Two things players love: mystery and rivalry…

The Mysterious Puzzle Box is how we build both in the original Starter Set. If you do this well, your players will remember this campaign forever. Even experienced players will be impressed.

In nerd terms, this kind of object is called a MacGuffin—note: not a McMuffin. It’s an object every character wants, so it becomes the central vector around which all conflict and drama pivots. Think about the golden briefcase in Pulp Fiction; who cares what’s in it! We just want it, because it’s worth wanting.

However, that’s our justification for including the Mysterious Puzzle Box as Game Masters. Players are different. Players need in-game justification and practical reasons for chasing this object. That’s what this document is for.

Contents

• Step-by-step guide to making your own original puzzle box
  • A physical box to give the players
  • Contents of the box
  • A challenge or guardian at the end of the story
  • A way for those contents to help overcome that challenge
  • A way for the party to overcome the challenge without those contents
  • A contingency for failing forward
• Four pre-written puzzle boxes
  • The Demonic Puzzle Box (combat challenge)
  • The Fae Puzzle Box (riddles challenge)
  • The Stone Puzzle Box (traps challenge)
  • The Puzzle Box of Faces (roleplaying challenge)