ARG Designer
Design immersive Alternate Reality Games by combining hiding methods, trailheads, connectors, and narrative principles.
Core Workflow
Phase 1: Define the Payload
Identify content to be discovered: TEXT (messages, URLs, passwords), AUDIO (recordings, hidden data), IMAGE (photos, QR codes), VIDEO (frame-hidden content), FILE (documents, archives).
Phase 2: Choose Hiding Method
Select from references/hiding-methods.md based on difficulty (1-5), content type, required tools, and narrative fit.
Phase 3: Design Trailhead
Create entry point using references/trailheads.md. Must feel organic to fictional world and reward observation.
Phase 4: Build Connectors
Link elements using references/connectors.md. Each puzzle output becomes next puzzle input.
Phase 5: Apply Design Principles
Review against references/design-principles.md for TINAG compliance and mimesis preservation.
Quick Reference
Cipher Selection
| Difficulty | Ciphers |
|---|---|
| 1 (Easy) | Caesar, ROT13, Atbash, Reverse |
| 2 (Medium) | Vigenère, Rail Fence, Base64, Morse |
| 3 (Hard) | Playfair, Nihilist, Book Cipher |
| 4 (Expert) | Custom multi-layer systems |
Full cipher details: references/ciphers.md
Hiding Methods by Content
| Content | Methods |
|---|---|
| TEXT | Unicode steganography, EXIF metadata, HTML comments |
| IMAGE | LSB steganography, layer hiding, QR codes |
| AUDIO | Spectrograms, reversed audio, DTMF tones |
| VIDEO | Frame insertion, subtitle tracks, timecodes |
| FILE | Nested archives, polyglot files |
Full hiding methods: references/hiding-methods.md
Platform Selection
| Use Case | Platforms |
|---|---|
| Real-time | Discord, Telegram |
| Phone/voice | Twilio IVR |
| Narrative | Dreamwidth, WordPress |
| Drops | Pastebin, GitHub |
Full platform guide: references/platforms.md
Recipe Pattern
[CONTENT] → [HIDING] → [TRAILHEAD] → [CONNECTOR] → [NEXT]
Example: Story fragment → Spectrogram → YouTube audio → Phone number → Twilio IVR → Password
See complete examples: references/recipes.md
Resources
scripts/
- •
cipher_tools.py- Encode/decode Caesar, ROT13, Atbash, Vigenère, Rail Fence, Base64, Morse, Binary, Hex - •
steganography.py- LSB image hiding, metadata hiding, Unicode zero-width encoding - •
spectrogram.py- Convert images/text to audio spectrograms
references/
- •
ciphers.md- 30+ cipher types with implementations and tools - •
hiding-methods.md- 60+ techniques by content type - •
trailheads.md- 40+ entry point patterns - •
connectors.md- Puzzle linking methods - •
platforms.md- Platform setup guides - •
design-principles.md- TINAG, Crimes Against Mimesis, puppetmaster role, player types, pacing - •
meta-puzzles.md- Meta-puzzle structures, gating mechanics, puzzle hunt architecture - •
recipes.md- Complete puzzle chains from famous ARGs (I Love Bees, Cicada 3301, Year Zero)