Riddles In The Dark.

The Dread Pirate Robbins · Sun Nov 15, 2009 7:32 am

Hey Guys,

So I'm sure by now I must seem like the most unimaginative person in the world with the way my posts have been, but once again I must ask for creative help. I'm looking to give my players some cool riddles/puzzles to solve, but I can't seem to think up any cool or original riddles or puzzles. So if you have any cool puzzle or riddle ideas I'd love to hear them, even if just for a little inspiration to get the creativity ball rolling.

Yargh! and stuff,

Pirate Rob

James M. Ward · Post by **James M. Ward** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:29 pm

Google will give you a few thousand.

One that has always worked well for me and Tolkien,

"What do I have in my pocket?"

James M. Ward

Lurker · Post by **Lurker** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:52 pm

James has it right with google. One thing to look for is Anglo-Saxon riddles/word games. I have a word doc of about a 100 AS riddles etc and they all have a Tolkien feel to them. I don't have my hard drive that they are saved on but give me a few days & I'll post some of them if still need them.
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 5:12 pm

Hey thanks for the tips! I never thought of Google for riddles.

I wonder if this is in there... a personal favorite:

Twelve horsemen riding by,

Twelve pears hanging high,

Each then took a pear,

But left Eleven hanging there...

... how?

Two answers!

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Sun Nov 15, 2009 5:12 pm

(highlight to read)
1) "Each" is the name of one of the horsemen, so only 1 horseman took a pear

2) Every horseman ate a pear, and they hanged a man named "Eleven"

Just a little silly, I suppose.

AGNKim · Post by **AGNKim** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:57 am

Relaxo wrote:
(highlight to read)
1) "Each" is the name of one of the horsemen, so only 1 horseman took a pear

2) Every horseman ate a pear, and they hanged a man named "Eleven"

Just a little silly, I suppose.

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You're doing it wrong...
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Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:13 am

Relaxo wrote:
(highlight to read)
1) "Each" is the name of one of the horsemen, so only 1 horseman took a pear

2) Every horseman ate a pear, and they hanged a man named "Eleven"

Just a little silly, I suppose.

Nice!
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Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:14 am

AGNKim wrote:
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You're doing it wrong...

by giving the answer?

?!

Wolfram_Stout · Post by **Wolfram_Stout** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:45 am

Hi,

Do you live near a University? or a really good public library?

In the Middle Tennesee State Uni, Library, there were some great books on riddles. I am not talking about you normal Big Book of Riddles. But books on Anglo-Saxon Riddles, and scholarly (spelling?) on riddles.

I don't remember any specifics now, but we covered riddles in a Folklore class there.

Wolfram

jaguar451 · Post by **jaguar451** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 1:55 am

Relaxo wrote:
Hey thanks for the tips! I never thought of Google for riddles.

I wonder if this is in there... a personal favorite:

Twelve horsemen riding by,

Twelve pears hanging high,

Each then took a pear,

But left Eleven hanging there...

... how?

Two answers!

What? I thought they hung eleven men and left them hanging there....

Relaxo · Post by **Relaxo** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 12:25 pm

jaguar451 wrote:
What? I thought they hung eleven men and left them hanging there....

It's meant to mean they took 12 pears but leaft 11 pears hanging in the tree... since that makes no sense, that's the riddle.

Lurker · Post by **Lurker** » Tue Nov 17, 2009 3:14 am

Here's one from a quick search:

A wonderful warrior exists on earth.

Two dumb creatures make him grow bright between them.

Enemies use him against one another.

His strength is fierce but a woman can tame him.

He will meekly serve both men and women

If they know the trick of looking after him

And feeding him properly.

He makes people happy.

He makes their lives better.

