PXC: Black Puzzle Cards-New

[Ivy Set] - #193 Three Thousand Words

Guest@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:16:24 +0000

No scanner I'm afraid, but it's not really important for this one ;)

Who are the people in these famous photographs?

A. On a cold day, a dashing young couple pause outside a cafe on a busy street to exchange a brief but passionate kiss. The man wears a flamboyant open shirt and coat, while the woman is leaned back slightly, supported by his reassuring arm. Two passers-by studiously ignore them, staring straight ahead.

B. A girl strolls casually towards the net, a wooden tennis racket hanging from her right hand. It's at the end of the day, and as she goes to collect her tennis balls, she uninhibitedly scratches an itch she developed from the match.

C. A man in a thick white suit and backpack is standing on a rocky yet flat terrain. Though it is nighttime, the scene is lit up brilliantly and he casts a sharp shadow toward us. His face is obscured by a perfectly reflective visor, in which we can see the photographer himself. There are two flags in this photo, one on the man's shoulder, and one barely perceptible, only visible in the blankness where his face should be.

[S2] [Cards Set] #196 Marble Loss

DarkAngelDaisuke@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:04:29 +0000

Front:

A new game is popping up at all the cafes in Perplex City. In it you have to tilt a board N, S, E and W to drop a blue marble into a pit. However, you must do so without tipping any of the 3 yellow marbles into the pit. When the board is tilted, the marbles run downhill as far as they can before stopping (unless they pass over the pit, in which case they fall through it) and the board can't be tilted again until the marbles are stationary. In which directions must you tip the board to get the blue marble into the pit in the fewest moves possible?

Back:

I've never been able to patch things up with Emily since our big argument. After that, events followed a certain inevitab;e course that led to our divorce. Normally our story would have ended there, but of course, there's our son, Daniel. He was always very independent, and on the occasions I did see him, he never wanted to talk about his mother. That suited me fine - I found it impossible to have a conversation with her any more, and we could only managed the most banal pleasantries on the occasions we really had to meet.

After Daniel left the Academy, he stayed with me for a while. I didn't ask him what had happened - he'd obviously burned some bridges and needed time to think everything over. Of course, as soon as Emily found out, she was constantly visiting, wanting to 'help' Daniel and introduce him to the Brotherhood . I couldn't stand it, and I think that's one of the reasons why he moved out.

When he had the accident in Catbite Gorge, I did everything to ensure that he had the best possible care; I used my contacts at Cognivia to get Kennard and his team involved. They managed to stabilise him, but otherwise they were simply baffled - nothing worked to bring him out of his sleep, and they refused to try invasive surgery in case it worsened his condition.

Emily fought to have him moved from Greycastle, on the ridiculous argument that 'medical science' was doing nothing and he would have better care at home. She even got the Brotherhood of the Six involved. I managed to convince the Health Office otherwise, but Emily kept it up. Who knows what she had Sister Cecile do to Daniel but I'm going to find out.

[S2] [Dice Set] #197 Murder at the Liars Club

volvox@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 22:47:18 +0000

Guest Puzzle architect: Mark J. R. Wolf

Murder
There's been a murder at the Liar's Club, and as interim sheriff, you are called upon to investigate. Members of the Liar's Club always lie, and there are at least three members, and at least three non-members (who are always truth-tellers), among the seven people involved (the six suspects and the murdered man). Everyone involved knows who is a member and who isn't and even who the killer is, but no one wants to get involved for fear of becoming the next victim. Along with the suspects' statements is a written statement from Hart, the murder victim, which he wrote as he was dying. The case is definitely not suicide, and it is up to you to determine, from the seven statements, who is a member and who isn't, and who the killer is.

Archer:"Davis is a member, and he would agree that Flint would agree that Hart and Edgar are both members>"

Brown:"Hart would agree that Clark would agree that Archer and Davis are both non-members."

Clark:"Davis and Brown would agree that Edgar would agree that the murderer is not a member."

Davis:"Hart's membership status is the same as the murderer's."

Edgar:"Clark would agree that Brown and HArt would agree that Flint is a member."

