Maison Du Columbie

Well, to be perfectly honest, it's also possible that you're simply reading too much into things.

Granted, this is a new volume with a new format and some new features, so things may have changed. However, in the past, not everything in C&C has been a puzzle, contained a secret message, been relevant to the overarching plot, etc. In fact, *most* of the articles and features in past issues have been there simply as interesting diversions, and have had no larger significance or underlying meaning. There is sometimes a theme to the issue (witchcraft, apocalyptic stories, extraterrestrials), but even then, there isn't really a larger meaning to it. One could almost say that part of the puzzles was figuring out which parts of the issue were "relevant," and which were there just for fun. While a few of the artifacts from past issues have been related to the overarching story or have been necessary to solve puzzles, most of the them have simply been tie-ins to various unrelated articles, and once again, have no larger significance, hidden puzzles, or secret messages- they're just there to be a fun, tactile part of the experience.

Also, one of the pitfalls I've learned to be wary of with regards to C&C and the MPC is overthinking things. The puzzles and codes are often *difficult,* but they are seldom overly *complicated,* if you know what I mean, and they don't usually require huge amounts of research or knowledge of obscure facts. It also generally becomes pretty clear pretty quickly whether or not you're dealing with a puzzle/code, and if so, what kind of puzzle/code it is (not always- there have been one or two exceptions, but this is by and large the general rule). Basically, if you find yourself straining to make connections, having to make twenty leaps of logic, or relying on bits of arcance trivia discovered only after hours of research on obscure parts of the Internet, chances are very, very high that the puzzle you're dealing with is either a lot simpler than you're trying to make it, or simply isn't there.

Now, again, this is a new volume and a sort of "fresh start," so it's possible that they've switched tactics, and have decided to make every single thing part of some complex puzzle or code. Frankly, though, I doubt it. Hopefully, this will become clearer with the second chapter, but my own gut instinct is that, despite the new features and puzzles, there are still certain articles and artifacts that are just there for amusement and have no larger meaning, and getting to hung up on trying to find connections, puzzles, and secret messages where there probably aren't any will just distract us from the actual mysteries that need solving.