Another new twist on this old schooldays word guessing game to torture you all! This time the guessers start off by creating a nonsense anagram of the answer, because the setter will simply enter each correctly guessed letter (including any duplicates) into the first available space(s) in the outline, except for the first letter of each word which will be correctly placed. At some point, there will be enough letters to create scope for a guess at the answer by unscrambling them, or at least that is the general idea...

Please read the instructions carefully as these are not the usual rules of the traditional game, nor are they the same as those on any of the previous threads. Hopefully everything is reasonably clear, but please do not hesitate to ask for help or clarification.

The rules

(i) The setter puts up the outline of a word or a short well-known expression in blank (so that all the other players know are the numbers of words and of letters in each word) together with an indication of the nature or category of the word/expression. An expression might be for example a book, play, film or music title or the name of a famous person or character, or perhaps a proverb or saying: it is entirely up to the setter.

(ii) Someone else posts at least two letters which he/she thinks might be in the word/expression.

(iii) The setter enters into the outline any correctly guessed letter, but only in its correct position if it is the first letter of a word: otherwise the letter and any repetition of it will simply be placed in the first available empty space (which might entirely coincidentally be its correct position).

(iv) Meanwhile the setter also starts to add the hanged person to the gallows with one step for each incorrectly guessed letter or position of letter. Seven steps are needed to complete the victim (head, body, right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, face).

(v) Someone posts another two (or more) letter guesses and/or a guess at the correct position in the outline of at least one of the already posted letters, and so on. There is nothing to prevent the same person from posting consecutive guesses, or even hogging an entire game, but please have some consideration for other addicts!

(vi) Players are allowed to try to guess individual words of an answer consisting of more than one word. However, such a guess will be treated as separate letter or position guesses for each blank space in the word (which could therefore prove expensive if the guess is wrong).

(vii) At any stage anyone can try to guess the whole word/expression, and a wrong word/expression guess results in two steps towards the completion of the picture.

(viii) Any letter appearing in its correct position (whether coincidentally or as a result of a correct position guess) will be shown in bold italic.

(ix) The setter wins if the picture of the hanged person is completed: otherwise the person to correctly guess the word/expression is the winner, and hopefully then sets the next word/expression. Don't be afraid to have a go: there is plenty of help available if you have any difficulty, and you can always edit your way out of any errors.

Note for setters on creating the picture of the gallows and hanged person

The picture steps (kindly contributed by Pandora) are in a photobucket album on the internet which are accessed by using one of the urls (web addresses) below, and here's how you do it:

In the full reply screen one of the option buttons across the top is "enter an image" which then offers you a choice of various image positions to insert followed by a dialogue box for a url.

You just copy and paste the url you need, deleting and replacing (using the edit process) as you go through the game and want to change the picture.

[I have been using the position "non-floating image" and have not fully understand the difference between that and the various "floating image" options. Feel free to experiment as it's just a bit of fun!]

The urls

The gallows, in place at the start of the game
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/G4.gif

Step one, the head of the condemned person
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H1.gif

Step two, the body
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H2.gif

Step three, the right leg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H3.gif

Step four, the left leg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H4.gif

Step five, the right arm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H5.gif

Step six, the left arm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H6.gif

Step seven, the face of death http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v60/PandoraSD/Hangman/H10.gif



Let's see how this one goes...

R A W H I D E (one word of 7 letters) TV series - guessed by Manxman

Wrong guesses: NTSOM
Steps remaining: 2


Give someone enough rope...

Nice twist on the game Lex!

E N

One hit, one miss!

T, R

And another one of each!

I,S

Same again!

O M

Both misses I'm afraid Bob.

We might need some extra lives in this format!

A, D

Both good!

W, H

Both good, and you obviously have it figured out!

As a refinement, I think that if the first letter of a word is guessed, that should be correctly placed: otherwise this version may be reasonably amusing. Of course, others may hold a different view...

I think this is a good version the way that it is. I might be wrong, but from what I remember, there's only been one instance where the setter stumped everyone through all versions that have been used in the Hangman thread so far. I think this is getting closer to the right amount of challenge necessary for the puzzle.

In order to move on.....Rawhide
I like this version too Lex, let's try it a few more times and then decide

I like it too. I think it's an improvement over regular hangman. I would be in favor of a small tweak to assist in letter location, something like what Lex suggested. Otherwise it feels a bit like random letter guessing for a while.

But, it has been only one game so far. Let's see how it goes. [/ramble]

Thanks for the input guys: I am putting in that one tweak about the first letter of a word, but subject to that let's try another.




M A C K * T H E * K N I F E (three words 4,3,5) music title - guessed by BobH
Wrong guesses: RSLO
Steps remaining: 3

Just hangin' around...

E T

Two good ones!

N H

Two more on target.

Well, might as well put the E in place. My guess is one E at the end of the second word.

And let's add A I

Successful on all counts!

That refinement may have made it too easy...