Flint:"Brown would agree that Archer and Clark do not have the same membership status."

Hart:"Archer killed me!"

Half-term Report

Kimber Knight

Mr. Boreham

4B

Kimber is a very popular girl - too popular for her own good. I'm sure you are aware f her disciplinary record this term, and inevitably, it has had a detrimental effect on her academic performance. She is bright girl and despite a torrent of evidence to the contrary, I believe she has a fully functioning moral compass. Alas, it also seems to be a magnet for trouble. We're doing our best to curb her wilfulness here at school, and it would be in her best interests if you could reinforce that message during the holidays.

Good Luck!

God I hate smug teachers who think they're funny...I'm having flash-backs.

[S2] [Dice Set] #198 Colourblind

pineapplejelly@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 04:38:14 +0000

Guest Puzzle Architect: Eric Harshbarger

Which two colours in the list are not hidden in the grid using Braille notation? Two examples have been found for you already.

Auburn
Azure
Beige
Black
Blue
Brown
Cerulean
Chartreuse
Cobalt
Crimson
Cyan
Ecru
Fuschia
Gold
Gray
Green
Indigo
Ivory
Lavender
Magenta
Maroon
Mauve
Olive
Orange
Peach
Pink
Puce
Purple
Red
Scarlet
Sienna
Silver
Tan
Taupe
Teal
Turquoise
Violet
Vermilion
White
Yellow

Half-term report

Pupil: Myra Champaign

Teahcer: Mrs. Chak

Form: 3A

Myra continues to excel across all subject areas and shows remarkable promise in Crypto, Mathematics and Logic. As always, she has achieved outstanding marks in class, though her scores did suffer in the run-up to the PCAG Championships. I sometimes worry that Myra is rather isolated from her classmates, and there have been occasions where she has been the victim of mean-spirited pranks. Unfortunately, she may need to get accustomed to this kind of envy as her career progresses.

[S2] [OXO set] #203 Treason

aliendial@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 13:19:53 +0000

Guest Puzzle Architect: Hannah Boraster

Who is the close friend?

I would need a new keyboard to transcribe it so I shan't ;)

And it came to pass that Gyvann took unto him a wife, Durisa, a Machianite woman of great learning.
And Durisa bore him Golda and Nayna, Hindman and Richan.
And Gyvann was well-pleased.
And it came to pass that Durisa too grew in knowledge of the Cube and for this reason she is known as "prophet" and "holy one".
But she spoke only to the women and said: let not my words be written in the book of Gyvann, but let them be passed from one to the next as a cup of wine is poured from vessel to vessel.
But she said: let this story be written in the book, hard by words of Gyvann for I am by his side so our words will sit with one another.
And she said: do not worship Gyvann. For is he not as all other men? Do not his feet stink, does not his hand shake, and will not his time come as that of all men? Rather, she said, worship the Cube, for it neither fades nor dies.
And she said: do not worship me. For am I not as all other women? Does not my eye fail, are not my steps slow and will not my time come as that of all women? Rather, she said, worship the Cube, for it gives birth not to three or four, but to worlds.
And Gyvann said: in this matter, her wisdom is greater than my wisdom.

For obviously, he knew his feet stank and he regretted it mightily.

[S2] [Cards set] #193 I'm so sorry

Phill4269@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 12 May 2007 09:07:49 +0000

Front:

^_^
Hi there!

I just wanted to send you an e-mail and apologise 8(- I was way out of order before 8[' B)- You know it, I know it B)' B]- 8]'

The problem is email :)' 8[- well it's me too, but email is a lot of it. 8]' :]' 8[-

Okay I know what you are thinking 8[' 8]' (yep, I'm a mind reader! B)- You think, it's not email it's you B]- B[' :[' B[' Right okay, its me 8)- :)' but also it's email, because in email you can't really be sure what anyone means B(' like, how can anyone tell a joke in email? :)' :[- B)' and that means we get into fights B[' B[' yeah fights like this, because who can tell what you mean? 8]' :)- B)-

