The last step in The Maester’s Path is now active! This week’s challenge involves taste, the last of the five senses. The clues for this week’s challenge tie into the food truck promo currently ongoing in New York City. More specifically, the different menus posted on Making Game of Thrones.
Upon completing this challenge, you will receive your fifth link and will have forged your chain. And, of course, you will get to view your fifth (but not final) reward. To become a maester of the Citadel and to receive your final reward on April 11, you must have recruited five novices. If you haven’t done so yet, there is still time. So get recruiting!
Winter Is Coming: Ok, hoping this puzzle is a bit easier than that last brain-teaser, if only because the later release means my brain is that much more fried already.
379 Comments
I’m guessing the reward is a feast scene. Let’s see!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Steve from Campfire advises that you might want to clear your cache when viewing the menus, if you viewed them earlier today, as they have changed since this morning…
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I don’t undesrstand this one…
When believe your are ready … and nothing happens…
Nicolas WinterQuote Reply
Got it!
NOT…..
I’ll shoot over to the Maester’s Path and give it a shot. The only one I was able to do was the Wildlings/sounding the horn challenge. All of the others were too hard for my addled brain.
I did just see another tease for the 15-min preview with Ned and Cate in the Godswood: ”
Cate: “There was a raven. The king rides for Winterfell.”
Ned: “If he has come all that way, it can only mean one thing.”
Or something like that. Only about ten seconds but a longer look at the Godswood.
HollyoakQuote Reply
Looking at the menus, some of the border changes on each one, that must be the clue they talk about. But i can’t figure out what to do with the puzzle. I click “begin” and then can’t find anything to do until it says I failed.
salukQuote Reply
So yea, I just watch that pouring over and over again… nothing clear telling me how to interact with it. :|
DanteQuote Reply
yeah, what am I missing? It says I did not succeed, but didn’t let me do anything.
RipleyQuote Reply
Yeah… I can view the cook pot and watch the water get poured into it… then it says I did not succeed… What are we supposed to do?
Robert ‘Hobbes’ KinardQuote Reply
Ripley,
Same… it’s annoying…
Nicolas WinterQuote Reply
Yeah, nothing happens. What gives?
SporkQuote Reply
Same here…
JennyQuote Reply
in the menus, each day one of the foods gets half eaten, tuesday the green apples, then the oranges, then the red apples and then the other orange looking things.
not sure what that has to do with the video of the pouring water
stevelabnyQuote Reply
I have the same problem. I tried to empty the cache, but still nothing happens…
JoschiQuote Reply
It’s WINE so it’s the hot wine of Tully feast, but I don’t know how this is supposed to help. It won’t react. Maybe a bug?
JennyQuote Reply
I hope it has nothing to do with having enough novices :P
Pedro José Molina FernándezQuote Reply
Ok so the apples for Pentos and Winterfell have chunks out of them the others are all whole…assume there is some hidden interaction on the site to solve the puzzle
Crotalidian (Paul)Quote Reply
yea I noticed the changes in the menus too… also noticed that the halves of the changing fruit each day line up — so I printed out a menu and drew lines to connect them… and got nothing. Back to watching pouring water.
DanteQuote Reply
I’m sure the liquid is red – as an avid hot spiced wine preparer and drinker…
JennyQuote Reply
Thanks HBO …
I thought I needed to get my blood pressure up today.
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
Entering the red letters don’t seem to effect it either. Hmmm…
McSherrieQuote Reply
Seems like something is missing. I’m beginning to think that they made a mistake when putting it up. It’s like… I don’t even know what i don’t get.
sjweningsQuote Reply
am i missing something from the screen? all i seee is the pot on the left, the button saying “try again” on the right & then the carafe that’s pouring the liquid into the pot… am i supposed to have something available to put into the pot?
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
The bold red letters: (not in order)
T R F H T T N D A A
An anagram?
The RabbitQuote Reply
Yeah, must be buggy. Tried it on Firefox, IE, Chrome – nada. Don’t they test these things?
SporkQuote Reply
OneTooFree,
You see what i, and all of us (i guess) see.
sjweningsQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
where do you see the letters?
EDIT: nevermind, I thought you saw them in the game…
Saso AlaufQuote Reply
Spork,
Isn’t it a bit early to say it’s buggy before you even know what you’re supposed to do?
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Here’s my guess as to what is SUPPOSED to happen:
Looks like we’re supposed to make a soup, probably by adding the correct ingredients in the correct order, with a time limit. However, we seem to be missing them.
SporkQuote Reply
I think it’s glitched… Hopefully they’ll fix it soon.
LaurenQuote Reply
Great deception from HBO to put something online that doesn’t work !
Nicolas WinterQuote Reply
Spork,
maybe they show up as the week progresses and the trucks serve food
MarkQuote Reply
Phew thought it was just me! Also didn’t realise it was a later start today and thought everyone had found it so easy there were no comments ;)
Jackie MacPhersonQuote Reply
They really should have hired some proper game designers to do these things… They are awful and torturous!
blerghQuote Reply
Exactly my idea…
But probably some “shelf” with spices or other ingredients is missing.
JennyQuote Reply
In the menus of MGOT.
MarkcbQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
There is nothing TO do. Nothing to click on or type. Logical conclusion is that is a minor bug.
SporkQuote Reply
Mark,
That’s actually an interesting idea… maybe so.
SporkQuote Reply
Spork,
that was my initial thought as well…. A well I’m gonna get me some sleep it’s been a long day.
(Got to find myself some novices :o)
LiesieQuote Reply
Spork,
That’s because you’re assuming that the controls aren’t hidden, like that it responds to typing or something similar.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
The folks who have been designing the Maester’s Path have at least one representative reading here, and they’ve posted regularly in response to complaints about each challenge. I figure that in the best case scenario they figure out whatever bug hit the latest challenge and have it fixed shortly.
Worst case, they take pity and post to let us know what tiny-but-obvious thing we’re missing and everyone realizes we’re not as smart as we thought we were. :-)
VellaenQuote Reply
Same issues as everyone else… disappointing to say the least
EvilClosetMonkeyQuote Reply
Jackie MacPherson,
The apples change on the different menues, or it is glitch?
The RabbitQuote Reply
Only in the MONDAY menu the APPLE (at horse feet and in right upper corner) is complete… so maybe we’ll have to press “apple key” but that would be only for Mac users…
JennyQuote Reply
I’m not sure this means something, but on the third menu (the one which starts with “The Wall”) there’s a red stain on the rose painted on the lower part of the central column… :|
DidolQuote Reply
Exactly. Steve C has been very responsive.
McSherrieQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
its either the clue or a red herring. no way to know until we figure out what to do or if somethings missing
stevelabnyQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
If you ask me than you have to type samething and press return, so an anagram or anything similarly hidden in the menus might be a good idea.
AbyssQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
A bad interface isn’t really a great way to make a puzzle trickier. Though there is precedent, since that’s precisely what made the watcher on the wall challenge difficult (ish).
I won’t get a chance to try this one until I get home, which won’t be for over 12 hours :< Ah well, I'm playing with the Sony Move Sharpshooter instead :D
GaRQuote Reply
This is clearly about the Green Apple Fossoways and the Red Apple Fossoways. I don’t know how, but somehow.
DanteQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
What would they respond to then? I tried hovering my mouse around to see if there was anything “hidden”, to no avail. Also, none of the other clues have been THAT complicated. Difficult to figure out the solution, yes, but not to figure where to even start.
SporkQuote Reply
Seriously WTF???
It is not the first riddle to be completely f-ed up…
Who on Earth makes the game design for them???
Dear HBO, I really should have done a better job for half the price that guy got, hire me next time, will you, plz?
FelagundQuote Reply
The Rabbit,
the green apple, then the Orange, Then the red apple, Then the other orange/grapefruit.
each menu one more piece is cut out.
mukwaQuote Reply
Not working for me either… :(
Fabrizio MarcucciQuote Reply
Besides the obvious menu text differences, the only other differences I see on the menus are that the red apples, green apples and oranges are in different combinations of sliced/unsliced. Opening the menus in separate tabs and rotating through them will make it more obvious. As for the actual maesterpath puzzle, I cannot seem to interact with it, beyond clicking the Begin button.
corvuskeeperQuote Reply
I don’t think there’s a glitch. Something in those menus should give us a clue what to do. We have the red characters, and the changing fruit. I’ve tried typing in various things, but nothing works yet.
