Hey, Good Game Crafting the Perfect Puzzle: James Sinclair on Handcrafted, Variant Sudoku
23 snips
Nov 4, 2025 
James Sinclair, a former immigration lawyer and the brain behind Artisanal Sudoku, dives into the captivating world of handcrafted variant Sudoku puzzles. He reflects on his unexpected journey into puzzle creation, emphasizing his design philosophy that prioritizes handcrafted logic over AI. James discusses the community-building aspect of his Substack newsletter, explores innovative puzzle mechanics like dynamic fog, and shares plans for Sudoku Con. He also touches on audience growth, monetization strategies, and the satisfaction derived from crafting engaging puzzles.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Match Puzzle Venue To Difficulty
- Reserve sites like Logic Masters Deutschland for harder, experimental puzzles and use other channels for beginner-friendly content.
- James posts approachable variants in his newsletter and saves very unusual, difficult puzzles for LMD.
Create Better Discovery Tools
- Build a centralized, searchable platform with variant filters and beginner-suited difficulty ratings.
- James notes LMD is archaic and would benefit from discovery features and friendlier beginner scales.
Advertise Where Players Play
- Advertise on platforms players already use to reach an active audience.
- James found Sudoku Pad ads to be the most effective promotion for his newsletter.
