Puzzle Management as a Solitaire Player Part 1

Puzzle development, and Roleplaying as a GM.

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Feeling rather inspired this week, and focusing primarily on puzzle solving for solitaire players. In particular, puzzle development, discovering clues, checking to see if your assumptions or actions are correct and if there is a plot change that adds or changes things entirely.

We have to accept that we are unaware of certain details, right? Well, maybe not. And it’s that ’maybe not’ that keeps wondering if there are methods to keep details hidden from the self so that something like solving a puzzle can unfold in front of the solitaire player they way it would via a GM or pre-written game.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about since I started playing TTRPGS a few years ago. And there are ways to do it. They’re not perfect, of course, but they are a starting point for something better. Improvements can be made. I know that, but for now here’s what I’ve got, starting with GM Roleplay in this first part. Next week we’ll into a slightly more complex style inspired by the mechanics from Brindlewood and Templar’s Table TTRPG Solo Mystery Generator and others, next week.

Puzzle Development

The most important thing to have is an actual puzzle, or mystery to solve, right? You want something to do after all, that’s why we’re here. Puzzle dynamics isn’t something we really look at on the tabletop while playing, which is simply the functionality, the environment, and how player characters (PCs) can and would naturally interact with any given puzzle type.

I’d like to dive deeper into puzzle development here today, but I think it’s too much to all at once. At least when considering the way I’d like to go about it. So to keep things simple (for now) I use a d4 to decide what type of puzzle has been encountered:

Puzzle Types:

1 Physical Puzzles: Involve manipulating objects, navigating spaces, or handling traps. Examples include pushing blocks, arranging symbols, or unlocking doors.

2 Riddle or Knowledge-Based Puzzles: Require PC's to solve based on clues, knowledge, or interpreting cryptic information.

3 Logic Puzzles: Require pattern recognition, deduction, or sequential reasoning (e.g., figuring out the correct sequence to activate magical symbols).

4 Environmental Puzzles: PC's must interact with the environment in creative ways, perhaps using spells, tools, or manipulating elements like water or fire.

Social/Interaction puzzles that may require negotiation with NPCs, interpreting motives, or solving mysteries through conversation are also considered, but generally reserved for specific experiences. However, these are playing out the same way as any other.

So you’ve rolled on the table above and you have a puzzle in mind. Even a general idea is all that’s really needed, but you are welcome to work out every detail if you are using an approach similar to the GM Roleplay method featured in this post. If you still require help, there is a small list of resources listed further down.

With the wide array of possibilities available, we need to consider a few aspects of how we might work out those puzzles.

GM Roleplay AKA God mode

One of my favorite things to do is GM Roleplay, aka god mode. If you’ve ever played games like Black and White or Populous, or seen a movie like Clash of the Titans, then you know what the type of god mode I’m referring too. As a god, or GM (Game Master) you are aware of certain details that the players, aka, your PCs (Player Characters) don’t know about. Such as the that trap they're about to step on.

But you are not just aware of certain details, you are the god in charge of narrating the experience the PCs are having. You decide if you want to challenge them, or let them off easy. You put monsters in the next room, you set traps and create puzzles they face. Or if you’re working from an existing game designed for a GM and a given set of players, then you follow along, and give roll to see if the PC’s notice the clues you give them, if any at all.

You don’t have to tell them about the room they missed a moment ago. If you rolled a perception check, and they didn’t notice, it’s not your fault they missed out. Move on or find a way to force to turn around and pass by that area again.

We could play the role of GM and play out the roles and reactions of our player characters as if they are unaware of certain vital details. You could also see this as playing the role of someone watching and manipulating the situation for the characters. Perhaps you are a god and these characters are on an adventure that you are interfering in. You don’t control whether they succeed, but you can manipulate the situation to make it easier or harder on them.

For example, we present to the PC’s the details of a dead end after traversing an area for quite a ways. There’s a hidden door, but they don’t know it. This is where you step out of your GM or god mode and become the characters.

