The Clockwork Automaton

A puzzle game to play with Claude

Claude is good at reading a long rulebook and reasoning through cross-referenced rules. The Clockwork Automaton puts that to use in a game: Claude holds the maker's notebook, you hold the view of the automaton, and the spring is running down.

The notebook is written for an assistant: it tells Claude to ask one short question at a time, to confirm the detail a rule turns on, and to answer plainly.

Play the first module free Read the notebook
The full game: the automaton's face, gears, masks, bells and hallmark tiles under a serial plate, three lamps and a spring dial

How to set it up

  1. Start a new conversation with Claude and paste the notebook (the Copy the notebook button on the start screen), or give it the notebook page link if it can read web pages.
  2. If your Claude app has voice mode, start it in that conversation. If not, type: it plays the same, just slower. Practice mode has no timer.
  3. Wind the spring and read out the serial plate, lamps and faults first. Then describe one module at a time.

Playing by text

Typing works well for learning the modules. Short messages are best: "Face: inner brows up, mouth corners down, jaw closed." Then try a timed round in voice.

The full game: five modules

GBP 6 one-off

The face, the gear train, the masks, the chimes and the hallmarks. Four difficulty levels. Runs offline in your browser.

More ways to play

The Clockwork Automaton A puzzle game to play with ChatGPT voice A puzzle game to play with Gemini Live A two-player describe-and-instruct puzzle game Read the face: a FACS expression puzzle