Showing posts with label puzzledpint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puzzledpint. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
I am Sick Today
But there are three cool things I need to tell you about: first, Puzzled Pint Brooklyn got a very nice write-up in The Wall Street Journal! Second, our friends The Doubleclicks made a very groovy Ghostbusters-inspired music video. Third, there's a fun new game called Valeria: Card Kingdoms which you can back on Kickstarter. That's all, and now I'm going back to bed.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
I Have Some Busy Weekends Coming Up
For the record, I'm not doing this as a #humblebrag or anything douchey like that. I'm writing this down as yet another reminder of all the crap I need to do BECAUSE I'M OLD AND I FORGET THINGS OKAY.
This weekend is GameStorm 17 in downtown Vancouver, where DeeAnn and I are re-running a modified version of the "Number Five Is Alive" puzzle hunt from JoCo Cruise 5. We'll hopefully also have time to play some games ourselves, and go to the Doubleclicks concert! Some of Thursday night's events will be in the hotel garage, which should be interesting.
Next weekend, after we do our taxes dammit, I'm going up to Seattle to help staff the Clarion West table at Emerald City Comic Con. I may or may not also have time and energy to wander around the con stalking Gail Simone, but mostly I want to go help out an organization I love (ObDisclaimer: I am a CW alumnus) and hang out with some awesome writers.
The first weekend in April is our friend Maria's birthday, and our other friend Natalie is organizing a chocolate field trip through Portland. You're either super excited and looking forward to this or deeply sad that you can't join us.
The second weekend in April includes my pal Fonda Lee's book launch party for her debut novel Zeroboxer! And probably a few hours prepping the next Puzzled Pint event, which may or may not include scrambling to lock down locations in all cities and/or last-minute revisions to puzzle materials. Did I mention we're an all-volunteer, non-commercial event?
And with any luck, one month from now on April 18th, we'll actually have some free time to relax and watch the third season premiere of Orphan Black.
This weekend is GameStorm 17 in downtown Vancouver, where DeeAnn and I are re-running a modified version of the "Number Five Is Alive" puzzle hunt from JoCo Cruise 5. We'll hopefully also have time to play some games ourselves, and go to the Doubleclicks concert! Some of Thursday night's events will be in the hotel garage, which should be interesting.
Next weekend, after we do our taxes dammit, I'm going up to Seattle to help staff the Clarion West table at Emerald City Comic Con. I may or may not also have time and energy to wander around the con stalking Gail Simone, but mostly I want to go help out an organization I love (ObDisclaimer: I am a CW alumnus) and hang out with some awesome writers.
The first weekend in April is our friend Maria's birthday, and our other friend Natalie is organizing a chocolate field trip through Portland. You're either super excited and looking forward to this or deeply sad that you can't join us.
The second weekend in April includes my pal Fonda Lee's book launch party for her debut novel Zeroboxer! And probably a few hours prepping the next Puzzled Pint event, which may or may not include scrambling to lock down locations in all cities and/or last-minute revisions to puzzle materials. Did I mention we're an all-volunteer, non-commercial event?
And with any luck, one month from now on April 18th, we'll actually have some free time to relax and watch the third season premiere of Orphan Black.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
The Portland Food Pyramid
A cautionary tale: this is what happens when you spend too much time on social media.
On Thursday, I tweeted about my lunch at Burgerville. Technically, I guess it was a sub-sub-tweet, since I didn't mention the name of the restaurant or even the specific food items (pepper bacon cheeseburger, waffle cut fries, chocolate milkshake). Anyway. My fellow Portlandians Wink and Brian added their own remarks, and then Larry cascaded it into a very cheesy conversation.
Meanwhile, on Facebook—where my tweets get auto-cross-posted—others continued the ad hoc comedy workshopping. And because I have nothing better to do on a Friday night than answer Puzzled Pint e-mails and watch Downton Abbey, I decided to turn my hasty sketch into something more suitable for Thomas to post in his kitchen.
Here's the original:
And now (drum roll, please) the new hotness:
The pictured foodstuffs are (top to bottom, left to right):
If this infographic amuses you, <zoidberg>HOORAY!</zoidberg> And Happy Valentine's Day? Feel free to share the permalink: http://snout.org/pfp
So that happened.
This concludes tonight's episode of How's Curtis Wasting His Goddamn Time Now? Come back next week for more frivolity. Or just follow me on Twitter if you simply cannot wait that long.
<3 CKL
On Thursday, I tweeted about my lunch at Burgerville. Technically, I guess it was a sub-sub-tweet, since I didn't mention the name of the restaurant or even the specific food items (pepper bacon cheeseburger, waffle cut fries, chocolate milkshake). Anyway. My fellow Portlandians Wink and Brian added their own remarks, and then Larry cascaded it into a very cheesy conversation.
Meanwhile, on Facebook—where my tweets get auto-cross-posted—others continued the ad hoc comedy workshopping. And because I have nothing better to do on a Friday night than answer Puzzled Pint e-mails and watch Downton Abbey, I decided to turn my hasty sketch into something more suitable for Thomas to post in his kitchen.
Here's the original:
And now (drum roll, please) the new hotness:
The pictured foodstuffs are (top to bottom, left to right):
- Hot Sauce: Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
- Beer: Puzzled Pint (logo by Victor Asteinza; not actually food, but definitely a Portland institution!)
- Whiskey: Eastside Distilling Burnside Bourbon
- Butter: Tillamook Butter
- Caffeine: Stumptown Coffee Cold Brew "Stubby"
- Chocolate: Moonstruck Milk Chocolate Mayan Bar
- Fat: raw bacon (stock photo by Floortje)
- Salt: J&D's Bacon Salt (actually a Seattle company, but I'll allow it because BACON SALT)
- Starch: Kenny and Zuke's Pastrami Cheese Fries (photo by Robyn Lee for Serious Eats)
- Sugar: Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Bar
If this infographic amuses you, <zoidberg>HOORAY!</zoidberg> And Happy Valentine's Day? Feel free to share the permalink: http://snout.org/pfp
So that happened.
This concludes tonight's episode of How's Curtis Wasting His Goddamn Time Now? Come back next week for more frivolity. Or just follow me on Twitter if you simply cannot wait that long.
<3 CKL
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
I Can Count to Fifteen
...which is the new number of Puzzled Pint cities. Boston had to wave off on Monday, due to weather, but we also added San Francisco proper at the last minute. Here's the current roster, with our February additions noted:
At this point, the "headquarters" team in Portland—six people, four of whom are co-founders (our fifth co-founder is running Pittsburgh these days)—is doing more event management and editorial oversight than actual puzzle creation. Which, again, is great; we love seeing the creativity and diversity of other people's puzzle ideas, and we're glad we can apply our experience to help them develop and refine those ideas.
But with diversity also comes differences of opinion. Reasonable people can disagree, and sometimes both sides have reasonable arguments for wildly divergent points of view. We're dealing with some ongoing issues which I think will come down to us having to make a decision about the fundamental nature and character of PP as opposed to other puzzling events: do we always want to be beginner-friendly? is there any reason we would ever say "no" to someone who wanted to start up in a new city? how much can we modify the structure of an event before it's no longer a "Puzzled Pint?"
I don't have all the answers, but I'm glad to be working with lots of smart people who can help us figure out these things. This is how we build a community. This is how we make something that can outlive us all. You know, like Islam.
- Austin, Texas
- Bloomington, Illinois (NEW!)
Boston, Massachusetts(CANCELED)- Brooklyn, New York (NEW!)
- Chicago, Illinois
- London, England
- Montreal, Canada
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Portland, Oregon
- San Francisco, CA - City (NEW!)
- San Francisco, CA - Bay Area
- Seattle, WA - City
- Seattle, WA - Eastside
- Washington, DC
At this point, the "headquarters" team in Portland—six people, four of whom are co-founders (our fifth co-founder is running Pittsburgh these days)—is doing more event management and editorial oversight than actual puzzle creation. Which, again, is great; we love seeing the creativity and diversity of other people's puzzle ideas, and we're glad we can apply our experience to help them develop and refine those ideas.
But with diversity also comes differences of opinion. Reasonable people can disagree, and sometimes both sides have reasonable arguments for wildly divergent points of view. We're dealing with some ongoing issues which I think will come down to us having to make a decision about the fundamental nature and character of PP as opposed to other puzzling events: do we always want to be beginner-friendly? is there any reason we would ever say "no" to someone who wanted to start up in a new city? how much can we modify the structure of an event before it's no longer a "Puzzled Pint?"
I don't have all the answers, but I'm glad to be working with lots of smart people who can help us figure out these things. This is how we build a community. This is how we make something that can outlive us all. You know, like Islam.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
I Spend a Lot of Time Dealing with Puzzles
I'm not complaining, mind you. I enjoy making puzzle games and running events. But here's a snapshot of my hours worked, from January 2014 to early October:
(Blurred-out names indicate personal and/or secret projects)
I spent the most work time rewriting Waypoint Kangaroo, the novel which went out on submission in mid-October, but as you can see, the second-biggest time slice (nearly 18%) is Puzzled Pint.
That's not surprising; in addition to our Portland Game Control meetings almost every week, PP grew to twelve(!) cities last year, which meant a lot more organizational overhead. It's fun, but also a lot of work.
So what keeps me interested in PP, or the JoCo Cruise puzzle hunts we've been running since 2011, or any of the other volunteer events on which we spend dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars of our own money every year?
If you've ever listened to SnoutCast, you know we practice what we preach: RUN MORE GAMES. Puzzles—especially in-person, live events—are still not mainstream, and my impression is that they scare off a lot of people who might otherwise have fun with creative mental challenges. And I want more people to discover that they love this hobby.
But that's an issue of philosophy. The other thing that keeps me interested is the über-puzzle (as opposed to meta-puzzle) of actually putting on these events. Again, as we've covered on SnoutCast, the puzzles themselves are only one component of a much larger machine, even if they are the distinguishing feature.
Recruiting GC members, scheduling meetings and keeping them on track, finding and booking locations, managing players who find creative ways of interpreting your so-called instructions—maybe these things are more challenges than puzzles, but they're at least as difficult to solve. Especially when you can't ask someone for hints.
The reward, though, can be immeasurably greater. It's like any other piece of art: you have to believe in it hard in order to make it happen, to create something out of nothing, to persist long enough to actually finish it. But when you can make others understand what was in your head, when you can make them believe, too—I would argue there's nothing better than that in the world.
This is why I run Games. This is why I write fiction. This is why I keep trying to do more.
(Blurred-out names indicate personal and/or secret projects)
I spent the most work time rewriting Waypoint Kangaroo, the novel which went out on submission in mid-October, but as you can see, the second-biggest time slice (nearly 18%) is Puzzled Pint.
That's not surprising; in addition to our Portland Game Control meetings almost every week, PP grew to twelve(!) cities last year, which meant a lot more organizational overhead. It's fun, but also a lot of work.
So what keeps me interested in PP, or the JoCo Cruise puzzle hunts we've been running since 2011, or any of the other volunteer events on which we spend dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars of our own money every year?
If you've ever listened to SnoutCast, you know we practice what we preach: RUN MORE GAMES. Puzzles—especially in-person, live events—are still not mainstream, and my impression is that they scare off a lot of people who might otherwise have fun with creative mental challenges. And I want more people to discover that they love this hobby.
But that's an issue of philosophy. The other thing that keeps me interested is the über-puzzle (as opposed to meta-puzzle) of actually putting on these events. Again, as we've covered on SnoutCast, the puzzles themselves are only one component of a much larger machine, even if they are the distinguishing feature.
Recruiting GC members, scheduling meetings and keeping them on track, finding and booking locations, managing players who find creative ways of interpreting your so-called instructions—maybe these things are more challenges than puzzles, but they're at least as difficult to solve. Especially when you can't ask someone for hints.
The reward, though, can be immeasurably greater. It's like any other piece of art: you have to believe in it hard in order to make it happen, to create something out of nothing, to persist long enough to actually finish it. But when you can make others understand what was in your head, when you can make them believe, too—I would argue there's nothing better than that in the world.
This is why I run Games. This is why I write fiction. This is why I keep trying to do more.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
SnoutCast #211: Anna McCleary
Continuing our conversations with some of the women behind Puzzled Pint, this month we talk to Anna McCleary in Chicago! (Sorry about the audio weirdness toward the end of the show. I blame Skype and/or Microsoft.)
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 41:53
File size: 38.3MB
Stuff and things:
What Else?
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 "I Crush Everything" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link / Stitcher link ]
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 41:53
File size: 38.3MB
Stuff and things:
- DASH
- Shinteki Field Trip: Disneyland 2014
- Takenoko
- Flash Point: Fire Rescue
- Cards Against Humanity (and their "Holiday Bullshit")
- Bohnanza
What Else?
- Dan Egnor's Puzzle Hunt Calendar
- Rich Bragg and company's ClueKeeper
- You can still get in on JoCo Cruise Crazy 5!
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 "I Crush Everything" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link / Stitcher link ]
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
SnoutCast #209: Yuan Niu
This month, we talk to Yuan Niu, who's been running DASH in the Bay Area for several years and Puzzled Pint there since July!
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 39:52
File size: 36.4MB
Follow @hungrynerd on Twitter for more!
What Else?
Team lowkey's spoiler-filled Shinteki Decathlon 9 (SD9) recap video. LOOK AT IT!
http://youtu.be/kwDB5NKACfg
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 "The Future Soon" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link / Stitcher link ]
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 39:52
File size: 36.4MB
Follow @hungrynerd on Twitter for more!
What Else?
Team lowkey's spoiler-filled Shinteki Decathlon 9 (SD9) recap video. LOOK AT IT!
http://youtu.be/kwDB5NKACfg
- Larry Hosken's SD9 write-up
- Hey look it's ClueKeeper
- As you know Bob Puzzle Hunt Calendar
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 "The Future Soon" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link / Stitcher link ]
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
SnoutCast #206: Andrea Blumberg
Did you enjoy Puzzled Pint, May 2014: The Princess Bride? Well, you have Portland's own Andrea Blumberg to thank for those fine puzzles!
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 30:42
File size: 29.5MB
Andrea's favorite room escape games online:
What Else?
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 "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 ]
Show length: 30:42
File size: 29.5MB
Andrea's favorite room escape games online:
What Else?
- The New York Times: "In Escape Rooms, Video Games Meet Real Life"
- Look for ClueKeeper public hunts in your area
- Find more event listings on Puzzle Hunt Calendar
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 "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
I Enjoy Hunting for Puzzles
The statement above should come as a surprise to exactly no one, but I thought I'd use this space to clarify the spectrum of my liking for various puzzle and presentation types.
But first, just in case you've wandered into this blog totally at random:
Hi. I'm Curtis Chen, and I'm a puzzle gamer. I first played The Game at Stanford University in 1996, and I ran my first Game in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001. Since then, I've run or helped run more than fifty different puzzling events, including:
You could say I have a bit of a Gaming habit. Possibly even an obsession. (Sadly, not a career; I have been paid less than half a dozen times for doing puzzle-hunt-related things.) But I don't love all puzzles or puzzle events equally.
To the layperson, all puzzlers may appear very similar, but--as with any special interest group--there are many fine distinctions and gradations within our ranks. Certainly, there are those who love any kind of puzzle (broadly defined), whether it's a logical brain teaser or something math-related or pure wordplay. Some people just want to SOLVE ALL THE THINGS. But I suspect most are like myself, with definite preferences and dislikes.
I've been credited with coining (or at least popularizing) the term "underwear puzzles." I'm not a big fan of puzzle events that are just a bunch of puzzles you could have solved by yourself, at home, in your underwear; i.e., which don't take advantage of real-world interactivity. I prefer Games that actually get me out of the house and put me into unusual situations to have new experiences. I'm not really into the great outdoors per se, but if you tell me there's a puzzle hidden somewhere in the forest, I may spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for it. Because that's something I would probably never do otherwise, and I might never visit that location ever again.
It's all about the reward. I've tried a couple of "conference room" puzzle hunts--of which genre the granddaddy is, of course, the MIT Mystery Hunt--and they're just not my bag, baby. I do enjoy the intellectual challenge of any given puzzle, but I get bored very quickly. And for me, getting more puzzles to solve is not really a compelling reward; I want something else, like a new location to visit or a new bit of story or even an amusing video clip. Just give me a break before dumping another bucket of puzzles on my head.
Related to that, I enjoy team-play events more than solving by myself, but I prefer "linear" hunts to the "batch" model. (BTW, I'm just making up words here; feel free to suggest better terminology in the comments.) In a conference room hunt, you may have a huge team--say twelve people--and a large number of puzzles "unlocked" at any given time, which means that very often you'll end up with sub-teams of two or three people working on different puzzles. It then becomes impossible for any single person to solve, or even see all the puzzles, since you're racing against all the other teams to finish first. (Or possibly second, to subvert the tradition of the winning team running the next event.)
I approach puzzling events from more of an audience perspective, as opposed to a competitor perspective. When I'm reading a book, or watching a show, I want to enjoy the experience as it's happening--and if I'm really in love with it, I may not want it to end. I rarely watch a show or read a book just to be done with it, and I certainly don't compete with others to read faster or more than anyone else. Similarly, when I'm playing a Game, I don't care too much about my team's ranking relative to other teams (as long as we're not last!)--I care about whether we're all having fun. And it's more fun to solve puzzles at our own pace, without the added pressure of an artificial competition.
"But wait!" you may say. "Isn't Puzzled Pint exactly the kind of sit-around-and-solve event that you hate?" Well, first of all, I never said I hated conference room hunts; they're just not my favorite. And Puzzled Pint does get people out of the house, albeit to just one location. I don't know if I would play Puzzled Pint if I weren't on GC, but I support any attempt to draw puzzlers out of their shells to meet and interact with each other, and PP has certainly done that in Portland, Oregon.
Let's face it: we puzzlers are mostly just the kids who were good at homework, all grown up and looking for more problem sets to do. We may not all be introverted xenophobes, but we're all socially awkward to some degree--and even if that describes most of the human race, we may be more painfully aware that our particular hobby is way, way outside of the mainstream. It usually takes me five to ten minutes to explain puzzle hunts to any given stranger, and the two most typical responses are either "I could never do that" or "what do you win?"
And that's why I support all puzzling events, even if they're ones I wouldn't personally play in. Do you want to run Puzzled Pint in your city? Talk to us, we'll help you get started. Are you opening a new puzzle-related business? I will pimp it as hard as I can.
Because we're all in this together, and encouraging more people to have fun by exercising their minds will make the world a better place.
We few, we happy few, we band of puzzlers;
For he to-day that solves this Clue with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This Game shall gentle his condition!
(with apologies to William Shakespeare)
But first, just in case you've wandered into this blog totally at random:
Hi. I'm Curtis Chen, and I'm a puzzle gamer. I first played The Game at Stanford University in 1996, and I ran my first Game in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001. Since then, I've run or helped run more than fifty different puzzling events, including:
- the Hogwarts Game (2006);
- annual Game Control Summits (2007-present);
- Puzzled Pint (2010-present);
- the JoCo Cruise Crazy puzzle hunts (2011-present); and
- WarTron (PDX 2012, Boston 2013).
You could say I have a bit of a Gaming habit. Possibly even an obsession. (Sadly, not a career; I have been paid less than half a dozen times for doing puzzle-hunt-related things.) But I don't love all puzzles or puzzle events equally.
To the layperson, all puzzlers may appear very similar, but--as with any special interest group--there are many fine distinctions and gradations within our ranks. Certainly, there are those who love any kind of puzzle (broadly defined), whether it's a logical brain teaser or something math-related or pure wordplay. Some people just want to SOLVE ALL THE THINGS. But I suspect most are like myself, with definite preferences and dislikes.
I've been credited with coining (or at least popularizing) the term "underwear puzzles." I'm not a big fan of puzzle events that are just a bunch of puzzles you could have solved by yourself, at home, in your underwear; i.e., which don't take advantage of real-world interactivity. I prefer Games that actually get me out of the house and put me into unusual situations to have new experiences. I'm not really into the great outdoors per se, but if you tell me there's a puzzle hidden somewhere in the forest, I may spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for it. Because that's something I would probably never do otherwise, and I might never visit that location ever again.
It's all about the reward. I've tried a couple of "conference room" puzzle hunts--of which genre the granddaddy is, of course, the MIT Mystery Hunt--and they're just not my bag, baby. I do enjoy the intellectual challenge of any given puzzle, but I get bored very quickly. And for me, getting more puzzles to solve is not really a compelling reward; I want something else, like a new location to visit or a new bit of story or even an amusing video clip. Just give me a break before dumping another bucket of puzzles on my head.
Related to that, I enjoy team-play events more than solving by myself, but I prefer "linear" hunts to the "batch" model. (BTW, I'm just making up words here; feel free to suggest better terminology in the comments.) In a conference room hunt, you may have a huge team--say twelve people--and a large number of puzzles "unlocked" at any given time, which means that very often you'll end up with sub-teams of two or three people working on different puzzles. It then becomes impossible for any single person to solve, or even see all the puzzles, since you're racing against all the other teams to finish first. (Or possibly second, to subvert the tradition of the winning team running the next event.)
I approach puzzling events from more of an audience perspective, as opposed to a competitor perspective. When I'm reading a book, or watching a show, I want to enjoy the experience as it's happening--and if I'm really in love with it, I may not want it to end. I rarely watch a show or read a book just to be done with it, and I certainly don't compete with others to read faster or more than anyone else. Similarly, when I'm playing a Game, I don't care too much about my team's ranking relative to other teams (as long as we're not last!)--I care about whether we're all having fun. And it's more fun to solve puzzles at our own pace, without the added pressure of an artificial competition.
"But wait!" you may say. "Isn't Puzzled Pint exactly the kind of sit-around-and-solve event that you hate?" Well, first of all, I never said I hated conference room hunts; they're just not my favorite. And Puzzled Pint does get people out of the house, albeit to just one location. I don't know if I would play Puzzled Pint if I weren't on GC, but I support any attempt to draw puzzlers out of their shells to meet and interact with each other, and PP has certainly done that in Portland, Oregon.
Let's face it: we puzzlers are mostly just the kids who were good at homework, all grown up and looking for more problem sets to do. We may not all be introverted xenophobes, but we're all socially awkward to some degree--and even if that describes most of the human race, we may be more painfully aware that our particular hobby is way, way outside of the mainstream. It usually takes me five to ten minutes to explain puzzle hunts to any given stranger, and the two most typical responses are either "I could never do that" or "what do you win?"
And that's why I support all puzzling events, even if they're ones I wouldn't personally play in. Do you want to run Puzzled Pint in your city? Talk to us, we'll help you get started. Are you opening a new puzzle-related business? I will pimp it as hard as I can.
Because we're all in this together, and encouraging more people to have fun by exercising their minds will make the world a better place.
We few, we happy few, we band of puzzlers;
For he to-day that solves this Clue with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This Game shall gentle his condition!
(with apologies to William Shakespeare)
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
SnoutCast #201: Ana Roeszler
Kicking off our year of interviews with women who make puzzle games is Ana Roeszler, one of the co-founders of Puzzled Pint and a core GC member for WarTron PDX!
Show length: 26:39
File size: 25.6MB [Download mp3]
What Else?
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 ]
Show length: 26:39
File size: 25.6MB [Download mp3]
What Else?
- Game Control Summit 2014: get ideas on how to run your own puzzle game!
- Learn about more events from Puzzle Hunt Calendar
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 ]
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
SnoutCast #196: Mastermind Hunts - Nikolai Lokteff
This week, we chat with Nikolai Lokteff, one of the masterminds behind Mastermind Treasure Hunts!
[ Download mp3 - 29 MB ]
00:58 - "mindful"
02:17 - Why Tuesdays for Mastermind Pub Hunts?
13:45 - biggest event so far: "Rogue Agent"
26:18 - making puzzles for "experts"
31:24 - 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 "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 - 29 MB ]
00:58 - "mindful"
02:17 - Why Tuesdays for Mastermind Pub Hunts?
13:45 - biggest event so far: "Rogue Agent"
26:18 - making puzzles for "experts"
31:24 - 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 "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
SnoutCast #192: Puzzled Pint International
In which the Pacific Northwest phenomenon debuts in Stockton-on-Tees! Thanks to loyal listener Chris in England for his continued support and enthusiasm. :)
[ Download mp3 - 24 MB ]
00:59 - "trans-Atlantic"
02:00 - everyone should play Last Night on Earth (as seen on Tabletop)
03:47 - recasting Puzzled Pint: February 2011
05:55 - how does this spreadsheet work again?
09:10 - the origin of "Chris and Pat"
14:51 - backsolving is perfectly valid (albeit sometimes unsatisfying)
18:47 - DeeAnn on puzzle communities, especially Portland, Oregon
20:33 - upcoming online puzzle events: Ghost Patrol "Recon" (Oct.31st), Elevate Tutoring Puzzle Hunt "the 2nd" (Nov.2nd), The Octothorpean Order "for realz" (Nov.16th); more at PuzzleHuntCalendar.com!
25:58 - 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 "Baby Got Back" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 - 24 MB ]
00:59 - "trans-Atlantic"
02:00 - everyone should play Last Night on Earth (as seen on Tabletop)
03:47 - recasting Puzzled Pint: February 2011
05:55 - how does this spreadsheet work again?
09:10 - the origin of "Chris and Pat"
14:51 - backsolving is perfectly valid (albeit sometimes unsatisfying)
18:47 - DeeAnn on puzzle communities, especially Portland, Oregon
20:33 - upcoming online puzzle events: Ghost Patrol "Recon" (Oct.31st), Elevate Tutoring Puzzle Hunt "the 2nd" (Nov.2nd), The Octothorpean Order "for realz" (Nov.16th); more at PuzzleHuntCalendar.com!
25:58 - 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 "Baby Got Back" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
SnoutCast #187: Shameless Self-Promotion
Well, hello there, friend! Have you filled out Curtis' 40th Birthday Survey yet? Why not do it while you listen to this week's show? He'd really appreciate it!
