PUZZLE DESIGN CONTEST

[Fizzikx]

OK so I am developing a 16 LED puzzle which has TWO RINGS of 8 LEDs (Each)

One inner ring consisting of 8 LEDs and one Outer Ring of 8 LEDs. Each LED is attached to a pillar with a clear marble on top (signifying a Globe or Orb)

YOUR JOB: Come up with a room puzzle consisting of one or more required steps to solve.

There is a master kill switch, and each LED can be lit independently.

Each Layer has a LED at the North, North East, East, South East, South, South West, West, North West positions (similar to below)

(EXAMPLE OF 1 RING OF LEDS)
_____________N

_____________X
__________X_____X
W_______X_________X______E
__________X_____X
_____________X

_____________S

(where X = LED)

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR IDEA?

Either post here or email to shawn.fortier (At) Gmail OR Feel free to post them here.

The winner will get Four Torch LED walls for free! (Battery not included... thanks USPS...)


QUESTIONS? Feel free to ask here or shoot me an email.

DEADLINE: Friday, October 3rd by 7PM.

Thanks and good luck!

(Winner AND Puzzle, assuming they approve, will be posted here on Sunday, October 5th)

BONUS POINTS TO PUZZLES THAT:
Encourage Group Dynamics/Colaboration (not a 1 person solve puzzle)
Use fun and interesting Mechanics... Riddles, or Annagrams are great ideas.

[jericho]

There is this problem that would be adaptable to your geometry:

"There are n bulbs in a circle, each bulb has one switch associated with it, on operating the switch, it toggles the state of the corresponding bulb as well as two bulbs adjacent to that one. Given all bulbs are in off state initially, give a plan to turn all bulbs on finally."

Link to the puzzle

[Fizzikx]

jericho wrote:

There is this problem that would be adaptable to your geometry:

"There are n bulbs in a circle, each bulb has one switch associated with it, on operating the switch, it toggles the state of the corresponding bulb as well as two bulbs adjacent to that one. Given all bulbs are in off state initially, give a plan to turn all bulbs on finally."

Link to the puzzle



I had considered a lights out type puzzle with this, but that is VERY tedious for the GM. Additionally I would need a road map to the actual solution just in case the players couldnt get it.

Right now I'm super focused on finishing the layout and getting the story and writing squared away and dont have time to design the puzzle fully. Thus the contest.

Thanks sooo much for the suggestion though =) I'll consider this my first entrant

[Thwick]

How about a generational puzzle?

The lords of the north and south and the ladies of the east and west. They meet fall in love and have children N+E=NE S+W=SW. There are affairs and each generation produces offspring that can push the needle of the compass. After five generations of intermarriage and infidelity one of the children say SSE invites the cousins to reconcile at a banquet honoring the original cardinal directions. He poisons them all. There is only one safe path out of the chamber. And it is the sum of the directions, minus the killer. By the third generation you could have NNW hook up with E. leaving In this case, Direction of travel -SSE.

Children are depicted on the outer ring by bisecting the angle on th inner ring. In the case of the 16ths, the are depicted with adjacent outer lamps.

[Thwick]

"Some of virtue, some of vice" (sum of virtue, sum of vice) the inner ring represents the women of the party and the outer the men. Little do the know but a spell has been cast upon this room that is essentially a detect alignment spell. To start we use the standard alignment grid and turn it 45% now it is a diamond made of nine diamonds. Standing in the center, neutral/neutral North becomes lawful good, South, chaotic evil.

The instructions can make it clear that any column touched will light up. But only if the correct inner and outer column are touched at the same time, will the entrance appear. Two wrong column will trigger a trap. To get the right columns, the the "some of virtue, Some of vice" should be repeated ad nauseum. If a single correct column is chosen, a roll could be used to detect a positive aura if they aren't getting it. It is also a good way to have a character that has been concealing their alignment be forced to come clean.

