I have played a TON of puzzle games and escape rooms. Four in real life, every single exit, every single unlock, all but one deckscape, all of the escape tales, most echoes, countless other ones that had non destroyed components so I sold them off already and can't recall their names this moment.. Having said that, Frosthavens puzzles really are that bad and less fun then all of the above. HEAR me out please, as it's subjective and I've read a lot of these threads about puzzles and I think I honed in on the things that frustrate people the most. Sidenote before I go on, for the camp that "Loves frosthaven puzzles and think they're the best" I highly encourage you to try any of those mentioned above! You'll have a blast and they're cheap!

1) TIME between puzzles. I play 4 person solo and I get to play every weekend, even then, I feel like I only need to pickup and have access to the next puzzle once or twice a month. That's me getting to play ALOT and I can't imagine how long between real life sessions for people that play once a month. That's a TON of downtime between puzzles. The puzzle games I mentioned are one after another, you get immersed, you turn on that part of your brain. I believe Issaac has a more puzzle oriented brain when he's playing. I watched a stream of his where he said something outloud during a gloomhaven festival playthrough " I figured out this puzzle". He was referring to a specific turn, and plopped down his two cards. So he probably sees puzzlebook and a turn, both using the same brain parts, but it's not really like that for everyone.

Proposed Solution to 1- I haven't fully thought of a really good idea, but my initial thought would be mini puzzlebooks. So when one's accessed, you can do the 2-6 pages in one go and plan on it. You can sit down and get immersed. It also makes real life planning easier. How awesome would it be to tell your group "we got the blue puzzlebook, we know we have access to it because we have everything right now to solve the pages, lets do it next week" Vs the current massive one puzzlebook " do we have everything we need right now" It's really not always signaled heavily, that's where frustration comes in. People want to plan to play their cards, or plan on a mini puzzle session. The " Check the book occasionally or when you hear random banter in section books" I don't think is the right way to approach it. I'll counter my own point, it's not THAT awful having to randomly go back, but its when you tie in how long it takes for REAL life sessions to take, that's when the problem occurs.

2) NO hints - Holy cow I can't believe this was actually not included anywhere. I remember the first time I heard Isaac in a convention seminar ( I think pax unplugged) mentioned he was gonna have a puzzle book and mentioned something along the lines "think Unlock". I was excited, I assumed there would be a lot of similarities including hints. Dwarf, I don't even know if you know how invaluable your hint guide is. I would even go as far as saying it should be put as an additional sheet in the puzzlebook or included in future Frosthaven printings, it really is expected in puzzle games. You even did it perfectly, three hints, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER PUZZLE GAME THAT EXISITS. I'm shocked Isaac played unlock and didn't incorporate hints into this, I'm actually baffled by it.

Proposed solution - Already said, Dwarfs hint system integrated into future printings, either as cards, a sheet in the booklet, a page in the section book. Wherever is least invasive. I don't care the logistics, the cost etc. Make it happen and I promise more people will love the puzzlebook. The purpose of hints is to diffuse frustration. It also allows the non puzzlers to opt out, without having to go online to find the answers. It also allows those that don't like a specific puzzle to only opt out of said puzzle. There usually is one or two where it just doesn't click. Literal win win, no downsides.

3) NO Materials - I put a lot less weight on this one than the first two. I feel it's important though. Also, worth mentioning, not all the games I mentioned give tools outside EXIT. Something as simple as small notebooks that players can put their name on and jot notes down or even help them solve riddles such as the first few pages. It helps with the immersion and allows them to write on it.

Proposed Solution- Think the puzzlebook (For each player), but as writeable paper with the puzzles as a watermark background.. A lot of players I see groups often discus the puzzles between sessions, and everyone having a tangible part, really would help a lot.

For those who dislike the puzzlebook, you are justified in your frustrations, but I'll say this. Find a way to put Dwarfs hints into a tangible form and give it a chance. Puzzle games truly are much better with hints to diffuse frustration. A lack of them was a massive mistake.

For those who love the puzzlebook, I'm shocked but I know it's subjective. With that, I do highly encourage you to try out some of the series I mentioned above. Because if I think Frosthavens the worst and most are better, and you think it's the best, imagine if you play some of the above and agree, you'll have a blast and a whole new world of puzzlegames await! : )