GM Describing the Situation:

GM (AKA, Me sitting in my studio, mini’s and maps laid out, scattered dice, looking like I just came out of the woods):

“After traveling down a narrow, winding corridor, I think the characters reach an apparent dead end. The walls here are solid stone, rough to the touch, and there’s a faint draft, though it’s not immediately clear where it’s coming from, or even if they notice it. The air feels heavier here, and the path behind them seems to stretch endlessly, which is disorienting to them after such a long journey. They here hear only silence and the shuffling sounds they make as they enter the room for the first time….”

(Above I’m in GM mode, presenting the facts of the situation, hinting at something possibly hidden but not giving it away. I don’t know if they noticed the breeze, so I check.)

Did either of the players notice the breeze? I’d say it’s likely and add a +5 to the result.

• 1-4 No and…

  5-7 No

  8-12 Inconclusive. It could be, but you’re missing some detail. Try rewording.

  13-16 Yes…

  17-20 Yes and…

D20 (+5) = 11 — Maybe it’s too early to tell. Let’s give it a moment or two and ask again in a bit. Or maybe they did, but have not mentioned it yet. We can roll again to see if either of them mention it, or simply wait. _ 

(For more control, you can add or subtract 1-10 **Confidence Points (CP)** to your roll, depending on how you feel about the chances of success or failure. Both PCs and yourself can invoke a roll, but it’s up to the GM (you) to decide how to handle the results.)

Roleplaying PCs may be challenging for some, but with some practice, you can learn to change your mindset so that you position yourself as someone who is unaware of there being any outside influence, and is simply reacting to the events as they unfold.

Think of it as a form of psychological role-shifting or cognitive dissociation. In this context, switching roles as a GM or between characters could be framed as “mental compartmentalization” or “cognitive shifting.” You’re placing yourself in the mindset of a particular persona or character without consciously overlapping their knowledge or emotions with another.

In TTRPGs, this psychological shift involves suspending one mental state (as GM or a specific character) and adopting another to engage with the narrative authentically.

It’s likely you were able to mimic this sort of behavior if you ever played by yourself as a young person. Perhaps you still do that this day, good for you, your time has come. But, if not, and you want too, a good tip is to just relax, and act like no one’s watching, even if no one is.

Switching to Player Characters:

Character 1: Artemis, the rogue (Aka again me…)

“Ugh, I don’t like the feel of this place. A dead end? Seriously? That can’t be right…” She walks closer to the wall, running her fingers along it. “There’s got to be something we’re missing. I can feel it.”

(Now I’ve switched into character mode—Artemis suspects something but doesn’t have the information the GM holds. She expresses doubt, frustration, and determination.)

Character 2: Garrick, the warrior

“Maybe it’s just a dead end.” Garrick shrugs, tapping his sword against the stone. “Not everything’s a hidden door or trap, you know.” He laughs, trying to brush it off but glances around warily. “But… yeah, something does seem off.”

(Garrick is less convinced but cautious. I had imagined his personality before playing the role, and I act as though I am him. He mirrors a suspicion, but still doesn’t know the truth. In fact, neither do I. I know this isn’t really a dead end, but I don’t know anything about the exit yet. I’ve not put much thought into to be too honest.)

Does Garrick discover that any of the walls sound different when they tap their sword against the wall? I’d say it’s unlikely and subtract a -4 points.

• 1-4 No and…

  5-7 No

  8-12 Inconclusive. It could be, but you’re missing some detail. Try rewording.

  13-16 Yes…

  17-20 Yes and…

D20 (-4) = 16 — I’m wrong, turns out there is a part of the wall that echoes when Garrick taps their sword against it…

GM: I am thinking about how the characters are reacting. I know there is a hidden door here now, but I allow them to explore and figure it out. Let the tension build.  _

“Ummm…. They don’t notice anything obvious. The stone wall is weathered and cold to the touch. Garrick’s sword tapping against the wall echoes, but only faintly, like the sound is swallowed quickly by the walls.”

