Rad Nauseam · David Cole

Picross puzzles (generically, and snoozingly, called “Nonograms”) are easily the most satisfying kind of pencil puzzle there is. This isn't an opinion, it's simple and obvious science^†.

They're like a blend between Sudoku and Paint By Numbers but more awesome than either. The numbers describe how many squares have to be colored in a given row or column. The solution techniques are fairly simple and, unless you're playing the hardcore puzzles, require little to no guessing and checking -- something I loathe about your typical Sudoku shenanigan.

The best Picross puzzles are like the under-appreciated Connect The Dots: they unfold slowly, only fully realizing an image when you've finished. This is a nebulous process, though, as you can't guarantee the "rube" (as we call them in Picross construction) will solve the puzzle in a specific order. I can't say my first effort really lives up to this ideal but by golly I tried. The other concern with puzzle creation is that the numbers should only describe a single image, which isn't as simple as it sounds. It's incredibly easy for a puzzle to have multiple solutions and it's only with complex robotic verification systems (in the form of Nintendo's Picross DS) that I could complete this.

Anyway, I hope someone plays this. I doubt anyone will, but I'm damned proud of it.

Download a printable PDF version!

^† http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science