First-raftere
Escape the MSI, Olympic names, Midwest Crossword Tourney, LA Library immersive adventure, Quick Cryptics
Escape the Museum of Science and Industry
I'm excited to announce Escape the Museum, an immersive spy-themed puzzle game tied to the new James Bond exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Hannah and I have been building this game out for months and we're really pleased without how it turned out. You'll spend 90 minutes traipsing around the museum looking for clues and solving puzzles. Once you finish, you'll gain access to the special Bond Exhibit. The event will run for only four nights: September 12-15 at the Griffin MSI in Chicago. Tickets are available here.
August Puzzler
Every month I offer a new bite-sized puzzle. Here's the latest one:
Think of a hyphenated phrase that means “fine”. Take the second half, change just the middle of it to its opposite, and you’ll get a word that also means “fine”. What words are these?´
Submit your answer here 🗳Artistic Onomastic Games
During the Paris Olympics a few weeks ago, I spent some time scouring the list of all 11,194 (!) athletes who were participating in the Games, looking for interesting wordplay. I posted my favorite finds under the banner of the Artistic Onomastic Games over on the Mystery League Instagram. Here are a few of my favorites:
Midwest Crossword Tournament
More Chicago news: we're helping sponsor the first Midwest Crossword Tournament, which is happening October 5 at the UIC Student Center. The competition involves 5 grids by some ace constructors, including Sid Sivakumar, Zhouqin Burnikel, and Will Eisenberg. In addition, we'll be designing and putting on a short game during the lunch break. The tourney just released a preview puzzle, which you can play here.
If you're in Chicago and interested in volunteering at the event, fill out this form.
Bureau of Nooks and Crannies in the LA Library
As part of her creative residency at the Los Angeles Public Library, experience designer Andy Crocker has built an immersive world within several branches of the library. The experience is for any patron who dares to explore, and features, according to Andy, a "mix of elements of guided meditation, game design, site-responsive art, bibliomancy, and the Dewey Decimal system." I've been a fan of Andy's work since experiencing the transcendent 40 Watts From Nowhere, so I hope I can check this out before it disappears in December.
More info at lapl.org, and here's a nice write-up about the game in the LA Times.
The Guardian's Quick Cryptic
The Guardian is publishing a new entry-level cryptic every week. What's nice about these grids is they limit the clues to just a few mechanics, and tell you which mechanics are in play. For instance, the most recent one only uses anagrams, acrostics, decapitations, and hidden reversals. And they explain what each of those mean. If cryptics have scared you in the past (very reasonable), this is a great way to learn the art form and build up your chops.
Solution to the July Puzzler
Think of a famous actor and a famous actress who co-starred in a classic movie of the past. The actress's first name, when reversed, and the actor’s last name, spelled forward, are similar romantic gifts. Who are these film stars?
A few of you wrote "😳" (or similar) concerned that the actress might be Lana Turner. Thankfully, it is not.