When looking at the red characters, don’t forget the punctuation marks (dashes?).
pualoQuote Reply
You are being ironic, correct? The game designers are cool and even have come here to post about the challenges.
HollyoakQuote Reply
I doubt it’d require a code to be typed in if it doesn’t have a prompt for it. There are bad interfaces and then there’s outright bastardy.
GaRQuote Reply
It’s driving me nuts! :(
IzmaglicaQuote Reply
GaR,
I didn’t defend it, I just pointed out that it’s not the best way to solve unknown puzzles by assuming they are faulty, regardless if that’s the case in this individual puzzle.
Spork,
I just gave you an example, keys on the keyboard. If I actually knew what it responded to I would have already solved it. My point is that we can’t know if it’s broken or just hard, or perhaps requires something else that we don’t have yet.
Tywin's BastardQuote Reply
So this has to be a glitch, right? Hope it is a quick fix.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Maybe the people at the food trucks will get some additional info/clue that will then be used at the site.
DanteQuote Reply
I bet if we decode these clues somehow, it’ll give us instructions like “type the word xxxxxx” or something.
Oh, another change I don’t know if anyone has mentioned: the big first letter changes colors in this order: green, purple, purple, red, blue.
pualoQuote Reply
Hollyoak,
Being cool and responding to feedback are both good thigns. They are, however, less important than other qualities such as the ability to make a game that works and has an interface that isn’t either bafflingly obtuse or outright broken.
GaRQuote Reply
I think it says to look for the differences in the menus then solving the puzzle has to be related to either the red letters or most likely the fruit because the fruit changes consistently between the days.
First Green Apples between Monday and Tuesday
Second Oranges between Tuesday and Wednesday
Third Red Apples between Wednesday and Thursday
Fourth Oranges between Thursday and Friday
Could just be there is a bug in the system, and to that I say. Stuff Happens. Seriously people relax and wait for either someone to figure something out or the bug is fixed. I know it’s frustrating but it’s not like HBO just ran over your favorite pet or anything. They are providing us a fun interactive way to earn a reward. They are aware of the problem and are fixing it (if there is one) so calm down and wait. We’ve waited this long another hour isn’t going to kill any of us.
Josh KQuote Reply
I tried copying and pasteing the words, but that doesn’t work either …
I hope they get a good freakin laugh at our expense.
“How many GOT fans does it take to figure out a puzzle?”
“I don’t know how many comments on WIC?”
LOL!
:(
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
GaR,
It’s supposed to be bafflingly obtuse. It’s a puzzle.
pualoQuote Reply
Hollyoak,
Being cool and responding to feedback are both good thigns. They are, however, less important than other qualities such as the ability to make a game that works and has an interface that isn’t either bafflingly obtuse or outright broken.
Update:
Steve C says on Twitter: @westerosorg go back and read the clue very carefully :)
So it’s not broken, just painfully obtuse. I don’t know what the clue is he’s referring to though.
GaRQuote Reply
This makes me sad. I was all ready to go, but it doesn’t make any sense (to me at least).
TayleronQuote Reply
Mh. I’m waiting to see if maybe the water will boil at some point, before pouring the wine…but I don’t think so.
EDIT – What if we can achieve this link only AFTER the NYC food trucks events have taken place? It does say to explore the differences in the menu…
DomQuote Reply
Well. I’m lost. I have no idea what going on, other than that I’m failing with no apparent way to succeed. As it is now, this is a sisyphean task.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
Each of these puzzles is more tedious than the last.
EricQuote Reply
pualo,
The puzzle can be as bafflingly obtuse as you like. But when people don’t even know if the interface works, it’s a bad design. It should be immediately obvious if a thing works or not, regardless of how difficult the puzzle itself is.
GaRQuote Reply
This is driving me crazy!
VillianQuote Reply
Josh K,
There’s also a red dot on the rose in the middle border on Wednesday, that’s not there on any of the other days.
Tywin's BastardQuote Reply
pualo,
Yes, but at the same time, a puzzle should invite you in to solve it (think angry birds). Then it’s an inspiring challenge. Remember, this is a publicity piece, not just a brain teaser. It shouldn’t be there to piss people off.
Ser SkwisgaardQuote Reply
Maybe, if we taunt it enough times it will become so cross, it’ll make a mistake …
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
GaR,
The clue says to find the “key”, I presumed the fruit changes were the key, anyone notice any atual keys in the menus? My eyes are blurring now.
lannaQuote Reply
gah, Steve C was talking about the food truck location, not the Maester’s Path puzzle.
He’s onsite with them too, by the looks, so he may not be able to tell us if the puzzle’s borked or just really hard.
GaRQuote Reply
this is so confusing
Jessica C.Quote Reply
The different changing fruit also seem to be arranged in straight lines.
They could be pointing at specific things on the menu.
Table ChairQuote Reply
I have to agree that:
1) The succession of missing fruit pieces seem to be the clue.
2) It would be quite possible that the solution would be to drop the “ingredients” gleaned from these pieces into the pot in the order they appear to have been “taken” from the menus before the water finishes pouring.
3) It seems like the component where one would interact with the puzzle is missing.
It’s possible that there’s a different, secret way to interface with the puzzle, but up until now there has always been something draggable or clickable.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Has anyone considered that it might be to do with having a certain combination of them open in your browser and then clicking ‘Begin’?
I’m just trying to think outside the box is all…
Jim HiggittQuote Reply
“When you believe yourself ready, begin”
Perhaps there is something to do before pressing the Begin button?
I think it is important when designing something like this, something that is supposed to be hard, to at least give the player some kind of assurance that he is doing something. If you know what I mean…
WarthoriusQuote Reply
The clue says
“…before entering the fold, you must explore the differences between the menus if the Seven Kingdoms. Only then will you find the keys to unlock this link”
Maybe the emphasis needs to be on “keys” Something in the differences in the menus gives us keys to press while we click perhaps…
BioliteQuote Reply
Anyone ever play those web puzzle games? Maybe we just fix the url with the answer to whatever their riddle is. I’m trying to check the source code for a hint, to no avail so far.
TruculenceQuote Reply
From reading the clue i do believe the keyboard is involved. “Only then will you find the KEYS to unlock this link” instead of key mayhaps it is a code of some sort.
JaysefQuote Reply
GaR,
Love the guys behind The Maester’s Path and the massive amount of effort and promotion being involved, but I have to agree with you.
SeithenynQuote Reply
So… Winter. You seem to indicate in your post that you succeeded…. Don’t hold out on us.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
Damn it I didn’t succeed! I wonder why hmmm.
FaradayQuote Reply
There might be something in here to help us:
“The bitter taste of betrayal, the sweetness of mercy, the tang of sorrow – a maester must recognize all these and more.
But before entering the fold, you must explore the differences in the menus of the Seven Kingdoms. Only then will you find the keys to unlock this link.”
pualoQuote Reply
I saw that each day, another fruit is half eaten on the menus… But how could that help ? =/
Monday => nothing
Tuesday => green apple
Wednesday => orange
Thursday => red apple
Friday => I don’t really see what kind of fruit it is… looks like a red orange =/
AleeraQuote Reply
It says the keys to unlock this link….keyboard?
Luke-WarmhandsQuote Reply
looking at the clue it says “find the keys” i bet you need to put in the letters that are red.
ArithineQuote Reply
I would put money on the fact that you have to type something to solve the puzzle. There is not other way to interface with it that I can see.
And it’s hilarious that people are getting frustrated after playing with a puzzle for 5 minutes and coming to the conclusion that it is broken or poorly designed.
ChrisQuote Reply
I notice that the clue at the start of the challenge mentions that you can only find the KEYS by looking at the differences in the menu so that seems to suggest key pressing.
