[FRIAM] Meta Puzzles?

[Dave Rossetti]

Hi Glen,

Well, there are versions of mechanical puzzles that are mutable and somewhat programmable, the first one that comes to mind is The Hexadecimal Puzzle https://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~storer/JimPuzzles/ZPAGES/zzzHexadecimalPuzzle.html where one can “program” the gate to allow 16 different puzzles; it’s an antique and I have a couple in my collection.

Another is the amazing Pipe Organ Desk by my friend Kagen Sound https://kagensound.com/pipeorgandesk.html where you can “program” the desk to open with a specified song. Yeah, there’s just one desk and it’s owned by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky.

Here is a very deep and wide website where you can peruse all submissions and winners of the annual IPP Design Competition for the past 25 years, an amazing view of the progressing state of the art of mechanical puzzles https://puzzleworld.org/DesignCompetition/. Notice that 3D printing has swept through the field in recent times. [Right now I’m sticking with fine woodworking :-]

And finally, as for puzzles with more than one solution, there are many. Obviously people love the elegance of a single-solution puzzle but sometimes the geometry, symmetries, and math behind a puzzle are demonstrated by multiple solutions.

Oh, and there are many branches to the mechanical puzzle world. Puzzle hunts relate, so to escape rooms, and I just received what I’d call an “escape room in a box” where you have in front of you a series of discoveries to make as you solve . . . it took me and a friend a couple of hours of hard thinking and brainstorming. Would be happy to host a gathering to solve it.

Not a perfect answer to your “meta” question but plenty to be inspired by!

- Dave

> On Apr 6, 2026, at 10:00 AM, friam-request at redfish.com wrote:
> 
> From: glen <gepropella at gmail.com <mailto:gepropella at gmail.com>>
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Dave Rossetti, new to the group
> Date: April 6, 2026 at 8:30:32 AM MDT
> To: friam at redfish.com <mailto:friam at redfish.com>
> 
> 
> This is very cool. Given that you make them with your own hands, I'll risk asking this, here, instead of querying the internet first: Are there puzzles analogous to meta-games, including things [like this](https://jdh.hamkins.org/the-rule-making-game/), but also emergent play like you see in massive multi-player open world games, etc.?
> 
> I can imagine there are some mechanical puzzles that have more than 1 solution. This would be a step along the road to a meta-game of some kind. Obviously, there are Legos and erector sets and such. But I'm wondering if there are things in between, just barely meta over the 1 solution puzzle box. They must exist. And I'm betting you could point me to it faster than I could find it by clicking around.
> 
> On 4/4/26 10:31 AM, Dave Rossetti wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> I’m new to the list via Tom Johnson who invited me to Friam coffee yesterday — thank you Tom — and I’ll introduce myself.
>> I retired from a full and happy career in Silicon Valley, finishing up with many years at Cisco Systems developing software, hardware, and leading advanced technology and the Cisco Research Center. My LinkedIn profile is  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-rossetti-aa45222.
>> I am a collector and maker of mechanical puzzles https://puzzleworld.org/PuzzleWorld/, collecting continuously since my grad school days in the 1970s and a core participant of the international puzzle community. So far my puzzles are always finely handcrafted in fine woods, analog style, and I’d be happy to share this with any of you who might be interested. Here’s a nice NYT article covering a recent International Puzzle Party in Houston, see:
>> https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/science/puzzle-party-slocum.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XFA.jdDK.fdcOgECR44kc&smid=url-share
>> Right now I’m preparing to head off to Italy in a couple of months for this year’s annual IPP. I brought three of my puzzles to Friam yesterday including a copy of my puzzle for this year’s IPP Exchange, of which I have made 110 copies to exchange with the other participants, see below. Walnut tray with Wenge pieces.
> -- 
> ¡sıɹƎ ןıɐH ⊥ ɐןןǝdoɹ ǝ uǝןƃ
> ὅτε oi μὲν ἄλλοι κύνες τοὺς ἐχϑροὺς δάκνουσιν, ἐγὰ δὲ τοὺς φίλους, ἵνα σώσω.

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