The Sherlockian Box

The game is afoot again at Cabal Manor, in Victorian era England, where noted naturalist and collector Sir Charles Allen resided, up until quite recently, that is. Mystery and intrigue abound here, along with a colorful cast of characters who are joined, naturally, by the world’s foremost consulting detective. Puzzle maker Jesse Born and his production company have ventured into new territory once again, and in true fashion have outdone themselves. Shall you join them on this journey and step into your role as Dr. Watson? I can assure you that there is a will … can you find the way?

Earlier this year Jesse rolled out a new concept, a subscription box experience, which was sent in monthly installments and presented a grand adventure in the style and spirit of Sherlock Holmes. Jesse has been a fan of Sherlock since reading the books in his early teens, as well as other books, movies and shows in the genre. He initially came up with an idea to create a Sherlock Holmes puzzle book, with an actual novel which would be written by his sister Christina, who has collaborated on the stories for his other adventure style boxes like The Lost Vault and Captain’s Quest. Christina has written many books already and this was not so far fetched. At around the same time, Christina had also suggested they consider creating a subscription type box, and at some point this became the path for the Sherlock idea.

From the very first installment it is clear that the story which accompanies the adventure is quite complex and intricate. In fact there is much to the tale, and there are so many finely detailed elements, that the experience is really like being immersed inside a Sherlock Holmes adventure. The story is the heart of the experience, and the objects and puzzles help it all come alive. Christina wrote the story, and although there were details that Jesse changed, Christina is to thank for essentially all of the extensive writing which is encountered over the course of the journey. It’s extremely impressive, and the pacing and mystery are masterfully done.

Each monthly installment arrives as a new chapter in the unfolding saga. Inside each package are components that shed new light, offer new mysteries, and provide a full session of new challenges and enjoyment. Each chapter can stand on its own, and comes with a letter from Sherlock which provides new insight into the status of his investigations, along with a clever way of making it clear what challenges await and need to be accomplished to consider that chapter complete. There are also a few bonus challenges and plenty of Easter Eggs to be found which might reference other puzzles from Jesse just for fun. The puzzles and package components are mostly created in house by Jesse’s team using 3D printing and laser cutting, and one milled part cut out of solid wood. They also bought a few small items off the shelf which I wont mention to preserve the surprises.

“Ben is my laser tech guy, he did a lot of the engineering behind the floor plans and the storage box and other laser cut things. He designed the code cipher wheel. He makes those parts. Everett runs the 3D printers and Josh is the lathe guy, and made some parts and also runs the mills. I will also run the mills. We have a bunch of assembly guys too now.”

I checked in with Jesse throughout the five month long subscription process to see how this new idea was going. At around the midway point he remained enthusiastic and was getting some good feedback. Jesse truly values feedback about his creations and wants to give his audience what they want. For the first few months people seemed to love the experience of getting a new mystery package on a regular basis, getting to enjoy that thrill of opening something unknown and seeing what was inside. His team got a little behind with the third installment, which includes a stand alone puzzle box which is at the heart of this mystery story, as they worked hard to complete all 300 from the first subscription group. Jesse spent many months on the box design and how to balance the subscription based budget with his imaginative mechanism oriented mind, which is always going over the top.

“I’ve been working on the design for the last 5 months or so. Obviously, a lot of the cost is taken up in other places so we can’t go crazy with the box, you are not getting a full-fledged limited-edition puzzle but for cheap you can put quite a bit of puzzle in there, and there is stuff in there to keep people busy and guessing for a bit. You will spend longer solving it than Fibonacci for example. There’s quite a bit of hidden things in the Sherlockian Box.” The team managed to get the third shipment out close to on schedule, and got back on track again. They are a hard working group but it’s no surprise when you see the contents of each installment that there was a lot more effort needed for these shipments than they may have initially anticipated.

Jesse reflected on the overall experience once the final chapters shipped at the end of the initial five month subscription, and admitted to feeling a bit conflicted. This seems to be mostly due to a mixture of feedback from customers who signed up for the first round. Some people felt that the adventure was too hard; some felt it was too easy. “It’s really hard to know how much is too much puzzle for people and how to get a broad target of enough puzzle without losing people.” Personally I was incredibly impressed with the level of detail and intricacy planned out throughout the story, and didn’t mind when I couldn’t always figure out every clue on my own. There is plenty to feel satisfied with here on many skill levels, and the puzzles seem fair and well vetted. Jesse has an interesting idea for a future Sherlockian update or new installment type adventure, if he decides to do another someday, which is to keep the “tough” puzzles but allow players to pursue these challenges if they want to, not making them essential to proceed. You can’t please everyone all the time, but Jesse is definitely going to keep trying!

