Puzzle Notes

Friends:

A new AVCX puzzle by Tyler Hinman is attached! There are two versions of the PDF one with the answers to last week's puzzle, and another without. (For those still working on it.)

Our Kickstarter campaign has done so well that it looks like we might be able to add even more great features in the near future. For example, if/when we reach $15,000, we can pay for a little extra programming and hosting, and every American Values Club subscriber will receive free access to the past 12 months of puzzles through avxwords.com. If we reach $20,000, we could fast-track any of the following a) have our web developer put together a smooth online solving applet; b) release a dedicated iOS and PC-based app based on CRUX (free to our subscribers, of course); or c) create an app for Mac or Android. If we reach $20,000, whatever subscribers want most, we'll do. All of these will support online leaderboards and printing.

To offer an extra incentive to solvers to help us reach $20,000, we are adding a new Kickstarter premium. For $300, you can now commission a custom crossword from AVCX editor Ben Tausig. If you're looking for holiday gift ideas, consider surprising a friend or relative with a puzzle filled with clues all about them. This gift also comes bundled with a 10-year subscription, so it's quite a value. Tell your friends! And if you've already subscribed, you can always adjust your pledge to reach the next tier.

Finally, we want to offer a quick plug for another great subscriber crossword, Peter Gordon's Fireball Crosswords. An annual subscription to Fireball includes a mix of 45 themed and unthemed puzzles, and is guaranteed to deliver you some of the very best and most inventive puzzles of the year. You can sign up for Fireball here: http://www.fireballcrosswords.com/!

Thank you!
Ben and the AVCX crew