Chronicle of an announced betrayal (my family abandoned me)
I'm not making this up. Eva (co-founder of Culture Games) told me, with that mix of laughter, disbelief… and complete indignation.
It all started in Tarragona, in an escape room. An innocent family plan, a "let's all do something different together."
And it ended up being the conceptual basis of what we now know as TRAICIÓN – El Último Voto.
The trigger?
Her own family left her locked in.
The day a publishing house was born... out of pure spite
Eva entered the escape room surrounded by her family. Everyone was super motivated. She, a heritage restorer, thought: "Wow, incredible, what a team, we'll ace this escape room. A couple of locks, a couple of clues… and we'll emerge as heroes."
But halfway through the game, someone – no one remembers who – didn't find what was needed to get her out and thought it was necessary to continue the game.
And everyone kept going.
Except her.
Who remained, alone, in one of the rooms, waiting for reinforcements, clues... she didn't know what anymore.
"And no one noticed you were missing?"
"Well, yes, my brother did! But they thought I'd already freed myself. SPOILER: I didn't."
The seed of TRAICIÓN
That's how it was. Literally abandoned by her family, locked in a room while the clock kept ticking.
When they finally rescued her—with some general embarrassment and many nervous laughs—Eva joked, or perhaps not so much:
"My own family has BETRAYED me."
Years later, together with Marcos (creative director and co-founder of Culture Games), TRAICIÓN – El Último Voto was born: a narrative card escape room, set during the conquest of Calatayud in 1120. With enigmas, tension, difficult decisions… and, of course, a betrayal that can change everything.
So what's the game about?
No, it's not autobiographical. But almost.
In TRAICIÓN, players have 60 minutes to solve a medieval conspiracy: a secret vote that could hand the city over to the enemy.
Each card presents logical, narrative, and moral challenges.
And even though you all play as a team… doubt constantly hovers:
Are we making the right decisions? What if someone messes up? What if... it's not a mistake?
From family escape room to historical game
The curious thing is that, although the true story doesn't involve tunnels or medieval manuscripts (just an awkward silence on the way to the car), the spirit of TRAICIÓN was born there: in that mix of tension, laughter, and a small emotional wound that only a good group story can give you.
Moral of the story (according to Eva)
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Don't do escape rooms with your family if you're the smartest in the group.
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If they abandon you, jot down ideas in a notebook.
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And if you turn that experience into a game... make sure your name is in the credits.