Jackie MacPhersonQuote Reply
Well, on Monday all is complete, then green apples, than oranges but only half of them, then red apples, then all together and oranges completey…
JennyQuote Reply
GaR,
Part of the puzzle is figuring out how to interface with it…
ChrisQuote Reply
Chris,
I think its more that there is seemingly nothing to be done… There is no indication whatsoever what we should be doing, and that is what is frustrating people.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
what does “before entering the fold” mean?
EDIT: S.C. just confirmed this is an important clue…
Saso AlaufQuote Reply
Several items in the details look like letters to me. Using the “lines” formed by the various sliced pieces of fruit as a guide, I’ve tried folding a printed out copy of this in various different ways in the hope of getting something recognizable, like the fold-in covers from Mad Magazine.
Unfortunately I only have a black and white printer at work and can’t inconspicuously print this out double-sided. Perhaps someone with more time/patience/privacy could try a few permutations of the folding concept?
NeurosionQuote Reply
Biolite,
That’s a really good bet. It’d fit with the “non-clickable” or draggable interface option.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Well, I’m off to waste a whole pile of printer ink so I can look at all the menus at once.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
A list of the poosible clues:
- The Ravens Farmers – House Those – The North Death – A – Above
The above are highlighted in the text, excluding the place names and beginning.
and of course:
3 Green Apples
2 Oranges
3 Red Apples
1 Grapefruit/Nectarine
TysnowQuote Reply
I am probably imagining things now, but when it says “only then will you find the keys to unlock this link” it seems to be that the “hen” and maybe “un” are brighter – or could be my rubbish laptop screen.
lannaQuote Reply
I’ll go watch the most recent episodes of Californication and Shameless, and by the time I’m done, you will hopefully have figured it out. Laziness ftw.
JoohnsonQuote Reply
“Keys” = keyboard keys
There seem to be letters in the decorations, a J to the right of the Lannister shield, a blue M above the table…. can anyone find a pattern??
DendasGarrettQuote Reply
hm… well what I realised is that not only the fruits change, but the rose in the middle beneath the Stark-banner is different on the dish for the Wall – there’s some strange red spot there.
Reading the instructions more closely I found that there’s bitter, sweet, sour (if tang is sour, I’m not that good in english), so salt and umami are missing. I’m not sure if this is any good…
I also tried typing something – “salt” e.g. but, yeah, nothing.
HannemarieQuote Reply
I’d like to point out:
apples=sweet
oranges=tangy
grapefruits=bitter
This can’t be a coincidence.
pualoQuote Reply
I doubt they would have put it up if it didn’t work, they could test it on a different server first ;)
Khal NicQuote Reply
The fruits all line up, so folding is definitely the key to this puzzle I think.
SergioCQHQuote Reply
Tywin's Bastard,
I see that now that you mention it, but that almost looks like a spacing problem, if you zoom in you’ll notice that “smuge” looks exactly like the paragraph markers after sweetlemon on Thursday. All of the menus have them except Wednesday .
Josh KQuote Reply
sorry, a red M
DendasGarrettQuote Reply
Someone hurry up and finish the damn puzzle!! I wanna watch the video!!
JulianQuote Reply
I think the pouring of the liquid is like an hourglass, providing the acolyte with limited time. The question is what to DO with that time. This puzzle is a tough nut to crack.
Jonathan LeardQuote Reply
Just a general response to all the people complaining about how “badly designed” the puzzle is–while I can agree that (if) the interface is difficult to handle, perhaps HBO would want to consider rehiring someone to save themselves money. But honestly? Stop complaining. We’re not entitled to ANY of this. These are perks we’re receiving as fans, because HBO’s being nice enough to do so.
That being said, this is really hard and I’m too slow to figure it out on my own. :( I came to WiC hoping to find clues, but apparently it’s as elusive for everyone else…
EmilyQuote Reply
@ Hannemarie
I think that the red spot on the rose is a design mistake. You have this spot on the other days in the text on the left side. On Wednesday it’s not there, so perhaps it landed on the rose by accident.
GotiQuote Reply
The purple & orange ribbons in the top 3rd of each page look remarkably like script. I’m going to print it out & try the Mad Magazine approach…
Rik TaylorQuote Reply
I know .. print … then fold in the order of chainging fruits: each of the groups form a straight line! :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
pualo,
Good catch, the tastes do match the differences in the fruits on the recipes
TysnowQuote Reply
Tysnow,
There’s a total of 12 fruit sliced not 11
ShaboshQuote Reply
Julian,
lol! Yeah, i’m really just waiting for someone to get this thing started, now… Been trying for an hour. That’ll do for now.
sjweningsQuote Reply
The “cuts” in the fruit make some pretty straight lines, too.
I think the “Mad” idea is a good one.
paulgudeQuote Reply
I definitely think that using the changing fruit to make lines and then folding somehow is the way to go… but I am surrounded with several pages of folded paper that refuses to show anything useful.
DanteQuote Reply
I’m willing to bet it’s the changing fruit; you guys are definitely onto something. I just wish I knew what.
Jonathan LeardQuote Reply
I hope it’s not something you have to print out. I have no printer!
Is there a program to virtually fold pages on a PDF?
Becky WilsonQuote Reply
Hear Me Roar,
It’s not a straight line on Friday’s menu… Fruit in right corner
ShaboshQuote Reply
Neurosion,
I think you’ve cracked it!
We just need somebody with a printer to take us the next step…
SeithenynQuote Reply
Shabosh,
Maybe it’s to give an ordering. It would be
1. grapefruit
2. oranges
3. apples
Except there are two kinds of apples of course.
pualoQuote Reply
Lannisters are Red, so are the red apples
there is green on the Starks Wolf, to go with the green apples?
the “gold” Stag of Baratheon = the oranges?
i have no idea what they mean, but i’m just looking for correlations…
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
When you fold the page does the corner point to anything?
JesterrQuote Reply
There are definitely several places where the decor looks like letters but it’s hard to try to make them out without having a physical copy to fold.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Fold the menu in half maybe?
Khal NicQuote Reply
I think people are right in believing this puzzle is not broken but just hard..
I mean after all this is the last puzzle and we will still have to wait for 20 days,
So either we need to insert a combination of keys, or we have to wait for more clues/answers …
as mentioned before the only variable/remarkable things are the fruits, the red letters, the ingredients of the dishes, and perhaps the following is rubbish but:
the desert is always Lemon Cakes, and “Followed by” is marked in red..
perhaps we need a certain word and then ‘followed by’ lemon cakes… ??
just typing my thoughts here…
ThorodinnQuote Reply
I’ve been folding for a while now, and I’m still lost. I’m honestly not sure what the hell I’m doing.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
There seem to be various shapes of various colors that could be interpreted as letters. Perhaps a combination of folding along the cut fruit and an indicator like the color of the first letter of the menu point to specific letters
Table ChairQuote Reply
What about using both the folds along lines of fruit along with the center “fold” like a real menu – it would certainly bring the 2 areas with purple ribbon together…
Rik TaylorQuote Reply
Shabosh,
You’re right I didn’t catch the added oranges in the Winterfell recipe.
TysnowQuote Reply
I just tried that, no luck. Though I did fold back, perhaps it should be folded forward.
ArithineQuote Reply
Arithine,
Probably a combination of back and forward folding.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Those fruits that are cut in half definitely form perfectly straight lines, that can’t be coincidence.
ChrisQuote Reply
Given the time and privacy, what I would try is to print it double-sided (and with the sides trimmed). Then fold each time so that the “open” part of the fruit is left exposed. I’ll try it when I get the chance.
NeurosionQuote Reply
I am now surrounded by a bunch of folded pieces of paper, though my confusion continues on. I’ve been folding along the fruits that are cut in half, but its not doing much for me.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
Could it be the tip after folding points as an Arrow to the key that’s supposed to be pressed?
JennyQuote Reply
The singleton is probably a blood orange.
DietesQuote Reply
There are definitely letters hidden in the vines and ribbons. For example, just southwest of the upper right green apple, there are definitely some letters in orange ribbon. Perhaps E M and S?
