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October 2004 Games
The October 2004 issue of Games is out - feel free to discuss.
Thanks to Sean, who let us know, and pointed out that it includes contest results for "Hexed!" (May) and a new Hidden Contest (due Nov. 1) along with the usual goodies.
Comments
So what does everyone think of Games' new "supah-slick" interior on the color pages? At least Pencilwise still looks the same. Funnily enough, as I was watching the Olympic operning ceremonies last night, I actually found myself playing word games with the country codes ala this month's contest. Go figure.
Posted by: Stephen | Aug 14, 2004 2:17:43 PM
Guess it was due for a facelift. Only getting it for about four years, I can't remember when its last change was (not when I had it, I know). Not a bad style for sure.
Wonder how hard the hidden contest will be this time. I haven't found anything yet, though I have a couple of ideas. Still trying to think what the maximum score could be on the AFG-AHO contest. I think I've ruled out using Tajikistan and the Maldives...for now, anyway.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 14, 2004 4:16:16 PM
I thought the new format was a little hard to read on the Wild Cards page, where they printed a couple of teasers in white type on a deep pink background. Other than that, I like the new look.
The new contest looks like fun. The winning score is very unlikely to exceed 70, from what I've learned so far, unless Webster's contains an unexpected trove of words such as NZLSWZUZBQAT that I haven't noticed yet. Everybody's favorite, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, doesn't seem to contain any more than 3 usable codes. (Note that thanks to their rule change about word acceptability, the plural of that word would no longer be acceptable, as it doesn't appear in boldface. I wonder if they're planning to make that change standard from now on, or if it's just a one-time thing.)
Posted by: Matt Dickey | Aug 16, 2004 5:14:23 PM
I'd like to put in a good word for the contest which is featured in an ad on page 3 of the October issue. I have been competing in "The Great Maltese Circumglobal Trophy Dash" for many years. If you've seen the ad in previous years but have had second thoughts about entering, let me tell you a few things about it.
As you can gather from the ad itself, you receive maps and instructions for a trip around the world. You can complete the trip in a couple of weekends sitting at your kitchen table (far less effort than Calculatrivia, for example.)
The Trophy Dash is one of the most devious and tricky contests I know of, but also one of the most entertaining. In addition to a series of very challenging puzzles and problems, a story line ties the whole thing together as you meet strange and eccentric characters, hitch rides on exotic vehicles, and try to avoid the traps.
One of the reasons I like this contest so much is the effort and care that goes into designing it. If you take a wrong turn or make a wrong choice, you will soon find yourself back on the right track none the wiser for it. This makes it possible for beginners to avoid the frustration of having to backtrack from dead ends, while providing experienced contestants with plenty of tricks and traps to avoid.
Another reason this is a favorite is the excruciatingly fair manner in which the contest is run. Following the conclusion of the contest, an answer book is sent out which contains a full explanation of the entire course. Contestants are given a chance to submit protests for any answers they don't agree with. The situations are complex enough that more often than not, one or more questions are thrown out as a result. Final results are then tabulated, with trophies handed out to the top scorers (usually walnut plaques or acrylic paper weights). You get a complete results book showing everybody's score, top finishers in each state and foreign country, etc.
The entry fee has slowly increased over the years, but not any faster than the price of an average movie at a theatre. I remember years ago thinking that the Trophy Dash provided me with at least 6 movies worth of entertainment, and that's certainly still the case today.
I have no stake in this other than being a very satisfied customer for many years. Jim Sinclair, the creator of the Trophy Dash, also runs an even more devious and challenging contest in late winter called "The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre". This contest is a cross-country road rally using the Rand McNally road atlas which is provided to all contestants. Also highly recommended. If maps and road rallies aren't your thing, then be on the lookout for his other contest, "The Almaniac". This is closer to the concept of what we do around here: digging up trivia. You get a copy of The World Almanac and must answer 80 questions based on its contents. The spring Almaniac is designed by Jim. Spring contestants then get to submit their own devious questions based on interesting or tricky info they found along the way, and these are used as the basis for the fall Almaniac.
