No. 002 - Lost and Found

[reminded]

[Action?]

[Somewhere, a puzzle sits. Abandoned.

Why? How? Nobody knows. But it looks innocent enough. Little blocks in playful colors, purposefully arranged inside a handcrafted house of wood. The blocks slide easily with a nudge, almost as if they were born to do so. It looks like the big red block would fit perfectly into the space on the right. In fact, it looks like it would be a pretty easy task. Might as well give it a try, right?

But this cheerful little puzzle has a dark secret. To the savvy, it's worth 99 picarats and requires a series of 81 moves at minimum to complete. To the not-as-savvy, that means it's a lot harder than it looks. This is not a puzzle for the weak.]


[Voice, evening]

Good evening, Luceti. I’ll only be a moment. I seem to have lost a puzzle of mine -- a sliding block puzzle, to be precise. Has anyone seen it? I would appreciate any word.

(( OOC: I don’t count on him actually getting the puzzle back, but it can be spotted anywhere and everywhere. And if you'd like to play out puzzle frustrations with someone other than Layton, go right ahead! Puzzle destruction is also a thing that is acceptable. Just sayin'.

P.S.: a video of the puzzle if you want to see it in action. ))

Comments

Voice

[immamartillo]

[Puzzles, huh? The only person Firo knows who would carry around a puzzle is Luke, so would this be the professor he's heard so much about?]

You lost a puzzle? Why would you be carryin' around somethin' like that?

[reminded]

Hm? Why wouldn't I?

[This is a sincere question.]

[immamartillo]

Because... Well, I dunno, that seems like somethin' people only do at home when they've got nothin' else to do. Why would you need to bring it around with you?

[As soon as he's said it, he realizes he may have stepped on a landmine. Hopefully this guy isn't as passionate as Luke was.]

[reminded]

[He isn't as passionate as Luke. He is more passionate.]

Oh no, my friend. Puzzles can be so much more than that. They exercise a healthy, active mind and promote critical thinking in seemingly simple situations. In fact, I have just the puzzle to demonstrate.

[immamartillo]

[He blinks and wrinkles his nose.]

A puzzle? I thought you said you lost it.

[Silly Firo. What kind of gentleman doesn't have multiple puzzles under his belt?]

[reminded]

[Silly, silly Firo.]

A different puzzle, of course. I would be a poor sort of enthusiast to lose this one, as it's in my head. It begins with a trio of men engaged in a three-way duel.

[immamartillo]

Hang on a minute, I never said I'd do it!

[Nor did he say he wouldn't, because now he's kind of interested.]

And who even does a three-way duel? I thought it was supposed to be two people.

[reminded]

[This is a good puzzle so he is determined to share it, protests be damned!]

I suppose you could call it a truel in this case. The three men are of varied skill with the pistol. Let's say you're one of them, and on average you hit your target only 1/3 of the time. Let's say I'm also one of the men, and I hit my target 2/3 of the time. The third man, Mr. Blue has perfect aim 100% of the time.

We have arranged the rules as such: we take turns shooting, one at a time, until there is only one man left standing. You will shoot first, then I, then Mr. Blue, and then it cycles back to you. At whom should you shoot first?

[immamartillo]

[To Firo's credit, he does try and think it through; he knows the answer won't be the one he wants to blurt out on impulse. But as his silence stretches into a minute, his patience for puzzles wears out.]

Um... Mr. Blue? Might as well try and take out the best guy first, right?

[reminded]

You might think so, but if you do manage to hit him, the situation will still look quite dire for you once my turn comes around. Can you think of an option that will tip the odds a bit more in your favor?

[immamartillo]

So then I shoot you? ...But then if I hit you it'd be even worse because he'd hafta go after me.

[reminded]

You're right there. Shooting me would leave you much worse off. Take a moment to think -- have you really explored all of the options open to you? This puzzle requires some creative thinking.

[immamartillo]

[He growls in frustration.]

But the only other person I could shoot would be me!

[reminded]

[Layton is unfazed. Frustration is a normal part of puzzle life.]

But of course, you wouldn't want to harm yourself either. Which means...?

[immamartillo]

I don't know! Shoot the air? How would that get anything done?

[reminded]

Well, let's consider the consequences of shooting the air. With your turn over, what do you expect I'll do on mine?

[immamartillo]

Well, if I were you I'd got after the tougher guy first. 'Cause if you shoot me, then he'd have to kill you, right?

[reminded]

Quite right. And from here, what possibilities do you see? Are they better or worse than if you had shot at Mr. Blue?

[immamartillo]

Better, I guess, if I can hit you when my turn comes back around. But that's still not guaranteed.

[reminded]

It is still a gamble, yes. But your prospects are much brighter than if you had shot Mr. Blue on your first turn, as counterintuitive as wasting a turn may seem. Doing puzzles often will help you get into the habit of thinking critically.

[immamartillo]

So that's the answer? But you only said I could shoot at you or Mr. Blue!

[No, he didn't.]

[reminded]

Now, now. If you'll recall, I asked, "At whom should you shoot?" And so the answer becomes... "nobody".

[immamartillo]

...That's a trick. That's not fair.

[reminded]

Tricky, to be sure, but not a trick. You would ask yourself the same question in a real world situation -- "Whom should I shoot?" -- and you would have the same options available to you.

[immamartillo]

Tricky, trick--they're the same thing! And anyway, in a real situation I could just use a knife instead and take both of 'em out.