And then there are more letters in orange ribbon above the oranges that are cut on Friday. There’s definitely an A in brown vines there as well.
SergioCQHQuote Reply
Josh K,
yeah, I suspect that the red smudge on Wednesday is simply a typographical error.
bruceletQuote Reply
On the menus ‘followed by’ is red on the right side and different letters are red on the left side. Could it be that when you sort them you get T followed by NDAA followed by etc?
MathijsQuote Reply
The way I look at it, maybe they need to be folded along the fruits in a certain way, and then stacked on top of each other in a specific order ( MTWThF, or something) to reveal the clue.
Evan AndersonQuote Reply
I would like to add that you have about nine seconds with which to enter whatever needs to be entered; I doubt it is some laundry list of foods. It has to be something more simple.
TylerQuote Reply
Frustrating not to have a printer so I can try folding myself. I have my theories how the decor is supposed to come together but it’s annoying trying to fold an image several times in your head.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
SergioCQH,
I see what you mean about hidden letters. I can recognize some, but I can’t make heads or tails of what its supposed to make out.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
all cut fruits are on only one side of the menu. Except for the red orange which is not cut in the straight line whit the other oranges of that day. Perhaps it shows the fifth line of folding.
WarthoriusQuote Reply
The starting letters of each menu are colored
green
purple
purple
red
blue
perhaps they indicate what color ribbon to look at when folding along the cut fruit.
Table ChairQuote Reply
Contrary to what people said earlier, this seems like a pretty awesome puzzle. Wish I wasn’t at work :(
ChrisQuote Reply
:D
Actually it becomes straight lined with the others when you fold it first time for the green apples.
So folding it is!
WarthoriusQuote Reply
WOOOT solved.
edit: Robert & Ned scene.
type the letters that you get by folding
DelekhanQuote Reply
Here is my guess…
The clue says to find the “keys” by looking at the changes… the fruit changes and they are in a straight line. Along each line is a letter in ribbons, or a keyboard “key”. If we can find each letter (“key”), maybe it needs to be typed…
anyone?
DendasGarrettQuote Reply
Or perhaps to bring that color ribbon into the fold?
Rik TaylorQuote Reply
Delekhan,
care to share?
TylerQuote Reply
Tyler,
Tears of Lys
Could use some novices :)
http://itsh.bo/hjJvkU
DelekhanQuote Reply
Delekhan:
or at least give the folding break down?
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
i hate being this guy but if someone’s solved it can you please just post the spoilers?
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
What a clever puzzle.
Jonathan LeardQuote Reply
How did you figure it out?
Jessica C.Quote Reply
Followed Delekhan’s words and got it the easy way–can you post how you solved it, however?
KitQuote Reply
I was hoping for something spectacular …!
after all that!
Oh well … great scene none the less.
looking foward to sunday.
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
BlatzQuote Reply
I still don’t get how to fold it to get the answer. Maybe I’m just simple. (I’ve seen the reward, Delekhan posted the answer. Thanks to him for that)
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
Type in “Tears Of Lys” without spaces while it pours.
Corey BrooksQuote Reply
I didn’t actually fold anything, I just looked at the orange “letters” on the right side of the Lannister heraldry and figured what that word could be, then read the first part of the clue again and just tried my answer :>
DelekhanQuote Reply
Delekhan,
How did you get that from the folding? Glad to see the puzzle wasn’t glitched.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Also the clue says to “explore the differences in the menus of the Seven Kingdoms.” Maybe it’s just an oversight, but Pentos is not of the Seven Kingdoms.
FatTomQuote Reply
Wow, good job Delekhan. Now I can go to sleep happy tonight.
TruculenceQuote Reply
Delekhan,
Ah, I see. I had thought that word was “mead” but apparently no.
KitQuote Reply
Corey Brooks,
You can do it with the spaces too. It doesn’t matter.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Could use some novices please….http://itsh.bo/hZH1uh
John LoyerQuote Reply
Delekhan,
Still don’t see it. But anyways, thanks for posting the answer. My brain is fried from the effort.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
Also, if anyone wants to help with novices, that would be great; I’m 20% there.
http://itsh.bo/edmQfU
KitQuote Reply
Delekhan,
I see “Ly” in blue along the left side!
fnvQuote Reply
Nice job! But now I’m still stuck on how to reverse engineer this to figure out how it was supposed to be solved with the folding etc. (also it would have helped to have a color printer)
DanteQuote Reply
…and the “s” of Lys under the green apple on the right side.
fnvQuote Reply
Great scene!
Good acting, and the lines seem natural. Like something real people could actually say. And the whole look of it is rich and tasteh.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Thanks Delekhan, as for you I can go sleep now ;)
Can someone tell me, where you see letters next to the Lannister heraldry?
Florian SchmihdQuote Reply
I can read Lys in blue in the left, next to the red apple, but I can’t find “Tears of” anywhere in the menu.
Héctor Gómez HerreroQuote Reply
My “claim your reward” button isn’t working. Can someone post a direct URL to the video file?
pualoQuote Reply
i would be happy for novices too
http://itsh.bo/dF1zAT
Roland SchönhartQuote Reply
When the wine is pouring, type in:
tears of lys (with spaces; I also hit enter at the end but that may not be necessary)
Very oddball puzzle.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
Don’t wanna be a paine, but i could use some novices
http://itsh.bo/e8aDRd
Thanks
João AmaralQuote Reply
Spoilers anyone?
Print the page
Monday – do nothing
Tuesday – fold the page back along the now sliced apples, folding the small triangle back
Wednesday – fold that piece forward and into the line made by the two new cut oranges
(you will have folded back, then forward at this point, and should see ‘tears’ in the ribbon
Thursday – fold backwards along the 3 apples on the left side
Friday – fold forwards along the line of the 3 new oranges that are cut.
Where the folds converge you should be able to read in the ribbons, Tears of Lys.
Whew
Rik TaylorQuote Reply
Roland Schönhart,
To anyone looking, as long as you just follow your own link you can make as many fake accounts as you like and it will be counted as your acolytes. I mean, hell, they don’t even have to be real e-mail accounts.
Lord of the MorningQuote Reply
Aha! I think I got it. First, you fold the lower right corner back along the midline of the green apples. Second, fold the top right corner to the left so that the uncut half of the green apples lines up flush with the uncut half of the oranges, making a hybrid, half green apple-half orange circle. Next, fold the top left corner back along the midline of the red apples. Finally, fold the left side over so that the uncut half of the red apples lines up flush with the uncut half of the grapefruits. The text you need to type is now revealed in orange, green, and blue ribbon!
Skip TeelQuote Reply
For those curious it looks like you do get an extra reward on the 11th if you have gotten five novices and done five links.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Really like Mark Addy as King Robert the more I see of him…
ChrisQuote Reply
Aha! I think I got it. First, you fold the lower right corner back along the midline of the green apples. Second, fold the top right corner to the left so that the uncut half of the green apples lines up flush with the uncut half of the oranges, making a hybrid, half green apple-half orange circle. Next, fold the top left corner back along the midline of the red apples. Finally, fold the left side over so that the uncut half of the red apples lines up flush with the uncut half of the grapefruits. The text you need to type is now revealed in orange, green, and blue ribbon!
Skip TeelQuote Reply
Me too please :)
http://itsh.bo/hj15KA
Khal NicQuote Reply
Good puzzle since they should be hard. I knew it wasn’t bugged but it was a bit of a pain to realize how to solve it but not being able to due to not having a printer. The good thing is that you can always wait for someone else to do it.
It was a very good reward. Now to wait for April 11:th.
Tywin's BastardQuote Reply
http://i52.tinypic.com/m7qp2r.jpg
Orange ribbons form the word “Tears”, blue ribbons “Lys”
DelekhanQuote Reply
Skip Teel,
Thank! The “create a hybrid fruit” aspect of the whole puzzle was the one bit that I was missing. I can rest easy now.
DanteQuote Reply
So what was everyone’s favorite Maester’s Path reward?
Mine is still the first one of Jon giving Arya needle.
