Introductory describes the puzzle challenge. It is not an age rating.
Genre
Workshop initiation mystery
Tone
Warm, curious, gently uncanny
Audience
Designed for first-time players and mixed-experience groups. The author’s suggested minimum is 10, with an adult helping younger readers.
Intensity and themes
Gentle tension and a brief reference to a disappearance. No horror or jump scares; mistakes invite another attempt.
After the case
A discovery to keep.
Print an optional Apprentice sigil as a reminder of your five proofs. Choose the outlined single-colour STL or the multicolour 3MF, with guidance for each edition in your Library. No print is needed to complete the game.
The Printed Secret · Case archivesQuestions and field notes
Enquiries
What if I have not got a printer?
You can use a friend’s printer, a library, a makerspace or a print service. Check the selected experience’s parts list before arranging a print; the materials and time depend on the room.
What carries over to the next experience?
The Codex is itself a 3D-printed physical book containing a cipher, reusable tools and permanent reference markings. Each experience adds its own book and specific items; the recurring Codex is separate from a solution booklet or STL archive.
Can I play it twice?
You can, but you will know the answers. Keep the Codex and reusable tools for the next experience, or introduce a new group to a story you have already solved.
IX · 04 · 17What if we get properly stuck?
Hints are available in the game. Use them when you need a nudge, and return to the evidence at your own pace.
Is it scary?
It depends on the case. The Apprentice’s Test is a gentle, curious induction with no horror or jump scares. The Alchemist’s Study is being developed as an uncanny historical mystery with disappearance and ethical tension, without jump scares. Future cases may be lighter, darker or playful: read each case’s tone and content guidance before choosing. Puzzle difficulty is separate from emotional intensity.
When can I back the project?
We plan to launch through crowdfunding. No campaign is live; the platform, timing, rewards and final print packs will be announced once confirmed.
Do all the stories share one world?
The Printed Secret is an anthology. Each case can have its own world, cast and mood; the shared thread is discovery, fair puzzles and familiar tools. A recurring character or connection is deliberate, not something you need to assume.
