I would argue the opposite of also true, of your design a puzzle to last the night, something really clever obscure and tricky, it'll take seconds

We did an escape room where we needed 4 digits to open a door. We got a few hints on the numbers to start and a single number, and then our fighter guessed the answer entirely correctly.

If a puzzle is too simple, players will assume the solution is a red herring, and the actual answer is something more complex. Let us not forget how the entire Fellowship of the Ring was stumped by a door that told them how to open it, because they thought it would be more secure.


"That's right! It goes in the square hole!"

I think a lot about this one time in a game of modern day magic. The players wanted to contact another group. They knew the other group was _double_ warded against magic. An anti-teleportation spell on top of a general anti-magic spell. Serious business. The players wanted to some time and resources trying to punch through these wards to teleport directly to this other group. I told them the odds, they said ok, and rolled. The dice said no. They mulled about for a bit, and then said they wanted to try again. I said ok. They got their spells together, spent their resources, and rolled. The dice said no, again. I said, "Do you want a hint?" They said, "Yeah" I said, "You just want to talk to them, right?" "Yeah", they said. "Why don't you just call them on the phone?" I said. "...oh." Sometimes players get tunnel vision.

DnD Barbarian: "B...A...T... Oh no, it's bait for a trap!" WoD player: "No, you dolt. It's clearly meant to be a more complex anagram indicating the identity of the coconspirator. Cunning... peasant..." Call of Cthulhu player: *insensate screaming* "It is the name of the unspeakable! Burn them! Destroy the tablets! Bury the entrance so that none find this place again in our lifetimes!" DnD Wizard: "Fireball. Final answer." *rolls*

https://youtu.be/6pDH66X3ClA Classic!

DM: "Written on the door in beautiful caligraphy carved directly into the stone are the words 'Pedo mellon a minno'." Party: ... DM: "You recognize it as Elvish. It translates to 'Speak friend and enter.'" Party: ... DM: "It's telling you, in elvish, to speak the word 'friend'". Party: ... DM "You can just say the word for 'friend' to gain entry" Party: "Friend!" DM: "No, no, say the word for 'friend' in Elvish." Party: ... DM: "It's literally written on the wall in the text of the riddle." Party: ... DM: "I just said it, and it is written write there." Party: ... DM: "It's 'mellon'." Party: ... DM: "Say 'mellon' and the door will open." Party: ... DM: "SAY MELLON!!!" Party: "Uh... 'Mellon.'" DM: *deeeep breath* "The door swings open revealing a dark tunnel in front of you." Party: "Crap, I don't have have dark vision. Can we go back to the village to buy some torches?" DM: ...

And an extended version with the redemption arc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nSQs0Gr9FA

For anyone who doesn't want the obnoxious reaction gal in the side of the video [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYHfMDjUks8&t=16)

I'd argue her exasperated acceleration through the five stages of grief adds a lot to the video, but I understand not wanting it.