Introduction to Writing Good Puzzle Hunt Puzzles
10 days ago
- #MIT-Mystery-Hunt
- #game-design
- #puzzle-writing
- The document provides advice for writing puzzles, specifically for the MIT Mystery Hunt, aimed at those with some puzzle-solving experience but limited puzzle-writing experience.
- The ultimate goal of puzzle-writing is to ensure solvers have fun, with the puzzle-writer playing to lose, providing a challenge that lets the solver feel accomplished.
- Novice writers often start with a topic they know well, but better puzzles emerge when the mechanism is considered from the start.
- ISIS puzzles (Identify, Sort, Index, Solve) are common but can be unexciting; suggestions are given to make them more engaging.
- Inspiration for puzzle mechanisms can come from past puzzles, daily life observations, or collaborative brainstorming.
- Puzzles should avoid obfuscation and false paths, ensuring all information is relevant and solvers can progress without frustration.
- Elegance in puzzles involves coherence, minimal wasted information, and thematic consistency, with mechanisms mirroring the puzzle's topic.
- Metapuzzles should advance the hunt's story, be solvable with most round puzzle answers, and avoid obscure or random elements.
- Testsolving and editing are crucial to refine puzzles, ensuring they are fun and solvable without unnecessary difficulty.