Editing How to Write a BANG Puzzle
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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 ==== |
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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. Sound-based puzzles are the second most used after sight and always worth considering. Using smells in a puzzle is perhaps the most tricky, and probably not the best option; not only are scents highly subjective, solvers may have allergies. Taste-based puzzle are less open to interpretation, especially if using really distinct flavors; however, allergies can still be a problem so be sure to warn players of possible allergens. | 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. Sound-based puzzles are the second most used after sight and always worth considering. Using smells in a puzzle is perhaps the most tricky, and probably not the best option; not only are scents highly subjective, solvers may have allergies. Taste-based puzzle are less open to interpretation, especially if using really distinct flavors; however, allergies can still be a problem so be sure to warn players of possible allergens. | ||
− | ==== | + | ====3. Create a display==== |
− | If your puzzle involves identifying pictures, bring real world samples of said items and make a display of it. Basically, instead of having ten pictures of fruit on a piece of paper, get those ten pieces of fruit and put them on a table in a way conducive to solving. Work on taking the player's eyes off the paper and into the real world | + | If your puzzle involves identifying pictures, bring real world samples of said items and make a display of it. Basically, instead of having ten pictures of fruit on a piece of paper, get those ten pieces of fruit and put them on a table in a way conducive to solving. Work on taking the player's eyes off the paper and into the real world. |
− | ==== | + | ====4. Pretty it up ==== |
Like a gourmet dinner, the presentation is almost as important as the actual content. Little things like a logo, header, and/or footer consistent across the printed material makes it look professional. Use color where possible and will not result in a red herring. Use a font different from the standards. Make the font style match the theme of the clue. Consider binding for clues that last several pages. | Like a gourmet dinner, the presentation is almost as important as the actual content. Little things like a logo, header, and/or footer consistent across the printed material makes it look professional. Use color where possible and will not result in a red herring. Use a font different from the standards. Make the font style match the theme of the clue. Consider binding for clues that last several pages. |