PXC: Orange Puzzle Cards-New

[ivy set] #033 - Turnabout

pineapplejelly@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:28:36 +0000

Couldn't see a post on this, so I thought I'd contribute again. Signed by Kurt :)

The text is in the white bottle tops and reads (as from left to right, top to bottom):

The Click is one of the most well-known clubs in Perplex City, and it's where Roll for Damage famously played their first gig. I was there last week while Caine's band were doing a set, when I came up with this puzzle for Violet.

I bet her that she wouldn't be able to solve it before Caine finished his guitar solo. I lost. Then again, you could've played entire concerts in the time it took him to finish...

Can you make this arrow point in the opposite direction by only moving three bottletops?

[S2] [Cards Set] #034 California

DarkHuman@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:46:57 +0000

Front:

In recent years the idea of love triangles has become a little bit passe. If your mother hasn't slept with your boyfriend, and your dad's not marrying a woman half his age, then you're a nobody. Can you recognise this mixed relationship web, and tell us which TV show's first season this is based upon?

Back:

Crimes of Fashion!

With Police Lieutenant Cornelius Day-Etherbrington and this week's guest detective, Perplex City Academy's Tippy Ankron

Aurora Belle

Cornelius: Now, Tippy, my dear, what is it we are burning our retinas with here?

Tippy: Why, it's a mini-skirt and thigh boots, Cornelius.

Cornelius: It certainly is, Tippy. And what is our rule about mini-skirts and thigh boots?

Tippy: Just. Don't.

Cornelius: Right. And Miss Belle, here, might think that such rules don't apply to such a delightful looking creature as her. But listen to me, Aurora, darling, they do. Twice over. In fact, the only good thing about this combo is that it is so hideous it is actually distracting us from the shocking waistcoat, not to mention the length of that hemline.

Tippy: I just hope she'd had an Anjsbourgan wax.

Cornelius: Quite. One out of ten. It'd be zero, but at least those boots are brown.

56 Sentinel Sunday

[S2] [Cards Set] #035 - A-tribute-d

YahwehTzVaoth@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 03:37:53 +0000

Guest Puzzle Architect - Mike Whitaker

Can You Match The Band To Their Tribute?

Bjorn Again
Definitely Might Be
Stoned Again
Fully Clothed Gents
Whole Lotta Led
One Step Behind
Floydian Slip
The Muffin Men

Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd
Bare Naked Ladies
Oasis
Madness
Abba
Frank Zappa
The Rolling Stones

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Card Reverse - (matches backgrounds with card #036 - Jelly Beans. #35 is the left hand side, #36 is the right hand and provides the first half of the narrative)

A group of people were nearby, stood watching someone play a new puzzle game. It looked complex - lights flashed, the guy reacted and I looked away. All round me, people were playing with puzzles in different ways. A girl sat alone at the counter swivelling in her chair, pen in mouth, puzzle book open. Across the room, people looked at their keys, passing the time with the latest Sentinel riddles. Even a glance at the clockwouldn't get you a straight answer, the squares chanign the code each second. I took a sip of the coffee. It tasted bitter; filter coffee of course. Well, how else could they offer bottomless cups? Then I remembered, I wasn't drinking here for the quality.

The door opened again, causing the room to shiver. This time though, the intruder caught my eye. No bustling entrance, no over exaggerated gestures of relief, just quickly in and to a table. The waitress ambled over to her, listing today's specials. Not for her. Just coffee; black lots of sugar. I grabbed a napkin from the holder. It asked me, "When's the best time to have lunch?" and I screwed it into a ball. No riddle for me thanks.

If this was her, she wasn't what I was expecting. But then I guess I didn't really know what to epxect. I shuffled from behind my table and headed towards her. She didn't turn.

I opened my mouth and everything changed.

"Hi."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all. Long time lurker (played a bit after joining towards the end of season 1) and first time poster. Please be gentle with me if I've made any major boo-boo's in this posting, but I checked the FAQ and other posts so I hope I've got the format right.

Looking forward to puzzling with you all!

[SOLVED] Orange #057 Volume

Afgncaap5@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:26:15 +0000

The other day I overheard Tippy and Caine teasing Von about a party they had all been to, where young Von had a little more drink than he could handle.

"I'm telling you, it was a stomach bug!" exclaimed Von.
"Right, alcohol allergy, that it? What's that you got there?" asked Caine.
"Couple of pills of Clarity. I need to get 400ml of water to dissolve them in."

