Gross Misconduct
(Published on 20. July 2025, 01:00 by marty_sears)
Happy birthday to Lake, whose recent puzzle Easy as RBC - Arrows and Renbans introduced me to this cool RBC ruleset and made me want to make this for him.
Fill the grid with the digits 1-9, plus the letters R, B and C, so that no letter or digit repeats in any row, 3x4 box, or column.
3x4 boxes are numbered 1-12 in normal reading order.
- The value of an R equals its row number.
- The value of a B equals its box number.
- The value of a C equals its column number.
BLACK KROPKI: If two values are joined by a black dot, one is double the other.
RENBAN: Values along a pink line form a non-repeating consecutive sequence, arranged in some order.
GERMAN WHISPER: Adjacent values on a green line have a difference of at least 5.
ARROWS: Values along an arrow sum to the value in the attached circle.
SAME DIFFERENCE: Adjacent values on a turquoise line have the same difference. This difference may be different for different turquoise lines.
Please leave a comment if you enjoy :)
Solution code: Row 7 from left to right, including R, B and C
Comments
on 27. August 2025, 12:35 by davidz32z
Too hard for me, it took a lot of help and a written guide by WallWalker on discord, but man was it good! Very fun logic, but definitely the hardest Marty puzzle for me by a mile. Wild how much harder German Whispers are when you allow values up to 12!
on 13. August 2025, 14:59 by philolologue
Well, attempted it after all, and while it's definitely a time commitment (took me 2 hrs 39 min!), it flows so nicely, I was never bored or stuck for long! Can't recommend enough!
on 13. August 2025, 11:54 by philolologue
Has this been featured on CtC, and if not, how do we submit it to them?! I'm scared just looking at it!
on 11. August 2025, 01:13 by PancakePie
Five stars difficulty only because in its large size, it can be easy to get lost on where to look next. I kept this up on my phone and would poke around here and there throughout the week. Each realization was an epiphany! Very fun, just give yourself time to dig in. It's worth it!
on 4. August 2025, 05:42 by Atticus837
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Hard, but never unfair... and well worth sticking with.
I even chuckled to myself at one particular line towards the end, but I won't spoil which one!
on 2. August 2025, 11:37 by Darko
How does one set such a puzzle :O
on 31. July 2025, 19:32 by EDL
Brilliant puzzle, I did enjoy every step!
on 29. July 2025, 21:26 by dzamie
Oh god. This is *definitely* above my skill level.
But it looks cool as hell, so there's no way I'm not gonna try it.
on 24. July 2025, 02:06 by Clementi
ETA: finally solved it, wow, that was quite something. I just love the way it uses familiar rule types - German Whispers, Kropki dots etc. - but their behavior is completely different and novel because of the RBCs. So good.
Is there any way to tackle this on a mobile device, or is a keyboard essential? I can't figure out a way to get an R on my phone
Marty: yes the mobile link is above
Clementi: thank you Marty. I see now that you explained all that above, I just didn't properly read it. Apologies.
on 22. July 2025, 17:56 by Exigus
Hare but still easier than I thought when I started. A very enjoyable solve. Thanks!
on 22. July 2025, 14:23 by richcard
Like others have said, the whole is pretty daunting, but each section is fair and very satisfying. I felt like I was building up momentum too, so a very pleasing finish.
on 22. July 2025, 09:36 by npinguy
Incredible! An all-time classic. Honestly, one of my favourites of yours, and that's saying a lot.
LOVE this RBC ruleset too, and the twists and quirks it puts onto familiar rules.
on 21. July 2025, 19:19 by keesh
This puzzle was epic. Not only because of the size and difficulty, but also because of the journey. Lots of fun moments. And i lost count of how many times i said 'owh no, i've broken the puzzle'.
on 21. July 2025, 16:36 by bboom
This was super fun. A lot happening but never really feeling lost. Most of the funny looking areas yield at least something when you shake them, so always felt like I could keep moving ahead. Thanks for setting this madness!
on 21. July 2025, 13:15 by Franjo
I was scared looking at the grid! Then I noticed the bowling pins and I began to wonder how on earth… This lovely monster is full of surprises. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this masterpiece.
on 20. July 2025, 21:27 by jakestilesowen
This was a really fun massive puzzle! I didn't know how much I liked huge grids with lots of clues and possibilities until I solved this. :)
on 20. July 2025, 17:23 by eladv
Whow, what a beautiful puzzle! The logic is very intricate, but very satisfying. It was very hard for me -- took me nearly three hours.
on 20. July 2025, 17:06 by mscha
Beautiful! This ruleset really messes with everything you think you know about the various rules.
Happy birthday to Lake!
on 20. July 2025, 13:24 by vitaminz
What an absolute epic!
on 20. July 2025, 12:11 by zeniko
What a big birthday gift for Lake. Unwrapping it must have taken quite some time, but also been very enjoyable. Despite its complexity, there always seemed to be several laces to pull for a pleasant flow.
Thanks for sharing with all of us and also for providing a mobile link (and a helpful mnemonic for A).
