Welcome to the world of miniature escape rooms. These are book nooks or dioramas with a twist – they can be made and played.

Miniatures and models have fascinated me for a long time, and during Lockdown, I found building book nooks (miniature rooms which sit on a bookshelf) incredibly therapeutic, as well as being incredibly creative. A book nook typically takes hours to build, which leaves a lot of thinking time. Whilst I was building one, the idea of a tiny ‘build Your Own Escape Room’ came; one that you could construct, but also which you would only really be able to solve after you had built it. ‘Escape The Book Nook’ was born!

Each of the sets comes in a letterbox-friendly kit form, and aside from only one or two elements, you construct the entire game, from wallpaper, to puzzles, to lights. 

Included in each set are detailed instructions, all the materials needed to build the base set, as well as suggestions for customisation options (we haven’t included glue, batteries or paints to keep the costs and weight down).

Your kit comes with everything in one box, from ‘frames’ of wooden elements, to keep them secure, to printed instructions and elements ot cut out and make. You only need the most basic crafting elements to make the sets, pictured above. The items are on a 1:12 scale, so as oyu can see, the playing card box from On Air is just over 1cm high.

Unlike many commercial Book Nook kits currently available, you will be making the vast majority of props, rather than simply clicking out parts or arranging plastic props. Our wiring system is also much easier to use – no light soldering or triple-checking positive and negative circuitry. All of the sets available actually use the same lighting system, so you can appreciate the different effects it can create. In product testing, we have found that even novice crafters can be successful in making these sets.

The base sets are made of Premier Irish MDF, an environmentally-friendly material which is incredibly effective for crafting, and all materials are from sustainable sources.

The paper booklet in which many of the items will be crafted will now be printed on 120gsm uncoated paper  using CMYK colouring to enhance the colours while providing little reflective shine.

These are the sets available in this campaign, which will retail at £55 RRP when released commercially:Artfelt: A Brushstroke with Death is exactly that! The artist, Rosie Inks, has been found dead. She had warned her friends that she felt she was being watched, but told them no more. The Police believe she left clues behind in her studio to lead detectives to her murderer without alerting them she was onto them. Using the clues and puzzles can you recreate the crime scene, then uncover who she believed was behind her demise?Evidence tags litter the miniature crime scene, where hints and clues can be found in and under all kinds of places.

One fateful morning, Dr John Watson is suddenly faced with a dying man collapsed against his door frame. With his last few breaths, he shares vital information regarding a notorious unsolved case. Knowing that his findings may not be trusted, Watson cleverly hides clues around the room. Sherlock must now piece together these clues to uncover the truth and save Watson from the gallows. Blamed for the death, can you solve the mystery and save Watson from his impending doom?

A crime wall, science kit, games gone awry – this set also features adjustable windows and a hinged wall.

TV magician and mentalist Renard Fuscus has for years entertained the nation with his incredible feats of mind control and escapism, and his last TV performance, “judge:mental” captivated the world. Broadcast live from a locked room, with only three, heavily secure, doorways, Renard had the lights turned off for just one minute, and when they went back on, he was gone, with all three doors secure and intact. All that was left was a set of handcuffs, a small set of playing cards and a blueprint. This remains one of the most famous locked room mysteries of modern times. Can you solve if and how he got out?

This room appears bare, but like any good Escape Room, there are secrets hidden EVERYWHERE, plus each door takes some challenge and deduction to open.

Each model takes 4-6 hours to make, depending on your time, skill and glue-drying speed. Everything in the pack is included for you to build your own book nook, from the flooring and walls, through to self-built furniture. Also included is the paper cutting booklet, so you will be able to make the various props, clues and elements of this room. Makers will need some simple crafting equipment, which is listed and easy to source.

All you’ll need are some every day stationery and craft elements. The LEAST you’ll need is a craft (Exacto) knife and some glue. An exhaustive list will be available in the booklets, for those who like to have all the gear.

Once made, your book nook can sit on your book shelves, on a display case, or in pride of place in a small space. For those who would like to create an extra effect, front plates are available as add-ons, which can be slotted into place easily.

Each set is a complete Escape Room, and your kit will have questions that need answering from the set (as well as hints within the kit and on the Enigmailed website). It is estimated from play testing that each game will take 1-2 hours to play depending upon the players’ ability and approach.

If you are worried that these will be too small to solve, do not worry. We have developed the first ever hinged book nook, and we are so proud of this innovation that we have registered the design. What this means is that a wall or walls can swing open and closed, making it easier to access the props and clues inside.

We are keeping this really simple – you can support these by pledging for one, two or all three sets. We have a limited range of campaign-relevant add-ons after you have pledged too. The RRP of the kits will be £55 after the campaign, so your savings are between 19% – 27%! 

Buy one kit – save 19% off RRP.

Buy two kits – save 22%  off RRP.

Buy three kits  – save 27% off RRP.

For those who’d like their name as a permanent fixture, we have a range of perks available to you, which will let you become part of everyone’s action.

Add ons

We have included a few add-ons for those who are keen for a paper booklet of additional wallpapers and floorings – two of each which have been designed so that they will work with any of the sets (aside from On Air, which comes with a specific  wooden flooring kit), frontplates for those who’d like something a little extra for their Nooks, and  the opportunity to buy an additional set. Fancy inventing your own book nook? We have a blank kit for you too!

The games are all made. There are extra props which will need adding at the end, but the project is essentially ready to go. These will be manufactured in the UK, with as many of the source materials supplied from within the UK as much as possible.

The rough timeline is thus:

October – Order parts, begin cutting the wood/outsource the cutting. Order the packing boxes and packing bands.

November – Final print proof of print booklets. Begin to assemble the kits.

December – QA packs against their contents. Finalise weights and contact backers regarding the Pledge Manager.

January – Open the Pledge Manager and begin shipping the Book Nooks.

In my previous five crowdfunding campaigns, one project has been one month overdue, with the rest either on time or early. Life moves fast, and I will try my hardest to stick to the timeline shared above.

I will be packing and shipping these using my own Pledge Manager as in previous campaigns, unless I feel that I do not have the capacity to ship these myself due to volume. The prices below are rough estimates, which in the past have been quite accurate. I have not published the exact prices, as I have identified that posting fees have increased twice for far this year. 

I operate Shipping using my own website Pledge Manager on www.enigmailed.com, which offers three options for shipping; Economy (slow), Standard (faster), Tracked (trackable and insured). 

The prices below are estimates for the Economy service. 

UK: £4 for first Set, £2 for each subsequent kit.

Rest of World: £8 for first Set, £5 for each subsequent kit.

Please note, this does not include VAT, taxes or Customs fees outside of the UK.

I’m Step. I run Enigmailed Puzzles. 

I’ve hidden secrets in a furniture catalogue, written the diary of a spree killer (and their adversary), made a famous band disappear, organised a pub crawl on beer mats and disguised a cursed artefact on a remote Scottish island. I also sell puzzle chocolate.

Step in front of his favourite miniature, the model used for BBC Ghosts opening scenes.