Puzzles

[Onix]

What are the coolest puzzle systems you've made, read, heard of in RPGs? I'm asking about anything that is used in a mystery game, or a way of making traps, or anything that results in an unknown that needs investigation. I'm interested in things to generate mysteries, to resolve them, anything that would have to do with puzzles.

[Rob Lang]

The coolest one I've seen was where the GM was given a bunch of tiles with squares on them. Like Geomorph map tiles. The GM would lay them out as a map for the players to use. However if you looked at the tiles from a distance (toward the end of the adventure) it looked like the face of a villain. Really clever.

[Onix]

Very interesting! Maybe a little too focused to a single experience, but I wonder if you could use a generic set to create rudimentary silhouettes to be the final clue?

[Rob Lang]

I like the idea of giving the players something physical that are normal game tokens - such as a map - but can be combined in a different way.

I've used anagrams as hints to name things quite a lot. Such as the good guy and the bad guy being the same person and having an anagram of each other's names.

[Onix]

My problem is that my players suspect all my NPCs all the time. I wouldn't even have to hint, having the good guy and the bad guy be the same person would be the first thing they'd guess.

Maybe if I made the bad guy's name an anagram of their name?

[Rob Lang]

Can you just have an NPC that isn't suspicious at all. Isn't that as disturbing? Perhaps make them so friendly and helpful, solving some of the most hateful problems.

[Onix]

My players always think I have a "brilliant plan" up my sleeve. It's usually simple tricks and nonsense. I usually just capitalize on events that seem clever at the time, even if I hadn't planned them that way. I think it's so random that they figure, "lets just suspect everyone and we'll eventually be right".

[Rob Lang]

[Onix]