Story originFictional story in a historical setting.
The briefing
A room without an exit. An account without an ending.
Aurelian Vane vanished from his own study in 1698. The door was still bolted from within. On his desk lay an unfinished notebook. Now the estate is opening the room—and asking you to examine what survived.
Enter the study. Examine what survived.
The east wing of Vane House is being cleared. Behind one sealed door, objects and unfinished drawings raise questions the surviving records cannot settle alone. Examine them alongside a careful account of the room, a housekeeper’s testimony and an instrument maker’s refusal. Follow the questions they raise, and begin with what each can actually prove.
Archive exhibits
Exhibit A
The study
Exhibit B
The unfinished ledger
The room
A bolt on the inside
The earliest account
When the household forced the door, the inner bolt was still in place. The windows were latched. No obvious route explained the disappearance. A steward and a carpenter recorded what they found before repairs began.
What can a locked room prove—and what can it only suggest?
The witness
What Hester heard
Hester Pike / housekeeper
Hester Pike heard a mechanism moving, then a bell, then silence. Later accounts made her story more dramatic. Her own observations were more careful than the legend that grew around them.
Where does an observation end and someone else’s explanation begin?
The commission
The maker who said no
Nathaniel Quill / instrument maker
Among Vane’s surviving papers is a letter from an instrument maker who refused his commission. Quill’s objection was practical: the drawings asked for something his workshop could not honestly make.
Why leave drawings for an instrument that cannot be built?
The Printed Secret · Case archivesThe experience and preparation
The experience
Vane’s Receiving Ledger
Vane’s Receiving Ledger brings the investigation to your table. Examine the book and its objects, follow testimony and drawings, investigate a collection archive and use the reusable Codex tools. Discoveries made by reading, looking, listening and handling connect as the study’s unfinished work begins to make sense.
Read closely.
Follow testimony, correspondence and drawings. The complete written story is available to read, with optional performed narration and moving reader portraits. Separate what was observed from what was assumed.
Put a claim to the test.
Investigate the supplied collection website, examine the book and its objects, and use the reusable Codex tools. Compare what you discover with the surviving records.
Make your finding.
Bring your reasoning back to the browser archive. Follow an open line of investigation, use an enquiry when stuck, and return to earlier pages when you need them.
Preparation / Before you begin
Make room for the mystery.
Testing is by invitation. Enter your testing code on this page to open the instructions for your exact test edition.
Files to prepare
Reuse your Codex, then prepare this game’s book and any separate pieces listed in your edition’s instructions. Required files will be listed together when released.
The reusable Codex
Single-colour STLsNot releasedMulticolour 3MFsNot released
The Alchemist's Study — game book and required pieces
Single-colour STLsNot releasedMulticolour 3MFsNot released
Read the instructions
Use a browser with an internet connection, paper for notes and a clear playing space. Check your edition’s books, required pieces, assembly and print guidance. Physical printing and game access are separate.
A historical science mystery about the limits of proof and the consequences of making.
Puzzle difficulty is separate from emotional intensity and an age rating. Final suitability guidance awaits playtesting.
Genre
Historical science mystery
Tone
Uncanny, intimate, investigative
Audience
Intended for curious teens and adults; no prior knowledge of alchemy or seventeenth-century history is intended. This case includes desktop slicer inspection; read its preparation list before beginning.
Intensity and themes
Disappearance, betrayal and questions of trust and consent. Planned moderate suspense, not graphic horror; no jump scares in the current direction. Check the case’s availability before beginning.
Before you begin
Availability and preparation.
In testing by invitation. Not available to buy yet.
See the preparation list and available downloads. Check your slice and the fit of each printed part before use.
Release details
Date, price, group size and playing time are not confirmed.
The Printed Secret · Case archivesQuestions and field notes
A few useful answers
Before you open the case.
Can I play or buy it now?
The test edition is open by invitation only. Sign in and redeem your testing code to take part. Public play and sales are not open.
Will I need a 3D printer?
Yes: this case requires 3D-printed parts alongside its browser companion. You need access to a 3D printer or a maker who can print for you. Game access does not include a shipped physical kit. The exact book, components and print files are still being tested; do not order parts from this preview. Slicer inspection is also part of the case.
Do I need to know alchemy or engineering?
No prior knowledge of alchemy or seventeenth-century history is intended. Follow the evidence supplied by the game, including its fictional collection website. This case includes desktop slicer inspection. Read its preparation list before beginning.
Is this a horror game?
Its current direction is an uncanny historical science mystery, with moderate suspense rather than graphic horror or jump scares. Disappearance, betrayal, trust and consent are part of the story. Final suitability guidance will be reviewed against the finished case.
Must I finish The Apprentice’s Test first?
It introduces The Printed Secret’s way of playing and is a useful place to start. The Alchemist’s Study is being written to provide the essential context for its own investigation.
File 01 · The Apprentice’s Test
While the next mystery takes shape
Your first case is waiting.
Start with The Apprentice’s Test. A free browser mystery, with nothing to print.
