Puzzle

Puzzle Category Overview

Category	Mechanism	Example Use
Riddle	A poetic or cryptic question	“What runs but never walks?”
Logic Grid	Deduction table where intersecting clues narrow options	Tracking suspects in a mystery
Anagram	Rearrange letters to spell a new word or phrase	Clue hidden in scrambled tavern signs
Word Ladder	Stepwise change of one letter at a time	Journey from “COLD” to “WARM” in four moves
Rebus	Picture and letter combinations hint at a phrase	🐝 + leaf = “belief”
Maze	Network of paths with a start and an exit	Ancient ruin map players must navigate
Pattern Sequence	Identify the next item in a numeric or symbolic series	2, 4, 8, 16, ?
Cryptarithm	Math problem where letters stand for digits	SEND + MORE = MONEY
Matching Pairs	Pair related items from two lists	Match animals to their habitats
Drop Quote	A block of text with missing letters	Fill blanks to reveal a hidden sentence
Missing Vowels	Remove vowels from words for players to restore	“CNSDR” becomes “CONSIDER”

Type	Mechanism	Flavor Hook
Acrostic	First letters of each line or entry spell a word	“The prayer’s true name lies in its spine.”
Cipher Wheel	Rotating substitution cipher (Caesar, Vigenère)	“The wheel turns. Each name becomes another.”
Symbol Substitution	Replace letters with runes, glyphs, or sigils	“Only the marked may read the truth.”
Layered Text	Overlay two texts to reveal a third	“Fold the hymn. The hidden message shines through the crease.”
Numerical Code	Numbers map to letters, coordinates, or entries	“The ledger bleeds meaning. Count the wounds.”

COLD → CORD → CARD → WARD → WARM