Jessica C.Quote Reply
thank you Delekhan!
now we just have to wait until April 11th to claim our “final reward”
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
Rik Taylor,
Many thanks. I hadn’t thought of folding back in from the old folds. The fruits line up perfectly.
Great puzzle.
NeurosionQuote Reply
Thanks Delekhan! Even knowing what it is supposed to say, I can’t make it out on the menus; so, without your help there was approximately a 0% chance of me getting that one.
EvilClosetMonkeyQuote Reply
Jessica C.,
Yeah, the needle scene is my favorite – it was so cool to see, and well done in general.
This new one is probably my second favorite. It might not be as “iconic” and we’ve seen quite a lot of these two guys before, but… it’s just perfectly done.
sjweningsQuote Reply
I guess Ill ask for a few novices as well, so I can see the april 11 reward without having to wait for a youtube version, http://itsh.bo/hDHZdN although, I dont see how I´m going to get any, since everyone is asking everyone else. Still though, please join me:)
John EngedalQuote Reply
Mark Addy is really great ! Really Really… I d’ont know if i’m alone to think this…
Nicolas WinterQuote Reply
Wylla?
LIES!!!! XD XD XD
Franny BeeQuote Reply
Here’s a pic of the final result of the folding:
<a href: http://yfrog.com/gyzj9poj
Skip TeelQuote Reply
btw people, while you’re at it, jon snow is losing against vin…go vote for him now! http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-jon-snow-versus-vin.html
Saso AlaufQuote Reply
i have no colour printer
!!!
It’s hard to see like that…
JennyQuote Reply
Can someone upload the reward to youtube, please.
johnQuote Reply
Jessica C.,
Yeah, Needle, but this Ned-Robert convo was cool, too. And also Tyrion… Damn, can’t really choose! :D
IzmaglicaQuote Reply
Delekhan,
Thank you,
This puzzle is the nightmare of a color-blind.
Héctor Gómez HerreroQuote Reply
easily the best one… but it’s such an iconic moment from the books, the other ones were all kind of “a let down” after that
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
I think I must be colourblind too, I can’t read letters in those ribbons.
KnurkQuote Reply
Nice Clip.
Had no chance with the puzzle as no Printer at the moment, tried some digital folding but to no avail.
MormegilQuote Reply
Generations of fans have been wondering about it and there he says it.
And the riddle takes another turn…
because who is who and who was where and who is not where? and where is who?
JennyQuote Reply
I could use 4 more novices please: http://itsh.bo/gvsZJa
Let me know and I will follow you guys.
JasonQuote Reply
Thanks, everyone. What I’ve learned from these puzzles is that I’m no good at puzzles.
Interesting scene.
Sumiko KeayQuote Reply
solved :)
the video makes me raise an eyebrow thoughmainly because Ned out right says who Jon’s mother is which is still a big mystery in the books, wondering if this just them leading us astray or could the R+L believe that has been floating around forever been wrong all along.
Joel RodriguezQuote Reply
My problem with this initially was that I underestimated them. What a great challenge!
As far as the spoilerish stuff:
What we have here is Ned filling in details of the story Robert has been told about Jon’s mother. That’s different than a confirmation of who Jon’s mother is.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Joel Rodriguez,
isn’t it like that in the books as well?
raegenhereQuote Reply
btw, for anyone who’s in need of novices, you can always create email accts thru gmail…
;-)
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
I need novices as well – http://itsh.bo/i6WfhZ
LizQuote Reply
That scene is straight from the book, Ned says the same thing to Robert.
MormegilQuote Reply
That was a great scene in my mind. Started off very relaxed but ended on a high-point :)
Johan SporreQuote Reply
http://itsh.bo/gmCrNP
Anyone care to be my novice?? :)
LyndisQuote Reply
Wow i’m more impressed by the people who solved the puzzle than the reward itself.
MirriMazQuote Reply
Trouble’s with the how not with the what.
JennyQuote Reply
I like him as Robert…but that wheezing he does when he laughs is a bit disturbing…I bet he’s a smoker, he sounds like he’s going to start coughing and hacking up green phlegm any moment!
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
Joel Rodriguez,
Ned looks away from Robert when he says “Wylla.” Maybe he’s outright lying?
TheanoQuote Reply
JEEZY CREEZY that was hard!
Video was interesting, though — pretty crude language (not complaining, it’s HBO!), and I am digging Ned & Robert’s interactions — you can tell they (the characters) are very good friends. I like that. Mark Addy is SO Falstaffian, Ned/Sean might be channeling a little Henry IV here as well.
Oooh, has anybody ever asked GRRM if he’s read Shakepeare’s history plays? I know he’s a huge history buff, and the Wars of the Roses are obviously big inspirations for ASoIaF, but this scene kind of makes me all atwitter about the influences of Henry 4, Prince Hal, Hotspur, and Falstaff on our lil’ series. (Now ends the nerd alert.)
Carrie MeathrellQuote Reply
Dang, via twitter, there is a grip of people lining up for the food cart.
ChrisQuote Reply
That one was bloody tough. Thanks for the help, all!
If anyone cares to help, I still need apprentices for a chance at the last piece to become a Maester: http://itsh.bo/gnIhgQ. Thanks in advance!
BryantQuote Reply
Nicolas Winter,
No, he’s great! And so nice to see Ned smiling :)
Franny BeeQuote Reply
I see lines like that outside of Dunkin Donuts for free iced coffee. Does not surprise me in the slightest for real food.
I hope all those people and their friends end up watching the show.
Jessica C.Quote Reply
I’m more surprised so many people don’t seem to remember that that name and what he tells Robert is straight from the books.
EnterilQuote Reply
Some acolytes would be wonderful.
http://itsh.bo/hyhYwI
Rhiannon JungQuote Reply
Sadly, I have no printer. Someone needs to upload a scan of the folded sheet, so we can see the words! EDIT: Nevermind, just found it above. Thanks! So cool.
I have to say, this was a very cool puzzle… probably the best one yet. But, once again, I feel embarrassed by the complainers who have been complaining every Monday. It only took a few minutes of thought to realize the puzzle was not broken, and that we needed to type something in within the allotted time. But instead people just start whining and crying because they can’t instantly figure it out. Geez…
LexQuote Reply
be your own novice!
there is a high chance that everybody here is already registered, so no point asking.
use something like this: http://trashmail.ws/
also, i guess there could be another reward for the guy(s) with the most novices.
raegenhereQuote Reply
I only need 2 more novices please…:)
http://itsh.bo/gPmYvm
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
Pretty unclear puzzle.
I found out, after a research on the web, that the answer is “Tears of Lys” and you just have to type it whilst the wine is poured into the cauldron.
I don’t know how the guy who got the answer did it. Have fun with a soft-spoiling reward! xD
Zed del DragoQuote Reply
I still need novices … if any one is interested clink the link and thanks …
http://itsh.bo/hDHqJB
Marilyn BonesQuote Reply
Yeah, screw this puzzle. Hire some professionals next time instead of your nephews.
KGQuote Reply
the Wylla deception was all for Roberts sake was it not? i mean it would hardly make sense for ned to say Lyanna in answer to Roberts question.
DavidGQuote Reply
I have to say I love this scene. It really feels very natural. So pleased with these two actors.
Also for those complaining about people complaining: It really annoys me that you guys are complaining. Sure it seems obvious *now* but a bug was not an unreasonable assumption. When things don’t work people whine. Then they get fixed. Or they are told the thing wasn’t broken and they go back to figure it out.
Of course now I’m sure someone will complain that I’m complaining about people complaining that people were complaining. C’est la vie. ;-P
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Franny Bee,
WARNING. HUGE SPOILER HERE.
Willa is mentioned again in ASoS: Arya VIII. Arya asks, “Who’s Wylla?” / “Jon Snow’s mother.” … / “Who are you?” / “My lady? … I’m Edric Dayne, the…the Lord of Starfall.”
