The Clockmaker’s Workshop.

Name: The Clockmaker's Workshop: printable escape game for adults
Brand: ARLing
Price: 9.90 EUR
Availability: InStock

An escape game you print, cut and play at home. Master clockmaker Ottoline Wren has gone into hiding, and her workshop door has locked behind you. For a year a dealer has been selling clocks with her mark that she never made. Solve ten puzzles to find her proof of the forgery, then work out where she is waiting.

What you get

Two PDF files of the same 24 pages, one A4 and one US Letter. You print them on plain paper, cut out a paper decoder, a grille, a stencil and a torn receipt, fold 18 answer cards (no glue) and play at a table. Nothing is shipped.

The game laid out: the title, Ottoline Wren's letter to her apprentice, a cutting from the Easterby Evening Post and puzzle IV, Vane's Catalogue, with clocks and the maker's mark under each base — **Papers from the real game**, arranged on one picture.

9.90 €one payment, VAT included

VAT included, nothing added at checkout. You buy the two files once, keep them and print a fresh copy whenever you want to play it again with other people.

See all 24 pages first Buy on Etsy In the EU, Etsy adds local VAT (23 percent in Slovakia); here VAT is included. Handy if you already use Etsy.

Bought here, the files unlock right after payment. You can still withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason (our terms, section 5). Terms

bought here, download buttons appear on this page right after payment, and the links come by e-mail too
A4 and US Letter, both in the price
no account to make

Checked by computer, not yet by players. A script checked every answer, every card code and that each puzzle has only one answer, and measured the PDF itself: text on every piece you cut out sits at least 4 mm inside its cutting line, except the torn receipt, whose text runs across the tears on purpose. Its job number is about 10 mm tall, and a cut 2 mm off the line still leaves at least two thirds of each digit. No group has played it at a real table yet.
Paper you handle. A poster that folds, a grille with windows, a world time watch with a turning wheel, a torn receipt and an engraver’s stencil that fits one true way. No glue, and nothing has to be held up to the light.
No violence. A forgery, a hidden ledger and a clockmaker who is quite safe. Nobody is hurt.

How it plays.

Every answer is three digits, and a paper decoder tells you whether it is right. Three puzzles are open from the start, so a group can split up.

Solve a puzzle. Each one ends in three digits.
Set the Regulator. Turn the three paper wheels to your digits and read three letters at twelve.
Find the card. The right card tells you what opens next and gives you a letter. No card, or a different symbol, means the answer is wrong, and a few cards explain common mistakes.
Open the lock. With all ten letters, one last gear train gives you the numbers for the door. Then read the last page.

What is in the game.

Twenty-four pages, the same in the A4 and the US Letter file. Every picture on this page is cut from the real pages.

Four paper puzzles: the top of Vane's poster, the grille with nine windows, the world time watch with its city wheel, and the eight pieces of a torn receipt — **Cut, fold, turn, lay it on.** The puzzles are paper objects, not only text on a page.

Two puzzle pages: IV, Vane's Catalogue, with nine clocks and the maker's mark under each, and VI, Two Cables, with two telegrams and the world time watch — **Trust the clocks, not the labels.** Spot the genuine clocks in a dealer’s catalogue, work out when two cables were sent, and more.

1Start here: what you need, how to get ready, how to play and how the hints work
2Ottoline’s letter, a newspaper cutting and who is who
3The workshop, seen from above
4 and 5The Regulator, a paper decoder with three wheels to cut out and pin
6 to 14The first nine puzzles, I to IX: the mirror, the gear plate, Arthur’s note and a grille, Vane’s catalogue, Vane’s poster, two cables and a world time watch, the parts cabinet, the torn receipt, Ottoline’s notebook
15 and 16Puzzle X: Ottoline’s proof sheet and Finch’s stencil to cut out
17Puzzle XI, the last wind, and the Regulator Lock
18 to 2018 answer cards to cut and fold, no glue
21 to 23Hints in three levels for every puzzle: a nudge, the key step and the full answer
24Read last: the end of the story

All 24 pages, before you pay.

Pages that would give away answers are blurred in the overview, including the decoder wheels, the answer cards and the hints.

All twenty-four pages of the A4 file side by side with a label under each; the decoder wheels, Arthur's note, the notebook, the proof sheet and stencil, the answer cards, the hints and the last page are blurred — Tap the picture to open it large and zoom in.

Page 2, Ottoline Wren's letter to her apprentice, a cutting from the Easterby Evening Post and who is who, with a sign for each person — **Page 2.** Ottoline’s letter.

Page 3, the workshop at 7 Hollin Lane seen from above, with the three puzzles that are open from the start, and the town hall tower through the window — **Page 3.** The workshop.

Page 4, the base of the Regulator decoder with twelve hours and a symbol for each puzzle, and how to check an answer — **Page 4.** The Regulator base.

Who it is for, and what you need.

Players: 1 to 4 adults. Three puzzles are open from the start, so a group can split up.
Time: About 60 to 90 minutes for a group, longer solo. These are our estimates, not yet timed with players.
Get ready: Our estimate is about 30 to 45 minutes before the first game, not yet timed: cut out the decoder, the city wheel, the grille, the stencil and the receipt pieces, pin the decoder together and fold 18 answer cards. Better still, let someone who is not playing do it.
You need: A printer and plain paper, scissors, a craft knife for 12 small windows (with a cutting mat or thick card under it), 2 paper fasteners (or pins and an eraser), a pencil and scrap paper. No glue, no window or lamp. Nice to have: a hand mirror.
Good for: An evening for two to four friends who like puzzles and do not mind a pair of scissors.

Two files, the same 24 pages.

File	Paper	Pages	Size
A4 PDF	210 x 297 mm	24 pages	0.97 MB
US Letter PDF	8.5 x 11 in	24 pages	0.97 MB

Print all 24 pages one-sided at 100 percent or actual size, not fit to page, on plain paper. Nothing in the game depends on the weight of the paper or on light shining through it.

Before you buy.

How much preparation does it take?

Our estimate is about 30 to 45 minutes before the first game; nobody has timed it yet. That is more than a game you only print, on purpose: the decoder, the grille, the watch, the stencil and the receipt are paper objects you cut and handle. There is no gluing: each answer card stays joined at its fold. It is best done by someone who is not playing.

Can I prepare it alone and still play it fresh?

Mostly. The backs of the answer cards are printed upside down and the correct cards do not show their answer, so you are unlikely to read one by accident while folding. We cannot make that impossible, though, so if someone else can fold the cards, let them.

Has it been played?

Not yet at a real table, and here that matters more than in a detective kit, so we say it plainly. What a computer checked: every answer, every card code, that each puzzle has only one answer, and the finished PDF itself. In the PDF, text on every piece you cut out sits at least 4 mm inside its cutting line and away from the edge of the wheel that lies on it, except the torn receipt, whose text runs across the tears on purpose (its job number is about 10 mm tall, and a cut 2 mm off the line still leaves at least two thirds of each digit), no text is smaller than 6.5 pt, and the stencil can sit up to 2.5 mm off and still show the whole digit. We built it so that nothing depends on paper weight, light shining through, glue or a perfectly straight cut. What no one has done yet is print it and play it as a group, so the times are our estimates. If anything does not work at your table, write to support@arling.sk and we fix it or send the money back.

Can I print it in black and white?

It is designed for that: no puzzle uses colour as a clue. We rendered every page of the PDF in greyscale and measured each text against its background: every one keeps a contrast of at least 4.5 to 1. That is a measurement of the file, not of a real print, and it covers text, not drawings; the pale gear wheels in puzzle II have a darker outline for that reason. If anything prints too faint, write to support@arling.sk and we fix it or send the money back.

What happens after I pay?

Stripe sends you back to this page, the page checks that the payment went through, and download buttons for the A4 and US Letter PDF appear in place of the buy button. The same links are sent by e-mail to the address you paid with. The links on this page work for 7 days and the ones in the e-mail for 30 days; after that, write to support@arling.sk and we send fresh ones.

The unlock is remembered in this browser, so you can come back to this page later on the same device. Keep the files once you have downloaded them.

How many copies may I print?

As many as you need for your own home, family or friends. Please do not share or resell the files.

Who made it?

ARLing s. r. o. in Bratislava wrote the story and the puzzles and drew the pictures, with the help of AI tools. The drawings are simple shapes drawn in code, and our own program typesets every page.

Do I get a receipt?

Yes. The seller (merchant of record) is Link (Sold through Link, LLC) through the Stripe Managed Payments service; ARLing s. r. o. supplies the product. At checkout you will see “Sold through Link”, your bank statement will show LINK.COM* ARLING, and Link sends you the receipt.

Can I get my money back?

Yes. As a consumer you can withdraw within 14 days without giving a reason, as our terms say in section 5: write to support@arling.sk or use the withdrawal form, and we refund you within 14 days by the same payment method. If a file is broken or a puzzle is wrong, write to us and we put it right.

That is the law, not our customer service. All 24 pages are shown above so you can decide before paying. If a file is broken or never arrived, write to support@arling.sk and we will fix it or send the money back. Terms and withdrawal form.

Can I buy it on Etsy instead?

Yes, the same files are in our Etsy shop. Here the price is final, VAT included. On Etsy, buyers in the EU pay local VAT on top (23 percent in Slovakia), and elsewhere Etsy may add local tax. Etsy takes the payment and sends the receipt, and any refund goes through Etsy too. The files wait in Purchases and reviews on etsy.com, or behind the link in the Etsy receipt e-mail if you check out as a guest; open them in a web browser, as the Etsy app does not currently support downloading digital purchases. You can ask us through Etsy messages or at support@arling.sk. Etsy suits you if you already shop there; in the EU, buying here costs less.

Colophon

Publisher: ARLing s. r. o., Ivanská cesta 32E, 821 04 Bratislava, Slovakia. Company ID 56583486, VAT ID SK2122352100.
Who makes it: Andrej in Bratislava looks after the products and the support and answers at support@arling.sk. The story, puzzle and drawings were made with the help of AI tools; our own program typesets every page.
Payment and delivery: The seller (merchant of record) is Link (Sold through Link, LLC) through the Stripe Managed Payments service; ARLing s. r. o. supplies the product. Your download links appear on this page as soon as Stripe confirms the payment, and the same links are sent by e-mail to the address you paid with. There is no account to make.

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