You Are Games:
Letters In Boxes #11
Ah, the magic of the perfect ripple shuffle. You take the top half of the deck (face down, of course) in your left hand, then with a fluid motion, let the bottom card slip out of your left hand, then the right, then the left, continuing until both hands are depleted of cards. Repeat that twice (minding the jokers along the way), and you've got a perfect deck with cards ready for Canfield, Crazy Eights, or Contract Bridge. The process, when done flawlessly, is stunning to watch, and makes you look like a card shark without ever betting a chip.
Being a word shark can win you a prize you can sink your teeth into! (Amazingly, I'm already out of shark jokes.) This week's Letters In Boxes challenge requires you to shuffle around a little bit looking for the answers. Solve all four puzzles, send in your answer, and if you trump the competition, you'll be a winner!
As usual, your first puzzle is located just below. Click on it to open it up in a new window. Solve it, then change the filename in the address bar (in this case, "eleveneleveneleven") to your answer (making sure you use the same directory and extension as before). If you're right, you're pegging your way closer to the prize! If you're not right, you can always discard your answer and try again.
This batch of puzzles contains four puzzles to solve. On the fourth puzzle, you'll find the email address for sending your final answer. We'll hand out a prize to the first correct entry we receive, plus ten additional randomly-selected correct entries. Please include your Casual Gameplay account display name with your entry. You must be at least 13 years of age to enter. Only one submission per participant, please. Offer void where prohibited. Your deadline for submitting your answers is Monday, August 22nd at 11:59 PM (GMT-5:00). Do the cards hold a prize in your future? You've got to play to find out!
Update: Congratulations to these 11 winners! :D
All eleven winners were given a choice of prizes or an entry into a GRAND PRIZE drawing to be held at the end of August! Congratulations and thanks for playing with us! Look for another Letters in Boxes again soon!
- OtherBill ...First!
- Dom
- Ryusui
- squawky
- Tweetheart
- m5rammy
- bluemoose19
- Dragonxpert
- DAM
- kublai
- eugenides
Couldn't solve the second one correctly, but I cracked it with the help of an anagram solver. The third one, though... Hm.
Any chance of a nudge for number 2 please? I can't work out anagrams from the numbered rows but I can't see any other way yet.
Yeah, I am struggling on two as well. Where did you find the anagram solver?
A little stuck on 2... gosh, I'm so bad at anagrams.
Think of shuffling. I got a bit of the filler text, and worked out the rest with guesswork, so no complete solution here.
Sorry.
Oh, just so I don't mislead anyone, I believe a correct solution for 2 will not require an anagram solver.
Hm. Stuck on #2.
Stuck on 2.
This is what I thought:
donhuando: That's what I did. If the puzzle is correct, there must be another way. But that was enough for me to see something interesting.
schizophoenix:
I do see something, but can't make anything out of it really:
donhuando: That's all I saw too. Can you fill in the rest? Remember it's filler text.
Anybody got anywhere on 3? I don't see how the title applies or where to begin. I just see the right letters to puzzle me.
I'm with donhuando on this one. Except that I see a bit more.
But I'm just as puzzled as he is.
ThemePark: Almost there!
For the second one, I think it's supposed to say.
Though, I'm not sure what to do with that yet.
I can't figure out the missing words.
my #2 letter transposition isn't working out right...
THERE IS AN ERROR IN THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF PUZZLE TWO. If you're looking at the left-hand grid, the number 1 should be one position higher. A fixed version will be posted ASAP.
Themepark: That's the part I don't get either. I solved it by taking
A FIXED VERSION OF PUZZLE TWO HAS BEEN POSTED. You may need to refresh your browser or clear your cache or replant the petunias or whatever to see the corrected image (the correction is in red).
What's really embarrassing about this is that I checked the puzzle five different times using two different methods, but couldn't see where the discrepancy was. Turns out half the time when I was checking the puzzle, I used the original graph paper on which the puzzle was written, and the other half of the time, I was using the computer image, and I never spotted the difference between the two, even after checking that five times as well.
Well Steve, I tried the method after making the change you mentioned, and the puzzle works beautifully now. :)
Okay. I'm going to sleep, let the sun rise, and trust that other fertile brains will give hints on 3 when I wake. No wonder nobody else seemed to get 2.
Ah, that makes a lot more sense, thanks. ;-)
About #3, it's obvious what to do, but what I can't figure out is
Well, damn!
yeah, that fix was kinda critical...thanks
Thoughts on #3:
Okay, I need help with puzzle 2.
Can anybody give me a hint or two?
I don't think 3 is that complex, Themepark.
@ThemePark:
@bubblecamera:
Oh! I just got 3! Do exactly what it says:
Be careful, though, because there's also an ingenious little twist to make it work.