Caine went and grabbed a couple of cups from the watercooler, and gave a "you know the drill" wink to Tippy, who said, "Let me see how quick you are under the influence. We've got two cups here that hold 300ml and 500ml - how can you use them to get exactly 400ml without any measuring?"

Von gave an amused smile, and in under a minute he'd done it and watered a nearby plant as well. As he walked off in triumph, he called over his shoulder, "by the way, the anthro group is showing Die Hard 3 tonight, you might want to check it out..."

Card by Anna

[S2] [Dice Set] #039 - Clash of the Titans

YahwehTzVaoth@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:33:50 +0000

Puzzle by Von

Front:

Can you match up the words to create 6 American Football teams?

Chicago
Philadelphia
Miami
Jacksonville
Detroit
Seattle

Jaguards
Lions
Eagles
Seahawks
Dolphins
Bears

Rear

The Academy keeps records of all the games played in their All-Schools Scholarship tournament. Before my match against Sekani, I reviewed his playing style. It was conservative, in the strictest sense. He'd memorised all of the classic opening moves of Twin-Wheel, Counterpoint, Chess and Yumisk, and applied them with a formulaic efficiency against any obstacles he encountered. I couldn't see any imagination or personality in his games. An idiot savant, I uncharitably concluded.

Still, I had to be careful. This was the round which determined who received scholarships; if I won, I'd be guaranteed a place and my remaining matches would merely be for scorekeeping purposes. If I lost, no-one would remember me.

I lost the toss, so I moved first - in Twin-Wheel, the first-mover has the disadvantage. I opened aggresively, and waited for his response - no doubt the Anjsbourg Defence.

Sekani passed.

I leaned back, unsettled. Sekani looked perfectly bored, and continued to do so as I moved and he passed once again. When my pieces swept around to meet his, he finally responded, mounting a counterattack that frightened me with its ferocity. If he hadn't passed twice, he would've certainly won. As it was, the match went on for three hours as I struggled to keep him under control.

As I took his final piece and secured myself a scholarship, I stood up to shake his hand. He smiled for the first time and leaned in to whisper in my ear, "Sun -Tze, chapter three, seventeen, one."

[S2] [OXO Set] #042 Patterns of Light

DrKra37@forums.unfiction.com — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 00:29:56 +0000

Front:

What shape comes next in the sequence?

A Dodecagon
B Triskaidecagon
C Tetradecagon
D Pentadecagon

Back:

Choose your Misadventure

Perplex City is in danger! Over the past few days, everyone who has entered the Mimasan Maze has disappeared. You are young, intelligent and ready for action, as long as it doesn't involve zombies... or lemons. They always give you the willies. At the deserted maze's entrance, your first choice presents itself: will you take the tunnel route ( Chapter I ), head up the ladder ( Chapter XIV ), or go down the eerily dark slide ( Chapter IV )?

XIV Ladders are fun. Up, down, it's a world of thrills. Well, it turns out they're only fun if, once you've climbed down them, you don't find yourself in a room full of snakes. The hissy creatures seem to be circling some sort of black hole. The room isn't that big and the exit is just a short distance away (past a pile of snakes). It's your choice: will you attempt to jump to the chandelier and swing yourself over the snakes ( Chapter XX ), charm the snakes with your dulcet tones ( Chapter XXIII ) or jump into the suspiscious black hole ( Chapter VII )?

XV Having a great time and almost forgetting why you're ther, you bound across the letters giggling like a ninny. On completing the phrase, you head towards the door and watch as a portcullis slides in front of the exit. Two other pieces of the checkerboard slide away to reveal other ways out. In front of one lies a jester's outfit and the door is emblazoned with a crudely drawn jester and the text "JEZTERS ONLY". The other exit is marked with a big red cross. Looks ominous. Will you take the jester's door ( Chapter XXI ) or the other ( Chapter XVIII )?

XVI You wander through the swinging door into a huge chamber (of doom, probably), carrying the bowl. A horrifying sight stands before you! Hundreds of people bob to and fro doing some sort of merry jig, all dressed as jesters. On a throne in the centre sits an oversized monster, cackling loudly, his deep guffaws reverberating off the walls. He spots you and booms: "?YHW ERA UOY TON GNICNAD !ENOYREVE TSUM EB YPPAH" and then bursts into tears, ignoring his scrambled eggs. Do you try to comfort the big wimp ( Chapter IX ) or take your chance to kick him when he's down ( Chapter XIX )?

