Simple puzzle box with mathematical riddle
Oct 17, 2017 19:12:24 GMT
deafnala, margaret, and 1 more like this
Post by yve on Oct 17, 2017 19:12:24 GMT
I recently created a very simple puzzle box for my players and they had a load of fun with it.
The box comes with little wooden pins that have to be placed in the right pattern.
To this box they get the following riddle:
When war ruins the land, the wise man locks his valuables in the safety of his house:
In the north he places two treasures in the first room, seven in the second room and six in the third.
*In the south he places four treasures in the first room, three in the second room and eight in the third.
The keys to the house he throwes into five wells. In each well one more key than the last swallowed.
Every one of those keys is worthless until all are united and together open the house at once.
* you can leave this line out to make the puzzle harder
(find the sollution at the end of the post)
Now to the construction:
Now to the solution:
Of course the players will place the pins according to the riddle in the first and third row of rooms. But then what?
If you place 1 pin in the 1st well, 2 pins in the 2nd well and so on, you end up with 15 pins in the wells.
The riddle tells you that all these 'keys' combined open the house. So 15 is the true key to the puzzle.
Add up the number of pins in each row of rooms and you end up with 15 as well.
So the players have to place the pins in a manner that the number of pins in each row and column of rooms add up to 15. It will look like a Sudoku.
Pin placement for the solution:
Draft of the puzzle box: (please apologize the smeared spot)
The box comes with little wooden pins that have to be placed in the right pattern.
To this box they get the following riddle:
When war ruins the land, the wise man locks his valuables in the safety of his house:
In the north he places two treasures in the first room, seven in the second room and six in the third.
*In the south he places four treasures in the first room, three in the second room and eight in the third.
The keys to the house he throwes into five wells. In each well one more key than the last swallowed.
Every one of those keys is worthless until all are united and together open the house at once.
* you can leave this line out to make the puzzle harder
(find the sollution at the end of the post)
Now to the construction:
- Create a rectangular box lid out of foam core or whatever material you prefer. Mine was roughly 12 x 9 cm (or 5 x 3,5 inches)
- Draw a square on the left side (as big as possible) and divide it into 9 even parts (so you get 3 by 3 squares). This is the 'house' with 9 'rooms'.
- Cut toothpics in half so you end up with 60 wooden pins. These are the 'keys'.
- Consult the solution and make a plan how many 'keys' belong to each 'room'. Then create enough holes in each 'room' deep enough that a pin can be stuck into it. You can place them at random positions or include them in geometrical patterns. Make more holes than needed in some (or all) rooms, e.g. make 8 holes where 4 pins are required or 4 holes where 1 pin is required.
- On the right side of the lid draw 5 circles and make 9 holes in each. These are the 'wells'
- If you want to make an actual box, add the sides and bottom and glue everything (but the lid) together.
- Paint and decorate to your taste.
- Place the pins and the riddle inside the box and hand it over to your players. It was hilarious to watch my players faces when they received a magical treasure box and found a pile of wood chips inside.
Now to the solution:
Of course the players will place the pins according to the riddle in the first and third row of rooms. But then what?
If you place 1 pin in the 1st well, 2 pins in the 2nd well and so on, you end up with 15 pins in the wells.
The riddle tells you that all these 'keys' combined open the house. So 15 is the true key to the puzzle.
Add up the number of pins in each row of rooms and you end up with 15 as well.
So the players have to place the pins in a manner that the number of pins in each row and column of rooms add up to 15. It will look like a Sudoku.
Pin placement for the solution:
2 | 7 | 6 |
9 | 5 | 1 |
4 | 3 | 8 |
Draft of the puzzle box: (please apologize the smeared spot)