But if they let him grow proud

This ungrateful friend soon turns against them.
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/english/beowulf/riddle.htm

Also David Brown book co has a few historic/AS riddle books that aren't too expensive
http://www.oxbowbooks.com/home.cfm

Answer
Fire
_________________
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

Knight Errant & Humble C&C Society Contributor
C&C Society

Lord Dynel · Post by **Lord Dynel** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 2:12 pm

Something to consider, and this may or may not be up your alley, but I've been considering actually getting wood or metal puzzles to toss on the table. I would caution you, as CK, make sure that you know how to solve it. I've been mulling this over for some time, as perhaps a way for the players to losse a key or a piece of something they need for a quest. And since the holiday season is coming, I'm beginning to see these more and more, out aas stocking stuffers.

Cloud Kingdom Games has some excellent riddles. And of course, Google.
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CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 3:19 pm

Here's a lethal puzzle room idea:

A checkered tiled floor room with statues variously placed along it. Make the room as large as you need but make the tiles 8 x 8. The statues look like classical chess pieces with a regally dressed woman (Queen), a horse (knight), a high level religious person (bishop), etc. You dont need more then a half dozen for this room. Whenever someone steps on a square 'threatened' by a chess statue it becomes a stone golem and attacks.

Riddle idea: (written on a wall)

Displeasured by a wall?

Incompleta , aren't they all

See you now a hidden line

Can you say the mystic rhyme

Over, over, and over again

Read it, read it, and read it again

Dungeon treasure

I defend

Against all robbers

Not my friends

The answer opens up a secret door (or triggers a trap, depending on the answer either is as probable as the other)

Also: (since Lord Dynel mentioned them) http://www.cloudkingdom.com/

Has a lot of cool riddles and stuff.
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anglefish · Post by **anglefish** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:00 pm

Beyond riddles, Goodman Games put out a dungeon where the map was three paper circles that were fastened into the cover to represent a dungeon with three rotating sections.

I'm sure that drove players crazy and PC mad.

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:41 pm

anglefish wrote:
Beyond riddles, Goodman Games put out a dungeon where the map was three paper circles that were fastened into the cover to represent a dungeon with three rotating sections.

I'm sure that drove players crazy and PC mad.

Ah, yes. DCC #50: Vault of the Iron Overlord.

An old classic you should check out if you can find it is ...
Grimtooth's Dungeon of Doom

Or anything Flying Buffalo put out with Grimtooth's name on it. Necromancer Games even made an updated d20 version of Grimtooth's Dungeon.
http://www.necromancergames.com/pdf/grimmy_preview.pdf

(hope the link works)

Grimtooth = FUN!
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Wolfram_Stout · Post by **Wolfram_Stout** » Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:16 am

Lord Dynel wrote:
Something to consider, and this may or may not be up your alley, but I've been considering actually getting wood or metal puzzles to toss on the table. I would caution you, as CK, make sure that you know how to solve it. I've been mulling this over for some time, as perhaps a way for the players to losse a key or a piece of something they need for a quest. And since the holiday season is coming, I'm beginning to see these more and more, out aas stocking stuffers.

Cloud Kingdom Games has some excellent riddles. And of course, Google.

I did something like this. My sister had given me this treasure box (looked like a book) from Turkey. After I mastered it (and it was not a hard one) I worked it into an adventure. It went over pretty well. Good part was it took about 15 minutes. The bad part, 2 players pretty much monopolized it leaving 3 others in various states of interest/disinterest.

Wolfram

The Dread Pirate Robbins · Thu Dec 24, 2009 5:19 am

I like your chess idea CharlieRock. I had thought of doing a chess board puzzle, but instead of the pieces turning to golems when the players step on the "threatened" squares, those squares would be floor illusions that give way to snake or scorpion pits or something like that. And I also liked the riddle wall, it has a nice feel to it.

Pirate Rob

CharlieRock · Post by **CharlieRock** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 3:24 pm

The Dread Pirate Robbins wrote:
I like your chess idea CharlieRock. I had thought of doing a chess board puzzle, but instead of the pieces turning to golems when the players step on the "threatened" squares, those squares would be floor illusions that give way to snake or scorpion pits or something like that. And I also liked the riddle wall, it has a nice feel to it.

Pirate Rob

What? No chance to fight back, just "Aaaaaagh!" down into a dangerous pit ???

I like it!
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Riddles In The Dark.

Riddles In The Dark.

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turkish treasure box