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Enigmida: 2 weeks to the Reality Escape Convention!

Enigmida
Enigmida: 2 weeks to the Reality Escape Convention!
By Matthew Stein • Issue #13 • View online
The second annual Reality Escape Convention (RECON) will be running online in exactly 2 weeks, August 22-23. If you like puzzles, storytelling, immersive games, or escape rooms, this is the event for you, with an incredible lineup of talks, exhibitors, games, and social events running nonstop both days. As a bonus, the basic ticket is FREE! And as a bonus bonus, you might get to hang out with me during one of the sessions I’m helping facilitate on Monday.
Pro tip: The add-on Play Pass is an absurdly good deal. For just $65, you get access to 20+ amazing virtual games, including 3 brand new RECON-exclusive games from some of my favorite creators. (This isn’t a sponsored ad or anything; I’m just super excited for ALL THE GAMES, and I know if you’re reading this, you likely would be, too!)
In this issue, I’m taking a break from talking about my own work and instead sharing some cool puzzle news I think you’ll enjoy.
Make sure to read to the end of the newsletter for the Puzzle of the Week! 📬 (If you follow me on social media, you may have already seen this one go up a few days ago.)

"Planning Your Escape" available now!
Escape room extraordinaire Laura Hall’s new book, “Planning Your Escape,” has hit the shelves! (Is that still a thing people say? In any case, it’s readily available online.)
The first hundred pages are an invaluable and largely unprecedented history of immersive entertainment/gaming leading into modern-day escape rooms. The rest of the book is an in-depth guide on how to succeed as an escape room player.
Whether you’re brand new to escape rooms or a total pro, I highly recommend this book. I just finished reading it myself a few days ago, and I learned a ton.
www.simonandschuster.com  •  Share
Olympics-themed puzzle nail art
If you’re not already following @charmandacure on Instagram, you are missing out. Amanda is a talented puzzle hunter and equally formidable nail artist, and I’m consistently impressed by the elegance of her puzzle miniatures. Her most recent “puzzicure” is a vibrant take on the Olympics.
www.instagram.com  •  Share
Armchair treasure hunts featured on Serial
A recent episode of the podcast Serial took a deep dive into the history of “Masquerade” — the original armchair treasure hunt book which sparked an entire genre of real-life treasure hunts.
And speaking of armchair treasure hunts… Ya know, I’ll actually save that update for a future issue 🤐
thisiscriminal.com  •  Share
Puzzle of the Week
The USPS recently released a new Mystery Message postage stamp… but it was a bit lacking in mysteries, so I made some upgrades! In addition to the stamp’s original mystery message, there are now 5 additional words or phrases encoded throughout the stamp’s design.
You can submit your answers here. That form also provides hints for each puzzle when you type in an incorrect answer. Whether you’ve decoded 1 of the messages or all 5, I’d love to hear from you.
One small disclaimer: the 20-letter message, involving the colors of each letter block, may be tricky to solve depending on how the colors get displayed on your device (they got especially oversaturated when I uploaded this to social media…) But I still encourage you to dig out a box of Crayola crayons and give it a try 🖍️And I promise the other 4 messages are much easier!
“Solution” to last issue’s “puzzle”
Well, there’s wasn’t really a correct solution to last issue’s “puzzle,” but I did enjoy the creative responses you all submitted! I asked what is something you have at least 100 of, and some of my favorite answers included: taste buds, white blood cells, LEGO bricks, sounds in my head, NPR memberships, and “Problems. One more than Jay-Z.”
Cryptically yours,
Matthew
Did you enjoy this issue?
Matthew Stein

Enigmida is an Oakland, CA-based puzzle design studio. We create puzzle hunts, escape rooms, and ARGs that guide participants to connect through play and to find wonder in the mundane through aha-driven discovery.

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