Weave the design of puzzle games into the design of engaging encounters

What if we didn't just drop puzzles into D&D, but played it a little more like the great puzzle games? By taking some simple rules from game design, we can improve our encounters, giving players the satisfaction of overcoming some seriously tricky situations.

The underlying rules of games like Portal, The Legend of Zelda, and Tetris are all pretty similar. Well, using those same rules in encounter prep is pretty doable, and we get to keep the wild creativity that makes D&D so good. Our first segment is the Strategy Stateroom where we discuss how to lead your group up to an epic puzzle encounter with these steps.

Plan Your Puzzle Encounter
Dissect The Puzzle Elements
Establish the Solutions in Low Stakes
Record Successes
Combine Successes
Introduce Your Puzzle Encounter

Then over to Tymora's Tavern where we try to solve a puzzle submitted by a wonderful member of our Discord community with our own brains, determining once and for all if we have the expertise to make two episodes about puzzles in the first place!