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A Behind-the-Scenes Look into Making Legacy of the Dragon:
Potion Bottles

For the past two years, we at Tick Tock have worked hard to complete the largest escape room in Kansas City – Legacy of the Dragon. Our goal was to transport you to a faraway world of Fantasy and Magic, complete with wizards, fairies, and dragons. However, there is a lot of magic that goes on behind the scenes to bring you this immersive one-of-a-kind experience. Take a look as we reveal some of the behind-the-scenes stories from building Legacy of the Dragon. 

Lets take a look at one of the central items players use to progress in the game.

Potion Bottles

The game begins in a wizards Lab full of magical artifacts, enchanted lights and a myriad of ingredients used in his magical elixirs.  Throughout the game you will need to create potions using these bottled ingredients.  

We needed 16 different bottles for the game, and they had very specific requirements for the puzzles to work.

The Bottles must…

  1. Be Durable
  2. Be Interesting
  3. Be Readable

The challenge became how do we create a bottle that meets all three criteria.  

Shelf with potion bottles

Criteria One: Be Durable

Each bottle needed to withstand constant handling, sorting, and most of all dropping. Beyond basic wear and tear, players regularly drop all game components. So glass was out of the question.  

We experimented with multiple materials, from clay, to high density foam, to wood. Ultimately we decided to use a resin clear cast to create the bottles. This allowed them to be extremely durable, reproducible and allowed for variation in the designs. 

To construct each bottle, our game designer, Joe, created several silicone molds. Each with a different shape, height and size. We used pill bottles, tin cans and a square acetone bottle as the basis for these molds. 

Potion Bottle Mold
Potion Bottle Mold
Potion Bottle Mold

Criteria Two: Be Interesting

Once the molds were created, it was time to make each bottle. 

A base layer of resin was poured and a cork was inserted to give the illusion that the top of the bottle was sealed with a stopper. 

Once the bottle top was cured, another layer of resin was added to form the main body of the bottle. While this layer was still liquid, we layered different decorative elements into the bottle. These included beads, colored dyes, twigs from the bushes out front, and even another bottle.

Potion Bottle
Potion Bottle
Potion Bottle
Potion Bottle
Potion Bottle
Potion Bottle

Criteria Three: Be Readable

The final layer was the most important. The bottom of each bottle contained a data chip that allowed it to be identified by a hidden scanner. This would be essential for the gameplay. If the chip was too high in the bottle the scanner couldn’t read it. If it was too low it could be damaged. 

Once the last resin layer is cured, the bottle could finally be removed from the mold. The bottom of the bottle had to be sanded to ensure it could stand up straight. Then each bottle received a unique label identifying its contents as a magical ingredient. 

Finally, the bottles were ready for play.

Potion Bottles on Potion Table

See these bottles in action and explore this fantasy world by booking your Legacy of the Dragon game today!

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