Reprint one clue in a printable escape game

Start with a complete three-card puzzle

The free Observatory Ledger pack includes the player cards and private host material. Place all three cards where the player can read them. Their dependency order tells you which information is needed next; it does not hide or lock a card.

This article includes the solution. If you want to play first, open only the player PDF from the free pack and keep the host files aside.

C01: order the tabs
MOON comes before SUN. STAR comes
after SUN.

C02: turn the ordered tabs into
digits
MOON = 7   SUN = 2   STAR = 9

C03: look up the matching direction
729 = EAST   792 = NORTH   279 =
WEST   927 = SOUTH

Explain what each clue needs

C02 needs the order from C01. C03 needs the number from C02. Mark C03 as the final goal. A dependency map makes these author-entered links visible; it cannot decide whether a clue is fair or whether players will solve it.

Keep answers, hints, placement and reset instructions in the host fields. A player card can legitimately contain a possible answer as part of a puzzle, so a useful spoiler check asks whether private host notes leaked into the player edition.

Clarify C02 after a playtest

Save the first project and record its baseline before editing. The sample observation asks the author to clarify that tab order controls the digits. Change C02 to the following wording:

Read your ordered tab names from C01
left to right. Look up each tab in
this key: MOON = 7, SUN = 2, STAR =
9. Copy those three digits in the
same order.

Leave the card ID, dependencies and other cards alone. Compare the current edition with the saved baseline. The expected replacement is C02 and its matching host reference. C03 has unchanged text but needs review because it uses the result of C02.

Keep the two audiences separate

• Open the new player PDF and check C02 visually.
• Open the host edition separately and confirm its C02 reference matches.
• Check C03 with the revised C02 result before replacing printed material.
• Keep the old project and baseline until you have verified the new edition.
• Use the paper size chosen in the project; inspect the PDF before printing.

A host-only hint change should update the host material without claiming a changed player card. A project with no changes should say so. Changes to edition-wide details can affect several pages, so read the comparison before deciding what to reprint.

Check the puzzle without the editor

The tab constraints leave one order: MOON, SUN, STAR. Substituting the three digits gives 729; the index maps 729 to EAST. The clearer C02 wording preserves that result.

Expected revision: C02 player card and matching host reference change. C03 remains unchanged and is flagged for downstream review. Final answer: EAST.

These are checks of the written example and its exported files. The example has not been validated through customer gameplay or physical printing. An author still needs to playtest their own puzzle.