Anyway, so it was my fault 8[- B[' B)' B)- 8)-

I should have been more clear :[- and I shouldn't have made all those jokes B)- 8)- I mean, who makes jokes in email :[- In a serious email anyway? 8}' :]- 8[- 8]'

So anyway, it was my fault and I'm sorry, and can you forgive me now? :0- 8)'

I'll really try to me [sic] more clear about what I mean from now on, more sense, less jokes, more smileys? 8]' B]- :]~

B(~ well better smiles anyway B[' 8)-

All forgiven? :]~ B(~ 8(~ 8]~

See ya soon!
=|8O :-C :-$ :-P

It's obviously got something to do with the smilies, I thought probably

A substitution code? It's also a bit strange that all but one of the smilies have exactly 3 characters. The answer page says we should give a last name only, so we are looking for a name. Maybe we get a question from the smilies that give us a question.

Edit - Topic for consistency - MikeyJ

[S2] Dice Set - #199 The Name Game

DrKra37@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 22:30:21 +0000

It had been a long day so I decided to play a game with some of my students, assigning wach of their names a values based on a secret rule. I hads just told Catherine that her name had two different values, 233 and ... when Sente stoppped by to ask for my helo with a phase adjustment on the Earth - Perplex City link.

As I left I called back "You'll havse to figure out what Catherine's other value was by yourselves"

FRANKLIN = 133
BARBARA = 167
LAUREN = 231
LAURA = 237
TIMOTHY = 193
GEOFFREY = 172

The names above are on a blackboard in the picture, but I don't have it scanned yet. Also I think there is an error on the card and have emailed MC about it. The card should read 'There are two values for Catherine, 223 and ....

And the back of the card [Picture of a hand-written report on an A4 page]

Half-term report

Pupil: John Patrick Eustace

Form : 1A

Teacher: Ms. Brink

Before JP can progress with his studies, he must learn the art of sitting still. He spends far too much of his time facing away from the board, entertaining his classmates and disrupting the flow of lessons. If he could only direct as much energy into his work as he does into the encrypted notes he passes between his friends, he would no doubt be an excellent pupil. I understand that his wheel performances have been very eye-catching , but he must recognise that his career here will depend on a much broader appreciation of the curriculum

[S2] [OXO Set] #201 Sound Dialogue

coffeegirl18@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:30:55 +0000

Front:

The distant drums rumbled. We had reached an impasse .

"Where now Sergeant Rutledge?" Harper inquired.

Behind us the other explorers began to arrive, one setting himself by a willow tree.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "I think we may need to ask one of them ," nodding in the direction of the now resting travellers.

Harper looked agitated. "Sure that's a good idea?" You told them you always know your next move."

The kid was right. I had learnt my art in the Green Berets , but the last thirteen days trying to stay one step ahead of them was beginning to test my patience.

This was one soldier that wasn't going to get scorched .

What am I?

I think that's how the sizes of the text is.

Back:

And it came to pass that Gyvann once was walking in the fields, and he met a peddlar, a stooped woman, a woman of aged years.
And he said to her: woman, show me your wares.
And the woman said: my lord, these wares are not seemly for you.
For she was a humble woman.
And he said to her: lay them out.
And she refused.
And he said to her a third time: show me that which is in your pack.
And she opened the pack and laid the wares in front of him and he examined them and he bought them from her, every item and gave her gold and silver coins, ten times the value.
And the woman was much astonished.
And he said to her: think not that it is greater and lesser, nor more nor less worthy. For in the Cube is the power of all-that-is, so shall we not all be humbled?
And this saying is carven in the rock of the place where he spoke it, at the crossroads near the city of Angra.

[S2] [Dice set] #200 The Other Famous Cube

TwonkyJMA@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:42:09 +0000

Front: A Rubiks cube, along with diagrams showing the notation that the main puzzle uses, and a list of letters using that notation. I'm guessing that each line is a separate section of instructions because of the irregular line width and because if not it would result in the first two lines making R'R, which just reverses itself.