[LordDust]

I was thinking it would be neat to have candles or braziers that need to be lit in a specific order to unlock the path forward. The trick will be that each one has to be lit with something other than fire and in an order whose clues lie either in a short story or a free form poem. The order would be the order they are introduced in the short work... "The cold North Wind from the northern most glacier blows through" could indicate that you need to use some form of cold (like a spell, perhaps even a cantrip to chill the item would be enough) to light the outer northern candle/brazier. "The sun rises in the far east, and sets in the western most seas" would indicate that you should use light to ignite the outer eastern one and darkness to light the outer western one. This also creates options for player creativity as they try to solve it, they could mistake the seas reference for water and when it doesn't work they would have to figure out what "element" sunset could mean. They could ignite that one by blocking a light so that their shadow creates the darkness or use a spell again.

If you want penalties for incorrect order or elements being used, the mistake could summon a lesser elemental or monster related to the one they tried to light incorrectly or out of order. Some could even call for positive or negative energy giving a cleric something extra to do by casting cure or cause spells.

[Thwick]

Details to above entry.

You enter the room. No sooner are all members of the party within, than the door slams shut. You hear a low hum and the hair on your body dances like before a lightning storm. In the dim you see a circle of columns, no, to concentric circles, atop each a pearl like globe almost luminescent in the dim.

If you touch a pole, the globe atop begins to glow. In the center of the inner ring, a diamond shape is scratched into the stone. The diamond is made up of nine diamonds. The center with a circle inscribed. The others have number runes from one to eight counting clockwise. At the point of number 1 is a column with an angelic figure upon it. At 5 a demonic one. Within the center cycle is inscribed the following: (oddly enough it rhymes in common)

"This cavern calls to wanderers, some of virtue some of vice.
And bestows on them great bounty or extracts an awful price,

Within will dance the maiden and without will dance the lad,
And in their swirling figures, the answer will be had.

So tally up your sins my friends, and let them be divided,
And light the candles grim my friends, let your fate be decided,

One without and one within defeat this dark device,
Light the wrong and all will die, some of virtue, some of vice."

To solve, the adventurers must find the value of their alignment on the clock and add them together males and females separately then divide by the number of party members of that gender. Common rounding rules apply and 5 always rounds up. Once both genders light their proper column the exit is revealed. If the do the wrong thing: bad stuff happens.

[kitenerd]

I'm liking Lord Dusts idea a lot... Sort of reminds me of the Fifth Element...

The fact that trying the wrong thing would summon an elemental, gives a further clue (ie if you try to light the "fire" column with light, you end up fighting a fire elemental - try to light the "light" column with fire and you battle a lantern archon) i like the penalty guiding them to the solution.

How would this work with the inner/outer rings?

[LordDust]

Thanks kite, I actually realized my idea was echoing that scene as I was writing it. It has never ceased to amaze me how many influences our creativity has, sometimes without our awareness. As to how to differentiate the outer and inner, suggestively, essentially. Phrases like "far east" for outer east, "western neighbor" for near west, or "my wine in my right hand as I watch the sunrise" for near south. The idea being the players have enough clues to figure each out, but generally not so much that it is instantly obvious.

The penalty giving a further clue helps to keep things moving so that the cool puzzle doesn't turn into a celebration of frustration for the players and the GM. I'd recommend a handout with the short work typed up or done fancy if you have time and inclination. It will save the GM's voice from many repetitions.

The final thing is that if you have the time and inclination you can also construct the poem/short story such that it references the campaign world; maybe even some specific NPCs, kingdoms, legends, etc. You can even sprinkle in hooks or clues for things to come if you feel really devious.

Edited one line for clarity.

[Fizzikx]

You guys are AWESOME =) Keep up the awesome suggestions!

One last thing - there will be 7 players this weekend for this puzzle. Not sure if that affects any of your guys designs as I havnt had a ton of time to get out the fine tooth comb yet.

Thanks so much to all submittals thus far!