Maybe yes, maybe no Lex. I still don't have any idea of the other words.

R S

Two misses: that's more encouraging!

L, O

M K

No luck for MxM, but I think Bob's getting there with two which score!

Mack the Knife

Nice one BobH I'm beginning to understand the rules now

Another music title:


B O H E M I A N * R H A P S O D Y (two words 8,8) - guessed by Manxman


Wrong guesses: T
Steps remaining: 6

Just doin' the Gallows Walk...

E T

One out of two.

Another shot.... O, H

Good choices!

Time for a guess
Bohemian Rhapsody

Right on the money!

Do you want to take a turn or shall I set another?

Thanks Lex. I'll give it a try...

S E V E N * S P A N I S H * A N G E L S (3 word song title) Solved by Lex

Wrong guesses:TRD
Steps remaining:4

A, E and T

Are you putting the correct guesses in the words in which they occur? I had not planned on being that helpful, but it could be a good alternative to correct placement of the first letter of each word!

2 good

L, R and S

2 good ones

sorry with all the edits. Just working out the kinks

D and I.

(Ideally, first and any other correctly placed letters are to be shown in bold)

one good

Thanks Lex, I will do that

N and V

2 more good ones. Hopefully I have put in all the letters with the correct ones bolded

It's all looking good!

G and H.

Also, the first word must be SEVEN.

Looks like you have it Lex

in fact, I haven't, apart from the first word! I just thought that with all those Ns and Ss, a G and/or an H were on the cards... now all I have to do is work out where the letters actually belong.

So sorry Lex. I had one too many N's so there is still one more letter to find. Hope this helps rather than hinders (and I snuck another bold letter in).

Mrs Lex and I were going crazy here trying to work this out and we still are!

I suspected that the E probably needed to be in bold and that the last word is ANGELS, and I now see that the whole answer must be SEVEN SPANISH ANGELS (not a a song with which I was familiar, but not a surprise as a country music title!).

Thanks for the game: it was fun to play it in more or less real time.

Willie Nelson is one of my all time favourites. Well done Mr and Mrs Lex

I quite enjoy some of Willie's stuff, but on the whole, country music has to rock a bit more for my tastes.

Here's another music title:


L O V E * M I N U S * Z E R O * N O * L I M I T (five words 4,5,4,2,5) guessed by Manxman

Wrong guesses: HAG
Steps remaining: 4


Blowing in the wind...

T E
(4,5,4,2,5)

Correct on all counts!

H R

Only one good.

A, I (is the R in bold--I can't tell)

One good, and I'll do bold italics for extra clarity (the R is not bold, and was therefore one letter too early...!).

Thanks Lex, G O

One good, and correct about the position of the R: it's getting late in the day...

L, N

Both good, and I suspect you've cracked it!

Not yet but that helped. Just thought that with all the o's and i's they were a good choice The 4 letter word ending in o is stumping me a bit

M and the fourth word is NO

Both good, and getting hard to keep track of all the letters! I had short changed you by an N, but I think they're all present and correct now.

getting close now....V, Z, S

All three correct.

It all seems to fit mathematically, however I have never heard of the title.....
Love Minus Zero, No Limit

Correct: it's a Bob Dylan love song from about 1965, also memorably covered by Joan Baez and others.

You may well recognise the song but never have known the title!

"My love she speaks like silence without ideals or violence, she doesn't have to say she's faithful, yet she's true like ice, like fire..."

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Love+Minus+Zero+YouTube&FORM=VQFRVP#x0y0

Ah yes. Thanks for the vintage Dylan link Lex

J A I L H O U S E * R O C K (2 word song title) solved by Lex

Incorrect Letters: T N M
Steps Left:4

I R

both good

O and T

one good

E S

C and K

All good Cue and Lex

Okay, I'll put O,C and K into the second word to make it ROCK.

Good Lex

N A

The A is good.

L and M

the L is good

P and D

Being a bit slow here: couldn't get Crocodile Rock out of my head and obviously not that, but it is Jailhouse Rock!

Good one Lex. I was still waiting for enough letters to even hazard a guess.

Well done Lex. You're the King.

Would that make him Lex Rex?

Thanks guys.

I am happy to set another one, perhaps on a new thread, but I am wondering whether we should give it a rest for a while as there seem to only be three of us regularly involved, with Cue occasionally trying a pot.

If you are sufficiently interested, no reason why we should not continue as a small and exclusive club!

I am also wondering whether the first letter rule should be abandoned to make the game a bit more challenging (as it was at the start of this thread).

Any thoughts?

I like the Hangman thread and would have solved this one yesterday but I knew that I might not be around long enough to post a new puzzle. I'm all for more challenging.

I agree with Cue Let's keep it going and maybe more gameboomers will join in again. Challenging is always good

Thanks boys.

I'll sort out a new thread a little later: Cue, no time pressure on postings here, however frustrating that may prove for some (especially in different time zones)!

Now done, as HANGMANAGRAMS!