Jan 22, 2021

Enigmida: Escape the Plagues and more!

By Matthew Stein • Issue #2 • View online

Welcome to issue #2 of my Enigmida newsletter! I’m so honored that over 100 of you have already joined me in this little corner of the internet.

As I settle into a weekly cadence for this newsletter, I’d love to hear what you think! If you have comments or suggestions on content, length, or anything else, shoot me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

Finally, make sure to read to the end for a fun little puzzle! 4️⃣6️⃣

Escape the Plagues coming March 1!

Big news this week: I have a new public game launching soon! In collaboration with my sister and an incredibly talented artist, I’m designing a social justice Passover puzzle game which will be playable at home, at your own pace. You’ll meet a diverse cast of characters as you puzzle your way through some modern plagues, discuss thought-provoking questions, and experience stunning artwork.

While we’re still over a month away from launch, I have an important ask for you now. Synagogues and communities are already planning their Passover programming, and I need your help getting the word out about this game. Can you share our website, escapetheplagues.com, with anyone you know who might be interested in progressive Passover programming? Thanks in advance for your support!

Also, check out this project’s Instagram @escapetheplagues. We’ll be running some fun contests and games over the coming weeks, including an opportunity to contribute some content to the game.

www.escapetheplagues.com • Share

A curious collab with Art of Play

Last fall, I had the opportunity to design a set of puzzles for an ambitious project from Art of Play - a new 128-page journal exploring art, curiosity, and wonder. TANGRAM is available for purchase now!

Everything about this journal is gorgeous, from the in-depth feature articles on six inspirational artists to the exposed coptic binding and quality printing. The puzzles I designed are rather untraditional: hidden in plain sight throughout the main content, each puzzle mechanic is inspired by the processes of one of the featured artists. Once you’ve solved all six puzzles, you’ll be led on a final transformative adventure.

This is the first time my puzzles are in print, and I’m absolutely delighted with the result. If you pick up a copy, let me know what you think of the puzzles! (And DM me if you need any hints.)

www.tangramjournal.com • Share

The first team to find "the coin" wins... and writes the next year's Hunt!

Numismatic dreams achieved ✅

Last but not least… my team won the MIT Mystery Hunt last weekend!!! I’ve been solving with team Palindrome for 8 years now, and after coming in second place the past couple years, it’s so exciting to finally win. This also means our team will be writing and organizing the 2022 Mystery Hunt - a massive honor and even greater undertaking.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can read more about the Mystery Hunt in an article FiveThirtyEight wrote about it a few years ago.

If you’re new to puzzle hunts and want to learn more, I’d recommend checking out Puzzled Pint, a monthly puzzle event specifically targeted at beginners. Their archive of past puzzle sets is a great starting point for learning about this style of puzzles.

Puzzle of the Week

Inspired by my good friend Sandy Weisz’s newsletter, I’m starting my own mini newsletter puzzle. This first one is inspired by events of this past week. The following three words share a property.

on
den
umph

Come up with your own set of three words that have the same property, and submit your solution here.

Cryptically yours,

Matthew, Wonder Wizard @ Enigmida

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By 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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