Defeated by puzzle - campaign over: Here is the offending puzzle!

[Dannyalcatraz]

I reiterate my suggestion of Foot + Nards = catharsis.

 

[rushlight]

If he does use this absurdity again, I hope that you and the rest of the players are willing to beat him with your PHBs until he relents.

Roman, how would you feel if this came back in another game? Would you enjoy taking another crack at it - possibly for several game sessions? If not, then you need to sit your DM down, and talk. Tell him that if he wants to keep his "answer" to himself, that's fine. But he can't use the excuse that he'll use the puzzle again - because if that puzzle ever appears in a game again the game is over, period. There will be no contemplating, no discussing, no solving. Just a gathering of books, and an exiting of rooms.

Otherwise, be prepared to face this abomination any time the DM wants to stop you.

And finally, your DM may not be a bad person, but his DMing skills are in fact poor. While that is the case of every single DM at some point, the important thing is for him to learn and grow from his experiences. Any DM who plans to use a campaign-ending puzzle again clearly hasn't learned anything. Perhaps you should help him see how much agravation this puzzle has caused - it collapsed a year's worth of gaming - and why he should NEVER use it again. To do so indicates a poor DM who will always remain so. Your goal here should be to help him learn, so that he improves himself, and thus your games.

 

[Gorrstagg]

Ok, I called the DM. He still does not want to reveal the answer to the puzzle, because he said he might use it again at some point in the future. At one point he (I think jokingly, but I could be wrong) told me to tell you that there is no solution, but then he told me he will try to think of a clue to give me and you by friday that will not directly reveal the puzzle. I don't know about you, but I think I am ready to give up on the puzzle completely - I doubt I will see a solution given the circumstances. I will obviously still present whatever clue, if any, my Dm comes up with by friday. *Roman takes cover and prepares for the artillery (or on this board more likely 'spell') barrage.*

Wow.. I'm really at a loss of sufficiently diplomatic words. Really. Tell him.. to come to these boards, that the puzzle and this thread has generated over TEN THOUSAND VIEWS. It has been over 5 days since You posted it. And no one has come up with an answer. (And don't tell him until Friday.. so that way you can use the it's been a week thing.)

Roman thank you for trying to talk to your DM. Though you failed to roll high enough on your diplomacy skill check, it's not your fault.

This truly is starting to sound like the guy honestly didn't have a solution. So it was presented with the express purpose of ending the game. And honestly.. if I had been treated this way by this person in real life, and he used that BS excuse "I might use it again". People and I mean quite a few.. would have to hold me back from hurting him. Further, I would exclude this individual from any social ocassions including gaming. He wants to be a rude jerk ... well he can do it alone.

And now he's being a rude jerk. If he doesn't have an actual answer and he was hoping you or we would solve it for him. It didn't work. Just admit it.. be a man and say I made this up off the top of my head.. they only had to fill in the total symbols so they evened out to 75 each with placement being irrelevant.

Argh.. Roman.. I'm not mad at you. You didn't do this.. well if were going off of reality, by presenting it to us.. technically you did, but in this case you were simply relaying what had ended what appeared to be a fun year long experience.

For me.. this is rather aggravating.. and is on par with some very serious disrespect to the EN World gaming community. I guess it was very wise that his name was never mentioned, or who he was.. or what his possible Enworld name was.. cause if he wouldn't give an answer to something like this after this long.. then I would never publicly acknowledge this individual until he provided an answer.. even if the answer was simply..

I don't have one.

Which it sounds like might of been the case, but I'm very amazed that he thinks it's even remotely appropriate to tease that he might use it again.

This is the type of human being who I feel no compassion for when I hear something bad happens to them.

Okay.. I'm done ranting on this part of this.. I had to get this off of my chest.. and I gladly await the BS clue that will not lead to the answer of this puzzle. So your friend can feel superior to the many people who were faced with this. Mind you.. if he was such an awesome puzzle designer, and possible mathemetician.. he would present this to some super math club.. like something at MIT.. cause obviously he's an IDIOT savante.

*Grrr*

After this.. I'm reminded of a good song by "My Chemical Romance" "I'm not Okay."

