Friday Flash Fiction: "Zugzwang"

Yeah, to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of chess, either. But this is a great book on writing (thanks Jim!).

Read "Zugzwang" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #162: How to Captain a Starship

A quick debrief of our recent first missions aboard Starship Artemis, the multiplayer "bridge simulator" computer game!

[ Download mp3 - 23 MB ]

00:58 - "federated"
02:02 - in which Curtis goes Kobayashi Maru
04:32 - and DeeAnn must do research on the Internet
09:13 - "How does this relate to puzzle hunts?"
13:15 - PROTIP: use technology that works!
16:39 - on going above and beyond the call of duty
19:10 - upcoming events: International Tabletop Day (March 30th), Puzzled Pint (April 9th), WarTron: Boston (June 29-30).
22:03 - also, DeeAnn has opinions about TV shows
24:14 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Chiron Beta Prime" by Jonathan Coulton

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Friday Flash Fiction: "Secret Stash"

Less than two and a half hours to crank this one out. Because I love dialogue, and I love cops, and I love sisters.

Read "Secret Stash" at 512 Words or Fewer

(ETA: This is sort-of backstory for the characters who appear in "State Secrets.")

SnoutCast #161: Spring is Here, Almost

In which the seasons change, and puzzle hunters' fancy turns to... well, actually, they alter not a whit; they continue to want MOAR PUZZELS.

[ Download mp3 - 27 MB ]

00:00 - Polish language teaser (wait for it...)
01:01 - "vernal"
03:02 - The Maze of Games Kickstarter
06:54 - Puzzled Pint, March, 2013: Jeopardy!
15:47 - WarTron Boston applicants
27:10 - translated from the Polish
28:34 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Polish text-to-speech from Google Translate

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "You Ruined Everything" by Jonathan Coulton

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Friday Flash Fiction: "Just Follow Your Nose"

I know it's been done before, but I may just have to write a "Jake and Andy Meet the Varna'ut" novel for NaNoWriMo this year.

Read "Just Follow Your Nose" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #160: GC Summit 2013 Debrief

Some highlights from Game Control Summit 2013. Individual talk videos coming soon! Meanwhile, you can review the archived livestream or check out Corey Anderson's notes.

[ Download mp3 - 34 MB ]

00:59 - "educated"
02:38 - location, location, location
09:03 - thanks, Larry!
10:51 - re: Allen Cohn on Doctor When
15:43 - re: Amos Eshel on the 2013 MIT Mystery Hunt
17:59 - re: Bob Schaffer on Elevate Tutoring's charity hunts
22:07 - re: Curtis on the JoCo Cruise Crazy hunts
24:00 - re: Sean Gugler on JoCo Cruise Crazy puzzles
33:24 - e-mail gcsummit@snout.org if you want to present at GCS2014!
35:14 - you can still apply for WarTron: Boston (through Sunday, March 17th)!
36:55 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Skullcrusher Mountain" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

 

Friday Flash Fiction: "Not Necessarily Genre"

Okay, yeah, I'll admit it: I pictured Hugh Laurie as Professor Glendor while I was writing this. And possibly Shelley Conn as Jodette Shah. (Feel free to cast your favorite redhead as Anne. I'd go with Amy Adams... but I would always go with Amy Adams.)

Read "Not Necessarily Genre" at 512 Words or Fewer

SnoutCast #159: Star Quest Debrief

In which we discuss how our third puzzle hunt on a boat went.

[ Download mp3 - 35 MB ]

00:58 - "seagoing"
01:23 - DeeAnn's sea stories
04:24 - Re: JoCo Cruise Crazy 3
07:34 - Curtis's reputation
13:09 - the importance of hanging out
16:25 - the difficulty of difficulty
19:22 - going paperless?
23:39 - hooking the new fish
28:59 - know your audience
33:23 - ...solve ALL the puzzles?
35:11 - opportunity sails
37:00 - see also: GC Summit 2013, Puzzle Hunt Calendar
38:00 - The End

Tell us we're wrong on the Internet! E-mail podcast@snout.org or post a comment at www.snout.org/podcast.

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey" and "Tom Cruise Crazy" by Jonathan Coulton

[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]

 

Friday Flash Fiction: "A Middle Portion of the Star-Sailor's Tale"

Yes, you did, in fact, read both parts of the original tale last February. But I recently expanded it to meet Clarion's 2,500-word minimum for an application story, and this is one of the middle sections. It's not a retcon--it's a rewrite!

ALSO: Suck it, act two problems.

Read "A Middle Portion of the Star-Sailor's Tale" at 512 Words or Fewer

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