So we at at least know that Eddard wasn’t just making up a name. At least Wylla is supposed to be Jon’s mother. There is a theory that it is all a big coverup and Jon is really the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna. The theory is supported by citation. The link to the theory is here: http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/mlarchives/faq/jon.html
If the link doesn’t take try copying and pasting it.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
damn best clip yet. So natural, funny, and human. I now love Robert even more. Mark Addy is superb. I’m more invested in their friendship from that clip than I ever was from the book.
Targaryen FanboyQuote Reply
pretty piss poor attitude mate! once thing i’ve noticed with ASoIaF fans is their overwhelming sense of entitlement. whether its to the next book, NOW or to better puzzles as part of their all out promotional extravaganza down to nitpicking every damn decision that doesn’t fit with their view of the series.
HBO have done an outstanding job in bringing this to TV from the very start right up to their unprecedented promotion of the show. Kudos to them for it! some of the fans need to grow up.
/rant
DavidGQuote Reply
Wow, that was by far my favorite puzzle!! (Though my favorite video was the first, for purely sentimental reasons.) I felt like I was in Romancing the Stone! Now where is my little mule, Pepe . . .
Thanks HBO & Campfire! I have always wanted to solve a puzzle like that! And thanks to those stalwart and clever folks here who helped me along the way. Y’all are the Michael Douglas to my Kathleen Turner.
JDQuote Reply
Mike Chair,
*grin* Yes, I’m familiar with the theories. Love ‘em all, though the most popular is my favorite, since it seems to make the most sense. I still wouldn’t put it past our wily author to throw us whole books full of red herrings.
But I was saying that Ned was looking away when he said “Wylla.” That, to me, is visual evidence of a possible lie, which did not appear in the books, IIRC.
TheanoQuote Reply
I need novices please. http://itsh.bo/etz3be
JAZQuote Reply
Sorry people, but you’re wrong about the clip.
(Not sure if I use the spoiler thing right here.)
In the book, when Ned says Wylla, it isn’t per se a direct answer to Robert’s ‘your bastard’s mother’, but can also be interpreted as an answer to ‘you know the one I’m talking about’, leaving the option of Wylla not being Jon’s mother open. It’s possible it will be the same in the full episode. Trailers and clips often leave bits out.
Not importantQuote Reply
Great puzzle and reward…I love this scene. When reading the books I truly believed Wylla was Jon’s mother since I believe it was mentioned in 2 different occasions.
sareetaQuote Reply
I appear to be the only one having trouble entering the answer to the puzzle. Lost count of how many times and ways I’ve tried typing tears of lys while the wine is pouring.
Any thoughts or ideas? Clip on Youtube?
StubertQuote Reply
Luv luv luv the acting in this newest clip. I finally can look at King Robert and not see a naked man holding a policemans hat……
mimiQuote Reply
Response concerns everyone’s favorite spoilerific theory.
I notice that slight difference as well. I think that it could be a difference in how to subtly show someone isn’t telling the whole truth in written word vs performance. To be honest I feel like it come across more as not being a direct answer to the question in the acting than the text. Even if the R+L theory is true Ned is still going to answer this question with the name Wylla. The text difference conveys to the reader that he might not be answering the question while Ned looking away as he says it implies this to the close observer. Either way though you have to be suspicious of this fact already to pick up on it.
Of course if Sean Bean is actually portraying this fact (R+L=J) in his performance that would mean they confirmed it for him. This is the most intriguing thing about the clip to me. It would imply that we probably get to see Ned’s fever dreams when he is in the dungeon as they are fleshing out the intrigue behind John’s parentage for the tv people. (that and I don’t remember the book ever having that conversation I saw in one of the videos where Ned tells Jon that when he sees him again they will talk about his mother)
Of course I could just be reading too much into one scene but there you go.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Theano,
Indeed. The line from the book (GoT: Eddard II) is “Her name was Wylla,” Ned replied with cool courtesy, “and I would sooner not speak of her.” Nothing about him turning away. True. The actors’ performances will add new dimensions to the story which is why we’re counting this thing down!
I was raising the issue of what kind of lie it was. If it’s a lie, it’s not a new one told off the cuff.
20 days.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
Everyone needs to stop complaining about the hard puzzles. Obviously the designers were told to in fact make them hard, because GRRM fans are too smart for their own good. The evidence of our intelligence? How quickly we were able to answer the casting clues last year. So basically, because you overperformed on previous puzzles, we now have to suffer for it :)
Yeah, this one really annoyed me, because they waited to long to post it, and I thought I would whip through it, so they made me late for work. And I still haven’t gotten to see :( My monday morning ritual = ruined.
salukQuote Reply
This is my second favorite clip, after the Jon/Arya scene.
I’ve had faith in Mark Addy from the beginning, and this clip was just solidifying my appreciation for the casting. The scene itself, and its implications, was one I had been anticipating. Ned’s hesitation was a nice touch.
ZackQuote Reply
is any one else still having problems, all i still get is the liquid poring and then i fail… any thoughts on what to do to fix it
jason wQuote Reply
To those looking for novices here, the chance that someone reading the comments here hasn’t already signed up is slim to none. And really, it kind of defeats the purpose. The idea is to get 5 new people into the show by sharing with them The Maester’s Path experience. If you just recruit novices from the already established fan base (or worse, create fake accounts) you aren’t really helping the show’s chances at a long run.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Thanks for figuring out the puzzle. The scene was awesome too! Especially the last word!!! What a set up!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Mike Chair,
Since Wylla was the “milk” mother for Edric Dayne she could have been Jon’s “milk” mother too, while agreeing to cover up for Lyanna.
purplejillyQuote Reply
But are people unfamiliar with the show or its development going to have any idea of where to even begin teasing out the solutions to the puzzles? Even some of the folks following this site daily struggle with it. The “novices” thing therefore doesn’t make any sense to me. To attract new fans, show them clips. To give current fans something to do to heighten anticipation, release puzzles.
ZackQuote Reply
jason w,
You need to find something to type. The code is hidden in the menus. If you need more than that people have posted outright spoilers on how to solve it above. (but it isn’t a glitch like some, myself included, thought at first)
Eric JonesQuote Reply
DavidG,
Come off it. A bad interface is a bad interface.
It’s not entitlement; it’s honesty. It’d be entitlement if we demanded AAA quality games for the challenges, but no one is. My problem is the inconsistency; some of the previous ones actually were buggy enough that a lot of people couldn’t get them to work. When this one seemed to be unresponsive, a bug was a logical conclusion to draw. Things like this shouldn’t leave so many people guessing as to whether they’re actually working or not.
GaRQuote Reply
Zack,
I have to agree. The only people you are going to get with the Maester’s path are more fans of the books. (not to say this isn’t neccessary, I’ve prodded more than one fan of the books who didn’t know the show was coming into being excited about the show) But the whole thing is a pyramid scheme anyway, it isn’t sustainable. Post the link places sure but I think the better way to hook *new* viewers is to just show them the trailers.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Eric Jones,
type where it says start then nothing then i fail
jason wQuote Reply
That is consistent with the theory as I understand it.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
jason w,
You pressed begin, the liquid started pouring then you typed? Did you spell it right? If you spelled it correctly and you are typing at the right time I’m not sure what the issue is, sorry.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Did not unlock it myself, but here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjz9Wwx6vzc
The Lord’s KissQuote Reply
Still not working for me. Typing tears of lys while wine is pouring and I fail every time. YouTube maybe?
StubertQuote Reply
The Lord’s Kiss,
Was just coming over here to post that- thanks :)
Steve the PirateQuote Reply
Eric Jones,
yea i got it i was typing the wrong thing thanks for the help
jason wQuote Reply
Here is the direct link to the video file for anyone who wants it.
pualoQuote Reply
It would imply that we probably get to see Ned’s fever dreams when he is in the dungeon as they are fleshing out the intrigue behind John’s parentage for the tv people. (that and I don’t remember the book ever having that conversation I saw in one of the videos where Ned tells Jon that when he sees him again they will talk about his mother)
As to Jon and Ned scene
The scene with Ned and Jon is not in the book just finished re-reading it last week. And as to the ned and robert part its in there but it didn’t come across the same way. I also wonder about the fever dreams in the dungeons and how much is going to be hinted at. For that matter its got me wondering if when martin will finally get around to revealing his heritage in the books, hopefully in DWD.