Not sure what to do with 4 though...
No idea for no. 4. I really must go to bed though, but I can't give up now!
Ah! 3 is nice! But isn't there a small typo in it too?
@SirNiko:
What I can't figure out:
Themepark -
SirNiko: Think you're on the wrong track.
curiousgeorgie's hint for 3 is the crux. It's a pretty puzzle.
@SirNiko
Hint for #3:
But the problem is that:
Oh dang, I think I figured out the cruel twist.
Well, the last one's got me completely stumped, so I'll just take a (Ozzy Osbourne, album 4, track 9) and hope for the best.
For number 3:
Anyone having any luck with number 4?
on 3
@ThemePark: You've already found a part of the pattern that's (almost) correct.
Finally got #3! Thanks for all the hints, that was indeed an ingenious twist.
I got #4 right away.
So, now I'm the one stuck on 3
@SirNiko
I'm usually lousy at these LiB challenges, but I thought this one was lots of fun.
For number 4:
@ThemePark
Yay, you got it! I guess you were prepared for the fourth puzzle by your efforts on the third. But I can't get 4 though I've tried it multiple ways...
@Rgandum:
I'm embarassed because I'm stuck at #1 but
Got the last one! It helps a bunch if you read the introductory paragraph.
Good puzzles! Number 3 had perhaps one too many tricks to it, though... but they were all very good tricks!
Oh my goodness, I had it right in front of me long ago, I just couldn't read :P
Thanks for your help, guys :)
I'm probably thinking too hard to solve #4.
Done! Thanks for hints all round.
One last thing bugging me: I don't mean to nitpick, but surely the last letter for 3 is incorrect?
I can't get past #1. I'm sure I've got the right answers:
but apparently it's a broken link. Any help?
@pixelated:
For 4, I'm trying to follow the instructions in the 1st paragraph as best I can, but I'm clearly screwing up somewhere. Can we get some more clarity on it?
Ditto here with #4.
Also, #3 involves a dirty, dirty trick.
Having serious trouble with #2.
I can't get past #1. I'm sure I've got the right answers:
but apparently it's a broken link. Any help?
@pixelated:
@nerdypants:
@Ryusui:
I need help with #3.
This is what I have:
I still have no idea what to do, this is what I tried:
@donhuando:
Ok. I somehow managed to solve #3, but I don't know how I was supposed to know this:
I still can't figure out #4.
Also, @donhuando:
@Ryusui:
@ThemePark:
@ Themepark
Some general advice on #4
Nice round of puzzles this LiB. Though #2 wasn't very hard, I really enjoyed the result.
Regarding number 3
Unintentional. As SirNiko stated, one trick was intended, the other was a typo on my part. The image has been fixed.
Fun fact: This week's LIB was written in under three hours, because I had fears that the puzzle set I had already written for this week (which was pushed back to next week) was full of bugs. Who'da thunk?
Oops, accidentally posted twice before, my bad.
Anyway, thanks Ryusui. Got past #1 after that hint easily, then got through all the others with a little help from the comments.
Just finished 4;
Thanks everyone, done. C:
You know, I must have tried that every possible way. It just wasn't working. First try this morning, and it just clicked. Who knows why.
Also, I probably kept setting myself back thinking it was
At first I thought, there's no way they would have made that mistake. Then I looked at the last two puzzles, and my confidence in them was a little shaken. :-D
Thanks, Ryusui! That was what I was missing.
And I'm finally finished! The answer to #4 is quite appropriate, in my opinion.
There's something I'm severely missing with #4.
This week's set overall just hasn't clicked with me. I've gotten answers without fully knowing why that was the answer.
Using comments for hints again this week - #4 had me for a while
and...
The final word is definitely appropriate.
Isi:
Took a break, came back, and finally got it, only backwards...
Yeah, no idea why. I'm just really off with this set.
Regarding #4, I was having a hard time, mostly because my brain simply doesn't function where spatial relationships are involved. However, I took scissors and cut out real, physical blank cards
And then it was a piece of cake!
@DAM, I also had to sleep on a puzzle - in my case #2 - but when I woke up this morning and thought about it, it was obvious!
My take on the rest of the game: #1 was simple (and I do appreciate that!), whereas #2-4 were quite challenging, at least to my mind.
Thanks for this @Steve; I look forward to Thursdays now!
What are the answers to #2,3,&4?
zoz:
That is what I had to do as well before I finally saw the answer! For some reason, #4 was definitely giving me the most trouble this week until you suggested that. Thanks!
Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em! This contest has closed, so here are the answers:
Winners will be announced soon!
Darn, I missed another.
Update