It goes without saying that any success I've had on the recent contests on this site has come as a result of cutting my teeth on Jim's work. Folks, you don't know what "tricky" is until you've tried some of these. I've won several Almaniacs and a couple of Trophy Dashes, but even though I have a shelf full of trophies, I have yet to win my first Massacre after almost 25 years of trying. Each year I'm convinced I've seen all possible tricks and traps, and each year I'm blown away by the sneakiness of the new ones.
I'll be happy to answer any other questions folks might have. Also, see Jim's web site at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~oldmaltese
Clive
P.S. My fantasy would be to enter a contest jointly designed by Bob Lodge and Jim Sinclair!
Posted by: Clive Dawson | Aug 17, 2004 1:26:03 AM
So, how do the Hidden Contests work? I've solved all the puzzles in the magazine but I can't find it, except for a remark in the credits section to get a copy of all the contests in this issue.
Posted by: WWG | Aug 21, 2004 10:18:12 AM
Well...
1) I can't find the hidden contest...but don't they usually put a message from the editor in the letters page when they do?
2) this afg-aho contest is alot harder than thought...i mean they expect people to own a copy of "Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged)"...which comes out with new editions every few years...which costs alot of money I don't have...i have a total of 20 words with 42 abbreviations used...of course there is no way to check to see if my words are valid according to the dictionary it uses...so my only option is to use dictionary.com...
3) when are they gonna brong back cartoon rebuses...that is my favorite contest...but i think they should do more than 14...
have a good one!
Posted by: The_Steppum | Aug 21, 2004 12:07:16 PM
I'm sure someone will clarify if I'm wrong (entirely possible), but my understanding is that the various new versions of Webster's Third put all added words into the addenda, keeping the main body the same, so by excluding addenda words from eligibility (last rule), any Webster's Third will have the same set to work from. Someday they will mix them all in and we'll have Webster's Fourth!
What bothers me is that Webster's Third is available in electronic form, which I presume could then be searched electronically. A savvy programmer might be able to come up with the maximum score, letting his computer do all the legwork. If the eventual winners are identical entry ties, I will suspect that might well be the case.
Posted by: Bob Lodge | Aug 22, 2004 10:59:50 AM
WWG and Steppum, I can't say I've worked all of the puzzles yet, but remember that nearly everything (with the exception of the actual ANSWERS section) is game for the hidden contest. Past contests have included messages in fake advertisements and even messages encoded in contest results! I have to admit, though, the most bizarre one that I wasn't able to find was related to those crazy vertical bars that now appear at the top edge of the colored pages. One had to measure the widths of the bars and assign the smallest width an "A", next smallest, "B", etc. Aside from that one, another creative one (for which I was unsuccessful) was hidden in the Cryptograms (Dszquphsbnt!) section such that the translated letters were then re-used to convert the puzzle titles into the hidden message.
I, too, noticed that there is no introductory message announcing the contest or providing the contest address, so GAMES must figure that enough "veterans" know what to do.
Good luck. This one doesn't seem to be as straightforward as last time.
Posted by: Sean | Aug 23, 2004 10:22:37 AM
Thanks. I had the answer and solution issues for one contest where you had to work your way through a crossword grid like the "Walrus and the Carpenter" contest, so I tried that. Unfortunately, all I could find was 'Sasparilla' in one of the puzzles and a lawyer joke in the Snoopy word search. Gee, being a GAMES fan at 14 is pretty hard.
Posted by: WWG | Aug 23, 2004 1:03:50 PM
Bob is right about the CR-ROM version of Webster's 3rd, but it would take some reverse engineering to do what he suggests. You can search for words with a pattern (for instance "*afg*aho*" will show you all the entries such as afgaholywar and leafgirltunahominy, but you can't do a copy (higlight and control-C) out of their results window. Also, there is no indication as to whether a word is in the addenda or in the main text, and it you also can't tell whether a word form shown in boldface in the computer version will also appear in boldface in the actual hardcopy. So if you're scanning the computer version and find 'BURGEONED' and get all excited because it's got a codes smushed into just 9 letters, you still have to go find a hardcover edition and look up 'burgeon' to discover that it doesn't show 'burgeoned' in the real McCoy. I've been gradually developing computer lists, but mine are riddled with errors, omissions, and superfluous addendal words (forget ANTiANGINAl, for instance).