JoelQuote Reply
Regarding the spoilerific issue:
In this scene I see father and straight-shooter Ned trying to interface again with his old war buddy. We also know that Jon is a sore spot between Ned and Catelyn. I think it’s safe to say that Ned’s good at playing his cards close to his chest when it comes to Jon’s parentage. Therefore, his turn away isn’t because he’s lying to Robert, even though I think that he IS lying to Robert. His turn away is because Robert has brought up the fact that Ned has a bastard in a flip and lighthearted manner, whereas for Ned the issue is anything but. And, to add another layer, if Lyanna is Jon’s mother then Robert is unwittingly reminding Ned of his dead sister, a woman whom he himself has mourned. There’s a lot going on in that scene, much more than Ned being a bad liar.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Finally figured out the puzzle, though I couldn’t have done it without your help, folks. Thanks! (Long time lurker here, btw) And like many of the others here, I’m in need of novices….. http://itsh.bo/egLb9J
Heather KabelQuote Reply
Zack,
Eric Jones,
I think the marketing plan here is just to get thousands of fans to post GoT links via Facebook/Twitter/whatever, and talk to their friends about the series, even if only to say, “Hey, I want to see a video teaser for a new show coming out called Game of Thrones. Do me a favor and click this link.” Some non-fans will be curious about the video, and some won’t, but either way, it creates buzz.
izakmoQuote Reply
I’ve only had complaints about two of the puzzles. The Wall 3D game because I couldn’t get it to run on my computer and this one. My complaint with this one is that like many others I couldn’t tell whether it worked or not from the beginning. It’s akin to telling someone to predict which number would come next in a sequence and then giving them a piece of paper where the numbers are written in invisible ink. They are probably going to first assume that you forgot to write down the numbers. Also, I don’t have a printer so even when I kind of knew where to start I couldn’t try to solve the puzzle as intended.
That being said, I want to thank HBO and Campfire for all the work they put into providing these goodies to us. I know I’m not alone in saying I appreciate it.
P.S. As noted above, don’t let Jon Snow lose to Vin!
http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-jon-snow-versus-vin.html
EvilClosetMonkeyQuote Reply
Anyone want to help me out and be a novice
Ryan CordesQuote Reply
This was my favorite of all the puzzles. I love how we were given very little direction and had to figure everything out. And I loved how it encouraged collaborative problem solving because of the difficulty. Good job guys.
pualoQuote Reply
izakmo,
Oh yeah that is the thought I think. Personally though I think I get more traction from posting trailers. But if it gets people to post updates that wouldn’t otherwise then more power to them. (even if all it does is remind people that there is a show call Game of Thrones that will start airing soon it will have done its job)
Eric JonesQuote Reply
pualo,
The folks here (yourself included) definitely pushed me past the “clicking on things with my mouse doesn’t work so I will try it again fifty times like a dumbass” caveman mentality. Though I was open to the possibility, I didn’t think they’d actually have a non-click input method, especially one that wasn’t visible on screen.
I’m happy that they went for it as hard as they did.
paulgudeQuote Reply
This has been my favorite clip so far. The acting is superb and the interaction between Robert and Ned great and damn spot on to how I pictured the interaction between the two in such settings.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Also regarding the spoilerific issue …
If Jon’s papa is Rhaegar, how long would he survive if it were known ? Robert’s deadly attitude to the other surviving Targaryen children would be another reason for Ned’s reticence. I somehow don’t think Robert would feel any fondness for Jon as Lyanna’s son. He would be seen as the instrument of her death , along with Rhaegar. If R+L=J , why else would he continue lie to Catelyn causing strife in an otherwise close family ?
In one of his chapters ( black cell ?) Ned has it settled in his mind to tell Jon about his mother when/if he sees him again. So I just see his line to Jon in the show as a way to establish this.
obsidianQuote Reply
EvilClosetMonkey,
Heh, you should watch The Exam, about this very kind of situation.
salukQuote Reply
Wow… what a fantastic scene. Short, stumpy Mark Addy as Robert was one of my biggest concerns about casting, But I don’t think this scene could have been more perfect.
KeatonQuote Reply
Excellent puzzle
I’d worked out the folding on my own, but still couldn’t get anything from it – printed in black and white, the ribbons are invisible!.
Having a decent outline around the ribbons would have made it a lot easier to see, without making it easier to actually work out.
very satisfying though, and great reward.
Three weeks to go!
Ax0rQuote Reply
Ax0r,
I ended up shading everything that seemed like an off color:
http://twitpic.com/4eh2em
paulgudeQuote Reply
Further to the spoilerific matter,
I meant to add that the decision to send Jon to the wall might reflect that the wall may be the one safe place for a Targaryen ( Aemon) and it may be that of the people who might know Jons true parentage , Benjen would be a prime candidate. Not all Lords send their bastards to the wall.. especially after raising them with their own children..safety was a consideration for Gendry, and probably for Jon as well.
obsidianQuote Reply
Zack,
I thought I’d comment on this, because the only puzzle we created where you actually needed knowledge of canon was on the weather puzzle and what the names of the House sigils were in order to unlock the cypher. Everything else could be solved internally from the clues provided (if you knew how to interpret them). So in that sense, they were all created for puzzle lovers, nor necessarily just GoT fans (although obviously there’s a huge intersection, as GRRM’s earlier casting puzzles showed).
It’s always a hard nut to crack – how easy or hard to make a puzzle, especially if you allow for both individuals to solve and communities to jointly do so. The comment above about myself giving hints to solve the puzzle here is kind of true, but I never really needed to. I planned to do so after a day or two if you all got really stuck, but no puzzle went unsolved for longer than 90 minutes. That’s actually quite incredible when you think about it, and is a testament to how smart GoT fans are :)
Steve CQuote Reply
Haha the video play badly on my computer so I just conned my roommate into being my novice so i could watch it on hers. :)
Phoenix_TornQuote Reply
Steve C,
Thanks for doing these. This last one was definitely my favorite.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Dave, the only thing piss-poor here is the web development team. The Wall segment was bloated and slow, and this one doesn’t work at all.
A primary focus of marketing is accessibility. If people can’t access your message, it’s worthless. I’m disgusted with the quality being displayed, and I’m a fan – what does that kind of slipshod work say to someone on the fence about tuning in?
With the financial backing HBO provides, they should have gotten better results.
So take your grateful fanboy act and get stuffed. I am not so desperate that I will lick their feet for whatever scraps they decide to throw us. Maybe you should grow a spine and tell the Emperor he’s got no clothes on.
KSQuote Reply
I don’t think him mentioning a name at all changes the theories that are out there… he wouldn’t tell Robert the truth anyway, so I’m sure he has a name as a cover story if that R+L thing is the true situation
NakmalQuote Reply
About Wylla et al at brunch:
Ned looks away because he hates lying to Robert. I read that like a cereal box. (He doesn’t actually ‘lie’ about who Jon’s mom is to Catelyn, he just doesn’t tell her at all.)
As the son of Rhaegar (Robert’s arch-enemy), Jon would have joined his half-sibs. In the grave.
Franny BeeQuote Reply
Huh?? You’re not even making sense. This puzzle works just fine. People solved it.
The whining about the Maester’s Path is seriously the most embarrassing thing to come out of this fandom yet.
LexQuote Reply
Best scene yet in my opinion. The acting to me anyway was the best I’ve seen yet. I had my worries about Bean but he really seems to be into the role in this scene. Really happy about how this scene turned out.
JarmelQuote Reply
The first 30 mins of this thread are hilarious. I would love to see some of these posters try to play Riven.
ChrisQuote Reply
Lex,
It’s not just whining, its downright anger and vitriol. Im not sure where it came from, this used to be a pretty easy going community.
ChrisQuote Reply
Chris: this used to be a pretty easy going community.