 

[LeifVignirsson]

He said he might use it again at some point in the future.

*whistles*

Wow, I never thought I would hear the collective cry of a million brains as they wish to go stabity on one individual. I passed this onto MY DM because if I have to suffer, he has to suffer too... He is quite disappointed and had other... ummm... colorful language that went along with it. I was quite surprised...

Roman, I appreciate your loyalty. It is tough to get even a good DM these days. But, seriously, I would give him my character sheet and the finger and walk out the door if I were in your boots. You don't need the mental anguish and abuse, this is supposed to be a fun game, not a wrestling match with stupidity and arrogance.

I am now going to bang my head a few times on the desk so that way I can get this out of my head, then wait until Friday. We will see what happens...

 

[Ketjak]

Ok, I called the DM. He still does not want to reveal the answer to the puzzle, because he said he might use it again at some point in the future. At one point he (I think jokingly, but I could be wrong) told me to tell you that there is no solution, but then he told me he will try to think of a clue to give me and you by friday that will not directly reveal the puzzle. I don't know about you, but I think I am ready to give up on the puzzle completely - I doubt I will see a solution given the circumstances. I will obviously still present whatever clue, if any, my Dm comes up with by friday. *Roman takes cover and prepares for the artillery (or on this board more likely 'spell') barrage.*

The DM does not have the solution.

- Ket

 

[Gruns]

Umm...

Did he really say he "might use it again at some point in the future."...?!?
Umm... Speechless...
...

...

...

Still speechless...

Later!
Gruns

 

[Ze]

Did he really say he "might use it again at some point in the future."...?!?

Yeah, that is, when he finds a solution!
The guy sounds fake to me too. He surely is a good DM, Roman cannot be that wrong, but we all make mistakes. He made one and does not know how to get out of it.
IMO, of course. :\

 

[the Jester]

Ok, I called the DM. He still does not want to reveal the answer to the puzzle, because he said he might use it again at some point in the future.

Well, I would posit that this dungeon is a 'status quo' location that is hard to beat. It ain't meant to be easy- the pcs knew this- and it's still going to be there when the group of 5e adventurers (entirely new players, btw) goes back in 13 years, assuming the dm in question is still using the same world.

Again, bummer you guys lost; but I can see where your dm is coming from. Prolly do the same in his position, frankly, unless I found a mistake in my puzzle. It's like if the dungeon has a CR 30 monster in one room, and everyone knows that there's serious badness in there (no one has ever returned, deadliest dungeon in the land, etc); if a 4th-level party enters knowing that this is the toughest of dungeons nobody should be surprised if they don't come back out. Especially the dm- and the players. And you don't give away all the secrets just cuz there was a tpk.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

So he replaces the puzzle with a riddle... "How is a raven like a writing desk?"

The Auld Grump, if he does try using it again then kill him. Find somebody with a hog farm, drop the body in the trough, and leave.

 

[Gorrstagg]

So he replaces the puzzle with a riddle... "How is a raven like a writing desk?"

The Auld Grump, if he does try using it again then kill him. Find somebody with a hog farm, drop the body in the trough, and leave.

This riddle is very famous, although it is the rarefied kind of fame that entails most people never having heard of it. It comes from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Alice is at the tea party with the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, and the Dormouse, when apropos of pretty much nothing the Hatter pops the question above. Several pages of tomfoolery ensue, and then:

"Have you guessed the riddle yet?" the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.

"No, I give it up," Alice replied. "What's the answer?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," said the Hatter.

"Nor I," said the March Hare.

Alice sighed wearily. "I think you might do something better with the time," she said, "than wasting it in asking riddles that have no answers."


And thus we've got this ... okay for a second I almost thought I was on a private forum with some personal friends.. so let me respond about the DM's puzzle.

He's put forth a puzzle which ended a campaign. He believes he should refuse providing the answer to the players.. and thus to us.

Which is more along the lines of simply..

He hasn't the slightest idea.. and just doesn't have the testicular fortitude to say that.

We'll see if some special clue presents us on this Friday or not. But seeing as holding my breath until I turn blue won't do me any good.. I'll just be casually interested at this point.

But if he and I meet in person.. boy do I have some very sailor like responses for this guy.