Puzzles for Players

[aramis]

9 is the correct one; it's the only one which has factors other than itself and 1.

 

[Icosahedron]

From A's vantage point, the Lt is (360 - 308) 52 degrees to the left of B. From B's vantage point, the Lt is at 38 degrees to the right of A.

<big snip>
Ah, well this goes to prove my point - I read the original post to say that A found the Lt was at bearing 308 from himself (ie from A, not from B) and similarly B was taking the Lt's bearing from himself not from A, so I didn't have enough info to go on. If a misunderstanding like this happens in a game - especially an online game - it just becomes a mess.

For myself, I prefer that puzzles echo the flavor of the campaign. The best one I was ever on the recieving end of was in a long running D&D campaign. We found a round table, with a milky, translucent top, and edged with gems. A ring, too big to wear, lay in the center. Fortunately, one of the players had seen the 1960 version of "The Time Machine", and knew to spin the ring on the table. It gave us a riddle:

"The beginning of eternity,
the end of space and time,
the beginning of every ending,
the end of every rhyme.
What am I?"

We tried many solutions, all way too literal. Each failure trapped the answerer in a gem on the table's edge. That was over 25 years ago, and I still get goosebumps.

And again here. The riddle was easy, but although I saw The Time Machine way back when, I may not have considered spinning the ring - and if nobody thinks of it, what happens to the game?

That's why I avoid puzzles.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

My Lord Aramis.

I beg to differ, sir. The obvious answer is 11. By logic, of the clue, it is odd, and it is the only two digit number of the set. :devil:

 

[leo knight]

And again here. The riddle was easy, but although I saw The Time Machine way back when, I may not have considered spinning the ring - and if nobody thinks of it, what happens to the game?

That's why I avoid puzzles.

Exactly! I've tried puzzles in Runequest and D&D to have them fall completely flat. Always have a backup plan.

 

[Gadrin]

If a misunderstanding like this happens in a game - especially an online game - it just becomes a mess.

Right, as a GM you can plan for it. You just have to remember that
every little thing you plan can go wrong... SNAFU.

So if you toss them a puzzle you have to provide for the fact they
may not get it -- for whatever reason.

I beg to differ, sir. The obvious answer is 11. By logic, of the clue, it is odd, and it is the only two digit number of the set. :devil:

Actually a good point, a really, really good puzzle offers more than
one solution.

As a GM you might toss an "open ended puzzle" at them that has many different solutions (some less obvious that others) and just let the
first one to the finish line gets the prize (so to speak).

And never let on that actually due to the SNAFU principle (see the first
response to the first quote) they had several ways of getting thru it.

:rofl:

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