Goal
Build a puzzle around a consistent rule and a player discovery.
Scenario and materials
A control panel has four levers and three lamps. Invent a rule that connects lever positions to the lamps. The player must produce a target signal. Create three levels: discovering the rule, checking it and using it in an unexpected combination.
Paper prototype
Constraints
- The same rule applies at every level.
- Available information allows a solution without random trial and error.
- The third level is harder because it combines conditions, not because it introduces a hidden rule.
Steps
- List the panel states and confirm the target states are reachable.
- Prepare three levels and a solution for each.
- Give them to someone who has not seen the rule. Record where they get stuck and revise the clues.
Deliverable
Three panel diagrams, the rule, solutions and a note from the new-player check.
Check your work
- Each level has at least one known solution.
- Clues agree with the rule.
- Identify the specific discovery the player needs to make.
Reflect
Was the player struggling to understand the rule or to apply a rule they already understood?
Sources and further reading
Thematic inspiration: Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber. These scenarios, constraints and checks are independently written around broad game-design learning topics. This is not a translation or a sequential retelling of the book exercises.