Boggle

Credits

Idea by Dwight.

This version of the puzzle is by Wei-Hwa.

Puzzle

Required: A pre-1990 Boggle set.

age bag beg ben bevy
bey bilk eng fen fey
fib fie fil fix flu
gab gae gaen gawk gey
gyve ilk kibe kief kif
lib lie lief lien life
luv neb neif qua quag
uvea veg veil wab wae
waeful wag wage wife yea
yen zul

Solution Method

1. Assemble Boggle grid. 2. Read letters on bottom.

Commentary

Unfortunately, with a modern Boggle set, the possible set of answer words is very constrained.

• Sean: they changed the cubes? Why would they do that? --12/01/2009

We'll have to create custom cubes if we want any real flexibility in the message.

Dwight suggests adding a step, which is to read the 16 letters around the edge. Wei-Hwa thinks it would be better to keep the two reading methods separate for Act I and Act II, and it would probably be too constraining to do a two-layered version.

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Actually, I suggest a three step process based on the flexibility of creating custom cubes:

Step 1: Unboggle a set of words (with a unique solution modulo rigid rotations of board and individual cubes) such as W-H's example above.

Step 2: Treat the reverse side as a boggle board. A message suggesting an additional message on the edges of the board, and how to orient the individual cubies to reveal it, is contained therein. For example:

 EEDC
 UGTE
 PPFE
 ERLE

Step 3: read outer edge for solution:

   IWEH
  N    T
  D    N
  Y    I
  C    N
   AVER

It's probably even possible to embed additional significanda, such as one or some of the words of step 1.

<ddf>

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This suggests the following puzzle schema for the game: This puzzle is "going back in time" on a Boggle(TM) game. Perhaps there could be a series of puzzles based on "going back in time" with standard games and puzzles, such as the infamous Game-of-Life reversal in my first Stanf. Game, and the classic "How did this chess position come into being" puzzles. <ddf>