[S2] [Cards Set] #036 Jelly Beans

PuzzledPineapple@forums.unfiction.com — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:13:44 +0000

Front:

To keep the Mind Candy staff motivated, a large jar of eight different flavoured jelly beans is kept in the office for anyone to help themselves.

How many beans would someone need to take out to be certain of getting three of the same colour?

Back:

Drops of water streamed down the window obscuring my view. Behind the glass, I could make out people hurrying to and fro in the rain. Those without umbrellas tried to weave around the other passers-by quickly, while the rest plodded on, their mood matching the weather. Even The Point couldn't breach its temper. It stood, tall as ever, watching the day go by. I tore my eyes away from the scene, mumbling thanks to the waitress who'd brought my coffee. She told me to cheer up, told me it may never happen. Maybe it already had.

I sunk back into my chair. Red leather was never my thing, but it sure felt good. Looking around, I saw that the cafe was full of people sheltering from the rain, cosying up to a hot drink and creating little wet patches on the seats. The waitress headed back behind the counter. She looked so comfortable in her place, chatting to all the regulars, she must've been here for years. I don't know how she stands it. I wouldn't... couldn't live my life that way.

[S2] [OXO Set] #041 Toil and Trouble

coffeegirl18@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:47:53 +0000

[S2] [Dice Set] #040 Snapped

Eugenes Lair@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 15:56:36 +0000

Front:

The top half of a "face card" in a deck is supposed ti be a rotated copy og its bottom half. This is not true in the cards pictured here. Can you spot the differences between the top and bottom halves of each card? Count how many mistakes you see on each.

Back:

Sekani was the youngest ever competitor in the Academy All-Schools Scholarship tournament. I'm pretty sure the record still holds. No-one particularly rated his chances for winning; he was obviously a talented kid, but he ouldn't have the stamina or experience to get to the top. Maybe another year, people said.

The Academy holds the city-wide competition every year, with thousands of students vying for the chance to win one of the scholarships. The pressure is immense; for months parents subject their children to endless private tutorials and practice games of Twin-Wheel and Counterpoint. I was naturally talented though, and so I didn't have any use for such hand-holding. I knew that I would win a place and tick the first box on my goal to becoming a Fellow of the Academy.

My first few games were trivially easy. At the time, I joked with my peers - the other expert players - that we might as well have played them simultaneously, to save time. Only the final stages of the tournament held any interest for me. It was in those games that I came up against Sekani.

[S2] [Cards Set] #033 Stepping Stones

simonaubrey@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:35:02 +0000

Front:

We came at last to the hidden grove that separated us from the palace. Between us and the palace stood an underground lake, covered with water lilies large enough for a man to stand on. Protruding from the surface were sturdy rocks on which stood idols to the Shichi Fukujin. This was a sacred place: in crossing we would have to pass each statues and pay tribute. We crossed the lake together, both standing on the same water lilies, but the giant leaves began to sink as soon as we stood on them, blocking the path back.

Which statue did we pass twice?

On the statues, going clockwise from the top, the names are:

Jurojin, Bishamon, Daikoku, Ebisu, Hotei, Fukuroku, Benten

Back:

Crimes of Fashion!

With Police Lieutenant Cornelius Day-Etherbrington and this week's guest detective, Perplex City Academy's Tippy Ankron

Serena Duncan

Cornelius: Well, a-looky here. It's clear that Miss Duncan won't be winning any prizes in the Perplex City Fashion Games.

Tippy: Poor Helix , Imagine this coming in the front door.

Cornelius: And are those trainers without socks? Now, Serena, that's just not nice.

Tippy: Not to mention the fact that the rest of her clothes look like they've come from a rummage bin.

Cornelius: I know, Tippy, I know. This is not how we expecr our city's icons to tun out, even while training.

Tippy: There is no excuse.

Cornelius: Not for cropped trousers, Tippy, no. I think we can give this ensemble two out of ten. One point for the specs, and one because Harrison Louelle is a personal friend.

Sentinel Sunday 57

Why Tippy doesn't like Serena

[S2] [Dice Set] #038 Snakes and Ladders

simonaubrey@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:27:08 +0000

Front:

In the game shown above the dice represent the throws during the game. Each player moves forward the number of squares stated on the relevant dice colour. If you land on the top of a snake or the bottom of a ladder you must journey to the other end immediately. If, however you land on another player then you take their square and they have to return to the start. It is then the turn of the next player. To reach the finish you must land on the 25th square exactly.

Which colour won?

