Philedom Olympics 2011: Day 1: HANGMAN

[amalnahurriyeh]

And here is the first challenge post for Philedom Olympics 2011!

Today, we will be playing X-Files Quote Hangman. If you aren't familiar with the basic rules of the game, check the wikipedia entry. You can also see the X-Files version as played on the TWoP forums.

The basic rules are these:

1) I will put down a list of blanks that represent a quote from an X-Files episode.
2) You all will guess letters. Each guess is worth 2 points; however, you cannot guess a second time until you've gotten a response from me that I've got your letter (to prevent people stealing all the points, *g*).
3) When I check in (which will be 6-8 hours from this posting, and then again at least once an hour), I will fill in all the correctly guessed letters, and put the others in the penalty box (since I cannot come up with a good way to draw the hanging-guy graphic). If we get 10 letters in the penalty box, then the game is over, and we all lose, sadface.
4) If you think you know what the quote is, guess it! If you are right, you get 5 points for winning (in addition to points for whatever guesses you've done).
5) Once the puzzle has been solved, I will put up a second! And a third, depending on how long it takes! We'll close it out in about 24 hours or so.

I sincerely hope this makes sense, as I'm about to go to bed!

And, without further ado, today's first puzzle:

Solved, as of 8:39 AM New York/ 12:39 UTC, by flourish! The answer:

SCULLY: Meanwhile, I've quit the FBI and become a spokesperson for the ab-roller.
 

Here's #2. It's a piece of dialogue:

SOLVED!  As of 1:33 PM New York/ 5:33 PM UTC, by wendelah1 and littlegreen42 (I'm giving them both the win because of rule-confusion).  

 

MULDER: Swamp Gas?

SCULLY: It's a natural phenomenon in which phosphine and methane rising from decaying organic matter ignite, creating globes of blue flame.

MULDER: Happens to me when I eat Dodger Dogs.
 

Two vague rule clarifications: 

1) You can (and should!) guess letters already guessed in previous rounds in subsequent ones.  Otherwise, we could have problems.
2) While excessive use of google-fu to crack a puzzle is not precisely in the spirit of the game, running to a transcript site to make sure you've got the whole quote correct when you're pretty sure you know it is not a problem.

Without further ado, puzzle #3!


SOLVED as of 5:10 PM   New York / 9:10 PM UTC, by <user name=heartequals>!

CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN: What I don't want to see is the Bills winning the Super Bowl. As long as I'm alive, that doesn't happen!

On to #4:

SOLVED!  By <joy_and_thunder> at 7:52 PM New York/11:52 PM UTC.
 

SCULLY: Like evidence of conjury or the black arts or shamanism, divination, Wicca or any kind of pagan or neo-pagan practice, charms, cards, familiars, bloodstones, or hex signs or any of the ritual tableaux associated with the occult, Santeria, voudoun, Macumba, or any high or low magic?

MULDER: Scully?

SCULLY: Yes?

MULDER: Marry me.

 

And let's go with #5!  A shorter one.


SOLVED!  By azurelunatic  at 1:13 AM New York/ 5:13 UTC.

 

SCULLY:   You ever thought seriously about dying?


MULDER:   Yeah, once, when I was at the Ice Capades.

 

Thanks to everyone for playing!  Today's challenge is closed, but stay tuned for tomorrow's...

Comments

[flourish]

I was curious how points work, too. Do you get 2 points for every correct letter (so I guessed E and there was an E, and I get 2 points) or for every letter it fills in (so I guessed E and there were 8 Es, so I get 2 points per E)? I assume the former.

In any case, I have 9 by now, so one more guess and I'm topped out.

[flourish]

Gimme a W!

[flourish]

Hee!

[littlegreen42]

N

[wendelah1]

After we max out our points, we will have to play for the joy of being together as Philes at Dreamwidth rather than the glory of winning. I am going to post in my journal to try to entice a few others to come out and play.

[amalnahurriyeh]

Got it!

[amalnahurriyeh]

Several crucial Ns!

Re: Number Three

[wendelah1]

How about an "r" next.

[littlegreen42]

I wonder if you missed some Ns, because I see two words that end in apostrophe-T that don't have Ns in front of the apostrophe, and I can't think of any word in English that ends in apostrophe-T that doesn't have an N in front of the apostrophe. (If I'm wrong -- maybe I'm just not thinking hard enough -- I apologize).

[littlegreen42]

That kind of ruins it for the people who don't have 10 points yet, though. If I made correct guesses, not for points but just for fun, I'd be stopping someone else from making those same guesses for points. (Maybe I'm overthinking this)

[wendelah1]

I think there are plenty of points to go around. Also, the quotes are so long that no one has made a bad guess yet. I think we can keep playing indefinitely. Or the mod can rescind the daily maximum point rule.

To infinity and beyond!

[littlegreen42]

Yeah, I think you're right.

[amalnahurriyeh]

...yes, I see the ones I missed. Thanks for the catch!

[amalnahurriyeh]

The 10 points maximum is a general rule across the game--there are 10 points available for each daily challenge. Basically, this is to stop, say, someone who posts TEN FICS or something absurd like that from being able to automatically win, and keep it vaguely level so that it's mainly about participation, not about some sort of hierarchy of production. (I hate/love how I turn into a philosophy professor ALL THE TIME apparently.)

I think it makes sense to act as if there will always be more available points, so that anyone who wants to play and has the time can get more. I mean, we can keep this going until it hits midnight west coast time (I don't think we have any alaskans or hawaiians? or folks further west) or a little longer, just to make sure that everybody has time to get it on.

But if people prefer doing something else--offering bonus points or something like that--I'm cool with that, if it seems to be collectively preferred.

[amalnahurriyeh]

It's 2 points per guess, right or wrong. Yeah, if we multiplied it times the number of letters, then nearly everybody would max out on the first or second guess, ha!

(As of when I last did math, I had you at 3 guesses (6 pts) and 1 solve (5 pts), which maxes you out. But keep playing! Maybe we can announce a Hangman King Or Queen at the end of the day?)

[littlegreen42]

Yeah, now that I think about it, it probably makes the most sense for it to stay the way it is.

[littlegreen42]

I?

[amalnahurriyeh]

Yup! (Plus even more Ns that I'd missed...)

[joy_and_thunder]

B?

[amalnahurriyeh]

Two very crucial Bs!

Re: Number Three

[amalnahurriyeh]

This one got lost. You got your lonesome single R now...plus a new hint.

[flourish]

I wrote the above comment before my 3rd guess. ;)

[flourish]

I just rewatched this episode, but I will let somebody else guess it and have a chance to get points. :D

Re: Number Three

[wendelah1]

I totally don't recognize this. How about an "L"?

[amalnahurriyeh]

<3 THIS EPISODE <3

I'm wondering if I should have gone with the longer monologue from the end of the episode by the same character. This might be too obscure. Or I might only remember it because my family was personally invested in the outcomes mentioned here?