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

[Roman]

Last week I posted a thread about how our gaming group was in the process of being defeated by a puzzle. Today was another session of that game and we failed to solve the puzzle. I guess we simply gave up on it - it only took about 10 minutes of this session before we declared it over and moved on to a new game - usually we are much more persistent, but there was a sense of something akin to 'hopelessness' over this particular one, so we simply gave up.

In any case, I promised that I would post the puzzle this week so that you guys and gals can take a stab at it. True to my promise, here is the puzzle including the (rather concise) instructions. If you solve the puzzle please post the solution in hidden format so that others who want to try it out can do so.

[Start Puzzle]

Fill the proper symbols into the blanks:

C C C A A A A A A C B B B T T
C C C A A A A A A C B B T T T
C C C A A A A A C C B B T T T
C C C C A A A A C B B T T T C
C C C C A A A C C B B T T C C
B C C C A A C C C B B T T C C
B C C C A A C C B B T T C C C
A C C C A A C C B T T T C T C
A C C C T T T C B T B B A T C
A A T T T B B C B B B B A T C
A A A T T B B C B B A A A T C
A A A T T B C C A A A A A T T
A A A A T B T T T T T T T T T
A A A T T B T T T T T T T T T
A A A T T B T T T T T T T T T

[End Puzzle]

My code:

A = Arrow
B = Blank (replace this with an appropriate symbol)
C = Circle
T = Triangle


Good luck!

 

[the Jester]

Two questions:

Do you mean 'arrow' like bow and arrow, or arrow like you draw to point something out?

And are all the arrows pointing the same direction? And if so, which direction?

 

[Roman]

Two questions:

Do you mean 'arrow' like bow and arrow, or arrow like you draw to point something out?

And are all the arrows pointing the same direction? And if so, which direction?

By arrow I mean a symbol that looks like this: <->

I guess it is not really an arrow (or 'double-arrow'), but I lack a better term for it. The symbol is always horizontal just like I have 'drawn' it here.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

There's no answer on the poll for how I'd answer:

The issue isn't how hard the puzzle really is, it's how hard it looks to be, versus how fun it looks to be.

And it doesn't look anything like fun.

I'd have quit, too, which is maybe a bit petulant, but unless someone else at the table cared to solve it, game over.

I don't play D&D for that.

 

[Ottergame]

I am trying to work on it, but I don't see a clear pattern. Either we and your players are just to daft to see it, or you're puzzle isn't so very clever.

 

[Roman]

I am trying to work on it, but I don't see a clear pattern. Either we and your players are just to daft to see it, or you're puzzle isn't so very clever.

I did not make the puzzle. I am just one of the players too daft to see it and as a result of our lack ability to solve this the campaign has ended.

 

[Ottergame]

I did not make the puzzle. I am just one of the players too daft to see it and as a result of our lack ability to solve this the campaign has ended.

Ah, good. I want to slap your DM. If you want to make a puzzle that can be solved in a decent ammount of time, you need some sort of pattern for people to figure out.

 

[Arkhandus]

Aye, that's dull, boring, completely uninteresting, and nearly impossible to boot. It'd take hours of careful examination and writing to even come close to figuring out whatever absurd pattern is there.

Whoever thought that sort of "puzzle" would be something appropriate to "challenge" (more like bore and frustrate) the PCs with is a freaking moron. No other way to put it. If the DM didn't even present the PCs with the chance for Intelligence checks or NPCs to ask, then he's simply a freaking moron or a jackass.

Seriously. I looked through that so-called puzzle and there's no quick or easy way to solve it. I don't even think the creator of the puzzle placed/selected the right blank spots, or number thereof, for it to be solvable. He's an idjit.

No fun or satisfaction could be had through, let alone worth the excessive wasted time of, solving that aweful "puzzle".

 

[Ottergame]

Ok, there are 68 triangles, 60 arrows, and 62 circles in the puzzle. The puzzle is 15 by 15, which is 225. I can ASSUME that there's supposed to be 75 of each symbol, which would equal 225. So somewhere, I need to add 7 triangles, 15 arrows, and 13 circles.

I still don't SEE a pattern though.

 

[demiurge1138]

That's impossible!

By which I mean, that's impossible to be any fun at all for anyone involved. Just annoying. Find a new DM, for your own sakes.

Demiurge out.