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Stained Glass · Icarian Member

The game they are playing doesn't have to be Scrabble. It might just use the tiles and point values.

It's just a thought...

3iff · very unbifflike

/dev/joe · Guest

Not hiding any of this any more; this post discusses the key issues we have to resolve in this puzzle.

If it is Scrabble, we need to somehow account for the fact that there are letters missing. Either one (or more) of the words on the board is not given to us, or some letters are missing from their set, or they are playing some other game that has a lot of resemblances to Scrabble but is not actually Scrabble.

If we assume that the words are played in the order listed, we have an anomaly at the end of the game. For Watson to have had six tiles left when Holmes went out, one of two things must be true: either Holmes played all seven tiles in a long word (and that word is not given to us, since the longest word we are given has six letters), or Watson played only a single tile on his previous play when the bag was already empty (but the words at the end of the list do not seem to support this).

In the words-in-order assumption, I believe I have exhaustively searched the space of legal Scrabble games played using these words in order and no other words on the board at any time; the farthest you can get is to HE. Perhaps what we need to consider now are plays which may create some additional words that later get extended into some of the words later in the list. That is to say, the list is in the order that the words were first formed, but any words which later got extended were omitted. For example, perhaps Watson's last play was to add a Y to the end of GLUE, which had been played previously. OFTEN could be built up by playing a letter between OF and EN, or OFT and N, or O and TEN. Etc.

In the words-out-of-order assumption, we need some additional information. I don't believe there is anywhere close to a unique way of fitting all these words on the Scrabble board, though I have not yet explored this possibility to prove it. And if so, why are the words presented in this odd order, which works so well (though not completely, using the methods we have tried so far) for our assumption that they are the words in the order formed?

Guest · Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:44 pm Post subject: 44

i just noticed this:

the words he and to are followed by high and often, respectively. this strongly suggests, also in view of the excess H's, that the words high and often are "hung", that is connected, in the same possible wife/(we)/node configuration. this may help free up room for successive words. i.e. graze/(he)/high and float/(to)/often.
may break it open.

darkveggie · Icarian Member

oh, that was my idea. i don't have time to try it though, until tomorrow. must write paper.

Foggy · In the clouds

Just a thought but since Holmes states that reconstruction of the board will reveal the stakes, I'd have to imagine that the seven+ letter word that he plays is intentionally left off the list, and including those letters will use the extra U and R, plus 5+ letters. (If it's the sign of four, maybe there playing for QUARTERS?

Also, and this I won't hide, if the words are the finished grid, then perhaps their intended to go top down or left right (e.g., WIFE/NODE is the highest row, WE... the first column, etc).

Thok · Guest

Quick clarification

Should the second line of words be wet, tamed, we, daze?

MatthewV · Daedalian Member :_

Stained Glass · Icarian Member

Because the problem seems to be mapping out the board, I wonder if the story is meant to help us solve that piece of the puzzle. For some reason I think the answer will become obvious once the board is completed. But there still is the problem of the missing letters...

I'll blame the cookie monster.

marcusI · Daedalian Member

I think I can help here.
I'm afraid this might be too much of a spoiler. So you hardier puzzlers might not want to know.
I haven't pursued the puzzle myself but have followed the discussion. A cable channel was kind enough to play "the sign of four" tonight and I might know the missing word. Central to the story was a steamship named Aurora this seems to fit the bill nicely.

MatthewV · Daedalian Member :_

However...I do not see the correct answer anywhere in your post. Keep trying Felicitous

3iff · very unbifflike

Thok · Guest

Perhaps one of the missing lines is sign, of, four?

Stained Glass · Icarian Member

I think the number four has a role somewhere. These are the three words Watson says.
"Hmmm"
"Hush"
"Done"

When I have time, I will try to work with this more.

Oscar · Daedalian Member

I can see something in Watson's eyes. More to follow...

Amb · Amb the Hitched.

There remains one other possiblity - they are playing upwords, where the tiles are laid on top of each other - obscuring some letters completely :p

I think the Sign Off Our is the major hint. I might try and construct a board myself over the weekend.

Amb · Amb the Hitched.

Tony Gardner · Daedalian Member

But then why is 'wet' included in the list given and 'we' isn't?

Foggy · In the clouds

Tony, the puzzle clearly states the list is the final list of the words on the board. Holmes states that intermediate steps (like WE) are not known.

