1.02 Core Dump 1
Contents
- 1 Order
- 2 Status
- 3 Location Status
- 4 GC Point of Contact
- 5 Location Notes
- 6 Type
- 7 Plot Setup
- 8 Props
- 9 Plot Point to Convey
- 10 Short Description
- 11 Detailed Description
- 12 How To Give To Teams
- 13 Puzzle Answer
- 14 Puzzle Solution
- 15 Budget
- 16 Credits
- 17 Manager
- 18 Hints
- 19 Response to Correct Answer
- 20 To Do
- 21 Other Notes
Order
1.03
Status
::MOCKUP::
Location Status
Reserved
GC Point of Contact
Erik & Melissa
Location Notes
Doctor When's laboratory
Type
Mandatory Puzzle
Plot Setup
Time machine has malfunctioned, but no one knows why. Prof. Chronus knows that the time machine can do a core dump for diagnostic purposes. Unfortunately, when she checks it it has been corrupted (turned into a puzzle!) by the very same malfunction. So she needs the players to decode the core dump so she knows what to fix.
Props
- Physical core boards, one for each team.
- Printout of "core dump" word list, two for each team.
Plot Point to Convey
One of the "tachyon midi ether co-keypads" is broken. Luckily, Prof. Chronus is an expert in such matters--she did her dissertation on the topic! Moreover, she's not surprised that Doctor When screwed it up; he never was any good at tachyon midi ether co-keypads, going all the way back to high school. However, she is only good on their theory. To actually create a new one she needs the help of someone with implementation experience. Doctor When isn't available, so the nearest alternative is Dorian Claire in San Francisco.
Short Description
Each team is given a corrupted diagnostic core dump board to decode in order to figure out what's wrong with the time machine.
Detailed Description
The core dump is actually a physical circuit board with little rings attached to resemble an old computer memory core module. The rings are thumb-sized, much larger than real cores, so that letters printed on them are legible to the unaided eye.
How To Give To Teams
Prof. Chronos will give live speech to all teams at once and then hand out boards. See script. Note that she will ask teams to leave Institute to solve and only to return once they have a solution.
Puzzle Answer
CO-KEYPAD IS RUINED
Puzzle Solution
1) The title "TOGGLE BURNER" is printed on the puzzle. This is a spoonerism of "Boggle Turner", a hint that the rings should be turned so that the letter grid, if played as a 4x4 Boggle board, would yield all the words on the accompanying printout.
The correctly-solved grid is:
CHAN GETO BACK SIDE
which reads, left-to-right and top-to-bottom,
CHANGE TO BACK SIDE
2) This instruction means that every ring should be flipped 180 degrees to reveal the letters on the back. Doing so yields this grid:
SIDF STHE LAEL or LPFD AGHI AILI NOTP NOGA
which reads, either zig-zagging up and down or spiraling outward,
FLIP THE DIAGONALS
3) Flipping the 8 diagonal rings back to how they were reveals a final message, not on the face, but around the sides:
COKEYPAD IS RUINED
4) Orthogonally to the above steps, each ring has one letter printed in a slightly different typeface than the others. They constitute a hint that may be discovered at any time, spelling out the phrase:
LOOK AT EDGES LATER
Budget
- $45 circuit boards
- $45 plastic tubing, 43 feet
- $20 copper wire, 200 feet
- $20 stick-on letters
Credits
Dwight - concept, logic design, presentation design Wei-Hwa - logic suggestions
Manager
Dwight
Hints
Response to Correct Answer
When a team has a solution it will re-enter the Institute and approach Prof. Chronos. She'll give them the text starting on p. 7 of script and send them to Dorian Claire.
To Do
Pick final materials out of options. Manufacture four for full playtest.
Other Notes
Need at least one "help debug/fix the machine" puzzle/activity, but could have many more...and not all teams need to do all activities. Spongebob, Pineapple juice? This puzzle justifies getting the teams out of the building. (Erik's opinion: should be only one "core dump" puzzle. Optional puzzles fit better in Pep Ring sequence and Retrieve Letter sequence.)
