Lmst

The #EnigMarch people put out an imPROMPTu prompt and it's FORCE so we're gonna check in with the Pergola Mimic again. https://rcveeder.net/enigmarch25/puzzle33.html

I don't think I can keep up this pattern of reversing the original monster order—unless the next imPROMPTu prompt is TOMTOM or WAZE

Did you think the puzzling was over? Now it's Ahapril, a time for solving the puzzles created last month at a more leisurely pace. Also, if you participated in #EnigMarch as a designer or solver, we'd be grateful if you filled out our survey so we can keep improving. Why not let us know what you thought, suggest some prompts, or send in a new idea for next year! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjvxQh7oiRxizZhy28pDWtcScPQHSlvI-tlWrjSZiUQ40krQ/viewform?usp=dialog

Congratulations to everyone who participated in #EnigMarch! 🏆 We hope you enjoyed the puzzle-packed journey and maybe even learned a thing or two along the way. Why not look back at all the 2025 prompts and relive the journey once more? Maybe there’s something else you could learn along the way….

The #EnigMarch people revealed an imPROMPTu prompt, and the prompt is "PROMPT," so, here's another puzzle, featuring the Crystal Devil, again https://rcveeder.net/enigmarch25/puzzle32.html

I thought I might be out of ideas for #EnigMarch, but today I skimmed CYOA #151, Gunfire at Gettysburg (pretty dark stuff!), and later I saw an epigraph by Fred Rogers, and now this puzzle exists for day 28 (prompt: DRAW).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kpODop8SWUVgnC9AJQ0Y9PuPduRSCZms9DVj5U3xAeo/edit?usp=sharing

Text reads:

CYOA #151: Gunfire at Gettysburg
The soldier draws his pistol and points it at you. "Any last words?"
Fill in the answers to the clues, then transfer the letters to the corresponding squares in the grid to reveal a quotation from Fred Rogers.

Underneath that is a small grid that fits a three-word quote (3 letters, 4 letters, 4 letters) and three clues:
A. Double (4 letters)
B. Rage (3 letters)
C. Browse (4 letters)

After a 30-day whirlwind of puzzle design, the #EnigMarch prompt for March 31 is...PUZZLE. Good luck!

? EnigMarch day 31: puzzle ?

enigmarch.com/_____

We are almost at the end of our puzzling journey! The #EnigMarch prompt for March 30 is ROUTE.

Three more days to go! The #EnigMarch prompt for March 29 is COMPASS.

The #EnigMarch prompt for day 26 is PLAY, so I found the CYOA book with "play" in the title—#135, Playoff Champion—and made a drop quote puzzle loosely related to it. (I still don't get why they put a kid in charge of the baseball team, but it must've been someone's idea of an adventure.)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gpTj4tsE_uErt6PzA2FUPCQexIXpNIuU5JLUHnZ6ZRw/edit?usp=sharing

Text reads:
EnigMarch Day 26: PLAY
Playoff Champion
Text reads:
EnigMarch Day 26: PLAY
Playoff Champion
Oh no, your baseball coach collapsed just before the finals and you've been asked to manage the team! Why are you stepping in for the coach? Aren't you needed on the field? Well, anyway, you'd better think of something inspiring to get the other kids fired up before the game....

Underneath that is a drop quote puzzle.

The finish line is just around the corner now! The #EnigMarch prompt for March 27 is LOOP.

Here's an #EnigMarch puzzle for day 24 (prompt: SEARCH) inspired by CYOA #68, Secret of the Sun God, which has a hidden temple and a mysterious writing system in it.

And a version to copy/fill in: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ipvoiuWFf7wYWpfTwdRbOgFvOlKxoTOKIYtzwklrf_Q/edit?usp=sharing

Text reads:

Secret of the Sun God
After almost a full day of searching, you’ve finally found the Temple of the Sun! Inside you find a slab on the wall with some strange markings carved on it. This must be the secret of the temple!

Underneath is an emoji cryptogram.

The #EnigMarch prompt for March 26 is PLAY. Have fun!

I got distracted writing a puzzle for #EnigMarch day 22 (prompt: BOARD) because I started reading CYOA #112: Skateboard Champion and it's amazing. There are at least FOUR choice points where you can decide to give up skateboarding, and if you're lucky, you might stumble into an incredibly awesome action movie about a kid who's a pretty ok skater and stops a crime ring.

Anyway, here's a puzzle:

Steve Gordon is the greatest skateboarder you’ve ever seen, and he’s agreed to teach you everything he knows! It’s only prudent to take some notes on what moves you worked on today so you can stay focused on your goal.

↔️ Backside—turning around so your backside is upslope
🔄 Invert—being inverted in the air
♒️ Slaloming—a winding or zigzagging movement

INCLINE 🔄 DECLINE
STEVE ♒️ SEE
LOOP ↔️ POOL
PRESENT 🔄♒️ BET
GOOD 🔄↔️ LIVE
ANNOUNCE ♒️🔄 ???
ROADTEST ♒️↔️ ????

Answer checker: https://www.callingit.in/1/#ybvhTRZEmIoq5XtG-NVhp2pjdf+EdD/QorAuprp4DJ12p5iuP-RW5pZ01hcmNoIC0gU2thdGVib2FyZCBDaGFtcGlvbg==-

One more week to go! The #EnigMarch prompt for March 25 is RANDOM.

The #EnigMarch prompt for March 24 is SEARCH. We hope you find the perfect puzzle idea today!

The #EnigMarch prompt for March 23 is RING. Lots of possibilities with this one....

Here's a weird one for #EnigMarch day 21 (prompt: COMBINE) inspired by CYOA #69: Rock and Roll Mystery (which I don't know much about, but it certainly sounds far-ranging from the description).

Answer checker: https://www.callingit.in/1/#Yhu9ZuNGweENBXwR-OljnvAlTUZtNZdc1bFtxgETJGbVQ090T-RW5pZ01hcmNoIC0gUm9jayBhbmQgUm9sbCBNeXN0ZXJ5-

Text reads:

Day 21: COMBINE
Rock and Roll Mystery

After finding out two of your band members have been kidnapped, you allow yourself a moment to wallow in your bad luck. If only you hadn’t decided to pursue music, maybe you wouldn’t be dealing with this upsetting Rock and Roll Mystery. Then again…

If you were working at McDonald's, something could have gone wrong with one of the dipping sauces and you might have to solve a ____ and ____ Mystery.

If you’d become a dishwasher, there could have been an issue with the cooking vessels and you’d have to solve a ____ and ____ Mystery.

If you’d taken up Chinese philosophy instead, then the two opposing forces could have gotten out of balance and you’d have to solve a ____ and ____ Mystery.

If you’d studied English folklore, you might have found something vexing about the children in one particular nursery rhyme and had to solve a ____ and ____ Mystery.

If you’d become an electrician, something as basic as a broken light switch might mean you’d have to solve an ____ and ____ Mystery.

If you’d decided to run an inn, any number of problems could mean you’d have to solve a ____ and ____ Mystery.

After going back to the beginning and considering all these ideas, you realize that at least music was better than your plan B career idea…but we’ll save that for another book!

Back cover of Rock and Roll Mystery. Text reads:

Someone's out to destroy your rock and roll band!

You're the leader of a hot new band called the Velocettes. The band's first tour starts tomorrow—and your whole future is riding on it. You're frantically trying to pack when a mysterious envelope arrives at the studio. Inside there's an ominous message: Two of your band members have been kidnapped, and if you contact the police, you may never see them alive again!

If you decide to ignore the warning and call the police, turn to page 16. If you decide to wait for the kidnappers to call you, turn to page 3. Be careful! A rival band is out to destroy the Velocettes—if an evil doctor who uses music to brainwash his victims doesn't get to your band first! You could be kidnapped yourself or you could free your friends and become the biggest star in rock history!

Still making my way through #EnigMarch at a leisurely pace. Here's a puzzle for day 20 (prompt: CASE) that involves the attaché case full of spy gadgets from CYOA #46: The Deadly Shadow.

Copyable spreadsheet version: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CWWvom155W-uTrDSQLrkY05sWhpBY7yY487-8HbwKvE/edit?usp=sharing

A visual puzzle where you have to fit crudely shaped spy gadgets into a 4x5 attaché case (grid).

Text reads:

The Deadly Shadow
Oh no, your attaché case accidentally opened up and everything fell out! Quick, put all your spy gadgets back inside before you're discovered! As any good SSA agent knows, gadgets can be rotated but not flipped. And don't touch the knockout gas—better safe than sorry.

It is March and the lovely @enigmarch people have challenged puzzle designers to write a puzzle inspired by today's word: "combine", as in "consolidate."

Oh no! The USA clown President Trump (egged on by his buffoonish adviser Elon Musk) wants to consolidate federal procurement for goods and services used by many departments. Why is he doing this? I have a theory, but he says it's for the taxpaer. Yes, the taxpaer. (H/t to Elizabeth Aer^H^H^H Ayer for spotting this.)

On the one hand, we have the DOGE hyenas promising to streamline government by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence. On the other hand, we see they haven't yet learned to harness the power of looking for the wiggly red line under a typo. Bad news: Clowns armed with hatchets prowl the halls of government. Good news: At least I know what puzzle I can write today.

Can you figure out what letter is missing from each hypothetical WhiteHouse dot gov headline blow? Rite them in the banks provided on the eft. We already filled in the K missing from One Monkey Don't Stop no Show. Hen you ill in the others, you should see my theory on hat Trump hoes to consolidate ere.

Full puzzle text, hints, and solution at: https://lahosken.san-francisco.ca.us/new/2025/03/21/enigmarch-combine/

#EnigMarch #puzzle

screen shot of whitehouse dot gov headline promising "Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpaer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement"

Screen shot of puzzle text. Each line has a blank to hold a letter and then a phrase. The first line's blank has been filled in with a K. The text follows:

K : One Money Don't Stop no Show

_ : The Patent Protection and Affordable Care Act

_ : Scare as 🐔 Hen's Teeth 🦷

_ : On President Biden not Seeing Re-Election

_ : Tales Ladders and Chairs Match

_ : Crete, Read, Update, and Delete

_ : Video Game Addition

_ : Enzyme-Lined Immunosorbent Assay

_ : Comic Microwave Background Radiation

The #EnigMarch prompt for March 21 is COMBINE. Excited to see the puzzles everyone puts together today!

#EnigMarch

Client Info