Point and click adventure games are among the most old-school genres of computer and video games, offering challenging brain-teasers that test the players' problem solving skills. They are also one of the easiest formats of electronic gaming to convert to the tabletop. Puzzles that involve the use of special items and interacting with the environment are good for players who want more variety in their games. The ideal manner of delivery in a tabletop RPG is presenting the challenge in a closed system, where the items needed to solve the puzzle are all placed in the same area that they need to be used in. The puzzle then boils down to searching areas of the room for the proper tools, using the tools to collect any items that were previously inaccessible, and then using the right items to acquire the key or whatever other objective you are after. Because this all takes place in one room for practical purposes (Force your party to traipse around and search the entire map every time they encounter a puzzle and you will have a riot on your hands) the goal of the puzzle is most often a key or means of egress. These are escape the room puzzles, popularized by flash games and live challenge courses!
When outlining these puzzles, it is easiest to reverse engineer the process. Start with the end goal and work backwards from the last step. The key is inside the chandelier, how will they get to it? Maybe there is a chair they can stand on, but it is bolted to the floor. How will they unfasten it? And so on, until you have a series of about seven steps that will make for an interesting challenge.
When introducing these puzzles, allow for some flexibility and adaptation in potential solutions. Eevery step of the puzzle should be solvable with the proper item in the room, but if the player can logically substitute something from their inventory, it just makes sense to allow it. That's why this kind of puzzle works best in scenarios that do not allow players access to a lot of special utility gear or high level magic. Flying, opening locks, exploding doorways, and the like can provide easy shortcuts to circumvent a carefully crafted puzzle like this, so always be aware of your party's capabilities.
Strong visual cues are mandatory, so remember to have a drawing of the room ready to give players something to mentally grab onto, and to help keep things clear and organized. There will be a lot of details to keep track of, and a giving the players a floorplan handout will speed things along and prevent confusion. Colorful and detailed images are not required, but a nice looking illustration will certainly be more interesting to your players if you can pull it off. Either drawn by hand or put together from clip-art, you will need this layout ready before your game begins.
As an example, here are two escape the room puzzles that I used in different campaigns over the years. The third is a bit rougher and untested, for a Star Wars game in Edge of the Empire that never got far enough to implement.
They are each adaptable for a variety of settings, but sometimes feature unique elements that are endemic to certain types of setting. The first was used in a Spelljammer adventure and plays off the idea of a zero gravity room where every wall can also be a floor. The second can be used in any low-magic fantasy adventure where the players can't bypass its obstacles with spells. The third is the previously mentioned Star Wars scenario. Enjoy!
ZERO GRAVITY ESCAPEWhen outlining these puzzles, it is easiest to reverse engineer the process. Start with the end goal and work backwards from the last step. The key is inside the chandelier, how will they get to it? Maybe there is a chair they can stand on, but it is bolted to the floor. How will they unfasten it? And so on, until you have a series of about seven steps that will make for an interesting challenge.
When introducing these puzzles, allow for some flexibility and adaptation in potential solutions. Eevery step of the puzzle should be solvable with the proper item in the room, but if the player can logically substitute something from their inventory, it just makes sense to allow it. That's why this kind of puzzle works best in scenarios that do not allow players access to a lot of special utility gear or high level magic. Flying, opening locks, exploding doorways, and the like can provide easy shortcuts to circumvent a carefully crafted puzzle like this, so always be aware of your party's capabilities.
Strong visual cues are mandatory, so remember to have a drawing of the room ready to give players something to mentally grab onto, and to help keep things clear and organized. There will be a lot of details to keep track of, and a giving the players a floorplan handout will speed things along and prevent confusion. Colorful and detailed images are not required, but a nice looking illustration will certainly be more interesting to your players if you can pull it off. Either drawn by hand or put together from clip-art, you will need this layout ready before your game begins.
As an example, here are two escape the room puzzles that I used in different campaigns over the years. The third is a bit rougher and untested, for a Star Wars game in Edge of the Empire that never got far enough to implement.
They are each adaptable for a variety of settings, but sometimes feature unique elements that are endemic to certain types of setting. The first was used in a Spelljammer adventure and plays off the idea of a zero gravity room where every wall can also be a floor. The second can be used in any low-magic fantasy adventure where the players can't bypass its obstacles with spells. The third is the previously mentioned Star Wars scenario. Enjoy!
PUZZLE SETUP:
The players have been tossed into a space-age cell and divested of their supplies. The room is an empty cube with no gravity.
- A single dirty coin
- An air conditioning vent
- A row of sharply made beds
- A liquid-filled crystal globe with holes for inserting hands
- A zero-G toilet
- An exit door with large keyhole lock
- A small hatch above the door (FEEDING COMPARTMENT)
- Bookshelf of magazines
- Poster of actress Razel Velge
SOLUTION:
- Use COIN to unscrew bolts on AC VENT
- You don’t have enough leverage to pull loose the HEATING/COOLING RODS
- Tie together and use BLANKETS to pull loose the RODS
- Open FEEDING COMPARTMENT, take LIQUID NUTRIENTS
- Pour LIQUID NUTRIENTS (or WATER from the GLOBE) into lock
- Freeze the LIQUID NUTRIENTS (or WATER) with COOLING ROD
- ESCAPE!