He does note that people really seemed to enjoy receiving a new package every month, having something mysterious to open on a regular basis, so the idea of a subscription box seemed to be validated by that feedback. Online forums and Reddit groups sprung up where players traded ideas and theories and offered additional support, or just enjoyed the experience together. Plenty of people love a prolonged adventure, and there are still plenty who want a chance to experience this one. Jesse has opened a second wave of subscriptions for the Sherlockian Box. He is adding a few changes from lessons learned, mostly related to production, such as improving the print quality and process for the main puzzle box, to add stability and avoid having to use a lot of super glue which was not pleasant for his crew. There may be a few small story tweaks as well, but no major changes. Based on how well the Sherlockian continues to be received, there may well be another subscription adventure from Jesse’s team someday. They already have a cool idea. But ultimately they will focus on what their audience wants most, and what they can do well.

The Sherlockian Box is far more than a puzzle box, and as such is a significant departure from Jesse Born’s prior creations. On the other hand, many of his most impressive and sensational stand alone puzzle boxes, like the Sea Chest, the Sundial, the Lost Vault and The Captain’s Quest, have included an intricate backstory that permeates the box itself, adding a thrill of exploration and discovery to the solving experience. So it’s not surprising to see this creativity flesh itself out into a full blown adventure, in which the puzzle box, which certainly plays a central role, is merely one aspect of the whole experience. Fans of escape rooms, murder mysteries, and immersive game play will feel right at home here, and will appreciate how intricately layered this experience feels. To put it mildly, there is a lot here, which will keep even the seasoned puzzler or “escape room in a box” enthusiast busy for a long time. Working our way through this multipart adventure along with my brilliant co-detective took the better part of two full weekends, not including the time it took to build the individual components, which is another fun touch, especially if you happen to enjoy easy to build kits. Aside from the numerous hidden messages and increasingly challenging encryptions, the complex storyline is masterfully interwoven throughout the installments in a well paced fashion that gives enough but keeps you guessing at each chapter. You may find yourself channeling your inner Sherlock Holmes, or having to admit you are no match for the great detective, despite the fact that all the evidence is laid out and available to you. No detail is too fine or superfluous, and you will overlook things at your peril.

 As mentioned the experience has been set up to flow as a monthly subscription, with each of five packages arriving once per month over time. This gives you something to look forward to, to get excited about, to open without knowing what you might find next. There are components to build, objects to fidget with or wonder at, vials to experiment with, and reams of case notes, interviews, letters, news clippings and clues to pore over. Everything can be stored away neatly inside a large wooden case which must be built with the first installment, and which is completed with additional drawers over time. The events of the story take place at Cabal Manor, and a small floor plan model of the manor is also built over time. This may prove helpful as you track your suspects movements. Midway through the five month experience something unexpected arrives – a well sized exotic box covered in fascinating details and artistic decorative flourish. Of course, you cannot open it … or perhaps you can. The stand alone puzzle box is seamlessly integrated into the story and in fact you have been wondering at its whereabouts all along. Of course, there are still more installments to come, so don’t be surprised if this box holds further secrets yet undiscovered. Which is of course all part of the excellent plot.

Jesse and his team learned a lot from this process, which was an altogether different sort of adventure. The budget, which was set at the beginning based on projections, only allowed for a certain level of quality and production value. Shipping costs and packaging for the subscription ate away at the budget too. But regardless, the puzzle box is still a Jesse Born product, which means it is much nicer than most any escape room type box you are likely to find anywhere else on the market. There are multiple, challenging, well disguised steps and phases to discover, clever mechanisms which will surprise and delight, a very unique end game and the unmistakable insight into what makes a hidden secret box fun.

All this sleuthing has made me thirsty. It turns out that I recently featured a Sherlock inspired cocktail, the “Conan Doyle”, for a similarly themed adventure box, Sherlock’s Camera, so needed to search, detective-style, for another. The toast to the Sherlockian Box was discovered on the virtual pages of Somerville, Massachusetts bartender and author Fred Yarm’s Cocktail Virgin blog. Fred relates stopping into James Beard award winning restaurant Craigie on Main after dinner one night. There he asked industry veteran bartender Rob Ficks for this drink. Rob, who is now head bartender at the Hawthorne, explained the origin of his cocktail to me. “I was looking to make a crushable sparkling cocktail that would appeal to everyone. [There was a certain] term [for this type of drink that was] was catching on at the time, but was a bit too crass for Craigie’s menu. So, we went with ‘Elementary, My Dear’, a much more elegant way of saying it was a ‘basic’ drink that would appeal to a wide audience.”

If you are familiar with a French 75 you will have some idea of what this light and lovely cocktail is like. Here there is the addition of Aperol, which adds greater depth and grapefruit notes. The lemon cordial, which is essentially a rich and lemony lemon syrup, also increases the complexity in a good way. Like the French 75, these are dangerously delicious and will surely dampen your deductive reasoning skills, so watch out! Cheers.

Elementary, My Dear by Rob Ficks

¾ oz gin

¾ oz Aperol

½ oz lemon cordial

½ oz lemon juice

2 oz sparkling wine

Shake initial ingredients with ice and strain into a champagne glass. Top with the sparkling wine. Lemon twist.

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