The net result for this contest is that I'm scanning both the hardcover and the CD version. One thing I notice is that there aren't many useful suffixes. Mostly I have to get lucky and stumble across things.
It's probably still going to take some computer wizardry to come up with an optimal solution, but I have a good bit of fodder to work with. I'm beginning to think that 60 is possible.
Posted by: Matt Dickey | Aug 26, 2004 1:47:55 PM
I wonder what would happen if I asked for a copy of all the contests in this issue?
Posted by: WWG | Aug 27, 2004 1:05:13 PM
The hidden contest does exist. I am 90% finished. There are clues throughout the magazine as to where to look. I will admit this was tough--but certain clues kept pushing me toward the right place to look.
Posted by: MLR | Aug 28, 2004 10:16:08 AM
Does the "Wallpaper by" credit line in the answers have anything to do with it? How about the changed letters in the "Editor's Choice" puzzle?
Posted by: WWG | Aug 29, 2004 7:28:09 AM
I don't think the "wallpaper by" or "editor's choice" have anything to do with it. I am not done yet--it keeps getting more complex!
Posted by: MLR | Aug 29, 2004 9:31:53 AM
Well, d'you have a hint to where to start looking?
Posted by: Michael | Aug 29, 2004 9:40:36 AM
The cover, the game reviews, the toymaker article. Clues in crosswords point to a particular column. The month. Interpret things in multiple ways.
Posted by: MLR | Aug 29, 2004 9:54:37 AM
About the 'fake ads,' what was the May 04 one?
Posted by: WWG | Aug 29, 2004 9:55:15 AM
Great. I just realized that my copy had all the pages after 72 ripped out. :p
Posted by: WWG | Aug 29, 2004 9:58:22 AM
They still do fake ads? I know they used to (it was a fun part of the magazine; some were even connected to hidden contests!), but I haven't seen any recently. Just checked my May 2004 issue with no reference to it.
Interesting hints, MLR. I know that this one seems like a tough HC (everyone I talked to outside this forum has no clue), but I love the comment on how it keeps getting more complex. This sounds like a really challenging one (I like the ones like that)...I'll see if I figure anything out in the upcoming days. Again, thanks for the hints.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 29, 2004 11:06:24 AM
Sry about the fake ad thing. Thought it was always in them, from hearsay.
Posted by: WWG | Aug 29, 2004 12:03:17 PM
The game reviews, the cover, the toys? What, does it have to do withthe Golden Arches or Happy Meal toys?
Posted by: Michael | Aug 29, 2004 12:07:25 PM
In honor of the Olympics, enjoy this quick 'n easy teaser:
GROUP 1: Italy, Denmark, Peru, Dominican Republic, Pakistan
GROUP 2: Nauru, Togo, Denmark, Greece, Fiji
GROUP 3: Japan, Morocco, Somalia, Turkey, Kiribati
To which group should each of the following three countries be assigned? Note: a country may be assigned to more than one group (like Denmark), or none.
Great Britain, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay.
Posted by: Stephen | Aug 29, 2004 3:29:41 PM
I don't want to give too many hints. However, in interest of fairness, I must say that a previous response was not entirely correct.
Posted by: MLR | Aug 30, 2004 9:17:49 AM
I'm sending a scenic postcard and a joke, just to be safe.
Whether or not you even find the Hidden Contest, most of the time it decodes to "Send me a riddle" or "Send us a card".
I felt like Ralph in Jean Shepherd's "A Christmas Story"
when he finally decoded Little Orphan Annie's secret message and it said "Drink more Ovaltine".
Posted by: Tim Szeliga | Aug 30, 2004 10:46:29 AM
One of the most useful contests recently was in a Games product review issue, that forced everyone (in a nice way)
to read every line and examine every picture with a proofreader's eye. What better way to ensure the advertisers that their ads are really being seen?
Posted by: Tim Szeliga | Aug 30, 2004 10:50:00 AM
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