The Puzzler's Guide/Intro/First Aid
When you're playing an ARG and a puzzle drops in your lap, sometimes its hard to choose exactly what you should start to do to decode it. However, there are some puzzles that appear often in ARGs, so by applying ARG First Aid right away, you may be able to quickly solve the puzzle. Some First Aid strategies are outlined below.
ROT
What is it?
ROT codes are just words that have had their letters rotated through the alphabet a certain number of letters. For example, in an ROT-2 code, ABD would become BCE. One of the most common ROTs to use is ROT-13, as it moves the letters halfway through the alphabet.
Tell-tale signs
- What appear to be random letters in common word formations (three letter, four letter)
Example
You receive the following code:
- Lbh'ir nccyvrq fbzr NET svefg-nvq.
Using ROT-13, the letters become
- You've applied some ARG first-aid.
Cryptograms
What is it?
Cryptograms are phrases in which each letter of the alphabet has been replaced with another random letter. The letter carries through the phrase, so, for example, all Es will be replaced with the same letter. However, if P replaces E, E does not necessarily replace P. They are also known as Mono-Alphabetic Substitution Ciphers, but that's a bit of a mouthful, and cryptograms sound like they're more fun to solve.
Tell-tale signs
- Phrases in which a few letters occur very often (these are most likely E, L, R, S, and T)
Example
You receive the following code:
- XCXVB YXKKXV GT LGPPXVXOK.
Because X comes up the most often, assume that it represents E
- ECEVB YEKKEV GT LGPPEVEOK.
The letter pattern of the first word looks like it is most likely EVERY
- EVERY YEKKER GT LGPPEREOK.
Using knowledge of English, because "every" is an adjective, that means that the next word must either be an adjective or a noun. If it were another adjective, then "GT" would need to be a noun and "LGPPXVXOK" a verb. Because it is unlikely that a two letter word is a noun, assume that it is the verb. This makes it most likely to be the word "is", as it cannot be "be".
- EVERY YEKKER IS LIPPEREOK.
The letter K appears a lot in the puzzle, but it is not R, E, or S. Guess that it is T.
- EVERY YETTER IS LIPPEREOT.
The second word is most likely LETTER.
- EVERY LETTER IS LIPPEREOT.
What word at the end would make a sentence? DIFFERENT.
- EVERY LETTER IS DIFFERENT
Anagrams
What is it?
Anagrams are phrases in which the letters must be re-arranged to form another word. For example, the letters in "A PEAR SPIDS" rearranges into "DISSAPPEAR".
Tell-tale signs
- Groups of words that just don't make sense together
- Regular letter distribution (lots of E's, S's, T's, etc.)
Example
You receive the following code:
- A TEENY TRILATERAL
Because the code contains lots of Es and As, it is most likely an anagram. By using an anagram server, it is revealed to anagram into:
- ALTERNATE REALITY
Warning
When using anagram servers, you often end up with a ridiculously long list of possibilities that you need to sort through, with doesn't really help you that much. Sometimes, it actually just makes more sense to sit down with a pencil and paper and begin jumbling around the letters.
