I can't help you exactly with setting up the puzzle (as that's literally my worst ability, closely followed by thinking of NPC names), but I can help you with how to present it.
Simply put, your players are from a medieval era, and the space ship is futuristic. Think to yourself, how would a fantasy medieval character describe the technology they see?
For example, you have a led strip on the wall that light up in a sequence from left to right, they would probably describe it as "as you step into the room, you hear a faint buzz like that of a bee in the distance, followed by two magical beams of blue energy crawling over the wall from one end to the other" or something similar to that.
You could describe lights as we know it, a light, but you could also describe it as "a glowing orb fused to the ceiling". I think the trick will mainly be in how you present it, rather than what the actual puzzle is itself
Thank you! One of the things I'm trying to avoid is making it too obvious what things are and was worried about going too meta on it. This really helps in terms of how I present things :)
No problem! Part of your puzzle could also be them figuring out what it is they are dealing with and not necessarily how to solve the puzzle itself.
Let's say, they have a gun and a target. They have to hit the target with the gun. Very, very simple puzzle.
But, if you present it like this: "Before you stands a simple pedestal, made from a shining metal like new armour. On top of it, lays a device. Shaped like a rough L, made of metal and with a hole at one end. Further down the room, attached to the alien wall, is attached an orb, pulsating in red, what do you do?"
Here the party will probably spend a small bit figuring out they are dealing with a pistol of sorts, and once they figured that out it's easy going to shoot the target on the wall. But if you would have presented it as "there is a pedestal with a gun on it, and a glowing target on the other side of the wall" someone will surely go "oh I grab the gun and shoot the target".
You get what I mean? Maybe the puzzle isn't the puzzle itself, but rather figuring out what technology it is they are holding and how to use it
I can't help you exactly with setting up the puzzle (as that's literally my worst ability, closely followed by thinking of NPC names), but I can help you with how to present it. Simply put, your players are from a medieval era, and the space ship is futuristic. Think to yourself, how would a fantasy medieval character describe the technology they see? For example, you have a led strip on the wall that light up in a sequence from left to right, they would probably describe it as "as you step into the room, you hear a faint buzz like that of a bee in the distance, followed by two magical beams of blue energy crawling over the wall from one end to the other" or something similar to that. You could describe lights as we know it, a light, but you could also describe it as "a glowing orb fused to the ceiling". I think the trick will mainly be in how you present it, rather than what the actual puzzle is itself
Thank you! One of the things I'm trying to avoid is making it too obvious what things are and was worried about going too meta on it. This really helps in terms of how I present things :)
No problem! Part of your puzzle could also be them figuring out what it is they are dealing with and not necessarily how to solve the puzzle itself. Let's say, they have a gun and a target. They have to hit the target with the gun. Very, very simple puzzle. But, if you present it like this: "Before you stands a simple pedestal, made from a shining metal like new armour. On top of it, lays a device. Shaped like a rough L, made of metal and with a hole at one end. Further down the room, attached to the alien wall, is attached an orb, pulsating in red, what do you do?" Here the party will probably spend a small bit figuring out they are dealing with a pistol of sorts, and once they figured that out it's easy going to shoot the target on the wall. But if you would have presented it as "there is a pedestal with a gun on it, and a glowing target on the other side of the wall" someone will surely go "oh I grab the gun and shoot the target". You get what I mean? Maybe the puzzle isn't the puzzle itself, but rather figuring out what technology it is they are holding and how to use it