Back:

The Maraboria caves are 250 miles south west of Perplex City, an area that is mostly desert and scrub with alittle farmable land. The town of Maraboria grew up around this more fertile land and the caves were discovered by the townspeople around 600BC. The caves consist of over thirty caverns, some relatively small and some the size of ballrooms. The caves are a huge tourist attraction, and their discovery transformed the local economy.

The beautiful caves are perhpas most famous for their unique displays of Cats' Eye Stone, a glorious natural mineral structure which covers the inside of the caverns. The caves are also home to the rare Cat's Eye Stone Moths, who nest in the mineral lattice.

Within the caves are quiet places set aside for contemplation of their beauty and the enigma represented by the moths. The caves have long been a place of meditation and were the favoured site of revered religious scholar Xylon Potts.

The caves are now the primary holy site of Potts' religious sect, commonly known as The Artist Divine. The group sees the almighty as an artist - the creator of exquisite works of art in nature. Potts experienced this revelation while contemplating the mineral lattice produced by the Cats' Eye Stone Moths.

The religion's followers are petitioning the Maraboria Town Council to allow them custody of the caves, where they would creat a temple and prevent non-believers from entering.

[S2] [Dice Set] #037 Issue 2 - Cornered

simonaubrey@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 10:51:49 +0000

Front:

"Time's up."

"It's just for show..." (image shows a blowtorch in the background)

Thump thump thump

"...The Old Man always carries a gun."

"There's a chance. From the stairs he's 7' away from seeing the door. I'm 20' away from the actual door."

"He moves at 2 yrds/s but I move at 6 yrds/s"

"Can I make it to the door before he sees me?"

Back:

The future of the caves is now in question. As well as attracting tourists, the caves are home to the Cat's Eye Stone Moth, which has an unusual quirk in its reproductive system. After death the moths' bodies dissolve and precipitate in the caves' acidic waters. This sediment forms the exquisite Cat's Eye Stone - a shimmering geometrically structured mineral, rather like a honeycomb made of silvered glass.

The honeycomb structure is then crucial to the moths' survival as the noths' eggs can only hatch in the mineral lattice. How the moths developed this reproductive system in the first place is a mystery. No Cat's Eye Stone Moths have ever been bred outside the Maraboria Caves.

Tourists recently developed a habit of breaking off pieces of the Cat's Eye Stone mineral lattice and several chunks ended up in Perplex City, where they were fashione dinto jewellery. This jewellery featured in the fashion pages of The Sentinel and demand for it grew rapidly.

The market price for the stone rose so much that visitors were leaving with their pockets full, selling the fragments and buying homes with the proceeds.

Despite the valued income from tourism, the Town Council is seriously considering closing the caves to visitors and turning them into a mine instead. It is estimated that this could creat ten times the wealth that Maraboria currently enjoys from its tourists.

[S2] [OXO Set] #043 - Family Ties

groovygirl20@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 22:32:44 +0000

Puzzle by Cassia

Front:

In a family there is a grandmother, a grandfather, 2 fathers, 2 mothers, 4 children, 3 grandchildren, 1 brother, 2 sisters, 2 sonds, 2 daughters, 1 father-in-law, 1 mother-in-law, and a daughter-in-law. How many in the family?

Rear:

Choose Your Misadventure

Perplex City is in danger! Over the past few days, everyone who has entered the Mimasan Maze has disappeared. you are young, intelligent and ready for action, as long as it doesn't involve zombies... or lemons. They always give you the willies. At the deserted maze's entrance, your first choice presents itself: will you take the tunnel route ( Chapter I ), head up the ladder ( Chapter XIV ), or go down the eerily dark slide ( Chapter IV )?

XXIII
Having come unprepared for snake charming - who knew? - you attempt to woo the snakes by singing to them. "Cows that do arithmetic! Cows that make you drool and lick!" A fine choice. But the snakes don't look happy. In fact, for quite expressionless creatures, they look decidedly displeased. You continue singing, missing notes and humming as your nerves make you forget the words. Okay, now they look mad. It's time for desperate measures. Do you run through the snakes, figuring they're slow and won't be able to follow your lightning legs ( Chapter IV ); or do you lie on the floor and slither along with them, hoping they won't notice you aren't in fact a snake ( Chapter VIII )?

