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Not satisfied with traditional puzzles that languish in the game closet after one go, I began creating challenging puzzles that combine the tactile interaction of puzzle pieces with the strategy needed to solve a word game, housed in a collectible art box.
Solve the puzzle using the game sheet and letter-engraved wood push pins within the box to reveal a quotation. To play, arrange the game sheet and the push pin letters on a corkboard or cork tile (sold separately). Each letter has a space on the game sheet. The last letter of each word is a “freebie.” Fill in the freebies with the matching letter pin. Use the remaining letter pins to complete the phrase. All the letter pins are used to solve the puzzle. Played on a cork surface means that the push pins stay in place, making it easy to move the entire game without losing a piece or peace of mind.
The box is laser engraved from a single plank of marbled maple. Marbling is a technique more often used with book endpapers and silk. The wood marbling process is one that I have developed over two years with extensive research and experimentation. I assemble each hardwood box, glue the finger joints together, and finish the exterior with a water-based polyurethane and the interior with beeswax-mineral oil. Each year I will make only a limited number of these marbled boxes (often no more than 100). The limited edition number is engraved on the bottom of the box, but the top and four sides are not engraved so that the marbling continues uninterupted. Display on a bookshelf or table rather than hidden away, a temptation for others to discover and play.
Product Features:
- Game Box is made in my Denver, Colorado, USA studio from a single plank of ⅛” domestic maple, hand marbled using techniques I have developed over the years.
- I research every quotation, delving into rare book libraries, searching through manuscripts and digital collections to find timeless, poignant, humorous, unique, and overlooked snippets to solve as word game puzzles. So while one may be familiar with the person, I aim to challenge the player with an unexpected phrase. Sources are always cited for reference.
- Need a hint to solve the puzzle? The Lots-O-Letters Word Game Digital Library contains all word game sheets with additional letters!
- Over 140 word game sheets are available in the Lots-O-Letters Word Game Digital Library, 24 games issued per year.
- Free replacement letter pieces (up to 10 pieces).
- The game area needed is only 12” x 12” cork tile, flat on a table or wall.
Within a category, the difficulty may increase due to colloquialisms, syntax, grammar, etc.
- Medium: 21- 50 pieces. Ages 11 and up.
- Hard: 51-100 pieces. Ages 13 and up.
- Very Hard: 101-120 pieces. Ages 13 and up.