Kanoodle as In-Game Puzzle - Part 1

For a very long time, I've been interested in integrating real puzzles into my tabletop games. I know that some folks prefer to keep character skills separate from player skills, but as an old school GM, I don't ascribe to that point of view. 

Rather than puzzles being purely character skill or purely player skill, I've been trying to merge the two for some time. Allowing character skill (or lack thereof) to make things easier (or harder) for the player at the table. This would turn puzzles/tricks/traps into a sort of "mini game." I think this builds engagement at the table. I wouldn't want to do it for every single trick/trap/puzzle, but used judiciously, I think it can be fun. 

Years ago, I wrote an article for Knockspell Magazine about using Mastermind as a trap mini-game https://www.mythmeregames.com/products/knockspell-magazine-6  Sly Flourish has a different take here https://slyflourish.com/mastermind.html 

For me, the real world puzzle mini-game represents some kind of challenge to the character that they'll need to solve:

• Open a tricky lock
• Unravel a mystical enchantment
• Uncover a vital clue
• Etc. 

In this post, I will explore the idea of using Kanoodle as the basis for the puzzle mini-game, rather than Mastermind. I'm not linking to it here. It's easy enough to find on Amazon or possibly at the grocery store. That's where I bought mine. 😀

Right up front, I want to state that I haven't playtested these ideas -- but I plan to! I also invite any of you that read this post to try it yourself and please feel free to leave a comment with feedback. Maybe together we can create something useful to the community. 

The good folks who make the Kanoodle have posted the solutions/guides here https://www.educationalinsights.com/kanoodle-solutions-guides  They will prove to be useful, I expect, as I plan how to make this work.

Kanoodle has 2D and 3D puzzles. I'm going to start with the 2D puzzles initially. 

They break down the levels of the puzzles here --

The puzzles should start at a given level and then be made easier for the player (or more difficult) if their character is particularly suited to the situation the puzzle is intended to represent.

Here's a Level 6 puzzle. It took me less than 2 minutes to solve. Not too shabby. 

Here's a Level 4 puzzle. It took me 15 seconds to solve. Pretty easy.

Here's how I'm going to proceed.

• Start with a Level 5 Puzzle
• Set up the puzzle as pictured in the book. Give the spare parts to the player.
• Set a 2 minute timer
• Decide if a SKILL or an ATTRIBUTE is going to be the determining part of the character that modifies the puzzle.
• If it's a SKILL, go up to Level 6 if the skill is "fumbled"; leave it alone at Level 5 if the skill is simply failed; go down to Level 4 if the skill check is successful.
• If it's an ATTRIBUTE, go up to Level 6, if the related attribute is 5 or less; leave it alone at Level 5 if the attribute is between 6 and 15; go down to Level 4 if the attribute is 16 or more.

Please try it at your table, if you are so inclined, and let me know what you think! 

Character Creation House Rules

Has it really been 3+ years since I tried to restart this blog? Wow. A lot has happened to me in that time. 

I posted about my "Ideal OSR Campaign" and I made a list. Not sure where I'd like to start, so I thought I'd start with some low hanging fruit. 

Character creation

In my campaigns, I still want players to roll up their PCs. I don't like stat matrixes. I like the randomness of figuring out what kind of character you can play by rolling dice.

Here are a couple of my methods. Nothing Earth shattering, but I thought I'd share. The community is large and hey, maybe this will be new to someone! 

4d6x7

When rolling the standard 6 attributes, my players roll 4d6 (drop lowest) 7 times. They can then arrange those rolls in any order they'd like. The 7th number, multiplied by 10, becomes their starting gold. If I'm feeling generous I'll let them keep all 4 dice for gold.

If a player rolls 4 sixes for any attribute, they can have a 19.  If 18/00 is a thing for STR, they can have that instead.

30d6

There are NO attribute bonuses by race. No variations of attributes by race.  Instead, YOU get to decide how you want to split up your dice.  What attribute is most important to you?  Where do you put your extra dice?

You get to roll 30d6, divided into 6 rolls, keep the high 3 each time. Heck if you want to roll 2d6 for an attribute, go for it, it’s your character.  If you roll a 2, count it as a 3.  A 3 sucks bad enough.  

You must roll your attributes in some order, once you group the dice. I usually roll STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON, CHA.

For example, I want to play a strong fighter character.

STR          8d6 INT     3d6

WIS 3d6 DEX 5d6

CON 8d6 CHA  3d6

In this system, if you roll five (5) or more sixes on any attribute roll, that attribute is 19.

I plan to expand on Character creation more in the future!