Editing How to Write a BANG Puzzle
From BayAreaNightGame
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
So you want to write a puzzle, eh? Simple! Create a simple substitution cipher, encode a crossword clue, and have the answer to that clue be the answer to the puzzle. Done. | So you want to write a puzzle, eh? Simple! Create a simple substitution cipher, encode a crossword clue, and have the answer to that clue be the answer to the puzzle. Done. | ||
− | Okay, so there can be a lot more to it than that. Team Snout has a page [http://www.snout.org/Game/ dedicated to the ins and outs of different puzzle designs] from several different authors, as well as links to 8 years worth of advice from the GC Summit meetings. Included is a direct guide for writing puzzles, entitled "[http://docs.google.com/View?id=dvmvq3b_124g66vghh6 A Clue Design Primer]." It is worth reading. | + | Okay, so there can be a lot more to it than that. Team Snout has a page [http://www.snout.org/Game/ dedicated to the ins and outs of different puzzle designs] from several different authors, as well as links to 8 years worth of advice from the GC Summit meetings. Included is a direct guide for writing puzzles, entitled "[http://docs.google.com/View?id=dvmvq3b_124g66vghh6 A Clue Design Primer]." It is worth reading. Ian Tullis' talk "[http://www.snout.org/game/summit2014.shtml#ian Advice From a Puzzle Snob]" (and [http://lahosken.san-francisco.ca.us/new/2014/03/30/jotting-notes-on-ian-tullis-2014-gc-summit-talk/ Larry Hosken's write-up]) should be required viewing/reading before constructing any puzzle for the BANG. |
− | + | == Getting Started == | |
− | |||
− | == | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
The overall guideline of your puzzle should be to '''provide a fun experience for your players'''. Generally, you need to start with three things to make an enjoyable BANG puzzle: | The overall guideline of your puzzle should be to '''provide a fun experience for your players'''. Generally, you need to start with three things to make an enjoyable BANG puzzle: | ||
Line 31: | Line 21: | ||
There are many ways to '''extract''' your solution from a puzzle, but you'll need something to extract it ''from''. Anything that players can find patterns in can work here, as recognizing patterns is generally what is needed to solve a puzzle. This gives the puzzle designer a wide range of possibilities to work with. Text, pictures, physical objects, performances, games, interaction with GC, etc. are all fair and fun content to use in your puzzle. | There are many ways to '''extract''' your solution from a puzzle, but you'll need something to extract it ''from''. Anything that players can find patterns in can work here, as recognizing patterns is generally what is needed to solve a puzzle. This gives the puzzle designer a wide range of possibilities to work with. Text, pictures, physical objects, performances, games, interaction with GC, etc. are all fair and fun content to use in your puzzle. | ||
− | + | ====3. The Mental Hurdle (aka The Aha or Eurkea Moment)==== | |
− | |||
− | ====3. The Mental Hurdle (aka The Aha or | ||
In order for there to be a puzzle, there has to be something to solve. This usually means that there is an underlying pattern in the data presented. Figuring out this pattern gives players an "aha!" moment. Every puzzle has at least one aha; a BANG puzzle shouldn't have more than three. Using the pattern to convert the presented information to the answer is often called the '''extraction method'''. In other words, how do you get the answer from the seemingly random information? | In order for there to be a puzzle, there has to be something to solve. This usually means that there is an underlying pattern in the data presented. Figuring out this pattern gives players an "aha!" moment. Every puzzle has at least one aha; a BANG puzzle shouldn't have more than three. Using the pattern to convert the presented information to the answer is often called the '''extraction method'''. In other words, how do you get the answer from the seemingly random information? | ||
Line 39: | Line 27: | ||
== Fleshing It Out == | == Fleshing It Out == | ||
− | With those three things, you may have a working puzzle, but only the bare bones of one. | + | With those three things, you may have a working puzzle, but only the bare bones of one. The simple cryptogram would work as a BANG puzzle, but there are two drawbacks: a) Most players have solved many such cryptograms before; and b) it will be a quick solve, especially with most players carrying smartphone with easy access to decrypting software. |
− | |||
− | ====1. | + | ====1. Make the players fill in the data ==== |
+ | A classic way to add meat to a puzzle is to provide clues as to what the required data is, instead of actually giving it straight to the players. If teams are meant to deduce a pattern from a series of five-letter words, don't just give them the words, give them a one-removed reference to the word. A common way is to have crossword clues in a puzzle, which are fun and allows all team members to contribute. But it could also be synonyms, antonyms, word scrambles, hidden words, etc. | ||
− | ====2. | + | ====2. Make it physical==== |
+ | A piece of paper with a puzzle on it is something players can get from the newspaper or a magazine. BANGs are meant to be more interactive, more similar to a short version of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(treasure_hunt) The Game] than to the MIT Mystery Hunt | ||
====3. Leave internal hints (aka signposts)==== | ====3. Leave internal hints (aka signposts)==== | ||
− | + | ====4. Add a layer (or two)==== | |
− | ====4. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | ==== | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
====5. Pretty it up ==== | ====5. Pretty it up ==== | ||
− | |||
− | |||
==Dos and Don'ts== | ==Dos and Don'ts== | ||
Line 98: | Line 61: | ||
* DON'T make a puzzle harder. That is, once you've constructed a puzzle, don't try and make the crossword clues more obscure, for example. Adding an extra layer may work, just be careful. | * DON'T make a puzzle harder. That is, once you've constructed a puzzle, don't try and make the crossword clues more obscure, for example. Adding an extra layer may work, just be careful. | ||
− | * DO make your puzzles solvable by a majority of players. | + | * DO make your puzzles solvable by a majority of players. |
+ | |||
+ | * DON'T rely on hints to overcome a puzzle's shortcomings. | ||
+ | |||
+ | * DO aim your puzzles at the average solver, not the elite teams. | ||
− | * DON'T | + | * DON'T write a puzzle that's easier to solve with a spreadsheet. |
== Resources == | == Resources == |