How to Build a Lights Out Puzzle

Puzzle Time!
photo credit: Toni Blay via photopin cc

In a "Lights Out" puzzle, the goal is to turn everything off, by hitting switches that toggle certain combinations on the board.

For instance, I might encounter a door guarded by laser beams. There are 4 laser beams bouncing around and if they are all turned off, I can make it through the door safely. If even one of them is on, I will get disintegrated. We'll call these lasers 1, 2, 3, and 4.

O O O O

In front of the laser-guarded door are 5 levers, which we'll call A, B, C, D, and E. Each lever can toggle one or more of the laser beams. So maybe if I hit A, it toggles 1 and 2 (turning them both off):

x x O O (x means off, O means on)

but if I then hit B and it toggles 2 and 3, then 2 gets turned back on while 3 gets turned off:

x O x O

So, the puzzle is to find the right sequence of levers that toggles all of the laser beams into an "off" position.

This is made more fun/crazy/insane/mean if the GM applies a time limit, like a crushing wall moving in from the opposite side of the room.

Bunkers and Badasses

I talked a while back about Borderlands 2, which is a pretty fun game. Anyways, they released their new adventure today and it's basically a parody of a fantasy RPG. Except my gunzerker isn't exactly a paladin. Don't get me started on BabyBat's psycho... although her toon wields a badass axe.

Instead of all the post-apocalyptic baddies, this adventure is filled with orcs, dragons, skeletons, golems, and other fantasy tropes. Throughout, Tiny Tina is narrating as the GM (and making plenty of funny mistakes). Like she accidentally kills you, and then brings you back. Which is really 2 mistakes...

If you like RPGs this will be a really fun experience for you. If you don't like RPGs, why are you reading my blog???

I know I haven't posted much lately. That's mostly because I haven't spent much time on RPGs recently. I played in the Solstice chess tournament here in Colorado, so I spent a bunch of time studying my chess prior to that. I won one game and got draws in all the rest, so not much excitement there. At least I didn't lose any games, I guess?

With BabyBat's help I was able to design a few encounters for the adventure I've been stalled on for a while. I'm still hoping to share it, if it's fun enough to play through. It sure has been fun to build.

Our New Familiar

Meet Gidget.

She is a level 1 familiar that grants a +2 bonus on adorable checks. Good thing we multiclassed so we could pick her up.

I've been vacationing and working too hard (though not usually at the same time)... more posts are yet to come!