Another year, another Mystery Hunt
Originally at https://notes.shaunagm.net/post/137624340232/another-year-another-mystery-hunt
Mystery Hunt was this past weekend and as usual I enjoyed the hell out of it. Highlights included Molly’s epic history rap battle, every puzzle name in the Lovecraft-themed round, and helping to solve a number of metas. The Dreamtime meta-meta was particularly fun, so that’s the puzzle I’ll explain, rot13’d to prevent spoilers. You can skip the gibberish if you just want links to my favorite puzzles.
Fb Qernzgvzr pbafvfgrq bs svir zvav-ebhaqf bs sbhe chmmyrf rnpu. Rnpu chmmyr unq guerr uvagf nf gb gur nafjre. Gurfr uvagf, juvpu fnvq guvatf yvxr “Abg n Rhebcrna pbhagel!” jrer abg irel hfrshy sbe fbyivat gur chmmyrf gurzfryirf, naq sbe gur sbhe bhe bs svir ebhaqf jr jrer noyr gb fbyir, gurl jrera’g hfrq va gur zrgn, fb vg jnf pyrne gurl jrer zrnag sbe gur zrgn-zrgn.
Zl svefg gubhtug jnf gung nyy gjragl uvagf gbtrgure jrer rabhtu pbafgenvagf gb trg n fvatyr nafjre, ohg bs pbhefr gung jbhyqa’g unir hfrq gur chmmyr/zrgn nafjref ng nyy, juvpu vf abg ernyyl ubj zrgn-zrgnf jbex. Gura vg bppheerq gb zr gung lbh pbhyq hfr gur 3 k 4 frgf bs uvagf gb perngr gehgu gnoyrf. Ol nffvtavat oynpx gb Gehr naq juvgr gb Snyfr, lbh pbhyq trarengr fbzrguvat yvxr zbefr pbqr, be fcryy bhg yvxr yrggref. Jr nccyvrq rnpu bs gur svir frgf bs gehgu gnoyrf gb gur sbhe ebhaq nafjref jr unq, naq tbg: “YNHTU YVXR N ? XBBXN OHEEN”.
Jr jrag nurnq naq thrffrq “zreel” sbe gur zvffvat jbeq, juvpu znxrf cyragl bs frafr sebz gur fbat ylevpf, ohg vg jnf jebat. Bar bs zl sryybj uhagref cbvagrq bhg gung vg jbhyq or qvssvphyg gb znxr na ‘Z’ funcr ba n 3k4 tevq. Jr gevrq “unccl”. Fgvyy qvqa’g jbex. Jr arrqrq n svir-yrggre nqwrpgvir ohg jr unq ab vqrn juvpu bar. Fbzrbar - V qba’g erzrzore jub - guerj bhg ‘penml’ nf n cbgragvny nqwrpgvir. Jr jrer trggvat nofbyhgryl abjurer jvgu sbejneq fbyivat gur zvffvat ebhaq nsgre ubhef naq ubhef bs gelvat - naq gbaf bs jbzong cbbc wbxrf - fb jr qrpvqrq gb gel naq onpxfbyir gur zrgn-zrgn ol onpxfbyivat gur zvffvat zrgn.
Jr pbyberq va ‘penml’ va gur gehgu gnoyrf. Gurer jnf fbzr nzbhag bs thrffjbex sbe arj yrggref ‘p’ naq ’m’ naq ‘l’ (jr xarj jung ‘n’ naq ‘e’ ybbxrq yvxr) ohg gurer jrer rabhtu Gehrf naq Snyfrf jr jrer fher bs. Fb jr fgnegrq chggvat gubfr pbafgenvagf gbtrgure. Gur nafjre jnf zber guna svir yrggref. Vg jnf yrff guna avar yrggref. Vg pbagnvarq gjb yrggref sebz guvf jbeq naq ab zber guna bar yrggre sebz gung jbeq. Vg raqrq va n obl’f anzr. Vg qvq abg pbagnva n Rhebcrna pbhagel. :) Jr chg nyy bs guvf va n clguba fpevcg naq jura jr jrer qbar jr unq n fvatyr jbeq - gur pbeerpg jbeq, vg gheaf bhg.
Naq gung vf gur fgbel bs ubj jr fbyirq gur Qernzgvzr zrgn-zrgn.
Anyway, here’s the list of puzzles. I’m sure I missed a number of excellent ones, but you can’t solve everything.
Top three:
The Shunned Cyclopean Postcards
And also:
May the Shortz Be With You (I didn’t even know I needed a Star Wars expanded universe puzzle)
There were also a few that seemed really cool from afar. I may go back and forward solve these once it’s been long enough that I forget the answer: