I'm working on a game for some friends of mine, and I'm having trouble thinking of a puzzle/riddle/etc. for one of the 'escape rooms'. They general description of the room is a library with some bookshelves, two chairs, and a card catalog. My first thought was to do something with the catalog but I'm not sure how or what to do. Anyone have a suggestion?
Well what are they trying to do? Is it a full on escape room with ticking clock and different levels, or is it a case of solving a puzzle to find a secret door and get to the underground base of the BBEG. If it is an escape room I can see something with the catalogue working, otherwise something like paintings looking in the direction of doors, although I have just thought of something. If the catalogue would be like an index of the books there you could use book titles or something to direct them there, and you could use Whats On the Menu from Tasha's with the book prices. Something like that.
There is no actual ticking clock, but they do need to get through as quickly as possible, if that makes sense? A broader view of the game is that its a series of these kinds of rooms, and that they are trying to get to the last and defeat the 'Boss" and save some civvies. The catalog is like the card catalogs in normal libraries, so yes it is an index of the books. There isn't prices for the books (library), but maybe how many copies of the book could work to something similar? But I do plan on using that same puzzle in a room farther ahead, so maybe that should be 'saved'? I kind of had the idea you had, with using titles somehow, but I wasn't sure how to develop it, or the other idea I had which was to maybe have the cards out of order and do something off that (as a code maybe?).
Ok. There is a small table by one of the chairs, with two bookends, the space between them good for about 10 books, and the party need to put the right books in the right order on that spot to unlock the door. Something is different by that section of wall, maybe a decorative detail to attract the interest of the party. The card index could be nearby, and while most of it is in alphabetical order, there is one page with slight irregularities, so all the same starting letter but different afterwards. Then there is a different amount of each book listed than on the shelves, and the difference between the numbers could be the amount needed on the bookend. For example (obviously you could choose different titles that are more memorable/interesting):
Oldest Men, The x6 (7 on shelves), Once there was War x8 (10 on shelves), Oars Away: The Sailing Compendium x4 (5 on shelves), Or the Death Shall Come x3 (5 on shelves), Olive Gardens of the Sword Coast x1 (3 on shelves)
This would leave: The Oldest Men - Once there was War - Once there was War - Oars Away: The Sailing Compendium - Or the Death Shall Come - Or the Death Shall Come - Olive Gardens of the Sword Coast - Olive Gardens of the Sword Coast. And hey presto, the door opens. Might be a little complex, but worth a shot.
I'm working on a game for some friends of mine, and I'm having trouble thinking of a puzzle/riddle/etc. for one of the 'escape rooms'. They general description of the room is a library with some bookshelves, two chairs, and a card catalog. My first thought was to do something with the catalog but I'm not sure how or what to do. Anyone have a suggestion?
Well what are they trying to do? Is it a full on escape room with ticking clock and different levels, or is it a case of solving a puzzle to find a secret door and get to the underground base of the BBEG. If it is an escape room I can see something with the catalogue working, otherwise something like paintings looking in the direction of doors, although I have just thought of something. If the catalogue would be like an index of the books there you could use book titles or something to direct them there, and you could use Whats On the Menu from Tasha's with the book prices. Something like that.
There is no actual ticking clock, but they do need to get through as quickly as possible, if that makes sense? A broader view of the game is that its a series of these kinds of rooms, and that they are trying to get to the last and defeat the 'Boss" and save some civvies. The catalog is like the card catalogs in normal libraries, so yes it is an index of the books. There isn't prices for the books (library), but maybe how many copies of the book could work to something similar? But I do plan on using that same puzzle in a room farther ahead, so maybe that should be 'saved'? I kind of had the idea you had, with using titles somehow, but I wasn't sure how to develop it, or the other idea I had which was to maybe have the cards out of order and do something off that (as a code maybe?).
Ok. There is a small table by one of the chairs, with two bookends, the space between them good for about 10 books, and the party need to put the right books in the right order on that spot to unlock the door. Something is different by that section of wall, maybe a decorative detail to attract the interest of the party. The card index could be nearby, and while most of it is in alphabetical order, there is one page with slight irregularities, so all the same starting letter but different afterwards. Then there is a different amount of each book listed than on the shelves, and the difference between the numbers could be the amount needed on the bookend. For example (obviously you could choose different titles that are more memorable/interesting):
Oldest Men, The x6 (7 on shelves), Once there was War x8 (10 on shelves), Oars Away: The Sailing Compendium x4 (5 on shelves), Or the Death Shall Come x3 (5 on shelves), Olive Gardens of the Sword Coast x1 (3 on shelves)
This would leave: The Oldest Men - Once there was War - Once there was War - Oars Away: The Sailing Compendium - Or the Death Shall Come - Or the Death Shall Come - Olive Gardens of the Sword Coast - Olive Gardens of the Sword Coast. And hey presto, the door opens. Might be a little complex, but worth a shot.