BONUS:
Search BOOKSHELF for HOLLOW BOOK. Collect BONUS ITEM
Get SPOON from serving plate
Pry loose brick from behind POSTER
Collect BONUS ITEM
THE KEY TO THE MANOR
This Manor stands overlooking the bay. Guards patrol the overlook, and the back section is walled off except for a garden ringed by an iron barred fence. A pair of servants attend to the stables adjoining the manor itself. They are nicely dressed but sweaty and caked in dirt.
PUZZLE SETUP:
Players overhear a servant discussing a key dropped into the storm drain near the gardens. The key is attached to a wine cork.
Players overhear a servant discussing a key dropped into the storm drain near the gardens. The key is attached to a wine cork.
PUZZLE ELEMENTS:
A FOUNTAIN that is currently not working.
A TOOL SHED containing a HAMMER, WRENCH, A SCYTHE, and a LADDER.
A STORM DRAIN, which is too dark and deep to see into and too small to reach into.
A STATUE of a boy holding a FISHING ROD.
A LOCKED DOOR, framed by a system of RAIN GUTTERS that directs rainwater into the lush garden.
The FOUNTAIN PUMP which is hidden by a clump of THICK BUSHES. SOLUTION:
1. OPEN THE TOOL SHED, collect the TOOLS
2. CLIMB LADDER and USE WRENCH to loosen RAIN GUTTERS
3. COMBINE RAIN GUTTERS with FOUNTAIN and STORM DRAIN
4. TRIM THICK BUSHES to find the FOUNTAIN PUMP
5. USE FOUNTAIN PUMP to flood the STORM DRAIN, bringing the KEY to the top
6. Use statue's FISHING POLE to grab the key
7. USE KEY on LOCKED DOOR
A FOUNTAIN that is currently not working.
A TOOL SHED containing a HAMMER, WRENCH, A SCYTHE, and a LADDER.
A STORM DRAIN, which is too dark and deep to see into and too small to reach into.
A STATUE of a boy holding a FISHING ROD.
A LOCKED DOOR, framed by a system of RAIN GUTTERS that directs rainwater into the lush garden.
The FOUNTAIN PUMP which is hidden by a clump of THICK BUSHES. SOLUTION:
1. OPEN THE TOOL SHED, collect the TOOLS
2. CLIMB LADDER and USE WRENCH to loosen RAIN GUTTERS
3. COMBINE RAIN GUTTERS with FOUNTAIN and STORM DRAIN
4. TRIM THICK BUSHES to find the FOUNTAIN PUMP
5. USE FOUNTAIN PUMP to flood the STORM DRAIN, bringing the KEY to the top
6. Use statue's FISHING POLE to grab the key
7. USE KEY on LOCKED DOOR
PUZZLE SET-UP
The heroes need to steal some useful and/or dangerous medical supplies from the tyrannical Empire. On their way in to the medical center, they find out that a rogue patient actually tried to break into the medical storage unit before, but he was stopped before he could steal anything. He may have left behind clues to getting into the safe.
The heroes need to steal some useful and/or dangerous medical supplies from the tyrannical Empire. On their way in to the medical center, they find out that a rogue patient actually tried to break into the medical storage unit before, but he was stopped before he could steal anything. He may have left behind clues to getting into the safe.
PUZZLE ELEMENTS
A ONE WAY FLEXIGLASS WINDOW that looks into a room with a BACTERIAL CONTAINER
COMPUTER CONSOLE (needs power cells)
STORAGE CONTAINER (needs an access code)
TABLES AND CHAIRS
PATIENT BEDS*
*PATIENT INFO ON EACH BED: Marvo Durge Borotavi syndrome 60cc Coagulin Durwig Tell Triflexia 100cc Elisinandrox Raxis Steng ** Seumadic Fever 50cc Metacycline
** This bed has the POWER CELLS lying on it.
SOLUTION: 1. Get the POWER CELLS from the BED labelled RAXIS STENG
2. Use POWER CELLS on COMPUTER CONSOLE
3. COMPUTER CONSOLE will ask for PATIENT NAME, AFFLICTION, and PRESCRIPTION
4. Use the PATIENT INFO from RAXIS STENG'S BED on the computer.
5. The computer plays the recording of Raxis Steng pointing to the panel in the bottom of the SIDE TABLE. There is a LASER CUTTER tool and a note: "TO FIND THE CODE FOR THE SAFE, YOU WILL NEED AN INVENTION THAT LETS YOU SEE THROUGH WALLS" 6. The answer to this riddle is a window. Use the LASER CUTTER to remove the FLEXIGLASS WINDOW.
7. The code to the STORAGE CONTAINER is on the back of the one-way FLEXIGLASS. It can only be seen once you cut the window off.
8. Use the CODE to open the STORAGE CONTAINER
BONUS:
Use LASER CUTTER to open BACTERIAL CONTAINER and collect BACTERIAL VIALS
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