[ Download mp3 - 25 MB ]
00:59 - "miscellaneous"
05:08 - a record-breaking Puzzled Pint September event in Portland, Oregon!
09:51 - Tell Curtis how you met him: snout.org/40survey
12:02 - The Octothorpean Order reveals itself on November 16th, 2013
13:55 - FREE to read (and vote for) online: Curtis' short story "Born to the Legion"
16:33 - Jasper's Famine Game team profiles
21:03 - Now on sale: Song Stories: Blaze of Glory (Kindle or paperback), featuring Curtis' short story "Don't Fence Me In"
25:45 - 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 "Ikea" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 - 25 MB ]
00:59 - "miscellaneous"
05:08 - a record-breaking Puzzled Pint September event in Portland, Oregon!
09:51 - Tell Curtis how you met him: snout.org/40survey
12:02 - The Octothorpean Order reveals itself on November 16th, 2013
13:55 - FREE to read (and vote for) online: Curtis' short story "Born to the Legion"
16:33 - Jasper's Famine Game team profiles
21:03 - Now on sale: Song Stories: Blaze of Glory (Kindle or paperback), featuring Curtis' short story "Don't Fence Me In"
25:45 - 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 "Ikea" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
SnoutCast #182: Madly Recite, Calmer Deity, Teamed Lyric!
This week, we talk to Jason Wodicka, who has run many puzzle events in Seattle, including ten Puzzled Pints for the public and two Amazon Puzzle Hunts for interns and employees!
(And in case you're wondering, the three phrases in the title are all anagrams of "Emerald City.")
[ Download mp3 - 25 MB ]
00:59 - "northwestern"
01:51 - the idiosyncratic SNAP numbering system
03:57 - genesis of the Amazon Puzzle Hunt
05:36 - what's fun about running a puzzle event? (hint: answers may vary)
07:07 - so... how's Puzzled Pint Seattle going?
11:45 - hints, complaints, and stylistic differences
14:35 - "What is the Amazon Puzzle Hunt?"
17:45 - a literal badge of honor!
20:04 - how one GC gives hints
26:41 - 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 "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
(And in case you're wondering, the three phrases in the title are all anagrams of "Emerald City.")
[ Download mp3 - 25 MB ]
00:59 - "northwestern"
01:51 - the idiosyncratic SNAP numbering system
03:57 - genesis of the Amazon Puzzle Hunt
05:36 - what's fun about running a puzzle event? (hint: answers may vary)
07:07 - so... how's Puzzled Pint Seattle going?
11:45 - hints, complaints, and stylistic differences
14:35 - "What is the Amazon Puzzle Hunt?"
17:45 - a literal badge of honor!
20:04 - how one GC gives hints
26:41 - 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 "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
SnoutCast #174: DIY Puzzled Pint Party
In which we conclude our response to some lovely listener mail.
[ Download mp3 - 26 MB ]
00:58 - "asynchronous"
02:01 - question (paraphrased) from Chris in England: can a one-person GC run puzzles from an archived event?
02:29 - a brief history of Puzzled Pint...
03:26 - ...including details on simulcasting to Seattle
05:08 - announcement: come solve Jay Lorch's puzzles at Puzzled Pint in August!
11:25 - here's how you could re-run Puzzled Pint, May 2013: "Arrested Development"!
16:49 - the downsides of being a one-person Game Control
21:31 - great minds think alike (see also: The Famine Game team videos)
26:00 - where to find info on past events: snout.org/game, bayareanightgame.org, and...?
27:32 - 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 "Shop Vac" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 - 26 MB ]
00:58 - "asynchronous"
02:01 - question (paraphrased) from Chris in England: can a one-person GC run puzzles from an archived event?
02:29 - a brief history of Puzzled Pint...
03:26 - ...including details on simulcasting to Seattle
05:08 - announcement: come solve Jay Lorch's puzzles at Puzzled Pint in August!
11:25 - here's how you could re-run Puzzled Pint, May 2013: "Arrested Development"!
16:49 - the downsides of being a one-person Game Control
21:31 - great minds think alike (see also: The Famine Game team videos)
26:00 - where to find info on past events: snout.org/game, bayareanightgame.org, and...?
27:32 - 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 "Shop Vac" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Artisanally Hand-Crafted in Portlandia
On Tuesday, while setting up for Puzzled Pint at Beulahland, we managed to lose one of our answer sheets while stuffing puzzle packets. I quickly made an extra one by hand, just in case a full complement of 20 teams showed up. (They did, though two of them ended up joining forces with other groups, so we only got 18 answer sheets back.) Good thing we had plenty of scratch paper.
