Logic Masters Deutschland e.V.

This puzzle was created for Scojo's annual impostor event, where setters create 2 puzzles - one in their style, and one in the style of a target setter. This year I was honored to have the wonderful sujoyku working to make a more dubious puzzle than me, and the result was an absolute delight! Don't miss it! The event was great fun, thanks to Scojo, Hatgirl, and everyone who made it possible! Can't wait for next year! If you want to see the puzzle I made as an impostor, you can find it here.

The puzzle I made this year emphasizes all the things I've been working on in my setting this last year - phantom clues, aesthetic flare, and good-old wraparound hijinks. I owe a huge thanks to Earthpuzzles, LMDemasi, and NEWS for testing it.

Hope you enjoy, and any and all feedback is appreciated.

You were working shoring up a wall in a decrepit subbasement when you felt the earth shift and the foundation give out beneath you. You awaken in a warren of tunnels. You must have jarred your head in the fall. You pick through the tunnels for ages looking for a way out when you stumble over something metal. Scrambling in the dark, you are relieved to find your lantern and trowel underfoot. As your eyes adjust to the light you give a yelp. That's your trowel alright, your name is scrawled in your unmistakable shaky script. Only, the letters are back to front. Something is wrong. Glancing up at the wall you see veins of gold lacing through the walls, and underneath a crude marking carved on the wall. Maybe if you can make out their meaning, you'll be able to escape.

Wraparound Grid: The grid has the topology of a punctured klein bottle. The left side wraps around to the right side. The bottom wraps to the top, but undergoes a twist. The coloring reflects this. The 4x4 boulder at the center is considered the grid's boundary.

Phantom Cave: Shade the grid using two colors (light colors offer the best contrast). One color will represent the walls of a cave, while the other represents its tunnels. The tunnel cells must all be orthogonally connected. The wall cells will form separate orthogonal groups, each of which must connect to the 4x4 boundary at the grid's center. Clues may be revealed as you shade, so don't shade a cell until you know definitively whether it is tunnel or wall.

Phantom Border Lots: There are diamond shaped clues waiting in the darkness along the bright veins. The number that is placed in a cell with a diamond will count the number of cells along its vein that have tunnel/wall borders arranged in the same shape as the diamond's grey edges. For example, a diamond with three grey edges will count the number of cells that are the same coloring as exactly one of their neighbors. The edges of the central boundary count as borders for both walls and tunnels. If a diamond contains a two-digit number, only the units digit is entered for answer check.

Additionally, if the diamond is part of a tunnel it will count the number of tunnel cells visible by looking in the four orthogonal directions. The diamond cell is included in this count. Wall cells block vision.

If the diamond is part of a wall cell, it will count the number of cells visited by taking the shortest path of wall cells back to the center boundary. Both the diamond cell and the cell adjacent to the center boundary are counted. Each group of orthogonally connected wall cells has EXACTLY one diamond clue.

Note: Phantoms are tricksy, and will cause some clues to temporarily disappear when the pen tool is open. Don't worry, the clues will return when the tool is closed, and any markings you have done in the meantime will remain.

Click here to play!