by Bruce Whitehill
In general, a game is a pastime with a specific set of rules and a specified end, in which two or more players compete against each other; a mechanical puzzle is a solitary pastime in which the puzzle solver is, in a sense, competing against the puzzle maker. Instead of a set of rules for doing the puzzle, there is a stated goal, with maybe one or two rules on how to proceed; then the solution (which you don’t have in a game) reveals the simple trick or outlines a specific – sometimes long – set of steps to follow.
Of course, there are many exceptions and much overlapping. Puzzles are often called “solitaire games.” Some puzzles are set up so that there is a competition among the puzzle solvers.
Sometimes, the same materials are used for both a puzzle and a game. At first glance, the pastime below is a common peg puzzle; the object is to jump pieces and remove them from the board, and be left with one peg in the exact middle. However, if you color two of the pegs, as shown in this example, you also have a Fox and Geese game, a two-player “asymmetrical” game. An asymmetrical game is one in which the two players have a different number of pieces that also differ in how they can be used.
Fox & Geese game (also a peg puzzle), early to mid 1900s