Before:
After:
The scratch paper I used was actually an unused puzzle from a previous month. Guess which one and I'll send you a prize!
Before:
After:
The scratch paper I used was actually an unused puzzle from a previous month. Guess which one and I'll send you a prize!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
SnoutCast #173: Keeping the Dream Alive
In which we respond to some lovely listener mail!
[ Download mp3 - 24 MB ]
00:59 - "continuous"
02:10 - Q0 (paraphrased), from Chris in England: how do you keep a small puzzle hunt community together between events? can online puzzles fill the gap?
04:32 - "and they told two friends..."
12:49 - Q1: what about The Order of the Octothorpe? (short answer: maybe, but it's intended for newbies)
15:15 - Q2: are the WarTron application puzzles still online? (short answer: not now, maybe later)
17:22 - Q3: can you really play the 2 Tone Game remotely? (short answer: yes! long answer...)
18:37 - Q4: are puzzles from any other hunts available online? (short answer: yes, but good luck finding them)
26:19 - 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 ]
[ Download mp3 - 24 MB ]
00:59 - "continuous"
02:10 - Q0 (paraphrased), from Chris in England: how do you keep a small puzzle hunt community together between events? can online puzzles fill the gap?
04:32 - "and they told two friends..."
12:49 - Q1: what about The Order of the Octothorpe? (short answer: maybe, but it's intended for newbies)
15:15 - Q2: are the WarTron application puzzles still online? (short answer: not now, maybe later)
17:22 - Q3: can you really play the 2 Tone Game remotely? (short answer: yes! long answer...)
18:37 - Q4: are puzzles from any other hunts available online? (short answer: yes, but good luck finding them)
26:19 - 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 ]
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
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
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ 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
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
SnoutCast #152: Pricing Puzzled Pints
A special extended conversation, in which we estimate how much one of our monthly events would cost at retail! Also, how would you like to adopt a cat?
[ Download mp3 - 36 MB ]
00:59 - "valuable"
02:28 - the business (or not) of puzzle hunts
04:19 - estimating Puzzled Pint costs
07:01 - the hours: ~80 total (5 puzzles per month)
14:32 - three-step hints, just like cooking!
18:00 - cost of materials: ~$50 (printing)
21:33 - hourly labor costs: ~$9 (minimum wage)
26:55 - final figure, per team: ~$50 (15 teams)
33:31 - exporting value
35:03 - tax implications
38:25 - 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 "Ikea" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 - 36 MB ]
00:59 - "valuable"
02:28 - the business (or not) of puzzle hunts
04:19 - estimating Puzzled Pint costs
07:01 - the hours: ~80 total (5 puzzles per month)
14:32 - three-step hints, just like cooking!
18:00 - cost of materials: ~$50 (printing)
21:33 - hourly labor costs: ~$9 (minimum wage)
26:55 - final figure, per team: ~$50 (15 teams)
33:31 - exporting value
35:03 - tax implications
38:25 - 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 "Ikea" by Jonathan Coulton
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
SnoutCast #145: Deadline City
Deadlines are good! IN OUR HUMBLE OPINION.
[ Download mp3 - 32 MB ]
00:59 - "time-sensitive"
05:02 - Exhibit A: Star Wars VII in 2015
05:51 - Exhibit B: Skyfall delays during pre-production
07:02 - Exhibit C: The Amazing Spider-Man (so-called)
08:12 - Exhibit D: The Oatmeal
10:21 - Curtis & DeeAnn & deadlines & pain.
15:35 - the upside of deadlines
18:50 - DeeAnn specializes in "recreativity"
23:47 - long-winded Curtis is long-winded
30:58 - the evolution of Puzzled Pint
33:59 - 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
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
[ Download mp3 - 32 MB ]
00:59 - "time-sensitive"
05:02 - Exhibit A: Star Wars VII in 2015
05:51 - Exhibit B: Skyfall delays during pre-production
07:02 - Exhibit C: The Amazing Spider-Man (so-called)
08:12 - Exhibit D: The Oatmeal
10:21 - Curtis & DeeAnn & deadlines & pain.
15:35 - the upside of deadlines
18:50 - DeeAnn specializes in "recreativity"
23:47 - long-winded Curtis is long-winded
30:58 - the evolution of Puzzled Pint
33:59 - 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
[ Subscribe to SnoutCast / iTunes link ]
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