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Board Game Helps Residents Cope with the Impending L Train Shutdown

"Escape from Hell" lets hipsters follow the path of the L train through Brooklyn as they navigate the chaos the shutdown will bring
Escape From Hell, BK Reader
Escape from Hell Boardgame. Photo credit: FB

Come April, there will be no escape from the commuter hell that the L train shutdown will cause — or will there be? 

Two Brooklynites, Hunter Fine and Gil Arevalo, have created a board game aptly named "Escape from Hell" to cope with the shutdown pain and launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund it, reports Fox NY 5. 

the path of the L train through twists and turns through Brooklyn
Escape from Hell Boardgame. Photo credit: Kickstarter

"This board game lets players experience the hell of trying to get to Manhattan from Brooklyn in Spring 2019, when the L train shuts down," they announced on their Kickstarter page. "The morning commute struggle will be real -- and this coping mechanism will help you find the humor in the pain." 

The game is simple: Select a hipster, roll the dice, draw a card, and move forward or back. On their journey, players follow the path of the L train through Brooklyn, past landmarks like the Domino Sugar Factory and Peter Luger Steakhouse. 

the path of the L train through twists and turns through Brooklyn
Escape From Hell, BK Reader

But beware if you land on a "Draw Card" space which will test your luck. Each card bears the threat of a potential delay: an alternate route that leads you to Ikea, an ex that shows up in your Uber pool, a crowded ferry or the danger of getting stuck in a gridlock on the Williamsburg bike lane path. The first hipster to reach Manhattan — by ferry, shuttle, bike, carshare or any other means possible— wins.

And while the game is mostly satire, it has a few real tips on getting around during the shutdown.

"Just a few little things, like maybe you start dating outside the borough so you end up somewhere else from where you then find your way to work every day," Arevalo said. "We're not poking fun at the MTA so much as we are poking a finger at 'Wake up—you need to figure this out now.'"

the path of the L train through twists and turns through Brooklyn
Escape from Hell Boardgame. Photo credit: Kickstarter

And like the shutdown, the game may soon become reality as Hunter and Arevalo already surpassed their original fundraiser goal of $2,500. The board game is currently in the production phase and should be available in local stores by February or early March with enough time before the train shuts down in April.




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