EnigMarch Year 2, theatrical puzzling, and more
Happy New Year, folks!
…ok, I know I’m a few months late in saying that. But in my defense, I’ve been busy! Since my last newsletter, I moved across the country, designed dozens of new puzzles, wrote many thousands of words, and played 28 escape rooms in Texas and Louisiana.
Pictured below: my team just after playing the astounding The Man From Beyond at Strange Bird Immersive in Houston.
EnigMarch Year 2
I’m again participating in EnigMarch this year, a puzzle-a-day challenge through the month of March.
I wrote a piece for Room Escape Artist with some pro tips. TL;DR - engage with the community and keep it fun! Since I’ve been in escape room marathon mode, I’ve already fallen behind a few prompts and will be following some of my own tips over the coming few days 😉
I’ll be posting all my puzzles on Instagram, so make sure to follow along there!
Clue Puzzling at the San Francisco Playhouse
Last fall, I played the violinist in the SF Playhouse’s production of Paula Vogel’s Indecent.
A few months later, the Playhouse reached out to me to design an interactive puzzle experience for the lobby of their production of Clue (the play based on the film based on the board game.)
I’m delighted with how this game turned out. Players communicate with a detective over text as they solve 5 simple puzzles throughout the lobby, engaging with small details of the theater’s design and history through a lens of wonder and curiosity.
You can read more about the game in this SF Chronicle feature:
The show will be running from March 9 through April 22, 2023. Let me know if you get to play!
Tangram Vol 4
The fourth volume of Tangram is available for purchase on Art of Play! We aimed for a somewhat lower level of difficulty this time around, though there are certainly plenty of little twists and tricks for more experienced solvers. I also contributed an Intro to Puzzle Hunts article… which is of course itself a puzzle!
Escape the Plagues
2 years ago, I co-designed a print-and-play puzzle game themed around social justice themes and Passover. As we’re again approaching Passover, I encourage you to check it out — and share it with any friends who might be interested.
Of all the projects I’ve worked on to date, Escape the Plagues most thoroughly embodies my intent to utilize puzzles for more than just entertainment — to apply a lens of critical and creative problem-solving to social issues in the world around us.
Puzzle of the Week
An HBO show that debuted this year and recently completed its first season contains a hidden 4-letter food. What is the food?
Happy puzzling!
Matthew