Forums » Creative Corner » Read Thread

So yeah, I created my own grid-based logic puzzle and want to bribe folks into checking it out and giving feedback. So, for the rest of December, I'm giving +10 Xp to anyone who can solve it (via PM).

Feedback that does not give away the answer or offer new clues can be posted here. I may give +5 Xp for really insiteful and/or useful feedback.

Also post here if you were able to solve it (or are the guy that discovers a fatal flaw in it or something).

So the puzzle - - -

An important political figure has been murdered on the Orient Express. The famous train is composed of the locomotive, fore passenger car, dining car, aft passenger car, sleeper car, and caboose.

The body was found after the train pulled into the station and everyone debarked, so information about the murder is piecemeal, gathered from what a scant few witnesses could remember.

The Swedish Engineer was in the Locomotive all night, Shoveling coal, so he is removed as a suspect.

As for the rest...

1. The victim was killed in the Sleeper Car with a Noose. (Note that none of the following passengers was the victim)

2. The Bodyguard was Russian.

3. One of the passengers was Japanese.

4. The Waiter was seen in the Dining Car at the time of the murder.

5. Brass Knuckles were found in the Caboose.

6. The French guy had a Knife.

7. One of the passengers had a Revolver.

8. The German is not a Tourist.

9. The Conductor was one car forward of the French guy's car during the murder.

10. The American was seen in a Passenger Car at the time.

11. The Russian was two cars behind the Businessman.

12. The Businessman sells Crowbars for a living.

13. The Conductor does not carry a Knife.

14. The American does not own a Revolver.

So Who killed the Victim?

(The correct answer will show all four Categories: Nationality, Profession, Weapon, & Car).

Good Luck super-slueths, etc!

Wait, where?

Challenge accepted.

I'll be more than glad to participate in this. Thank you.

Anyone who does not know how to set out your grid and categories can check out www.Logic-Puzzles.org (this would be a 4x5 Grid).

Puzzles! I love FUCKING PUZZlES!!! ^_^

But do you love free Xps? ^v^

I think there's a weapon missing from the list though. There's only 5 weapons listed and 6 of everything else.

Nah, there are only Five of everything (the sixth category was ruled out - Swedish, Engineer, in Locomotive, with Shovel).

Oh, the shovel was the weapon. Got it now. ^_^

Yep - not just for bashing zombies!

But the real riddle though is... What is a victem? 

I blame autocorrect!

---

ABCD × E = DCBA

(Replace letters with digits and have the sum be true. A,B,C,D and E are all different digits.)

The real trick then, is then finding somewhere to enter in DCBA... Good Luck! ^v^

Oh shit, I figured it out! It was Colonel Mustard in the study with the candlestick! STEVE!

I'm sorry, but you must present your answer in the form of a question. ;)

Solved it suckers! Ha ha, never doubt my supreme brain power!

Confirmed and points awarded!

(Still plenty of points to go around).

Mizal solved it less than 2 minutes after WIBN.

Yeah it wasn't really that hard if you're able to think logically.

Sign me up for this!

She's all yours! Go for it!

Bucky solved it about an hour ago, but I just logged in to see it. :)

And Romulus gets it! :)

There may be a gap or two preventing a completely filled-in grid, so I'm editing the following two more clues into the OP:

14. The French guy was not in a Passenger Car when the victim was killed.

15. The American does not own a Revolver.

"The American Hates guns"

What an unrealistic puzzle!

Yeah, haha! I caught that too and edited.XD

You can determine the French guy's location without clue 14, but it will probably help make it easier.

Yeah, I confirmed this with another run through, where I was able to place the French guy well before even reaching clue 14.

So I edited the clue out of the OP, but will leave it in the post above for those who need the extra help.

I win! Gimmie points! ^_^

You did & you got it!

I think I solved it.  Hopefully...

Confirmed and points awarded!

To the few people still trying to solve this, keep at it - you can do it!

And use the grid ;)

For anyone not sure how to set up the grid, here is a blank sample.

A grid is a collection of squares. Berka even came straight out and said to use a grid that's 4x5. Even CYStians can make squares, and count to four and five.

I hope.

This is CYS where many people are easily confused and even allegedly intelligent members sometimes have a surprisingly depleted vocabulary. Also, the new model of Bucky is striving to be more paragon. Mostly because it's a cool word.

Cool grid! Just note that's a 4x4 grid and you'll need 5 rows and columns per category for this puzzle.

The grid would have the following rows and columns.

Rows -
Russian
Japanese
American
German
French
---
Tourist
Conductor
Businessman
Waiter
Bodyguard
---
Fore Passenger
Dining
Aft Passenger
Sleeper
Caboose

Columns -
Brass Knuckles
Crowbar
Knife
Noose
Revolver
---
Fore Passenger
Dining
Aft Passenger
Sleeper
Caboose
---
Tourist
Conductor
Businessman
Waiter
Bodyguard

When plotting out the grid, the first row category (nationality) goes against all three column categories (weapon, car, and profession).

The second row category (profession) only goes against the first two column categories (weapons and cars).

And the last row category (cars) only goes against the first column category (weapons).

The reason for this is that other combows of rows and columns are redundant.

Once you have the grid, you X out everything that is not possible (such as row:american/column:revolver. You also put a circle in everything that is true and X out a plus-sign in the row/column category intersection box where the circle is.

For example, the French guy has a Knife, so the circle goes in the row:French/column:Knife, while you X out all the other weapons on the French row and all the other nationalities in the Knife column.

If you do this, you can fill the entire grid out and know everything about all the categories.

Check out www.logic-puzzles.org for an example 4x5 grid (click on solve a puzzle).

I'm pretty sure I'm on the right... track.

Yep, you got it! Points awarded~
(Train pun aside haha!)

And Orange has solved it too!