Gold Bars

Owner:

Gip Burnham

Solution:

Alchemy

Partial Answers

BREAK : Keep going

MELT : Keep going

GC Notes:

GC to update day-of-game.

Presentation:

The team will receive a set of 5 gold bars, with symbols both the top and the bottom, with no other instructions. The symbols are as follows : Circle, Crescent, Triangle, Square, Pentagon

Walkthrough:

Teams need to arrange the set gold bars into letters. Each letter is formed by matching each of the symbols on the bars to each other, one set of symbols at a time.

• The first letter is made by the circles - It forms a B. It is formed only by the tops of the gold bars

• The second letter is made by the crescents - it forms an R.

• The third letter is made of triangles - it forms an E. This is the simplest symbol

• The fourth letter is made of squares - it forms an A.

• The fifth letter is made of pentagons - it forms a K. It is formed only by the bottoms of the gold bars.

Now that the teams have formed the word break, they should destroy the gold bars. Inside each of the gold bars is a coin. There are five coins - one for each gold bar.

Each coin has a letter on one side, and a symbol. The teams will arrange the coins by the symbols - it will then read out MELT, and have a blank coin left over. This blank coin is the one they should melt.

The teams should go a heat source - a cup of hot water (like tea) should work. After melting the coin, inside is an object with the world Alchemy - this is the final answer.

Hinting:

Teams will often try to derive five bit binary from it, but it shouldn't lead them anywhere useful.

Teams will often try to make something out of an individual bar, or the symbols on a single bar - this shouldn't lead anywhere useful

Big things to hint at - arranging the gold bars to make shapes / things.

Looking at one symbol type (circle, crescent, etc) at a time, instead of conflating all the symbols.

Data:

Solved Letters:

B (Circle):

R (Crescent):

E (Triangle):

A (Square):

K (Pentagon):