Socks, squirrels, & snowflakes 🧦🐿️❄️

Hellooooo puzzlers! I’m back from hibernation, and excited to finally revive this newsletter. So much puzzly goodness forthcoming!

Just in case you’ve forgotten what this is or who I am, a quick re-introduction:

Hiya, my name is Matthew Stein! I make puzzles, treasure hunts, escape rooms, alternate reality games, and various other cryptic concoctions.

I’m also an avid puzzle solver: I’ve played over 600 escape rooms all around the world, many of which I’ve written about for Room Escape Artist. I love puzzle hunts, and I’ve made the MIT Mystery Hunt an annual tradition for over a decade.

You might follow me on instagram @enigmida (and if you don’t already, check it out for more regular updates and adventures!)

This newsletter is a grab bag of:

• Thoughts on puzzle design and immersive gaming

• Behind-the-scenes of my life as a puzzle designer

• Bonus puzzles

• Curated recommendations of other people’s cool projects (which is what today’s newsletter is all about!)

As I’m rebooting things here in Puzzle HQ, I’d love to know what you’d like to see more (or less) of in this newsletter, so always feel free to shoot me a reply or leave a comment.

Without further ado, onto the main act: an abundance of currently active puzzle crowdfunding from talented friends, plus some magic for folks in NYC.

🧦 Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition

First up is a shiny new Kickstarter from Postcurious, the top “puzzletale” creators out there. I’ve played every single game they’ve released so far (The Emerald Flame! The Light in the Mist! Threads of Fate!) and they’ve all been brilliant works of puzzle art.

With that in mind, I can’t wait to play their newest and perhaps punniest game yet: Ministry of Lost Things: Lint Condition. How could you not be charmed by this story:

Become a scout for the Ministry of Lost Things and embark on a journey into a parallel world of forgotten treasures and misplaced memories. Uncover secret messages, meet charming characters, and reunite a lost item with its human companion. Featuring a whimsical narrative, tangible components, and beautiful artwork, this cooperative tactile mystery will engage players of all experience levels.

🐿️ Squirrels Gone Wild

Next, we have another tabletop puzzle game from escape room designer Spencer Beebe. I loved his previous game Lost in the Shuffle (read my Room Escape Artist review here.) This new game Squirrels Gone Wild promises to be as mature as the title suggests, which is enough to win me over!

Their description made me chortle:

In Squirrels Gone Wild, you'll be tasked with helping Chester the squirrel scour through an adorable, silly and devious scrapbook that belongs to his (possibly, slightly unhinged) ex-squirrelfriend, Lucy. This scrapbook is packed full of happy memories, sentimental artifacts, AND BETRAYAL! You'll need to solve all the puzzles to find Chester's stolen nuts and save the day.

This Kickstarter isn’t yet fully funded, so definitely check this one out and let’s get it backed!! I can’t think of more deserving creators, and I suspect these puzzles will be as creative and addictive as those in Lost in the Shuffle (which is also available as an add-on! I highly recommend picking up a copy if you haven’t yet played.)

❄️ AR Puzzle Holiday Cards

Shifting away from tabletop puzzle games, we have a set of puzzle greeting cards from UK artist Mathilde Heu. I first came across Mathilde’s work a few months ago and was immediately enthralled by her distinctive style and clever maps.

These cards would make perfect gifts for those special puzzlers or soon-to-be puzzlers in your life. Each card contains a simple puzzle which is activated through a secret AR layer, and which leads to a punny holiday greeting. The puzzles are clever and highly approachable for all skill levels.

This is an extra special one because I’m actually designing one of the puzzles!

📚 Alphabet In Motion

This one isn’t quite puzzle-related, but I think it’ll still appeal to curious puzzlers.

I first came across designer and paper engineer Kelli Anderson’s incredible work while designing the puzzles for Tangram Vol 1, which features a full article about Kelli. I even made a puzzle inspired by her 2-letter Scrabble word illustration!

She’s created some astonishingly clever pop-up books, turning a book into a camera, a planetarium, a musical instrument, and more.

I’m already drooling over this new book, which has been many years in the making and includes a full alphabet’s worth of interactive popups explaining how typography works.

🪄 New Art of Play shop

Last but not least, I have some secret intel for you. If you’re in NYC, Art of Play just opened up a truly magical new “curiosity shop” in Brooklyn. This is the place of dreams for anyone who likes puzzles, unique gifts, and impossible objects.

Plus, they have a speakeasy-style backroom theater hosting intimate shows with some of the world’s top magicians. Sign up for their mailing list to be the first to know about tickets.

Happy puzzling!

Matthew