Puzzle Cards

General

Puzzle Cards first appeared in the Firebox advert and were soon followed by an appearance in the Parcels sent out. The cards have different colors, numbers and sets. The colors correspond to the difficulty and the rarity of the cards, ranging from red (easy and common) to silver (difficult and rare).

According to the "Rules Card" you have to collect the cards and solve them to win Perplex Points at www.perplexcity.com, making complete sets of four to win extra points. The cards may hold clues as to who is behind the Theft, where the Receda cube is, who took it, and why.

While the idea of using puzzle cards to lead the way to a resolution might seem a bit sadistic to some, it is in fact perfectly in keeping with Perplexian culture. The game Clash, which is extremely popular within the PCAG, is in fact the root of using puzzle cards.

Season 1 card details

PERPLEX CITY, SEASON ONE The search for the Receda Cube on Earth

Features of the Season 1 puzzle cards are described below.

Selected cards may be seen in the Selected Cards article. Please note, this wiki will not be hosting all cards, but rather just those which fall into certain categories. See the Card Catalog at http://perplexcitycardcatalog.com for a comprehensive listing of all cards with much meta data.

Large ghosted letters

See main article: Puzzle_card_symbols#Playing_Cards_and_Large_Letters

• On cards with prime numbers, large faint letters appear in the corners
• Playing card symbols appear on these cards as well, as a means to organize the letters.
• The letters seem to spell out a message when collected and assembled.
• It seems to say: I stole the Cube. Help me. Combed Thunderclap.

Strange Symbols

See main article: Puzzle_card_symbols#Wave_4_Meta_Information

• Wave 4 of season 1 introduced unusual shapes on some cards.
• No pattern is readily apparent.

Strings of numbers

See main article: Puzzle_card_symbols#Wave_4_Meta_Information

• Wave 4 of season 1 introduced strings of numbers on some cards.
• No pattern is readily apparent.

Unsolved cards

3 Cards in particular have discussions and information hosted here. They are exceptionally difficult to solve.

• Season 1 Card #238 - Riemann See Riemann
• Season 1 Card #251 - The Thirteenth Labour See The Thirteenth Labour
• Season 1 Card #255 - Billion to One See Billion to One

Misprints and Rarities

A few cards were part of limited print runs, were special promotions, or had errors or changes in printing. For the details, check out Misprints and Rarities.

See Also

• Puzzle Card List -- Lists principal card features
• Card Designers List -- Lists cards by designer
• Avast! Pirates! -- It would seem certain members of the CRT, especially Kurt, are fond of pirates.

Card sellers

The initial card sellers, according to Parcel Letter was a bit short. This list has since expanded greatly. Online retailers include:

• Firebox
• InSound
• ThinkGeek

PerplexCity magazine spreads

The Telegraph has started publishing monthly spreads featuring a number of perplexian puzzles, and some previews of up-coming cards. The collected assembly can be seen here:

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In June 2006, a new magazine in London - Penny - started printing puzzling spreads. Only one has been produced so far.

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Card Waves and Seasons

The Perplex City Puzzle Cards are being released in waves. This is partly for storytelling purposes, and partly for financial reasons. 4 waves of cards were released in Season 1. It is unknown how many seasons there will be. Some rumors have suggested at least 3 seasons, but that is wild speculation on the parts of everyone involved. At this time, it is not known what will happen to everyone's puzzle points and achievements at the end of season 1. In a strictly meta-game sense, Season 1 will end when the Receda Cube is found. Season 2 will involve something else entirely.

Please see Brian Enigma's impressive Card Catalog for a sorted, comprehensive listing of cards.