[021] Making Games Every Day for a Month, Day 9 of 31: The Lumberjack's Puzzle

"Divination can be accomplished by assigning qualities, values and meaning to almost any set of objects, natural or artificial." - Nigel Pennick, Secret Games of the Gods (1992)

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Today's project is a puzzle. I bought a version of this puzzle from a guy at a fair.

It was mostly plastic and paracord, but the puzzle is really interesting, and I want to make a version out of nicer materials.

The version I bought at the fair consisted of two rings rather than an axe and stump (as you can see in my drawing above). I chose to make this puzzle into an axe-and-stump-themed toy because it clarifies the purpose of the puzzle, which is to bring those two objects together on the same loop of rope.

There are some really incredibly-made blacksmith puzzles out there , but I've never seen rope knot puzzles made with the same care. Most wood-and-rope puzzles are paracord and cheap wood.

I've collected a plump arena board of these sorts of puzzles . The title of the arena board, "Nerd Snipers," comes from the xkcd comic about paralyzing nerds by giving them interesting puzzles. I love handing over these kinds of knot puzzles to people and watching them freeze in place while they untangle the riddle.

I remember reading about a tradition - I forget where and when - of mothers carrying scissors on their belts. The scissors were tied with a special knot that was, in fact, a puzzle. If you knew the trick, you could quickly untangle the scissors and take them off the loop.

Little kids couldn't figure out the trick, of course. So when they wanted to use the scissors, they had to stand right next to mom and use the scissors tied to her belt.

Once the children were old enough, however, they would eventually figure out the trick of it. Once they solved the riddle, they were old enough to have their own pair of scissors.

I love a riddle like that. It's a little initiation, a miniature rite of passage!

I think the story of the Gordian Knot is the same kind of thing. Alexander the Great came to Phrygia, in which there was the legend of the Gordian Knot: whosoever could untie this legendary knot would become ruler of all of Asia.

Well, of course, Alexander cut through the knot with his sword, and since then generations of unimaginative men have praised his decisive action.

Of course, Alexander missed the point entirely. In untying the riddle of the knot, he would have discovered the secret of the thing. He might have even proved himself wise, and worthy of rulership.

But no. Instead, he cut the damn thing open and the world was deprived of a sacred mystery.

I'm going to let this paint dry overnight, and finish this lumberjack puzzle tomorrow.

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"In games, as in life, the purpose of information is to influence choice. If you have no choice, there's not much point in being informed." - David Parlett, Oxford History of Board Games