Puzzles, riddles, and the tabletop/larp divide

[Black Leviathan]

Originally Posted by WingedKagouti

A (spare) key hidden in a secret compartment can technically also be considered a puzzle, if there are clues that would lead observant players to deduce the existence of the (spare) key and/or compartment. And if the key is eg. a cube with different engravings on each side with only one engraving unlocking the treasure (and the players can figure that out by studying the lock) it's a more complex puzzle that isn't inapropriate at all.

But that kind of "puzzle" meets my two very important non-puzzle criteria:

1) It's practical. The Dungeon keeper doesn't spend 20 minutes shifting massive floor tiles around or orienting statues to point at their own portraits He doesn't have to remember a riddle, he doesn't have to have someone else stand on a counterbalance, nobody has to sing. He just pushes open a piece of carpentry and grabs his emergency key.
2) It's a puzzle for the characters, not the players. I'm not handing out a sketch of the room so they can recognize a pattern. There's no clever riddle that gives clues to where the key is. Any character can find the key compartment with a great PER check, Any player could have a skill that would make spotting the key compartment easier. Characters could simply pick the lock or bash the door in.