(As GM, I’m not only providing subtle clues to myself to work out when playing the PCs, but I don't push them in the right direction. I play the role of someone observing, letting their suspicion grow naturally.)

Switching to Characters Again:

Artemis: Eyes narrowing

“Wait… hold on. There! I felt something when you struck the wall here—this stone… just for a second. It’s not right.” She crouches, pressing her ear to the wall.

Garrick: Raises an eyebrow

“What? Seriously? Here we go again, rogue magic.” He laughs again but draws his sword closer. “Well, if there’s something there, let’s find it fast. I don’t like how much room there is between us and the last door we encountered. There could be anything coming up behind us by now….”

(Both characters are now acting on their suspicions, but they aren’t “all-knowing”—they are responding to the information they’ve received so far. I’m naturally playing out the scenario, lost in the story at this point.)

So Garrick tips his sword against the wall. “Do I hear an echo, or is the wall solid all the way down?, he asks”

Garrick: “Is there anything obvious that I could use to trigger the door?”

D20: 17 — Yes, and… it’s quite obvious once you see it. Artemis feels a bit embarrassed because they didn’t notice it the first time.

GM (Me again) — “Down along the ground is a small steel ball that is quite obviously out of place but unnoticeable unless you get down and shine some light near it. Garrick gives it a shove and with some pressure from their left boot, the door shifts slightly, giving just enough to provide a finger hold. The two spent time prying the door open and eventually revealed a set of stairs which lead deep into the darkness below. The howls of some unknown creatures can be heard from perhaps a mile or more away. Triggered by hunger, no doubt.”

As you can see, I was mostly unaware of the end result and at one point in denial that there was, in fact, a hidden door in the wall. I was thinking there was a switch that opened something further back from whence we came, and this room was simply a distraction beyond that.

That being said, it’s important to note that there’s obviously effort needed to create an interactive solitaire experience. It helps to be open to the first few ideas that come to mind, even if they don’t make sense.

You (the PCs) can always ask as many questions as they like, and this is a nice organic way to unfold an interactive solitaire experience. Place yourself into the situation and ask the questions you think you would ask in that situation. Ask until it makes sense, even if it doesn’t, something will eventually click. Don’t burn yourself out, of course, if it’s not working, switch tactics, or roll for a different puzzle type.

If you’re unable to come up with a story or ideas or puzzles on your own, there are plenty of resources in the form of tables, AI, and existing storylines to draw from. Some good examples are:

Tavern Crowd — A considerable collection of AI generators for just about anything you might need text wise. There are generators for story hooks, puzzles, character names, NPC names, etc., etc.

7Tools — 7Tools has generators for Settlements, Buildings, Locations, Rumors, Encounters, and more, and it really fills in the gaps that Tavern Crowd, diverse as they are, skips over.

If websites aren’t your thing, there is a plethora of books available, I suggest taking a look at The Dungeon Dive on Youtube. Daniel has all sort of great videos and goes over many books that I too find quite helpful.

Summarizing GM Roleplay

To summarize GM Roleplay, you switch from providing external details to fully embodying the characters’ reactions, shifting your mental state from omniscient narrator to someone reacting with partial information.

By using GM Roleplay, you create suspense, tension, and a natural discovery process for yourself as it unfolds. But it’s only one of the methods I’d like to explore. Next week we’ll be diving deeper into puzzle development and taking a look at a point-based system that can be used to drag out a puzzle across several scenes.

But, before I go I wanted to make a game recommendation, not because I’ve been asked too, but because I really like the project and I think it’s unique in a nostalgic sort of way.

Echo of the Predator — Run! The Alien is hunting you!

An electronic, audibly narrated survival horror game following three cargo star ship crew members working together to escape death!

Take a look if you get a chance, I’m certainly going to back it and will be reviewing it at some point. Before I go, if you are curious about when The Forests of Wyndmoor will continue, it will do so soon. I’m currently 3D printing numerous dungeon pieces for when I continue.

Have a remarkable week, everyone. Please be mindful out there, take care of yourself and be kind to one another. I appreciate you, and I’ll see you next week!