A Puzzle For You...

[Pybob]

http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/eek.gif

I know this forum is full of people who are postively (un)dying to become Wamphyri... and do be a good Lord or Lady you have to be good at word games...

So, here's an old riddle for you to have a look at...

You are travelling through the dark jungle trying to make your way to a village of ripe mortals... ready for the blood-letting. These mortals always tell the truth.

The only problem is close by to the village of mortals is a village of lying Lieutenants. So many lieutenants you can't possibly hold them all off, and all want your egg!

You come to a fork in the path through the jungle... one path leads to the mortals, the other to the lieutenants. Each path is guarded by a member of the village it leads to.

Knowing that the mortals always tell the truth and the lieutenants always lie, you only have time to ask one question to only one of the guards...

What question do you ask? http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/confused.gif

!!!!WARNING!!!! Answers are below!

[This message has been edited by Pybob (edited January 11, 2000).]

[ShadoeWolfe]

A simple yes or no.

Walk up to one of them and say:

"Would the other Guard tell me that your path leads to the mortals?"

And after the answer I destroy both of them and head down to the village of mortals to enjoy myself....heh heh heh

Am I right...?

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ShadoeWolfe
Undead WebMaster

[Titus]

Isn't that question a slight spin-off from that lovely film Labyrinth?

[ShadoeWolfe]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Titus:
Isn't that question a slight spin-off from that lovely film Labyrinth?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's where I remembered it from...

[Dragutin]

Yes, it is reminiscent of the "Labyrinth" with Bowie...Ask if the OTHER guard would tell you the path leads to the village - the liar will lie, the mortal will tell you the truth, and you'll know which path to follow.

[Lichloathe]

I think the question is "Would the other guard tell me his path leads to the mortals?"
We have 2 possible cases:
a) Ask the liar. The mortal would say "yes" but the liar trnsfers that as "no"
b) Ask the mortal. The liar would say "yes" (even though his path does not lead to the mortals) and of course the mortal would transfer the answer correctly saying "yes"
Of course we don't know which is which, but judging from the answers above, if we hear "no" we follow the other path and if we hear "yes" we follow this one.
I think the question "would the other guard tell me that your path leads to the mortals" doesn't work because we get the same answers from both and cannot tell which is which.
So do I win the word game? http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/smile.gif

Of course, a true Lord would know which guard is the mortal and which is a lieutenant so there qould be no puzzle..... We accept it however for the sake of argument http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/wink.gif


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"Though thou seest me not pass by,
Thou shalt feel me with thine eye
As a thing that, though unseen,
Must be near thee and hath been;"

[This message has been edited by Lichloathe (edited January 11, 2000).]

[ShadoeWolfe]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lichloathe:
I think the question "would the other guard tell me that your path leads to the mortals" doesn't work because we get the same answers from both and cannot tell which is which.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, my question is just a reverse of yours...so then reverse the path on yes and no. So they actualy both work. If you hear yes, you take the other path, if you hear no, you take that path. Correct? You just need to be sure to ask about the 'other' guard.

[Pybob]

Shadoe and Lichloathe...

You've both got the right idea, you do have to ask a question that begs a Yes/No answer...

Several work, Shadoe, yours may well work but the logic goes way too deep, far deeper than needed... Lichloathe, I like yours better - but it is still a little deep...

I like the simple answers, those that you go... "Oh, yeah" to...

"Which way to your village?"

Liar - That way... (Pointing to the Mortal's village)

Mortal - This way... (Pointing to his own)

All your own answers are valid, and you have the rules to work out whether they're right or not... Are there any answers simpler than mine?

Any more puzzles would be fun... I might even post another cracker myself soon! http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/cool.gif

[ShadoeWolfe]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pybob:
Several work, Shadoe, yours may well work but the logic goes way too deep, far deeper than needed...

"Which way to your village?"

Liar - That way... (Pointing to the Mortal's village)

Mortal - This way... (Pointing to his own)...
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sure, if you want to take the easy way out, but did you not say that this was intended to be a Wamphyri word game? Or mind game if you will? And would any self respecting member of the Wamphyri make the answer easy? Where is the fun in that, I ask?

http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/cool.gif

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ShadoeWolfe
Undead WebMaster

[This message has been edited by ShadoeWolfe (edited January 11, 2000).]

[Lichloathe]

Pybob, your solution is the simplest but i have to agree with Shadoe, it's so simple it feels like cheating (of course all Wamphyri Lord are cheaters, so...). I do enjoy mind games or math tricks so if you have anything else i'd like to see it.
Shadoewolfe, your so right. How could I not see that, I wonder... http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/smile.gif

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"Though thou seest me not pass by,
Thou shalt feel me with thine eye
As a thing that, though unseen,
Must be near thee and hath been;"

[Pybob]

Oh dear...

It feels like cheating coming up with the easy answer?

But that is the point... everybody makes these puzzles more complicated than they are! Only a few can see the easy answer to a complicated question...

And I did say all answers that work are valid, my point is why make things harder than they need to be, the Wamphyri certainly wouldn't.

I don't want to take anything away from your puzzle solving abilities, you answered correctly and swiftly, try asking the questions to your friends and see how quickly they answer it. Aside from the obvious 'Know-It-All', most will think of a patently incorrect answer and an even more outlandish explanation... When you tell them the answer, your answer, gauge their response - If you get the Oh, yeah, then congratulations... otherwise...

[Lichloathe]

Pybob, sorry man, I didn't mean to offend you of discredit your way of thought. I guess my mathematical mind (I'm an electrical engineering grad) seems to get in the way of simple thinking and pushes me to use mathematical logic in every answer.
So I take back my comment. And as Brian wrote, "It's the getting there that counts", simple, complicated, whatever.
Well, if you have any more riddles and stuff i'd like to have a go at them http://www.brianlumley.com/ubb/smile.gif

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"Though thou seest me not pass by,
Thou shalt feel me with thine eye
As a thing that, though unseen,
Must be near thee and hath been;"

[Scarlet oHorror]

hmmmm, i think i've done this one b4...
u need to ask them a q that u already know the answer to.....

so i guess, u know there are only 2 paths, u can ask one of them if there is a 3rd path...
mortal will say no, which u know already and the lieutenant will say yes coz he's lying
so...isn't that it?....
i did this b4 when u are in a room with only 2 doors and one is the door to heaven, both doors are guarded by one who tells lies and one whoo tells the truth....
u know there are only 2 doors, so voila, there's your question....

IS THERE A 3RD PATHWAY??

by the way, i'm back....

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~*Scarlet*~
aka The Bloody Vampyre
Hell hath No Fury...