1.) Each puzzle must ultimately solve to a single, common English language word.
2.) One puzzle must be a paper-only puzzle. Paper-only means that the puzzle can fit on a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper, and could be reproduced using a photocopier. The use of color is allowed, as is the use of both sides of the page.
3.) One puzzle must be an “Other” puzzle. An “Other” puzzle is any puzzle that does not fit the description of a paper-only puzzle. While creating a puzzle that is simply on two sheets of paper technically fits the description of an “Other” puzzle, and will therefore be accepted, you will likely not get very many popularity points for doing so (see scoring).
4.) Each of your puzzles must contain at least one of the secret ingredients, and you must ultimately use at least two different ingredients. You may integrate the ingredients either formally or functionally, but you may be asked to demonstrate to event staff how a secret ingredient is used in each puzzle. The standards for what will be accepted are very broad- however flagrant abuses (such as making a puzzle that does not include a secret ingredient in any way, and then simply writing the name of an ingredient at the bottom) will be grounds for disqualification of a puzzle.
5.) You must bring at least 6 copies of the paper puzzle - one for each of the five other teams to solve, plus one for the event staff.
6.) You must bring enough copies of your "Other" that all teams could solve it simultaneously. Whether that will require one copy or six depends on the nature of the design. If you determine that multiple copies are necessary, again, you must bring 6 copies, one for each other team, one for event staff.
7.) Each puzzle must have an
assigned number on it. Prior to the event we will
assign your team two puzzle numbers. Make sure that one of these numbers
is clearly marked on all copies of your puzzles, and of course make sure
that you don't put the same number on both puzzle designs.
8.)
You must bring a written
description of how to solve each puzzle (6 copies).
At the end of the event, we
will pass out the solution to each puzzle before teams decide how to
rank them against each other, so that teams that weren't able to solve
your puzzle will still know how elegant it was.
When crafting
your puzzles, you can expect teams to have all the solving equipment and
knowledge on the Equipment
List. If you wish to make a puzzle
that requires other materials or additional knowledge to solve, go right
ahead, but there is no guarantee that teams will be prepared to solve
it.
