A Puzzling Journey - Part IV

Part IV - So, what’s my first move?

Originally part of the February 2025 edition of the Mercurius Newsletter.

In my last blog post, I was at the point in my journey when I decided to dive headfirst into designing my own puzzles. At the time, I wasn’t aware of the incredible niche community of puzzle collectors, designers, and crafters. My only familiarity with the craft came from a handful of puzzle solvers I had found on YouTube; Chris Ramsay, Mr. Puzzle, Crux Puzzles , to name a few. Then, in late 2023, I stumbled upon a Vlog by a young, ambitious puzzle crafter named Jesse Born, which most puzzlers are no doubt familiar with. I have to admit, watching his early videos, documenting his progression and skill development, definitely played a part in inspiring me to design my own puzzles.

"But where should I start?" I wondered.

Recognizing my own limitations in the craft, I figured the best approach was to begin with plans for an existing design and see where I could take it. It turns out I had purchased plans from Woodsmith magazine over a year prior for ‘Clever Puzzle Boxes ’, a simplified, five-move Japanese-style Himitsu-Bako puzzle box, reimagined by one of their designers. This version lacked the intricate marquetry patterns (Yosegi-Zaiku) you typically see in Japanese puzzle boxes, but it provided a solid foundation.

Using this design as a starting point, I crafted my first puzzle box from locally sourced cherry wood. I never ended up gluing the final product or applying a finish as I wanted to keep it "disassemblable" for future reference. I recreated the entire puzzle box in SketchUp and then later in Fusion360, allowing me to manipulate the dimensions and modify some of the internal mechanics.

This was the genesis of what eventually became The Mercurius Temple, my first puzzle box. Without going into too many details about the modifications I made, I will say that the final design deviated significantly from the original sliding puzzle, not just in exterior aesthetics but in some of the internal mechanics as well. What started as a simple five-move sliding puzzle evolved into a Sequential Discovery puzzle with over 20 moves, incorporating tools while maintaining the sequential-solving aspect.

I documented some of the early design changes and brainstorming steps on my Instagram. Since then, I’ve been careful not to reveal too many details about the new mechanics to avoid spoilers. Once The Mercurius Temple is officially released, I plan to post a ‘making-of’ video capturing my design process. That journey was an adventure in itself, which I’ll explore in more detail in my next blog post.