Tony Gardner · Daedalian Member

Ah. Sorry about that, I didn't realize that making 'wet' eliminates 'we' from the board. Bit slow today...

Sineish · Daedalian Member

I think I've got all the words supplied to fit in a grid (it's 26 by 22, I don't know if this is too big or not).

WIFE
NODE with the E finishing next to the W in WIFE, also making WE
TAMED with the T next to WE, also making WET
DAZE through the D in TAMED
FAMOUS through the O in NODE
QUOTES through the E in DAZE
CAWS through the S in FAMOUS
CRANKY through the C in CAWS
BOYS through the O in QUOTES
EVENT through the N in CRANKY
PATTY through the Y in CRANKY
PRIDE through the P in PATTY
BLAZE through the E in PRIDE
JAILS through the L in BLAZE
GROAN through the A in JAILS
GRAZE through the G in GROAN
HIGH with the first H next to the E in GRAZE, also making HE
LOVER through the R in GROAN
ALONE through the E in WIFE
FLOAT through the O in ALONE
OFTEN with the O next to the T in FLOAT, also making TO
GLUEY through the G in HIGH

The following letters are shared:
A, C, D, 5Es, 2Gs, H, L, N, 4Os, P, R, S, 2Ts, W, Y

I don't know what this means in terms of solving this puzzle though, whether it is the correct solution or even the only possible one.

S.

Tony Gardner · Daedalian Member

A Scrabble board is 15x15 squares (and the first word has to have one of its letters in the center of the board, just thought I'd mention that). Still, nice work on the grid.

Nauplius · Crustacean Member

I believe that the "Sign of Four" refers to the number of tiles each player must play each turn. Using this assumption along with amb's suggestion I think step three should be:

Sineish · Daedalian Member

Sineish · Daedalian Member

Amb · Amb the Hitched.

This is the board

Amb · Amb the Hitched.

Assuming all 100 tiles and that Holmes starts
7 in Tray each (86 in bag)
Each play 4, (78 in bag)
Each play 4, (70 in bag)
Each play 4, (62 in bag)
Each play 4, (54 in bag)
Each play 4, (46 in bag)
Each play 4, (38 in bag)
Each play 4, (30 in bag)
Each play 4, (22 in bag)
Each play 4, (14 in bag)
Each play 4, (6 in bag)
Holmes plays 4 (2 in bag)
Watson plays 4 (Watson had 7, loses 4 to the play, gains 2. He should have had 5 tiles. Not 6)

Well that doesnt work; Try again with 6 tiles each

(100 in Bag)
6 in Tray each (88 in bag)
Each play 4 (80 in bag)
Each play 4 (72 in bag)
Each play 4 (64 in bag)
Each play 4 (56 in bag)
Each play 4 (48 in bag)
Each play 4 (40 in bag)
Each play 4 (32 in bag)
Each play 4 (24 in bag)
Each play 4 (16 in bag)
Each play 4 (8 in bag)
Holmes plays 4 (4 in bag)
Watsons plays 4 (0 in bag)
Holmes plays 4 - Has 2 tiles left, Watson has 6 - Cannot move further, and no tiles left to draw

The rules are clearer just by me doing this. I think they are playing with 6 tiles each not 7 as I was working on above.

* Holmes has the UR left in his tray.
* The stakes are that you must play exactly 4 tiles at a time from a pool of 6 and no more and no less than.
* With Holmes still having the U and R in his tray and unable to play further, that means he has 'gone out', thus Watsons six tiles left are "IIIIIX" without him being able to make any further plays. (And even were it allowed, what Four letters would he play anyways)

The other possibility I was entertaining before this, was that the U and R were drawn from the bag to see who STARTED and not replaced, with Watson drawing the U.

The Sign Off UR is a misleader, yet brilliantly ties in. Great puzzle.

Guest · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:15 am Post subject: 68

amb- the way you set up your board does not fit on a regular scrabble board. You have a height or 17 right now.

Amb · Amb the Hitched.

I didnt make the board, I used Sineish's instructions :-p

d8P · Daedalian Member

Excellent puzzle. That layout must be correct. The scrabble board is 15 x 15, exactly four tiles for each move, and it means there are six tiles left over, excluding the tiles in Watson's tray: 1 D, 1 E, 1 M, 2 R and 1 U: murder

[edit: Oh, duh. Didn't read the spoilers. Congrats, Sineish.]