape room Mark designed for RECON, listen to our live playthrough on REPOD (S10E11.) My game is called "Special Delivery," where two clues each lead to the same word, but the second word has one extra letter tucked inside. Collect all the extra letters and you will find out what's inside the box.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

In 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox took bribes worth somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000 to lose the World Series on purpose. Split eight ways and adjusted for inflation, that bribe comes out to less money than you'd think. David walks us through the infamous Black Sox Scandal, including mob ties and the cheapskate team owner who docked the players' pay for laundry. It's honestly no surprise players were throwing games. Joining us are Chris Demarais and Blaine Gibson, co-hosts of the improv comedy podcast Good Morning From Hell and the D&D actual play podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon. We talk about what it's like running an actual play podcast with guests from Critical Role, their animated videos, and the full length puppet show adaptation of Stinky Dragon. Chris and Blaine are absolutely hilarious and so fun on the pod. Today's game is called The Hall of Shame, where famous sports teams have been forced to rebrand after a scandal, and every new name has to rhyme with the old one. If you want to check out Chris and Blaine’s podcasts, start with the one featuring David Spira playing Jigsaw as an escape room game master.   Full Show Notes   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner