Turing Machine

Turing Machine is a punch card computer game that pitches your powers of logical deduction against puzzles either from the book or randomly generated using the app. If you enjoyed Wordle and fancy a similar level of challenge but with a tactile game that you can play with friends then this really is a must have for you.

Computers are modern miracles really, but where did it all begin? It all started with the analogue computer, the “a-machine”, designed by Alan Turing in 1936. This was eventually named the rather unimaginative Turing Machine as we know it today. This mathematical machine was designed to have infinite tape on either end that was able to handle every algorithm a modern computer can. The way it works is quite frankly way above my pay grade, but what I can tell you is that the way that this board game embodies this is astounding.

You will set up the game according to the particular puzzle you are trying to solve. There are some of these in the rulebook but also there are hundreds available on the app as well as a daily puzzle that is released too. The volume of combinations of puzzles is very nearly infinite so you definitely won’t be running out of gameplay.

Each round you will use a proposal, which will consist of one yellow punchcard, one blue and one purple. You choose a number 1-5 for each colour and then take that card. Lay these three cards on top of each other and despite the numerous holes in each card, only one small square will line up with all three. Then you will ask three questions using this proposal. These three questions will come from the machine which is arranged in the centre according to the puzzle you are testing. The questions will be things like, is yellow the biggest number, is there only one 4 in the answer, is the answer in descending order etc. To ask the question you line your proposal up with the answer card and it will either show a red cross or a green tick so a yes or no answer. From these snippets of information you will be able to start determining what the solution is. After you have asked three questions then the round is over and you move onto the next by selecting three new punchcards to form your new proposal. The game ends once someone has correctly deduced the code which can be verified within the app.

Player Count 1-4

Time to Play 20 mins

Age 14+