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, Hexsteganography.py - LSB image hiding, metadata hiding, Unicode zero-width encodingspectrogram.py - Convert images/text to audio spectrograms
references/
ciphers.md - 30+ cipher types with implementations and toolshiding-methods.md - 60+ techniques by content typetrailheads.md - 40+ entry point patternsconnectors.md - Puzzle linking methodsplatforms.md - Platform setup guidesdesign-principles.md - TINAG, Crimes Against Mimesis, puppetmaster role, player types, pacingmeta-puzzles.md - Meta-puzzle structures, gating mechanics, puzzle hunt architecturerecipes.md - Complete puzzle chains from famous ARGs (I Love Bees, Cicada 3301, Year Zero)
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1---2name: greenie-neuko-arg-skills-arg-designer3description: ARG Designer4---56# ARG Designer78Design immersive Alternate Reality Games by combining hiding methods, trailheads, connectors, and narrative principles.910## Core Workflow1112### Phase 1: Define the Payload13Identify content to be discovered: TEXT (messages, URLs, passwords), AUDIO (recordings, hidden data), IMAGE (photos, QR codes), VIDEO (frame-hidden content), FILE (documents, archives).1415### Phase 2: Choose Hiding Method16Select from `references/hiding-methods.md` based on difficulty (1-5), content type, required tools, and narrative fit.1718### Phase 3: Design Trailhead19Create entry point using `references/trailheads.md`. Must feel organic to fictional world and reward observation.2021### Phase 4: Build Connectors22Link elements using `references/connectors.md`. Each puzzle output becomes next puzzle input.2324### Phase 5: Apply Design Principles25Review against `references/design-principles.md` for TINAG compliance and mimesis preservation.2627## Quick Reference2829### Cipher Selection30| Difficulty | Ciphers |31|------------|---------|32| 1 (Easy) | Caesar, ROT13, Atbash, Reverse |33| 2 (Medium) | Vigenère, Rail Fence, Base64, Morse |34| 3 (Hard) | Playfair, Nihilist, Book Cipher |35| 4 (Expert) | Custom multi-layer systems |3637Full cipher details: `references/ciphers.md`3839### Hiding Methods by Content40| Content | Methods |41|---------|---------|42| TEXT | Unicode steganography, EXIF metadata, HTML comments |43| IMAGE | LSB steganography, layer hiding, QR codes |44| AUDIO | Spectrograms, reversed audio, DTMF tones |45| VIDEO | Frame insertion, subtitle tracks, timecodes |46| FILE | Nested archives, polyglot files |4748Full hiding methods: `references/hiding-methods.md`4950### Platform Selection51| Use Case | Platforms |52|----------|-----------|53| Real-time | Discord, Telegram |54| Phone/voice | Twilio IVR |55| Narrative | Dreamwidth, WordPress |56| Drops | Pastebin, GitHub |5758Full platform guide: `references/platforms.md`5960## Recipe Pattern6162```63[CONTENT] → [HIDING] → [TRAILHEAD] → [CONNECTOR] → [NEXT]64```6566Example: `Story fragment → Spectrogram → YouTube audio → Phone number → Twilio IVR → Password`6768See complete examples: `references/recipes.md`6970## Resources7172### scripts/73- `cipher_tools.py` - Encode/decode Caesar, ROT13, Atbash, Vigenère, Rail Fence, Base64, Morse, Binary, Hex74- `steganography.py` - LSB image hiding, metadata hiding, Unicode zero-width encoding75- `spectrogram.py` - Convert images/text to audio spectrograms7677### references/78- `ciphers.md` - 30+ cipher types with implementations and tools79- `hiding-methods.md` - 60+ techniques by content type80- `trailheads.md` - 40+ entry point patterns81- `connectors.md` - Puzzle linking methods82- `platforms.md` - Platform setup guides83- `design-principles.md` - TINAG, Crimes Against Mimesis, puppetmaster role, player types, pacing84- `meta-puzzles.md` - Meta-puzzle structures, gating mechanics, puzzle hunt architecture85- `recipes.md` - Complete puzzle chains from famous ARGs (I Love Bees, Cicada 3301, Year Zero)8687---88> Converted and distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io/claim/greenie-neuko) — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.89<!-- tomevault:4.0:skill_md:2026-04-14 -->
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