Editing How to Write a BANG Puzzle
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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. |
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− | 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]) | ||
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== The Bare Bones == | == The Bare Bones == | ||
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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)==== | |
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− | ====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? | ||
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== 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. |
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A puzzle printed on paper is fine, but also something players can get from the newspaper or a magazine. BANGs tend 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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_Mystery_Hunt MIT Mystery Hunt]. Try to find a way to bring the puzzle off the page. If you have a puzzle that involves a bunch of messages encoded using various Caesar's ciphers, you could put each message on a green strip of paper and put them all in a salad bowl, instead of just handing teams a printout. This give a nice visual appeal, as well as a clue as to what needs to be done to solve the puzzle. | A puzzle printed on paper is fine, but also something players can get from the newspaper or a magazine. BANGs tend 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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_Mystery_Hunt MIT Mystery Hunt]. Try to find a way to bring the puzzle off the page. If you have a puzzle that involves a bunch of messages encoded using various Caesar's ciphers, you could put each message on a green strip of paper and put them all in a salad bowl, instead of just handing teams a printout. This give a nice visual appeal, as well as a clue as to what needs to be done to solve the puzzle. | ||
− | ====2. | + | ====2. Appeal to the senses ==== |
− | + | Sight is the main sense used to get information from the puzzle to the brain. There are several others to consider mixing it up with. Using smells in a puzzle is perhaps the most tricky, and probably not the best option. | |
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− | + | ====3. Pretty it up ==== | |
− | + | Like a gourmet dinner, the presentation is almost as important as the actual content. | |
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− | Like a gourmet dinner, the presentation is almost as important as the actual content | ||
==Dos and Don'ts== | ==Dos and Don'ts== | ||
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* 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. |
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+ | * DON'T rely on hints to overcome a puzzle's shortcomings. | ||
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+ | * 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 == |