Maze of Games
Encyclopedia
The Maze of Games is one of America's largest annual puzzlehunt
s, and is held at the Gen Con
and Origins
gaming convention
s. Started in 1995 as an offshoot of LIVE/WIRE, the Maze of Games has been the largest event at one or both of those conventions every year since. It is created by game designers Mark Gottlieb, Mike Selinker
, and Teeuwynn Woodruff. The event uses puzzle
placards to lead attendees in a maze
throughout the convention, and uses meta-puzzle
s to unite the puzzles into a final answer. The event is designed so that the thousands of attendees can all play at once.
The Maze of Games ran at Origins from 1995-2001, then moved to Gen Con under the names Gen Con Time Warp (2002-2003), Gen Con Monster Hunt (2004), and Gen Con Doomsday Rally (2005), the latter a tie-in with Hasbro
's Risk
game. The Maze of Games returned to Origins in 2004, the first year it was held at both conventions simultaneously.
The Monster Hunt appeared in part in the July 2005 issue of Games Magazine
, the second Time Warp in the November 2005 issue, and the Doomsday Rally as a series beginning in the April 2006 issue.
Puzzlehunt
A puzzlehunt is a puzzle game where teams compete to solve a series of puzzles at a particular site, in multiple sites and/or via the internet. Groups of puzzles in a puzzle hunt are often connected by a metapuzzle, leading to answers which combine into a final set of solutions...
s, and is held at the Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
and Origins
Origins International Game Expo
Origins Game Fair is one of North America's most prominent annual gaming conventions, second in size only to Gen Con. Origins takes place each year in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, in late June or early July....
gaming convention
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
s. Started in 1995 as an offshoot of LIVE/WIRE, the Maze of Games has been the largest event at one or both of those conventions every year since. It is created by game designers Mark Gottlieb, Mike Selinker
Mike Selinker
Mike Selinker is a game designer whose design credits include Pirates of the Spanish Main and Fightball with James Ernest, Axis & Allies Revised Edition with Larry Harris, the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game, and Risk Godstorm. He was a creative director for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
, and Teeuwynn Woodruff. The event uses puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
placards to lead attendees in a maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
throughout the convention, and uses meta-puzzle
Meta-puzzle
A metapuzzle is a puzzle that unites several puzzles that feed into it. For example, five puzzles that had the answers BLACK, HAMMER, FROST, KNIFE, and UNION would lead to the metapuzzle answer JACK, which combines with all of those words to make new words and phrases.A "meta-meta" unites several...
s to unite the puzzles into a final answer. The event is designed so that the thousands of attendees can all play at once.
The Maze of Games ran at Origins from 1995-2001, then moved to Gen Con under the names Gen Con Time Warp (2002-2003), Gen Con Monster Hunt (2004), and Gen Con Doomsday Rally (2005), the latter a tie-in with Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
's Risk
Risk
Risk is the potential that a chosen action or activity will lead to a loss . The notion implies that a choice having an influence on the outcome exists . Potential losses themselves may also be called "risks"...
game. The Maze of Games returned to Origins in 2004, the first year it was held at both conventions simultaneously.
The Monster Hunt appeared in part in the July 2005 issue of Games Magazine
GAMES Magazine
Games magazine is a United States magazine devoted to games and puzzles, and is published by Games Publications, a division of Kappa Publishing Group.-History:...
, the second Time Warp in the November 2005 issue, and the Doomsday Rally as a series beginning in the April 2006 issue.