Back:

Half-term report

Pupil: Morten Knight

Teacher: Ms Brink

Form: 1A

It has been a good term for Morten so far, and he has made steady progress. This is sure to continue as he settles in. Already he has shown great aptitude for Arts, though more than once I have found him doodling in class when he should have been concentrating on other subjects. His tendency to daydream like this may be a mark of gross indiscipline or great imagination- I expect we will find out which over the coming terms.

Black summaries for slow starters

Shaph@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:51:06 +0000

Black basics for the newly baffled. Expanding on the Silvers concept started by Random. Also contains spoilers contributed by Random.

The spoiler tag hides information about most of the black cards - therefore, more so than usual, don't look if you are still working on one or otherwise don't want to see shortcuts!

Where possible, I've given a bit more detail on what kind of spoiler the tags contain:

Answer clarification - a hint that narrows down the field in terms of what kind of answer is required.
Process help. For cards where the directions are clear. A hint that might help you change the way you approach solving the problem.
Directional Assistance. For cards where you might not even know where to start, this may get you going in the right direction.
Research help. A resource (web site, application) that might be useful for working out potential solves.

#193 Three Thousand Words

What you need to do is clear from the text on the card

#194 Confounding Cube
Answer clarification, process help

Really the card should be asking "who is it?", not "what". Build the cube-maze to find a phrase with both real-world and in-game echoes. Each piece you build should have faces of a single color.

#195 Road Trip
Process help

One particular state offers you a place to begin work, as it must be either first or last - if you can connect it to Tennessee it's first, if you can link it to Arkansas it's last.

#196 RGB

What you need to do is clear from the text on the card

#197 Linguini Junction
Process help

Try working backwards from the end

#198 Headrush
Directional assistance

Von's SMS hint "the eyes have it", A variation on a Masquerade technique will leave the answer staring you in the face.

#199 Three
Directional assistance

A heavily disguised example of a popular type of puzzle. The card title is more important than usual.

#200 A Dream of Babel
Directional assistance

Find the sources of the references and decide whether they are fact or fiction

#201 Smoke and Mirrors
Directional assistance

Identify the source of the scrambled text, then work out why it's not as familiar as the rest of the source.

#202 Mother Tongue
Directional assistance

The final wave three card to be solved. Anagramming gives a phrase you can research to get the solve. Try not to over-complicate it like we did!

#206 Mexid Massege

What you need to do is clear from the text on the card

#208 Freak Word
Research help

www.oneacross.com

#209 Little Pigley Farm
Answer clarification, process help

Check the clarifications on the solve page and use a lot of algebra... general consensus is that 15 and 16 across offer the best starting points.

#210 New Notation
Process help

Use the example of The Entertainer to understand the notation, then play the second tune to identify it.

#211 Molecular
Research help

http://worldofmolecules.com

#212 Whipsmart Birthday
Directional Assistance

Birthday Paradox

#213 We be Rational Pirates! Arrr!
Process help

Start with the allocation if there were only 2 pirates. Given that, how would the third pirate propose to divide the gold? Rinse and repeat.

#214 Traces
Research help, process assistance

Install Google Earth, look up nearby cities in Map Quest

#215 Harmony
Directional assistance

Use the ratio of frequencies. Check solve page as early printings of the card have a major error regarding the sequence of notes. A simple but evocative tune can be found by working out the relationships of each waveform to the others. http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/play_a_piano.html <--- java keyboard

#216 Formal Logic

What you need to do is clear from the text on the card. And there's only nine possible answers, so you can guess it in three days!

#217 Tower of Cubes
Directional assistance

Tower of Hanoi

#219 The Master of Secrets
Directional assistance, research help

Harder than many silvers (in my view), this is not a simple substitution - it's a riddle translated into perfect ancient Egyptian. Either translate it back into English (guides to the language exist online) or attack it laterally by thinking about who or what would an Egyptologist describe using the card title. The hieroglyphics translate to a puzzle. Solve the puzzle.

http://hieroglyphs.net/
http://www.jimloy.com/hiero/e-dict.htm

[S2] [Cards set] #195 Travel Writer

cmlobue@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:03:20 +0000

Guest Puzzle Architect: Michael Fox (no J there)

Suitcase pictured with the following text over flags l-r, t-b:

Teresina, Augusto Severo, Impfondo, Alicante,
Apiay, Tanana, Ouango Fitini,
Trelew, Anderson

Dear Friends,

This holiday finds me at the cusp between sadness and joy. In previous letters I recounted the troubles between myself and John and how they've caused problems with my son's teribble condition. Almost five months on from his accident, Daniel is still sleeping in Greycastle Hospital. The doctorsthere have done nothing for him so far, and I remain steadfast in my conviction that the best place for him is at home. Unfortunately despite all of your help and best efforts, John managed to keep Daniel at Greycastle by bribing the Health Office and saying I was 'mentally unstable'

However, life is not all sad. I have been spending much time in the Brotherhood's libraries researching my son's condition. It seems that this is not the first instance of someone falling into a strange sleep, and that a cure is possible. I do not know much yet, but it appears to be connected to Catbite Gorge - where Daniel had his accident. In the next few days I intend to ask my colleagues at the University's History Department for help to check to [sic] city's archives.

Seeing Daniel pale and asleep in the stark lights of the hiospital breaks my heart. I still remember him as a boy when we used to go to services together and he had so much faith and curiosity. It is true that he turned away from us, no doubt under the influence of his father, and I believe that sowed the seeds of his later misfortune, but I also believe his heart is still good. I will not let anything stand in the way of his recovery and redemption.

Yours in faith,

Emily Saunion

[S2] [Cards Set] #194 Artifact

Sophiecat@forums.unfiction.com — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 08:47:28 +0000

Front:

a recent archaeological dig in the tangential desert uncovered this strange, decorated cube

it is believed to bear an inscription implied by a series of letter ladders runnig along its faces

it appears to be an early form of the Puzzle Cube, now an established genre of Perplex City entertainment, dating from the Rainer Period, but the dig team's decipherment adjunct were unable to decode the inscription.

What is the message on the cube?

There's no way I can transcribe what's on the cube, feel free to ask any particular questions.

Back:

Greycastle Hospital

Patient 0059823: Daniel Saunion
Case Report by Dr. T. Kennard

Daniel Saunion is 32 year old male. Tests conducted before his injury indicate that he was highly intelligent and creative, although this was tempered by a reckless nature; this may go some way to ecplaining his exit from the Perplex City Academy and his actions afterwards.

The nature and details of Saunion's injury are not known exactly. He was brought into Greycastle Hospital from Catbite Gorge five months ago, following a rock fall in that area. Saunion was unconscious from an apparent blow to the head, but had not other serious injuries. A preliminary MRI scan revealed unusual neural activity, with blood flow patterns not representative of normal coma patients. EEG scans were inconclusive, and invasive surgery was ruled out as an option by his father.

It was agreed that further testing was required, using functional terahertz nanoscale imaging. This advanced scan merely deepened our conclusion; Saunion exhibited unusually controlled bursts and spikes of neural activity. Analysis showed that his neural activity was analogous to that which causes the characteristic beta and theta rhythms seen in REM sleep.

It seems that Daniel Saunion has been dreaming continuously for the last five months.

[HEX] #203 - Ecliptic

vodkasim@forums.unfiction.com — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:37:59 +0000

Numbers on the card
4-33223333234-4
3-11144144144443-3

[hex set] #202 - Mother Tongue

kian@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 02:41:44 +0000

No signature I can spot.

Nothing else to say for this card :o

[WATER] #224 - Once Upon A Time

aliendial@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:04:19 +0000

A nice black one.

EDIT
The text on the card is the tale of Little Red Ridding Hood

Text on card (only part done due to tirednessness!)

It was 8 in the morning...
when Little Red Riding Hood set out for her grandmother''s with a basket of 10 cakes. The grandmother was 127 years old and lived far away out in the woods. Her cottage had been in her family for 184 years and she refuuused to leave it, even after her only daughter moved away.

181 feet from her house, Little Red Riding Hood looked back at her mother who had made her promise to take great care and not walk by herself in the woods. Waving goodbye, she set off on the 39km journey to the cottage.

(feel free to add the rest someone...)