XXIV
This is it, the central chamber. You've come quite a way, yet you feel like you've made no progress at all. Around you, people dressed as jesters cartwheel and jive in some sort of mad ritual and in front of you, you see the orchestrator of it all: a monstrous monstrosity of a monster. Hastily, you try and think what to do before the monster spots you and turns you into one of those dancing loons. Will you run to the people and pull off their jester's hats, surely the source of the spell ( Chapter III ); or try and insult the monster, hoping he's not quite as monstrous as he looks ( Chapter XXI )

XXIV
Rocking backwards and forwards, you and the snakes perform a small ditty. You leap from foot to foot, leaving the monster in awe at your quite average dancing skills. After about five minutes, you stop moving and the monster's head continues to bob along. Gradually, he fades away, a look of happiness overcoming him, leaving you, the snakes and most of Perplex City to wonder where the monster had come from and why oh why did he love you dancing so much? It doesn't worry you unduly, though, and you make your way home to have a sit down, happy that the city is safe... for now.

NB - The fact I have put two XXIV entries from the rear of the card is correct. This is exactly as it is on the card. Either this is intentional, or it is a typo that will rear it's head at a later date....

[S2] [OXO Set] #044 Opochtli

waltonky@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:30:48 +0000

Front:

Whilst the city celebrated, Opochtli wandered out alone to the surrounding mountains. Looking for a place to rest, he spied a cave at the base of the tallest mountain. Entering he found the walls were carved with intricate symbols and emblems. He recognised several of them: this was a dedication to the goddess of hearth fires and volcanoes, but he could not remember her name.

To whom are the carvings dedicated?

Back:

Choose your Misadventure

Perplex City is in danger! Over the past few days, everyone who has entered the Mimasan Maze has disappeared. You are young, intelligent and ready for action, as long as it doesn't involve zombies... or lemons. They always give you the willies. At the deserted maze's entrance, your first choice presents itself: will you take the tunnel route ( Chapter I ), head up the ladder ( Chapter XIV ), or go down the eerily dark slide ( Chapter IV )?

XX Feeling like an action hero, you jump towards the chandelier, just managing to grasp it with your fingertips. Dangling precariously, you swing and launch your body forwards hoping you'll make it over the snakes. You do! Well done. Looking back your face falls as you see that you managed to drop your key in the middle of the snakes. Will you try and get it back by pretending to be a snake and slithering across the floor ( Chapter VIII)? Or were you never that fond of your key anyhow and so choose to take the exit ([b]Chapter X )?

XXI You put on the jester's costume and make your way through the door into the gigantic chamber. You fit right in here, with hundreds of other people also wearing the same outfit. Scattered around the room, groups are trying to form human pyramids while doing the hand jive. They aren't doing very well, and each time someone falls, another jester tries to climb up to their position. A terrifying monster sits on a throne in the middle, grinning wildly every time someone falls down. You need to find some way of stopping this. Do you try and talk the monster round ( Chapter IX ) or free the people yourself by removing the source of the spell, their jester's hats ( Chapter III )?

XXII You shout the phrase with an overly extravagant hand gesture and your snakes slither off in the direction of the monster. It gurgles with fear as they approach, and you think to yourself what a genius you are, doing none of the dirty work and beating this beast. Of course, you think this too soon. As the snakes reach the monster, they clamber up his body and (with their newfound love of bipeds), squeeze him affectionately. The monster then picks you up and plucks off your limbs to feed his new pets. It only hurts until you die.

[SOLVED] #054 - Orange - 9 Ball

lonadar@forums.unfiction.com — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:27:17 +0000

Text:

AT SOME BAR IN THE MODIUS STRIP

LAST WEEK, I FOUND MYSELF NURSING A HANGOVER AND PLAYING MY MATE TONE AT 9
bALL. nOW, i'M A MODEST GUY, BUT MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE THAT I'M PRETTY SHARP
AT POOL. SO WHEN TONE BEAT ME FOR THE THIRD TIME RUNNING THAT MORNING, I KNEW
SOMETHING WAS WRONG. NOT WITH ME - WITH THE POOL BALLS. I'M NOT ACCUSING TONE
HERE, BUT I WAS CONVINCED THAT ONE OF THEM WAS LIGHTER THAN THE OTHERS, WHICH
TOTALLY THREW OFF MY AIM.

TONE DIDN'T TAKE THIS WELL AND CHALLENGED ME TO PROVE IT. "I WILL PROVE IT!" I
ANNOUNCED, TAKING DOWN THE REGULATION WEIGHING SCALES FROM THE WALL (ALL
BARS HAVE THEM, DON'T ASK ME WHY). WHAT WAS THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF WEIGHINGS
OF THE NINE BALL POOLS I NEEDED TO TAKE TO FIND OUT WHICH WAS LIGHTER THAN
THE OTHERS?

(Signed Caine)