It did?
pualoQuote Reply
Games like Riven are no longer popular, “press this button to win” games are what’s in :)
Thanks Steve C for the effort you and your team put into these! It has made the wait a lot easier.
salukQuote Reply
Chris,
There’s an innate self-defeating attitude that I have to get over to solve these things.
I said, “It’s possible that there’s a different, secret way to interface with the puzzle, but up until now there has always been something draggable or clickable.”
Compare that to your comment, “I would put money on the fact that you have to type something to solve the puzzle. There is not other way to interface with it that I can see.”
“This thing is broken” verses finding a possible solution is a lesson I should have learned a long time ago, but I keep having to learn again. Not just in riddles, but in all aspects of life.
Maybe this time it’ll take.
People who say games are a waste of time never tried to teach me anything.
paulgudeQuote Reply
I don’t mind complaining or nitpicking about some things, but the Maester’s Path?? Complaining about that (especially loud, angry complaining) is beyond ridiculous and into the realm of ludicrous and absurd. It’s just bonus material, complete bonus material… and it’s FREE! It never had to exist at all. If you don’t like it… DON’T PLAY THE PUZZLES!!!
LexQuote Reply
Sorry to bring it to you, but Jon Snow could never ever not-even-in-a-billion-years win against Vin! :-)
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Lex,
I will say that while some folks were definitely mad, some of us were just trying to reason through what was happening but were completely wrong. For me, the ability to change your mindset, accept you were totally off, and move forward is the key to enjoying things like this.
Some people don’t like being wrong.
paulgudeQuote Reply
Hey guys i could use a couple novices if anyones willing…
MitchQuote Reply
paulgude,
I understand, but these complaints have been happening every Monday. It’s a bit much.
LexQuote Reply
Hey guys, check out Jace Lacob’s recent tweets – he’s comparing the pilot and the 1st ep. He’s read the books; his wife hasn’t. Makes for interesting commentary, albeit brief. “She loved Emilia Clarke, thought this Dany was huge improvement. And Michelle Fairley too.”
A lot of other critics (@ChristPA, @poniewozik, @Elizadish) are tweeting their responses to the press kits (first six episodes I think) but most are not going to tweet their entire review–I’m sure they’ll be furiously writing them soon enough for their respective publications.
MegQuote Reply
Great puzzle, great scene! I loved it. And a year ago I was like “meh” about Addy playing Robert – now he is Robert.
Oh, I need 1 acolyte…
http://itsh.bo/fHyXR4
SlyntQuote Reply
Completely off topic, buuuuuut-
I was checking out the HBO iphone/ipod app tonight, and in the Cast section if appears they have some photos I haven’t seen anywhere else yet (different even then some of the cast photos on the HBO website). I KNOW I haven’t seen the Hound photo they have, and I believe the Sansa shot is a new one too. :)
Jenn RoseQuote Reply
Great puzzle indeed, although a little bit obscure. It’s not perfectly designed when the first impression it gives is that it’s glitched, not that there’s something you’re not doing well. But at least it all made sense in the end (unlike the hearing mess) and the reward was… well, rewarding!
The only thing I feel a little disappointed about the Maester’s Path (GREAT ad campaign, unheard of!) is that it’s a little unfriendly towards non-english speakers.
I have NO way of obtaining more Disciples than made some fake gmail accounts myself.
All in all, thank you to all involved!
CaedesQuote Reply
Here’s the graphic solution to the puzzle. Just did some photoshop, putting apples and oranges together.
PietelQuote Reply
Pietel,
Great work!!! I didn’t get involved in this one, but it seems it was a great puzzle, despite it being so cryptic, or better yet because being so cryptic!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
I really like The Maester’s Path, but this is the first time I hear of folding.
I read something about MAD magazine among the comments, but I don’t know about that magazine, since I am from Spain.
Never seen this before in my life, so I’m lucky you guys solved it.
Thank you!
hamykiaQuote Reply
Regarding the spoiler theories:
About the part that Bean is acting like R+L=J is true, I don’t think that’s a fact. Jon’s mother is a touchy subject for Eddard (there’s a lot of things there that weigh heavily on him), regardless of who it turns out to be and he could just turn away and sound like he does because the fun was suddenly gone and they came upon a subject he doesn’t want to talk about. Bean’s acting supports the theory but it doesn’t actually confirm it.
Tywin's BastardQuote Reply
Tar Kidho,
I came into that write-up expecting to vote for Jon (not knowing anything about Vin) but after he made Jon a super-warger to be able to beat her it just seemed ludicrous. Sure, I love Jon as a character but I want to have some integrity.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Tar Kidho,
Yes, this was a puzzle of high quality. Very hard but very logical and the graphics used was very nice. I think too many people are used to everything being so easy these days so they just feel frustrated by a big challenge, hence quickly assuming that there’s something wrong instead of that it’s they who just can’t solve it.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
I’d just like to say that my comment was not about the quality of the puzzles, but the quality of the games in which they were presented.
The puzzles themselves have been good and challenging, except for the Wall one. However, the games have mostly been terrible:
1. Scents/symbols puzzle wheel – good game, good puzzle, pretty easy.
2. “Spatial audio experience” – great puzzle, really had me thinking about what the people were saying, but the inn part was terrible! Moving a strange symbol about an empty pub at a snail’s pace, hearing disembodied voices – very tedious and unconvincing.
3. The Wall…. I would think it’s obvious. No puzzle to speak of and a simply terrible method of control.
4. Weather/coded pages thing – Definitely the best one. I have no complaints.
5. Again, great puzzle and no denying it, but if you expect interaction, you should show it. Yes, there were vaguely cryptic hints to keys in the clues, but the video had absolutely no bearing on the experience! It just seems like a cheap and contrived method to make the puzzle more difficult to solve. If your game looks like it’s broken when you’re trying to be cryptic, it is just broken.
blerghQuote Reply
Looks like Syrio appears in Ep3, seems a bit early to me.
televisionary Jace Lacob
Loved ep 3 and the water dance scene. #GameofThrones
http://twitter.com/#!/televisionary/status/52608937165459456
MormegilQuote Reply
New on set photos
M.MartellQuote Reply
Thanks for that.
“Televisionary” he calls himself. I love that. “Mrs. Televisionary” he calls his wife. Love that more. Cold open in the pilot is a must. Seems like recasting Dany was the right call.
I can’t see this not being a huge hit. Keep the reviews coming.
Mike ChairQuote Reply
Great puzzle, great scene!
I`m really looking forward to the show allthough it seems that we still don’t have a release date here in Germany.
Anyway, I need some acolytes to finish my path. http://itsh.bo/fdJpNW
Thanks.
LarsQuote Reply
would really appriciate if someone would become my acolite :)
http://itsh.bo/eOJyRn
Piotr PetelskiQuote Reply
Johan Sporre,
That’s my view as well. I love both characters, but the abilities Brandon Sanderson gave to Vin simply put her in a different league. Oh, and be sure to read the Mistborn Trilogy! It has its flaws, but nonetheless might be my favourite series from beginning to end (yes, it already has an end…). Without AFFC, ASoIaF would have been my favorite, and hopefully it will be again whith the last three books taken into account, whenever that might be ;-)
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
Yes, the bigger the challenge, the sweeter the reward! That’s what I always tell myself when I’m nearly dying cycling up an alpine climb, with the downhill waiting as the reward…
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
blergh,
I disagree on your view of the last puzzle. Much of what made it great is that you had no clue what to do if you didn’t think really hard about it. You couldn’t solve this without being clever. And if someone didn’t expect that you should interact with it, I’d say the blame is on that user for not thinking.
The first puzzle was much more obvious and you could solve that by patience alone, which is not the best kind of puzzle as it should require brains. Not that the first one was bad though, I just think the last one was the best because it was actually challenging, and still remained logical.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
anybody put this on youtube yet? i solved it and watched it but i cannot download it with real downloader from the Maesters Path website only youtube.
http://itsh.bo/hL6PML
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
everybody feel free to ignore my link for acolytes. i just put that there so i could follow it and register my own “acolytes”.
now i have 5 apprentices, sort of.
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
blergh,
As someone who spent weeks happily trying to crack Myst in the pre-Internet era and months and months with my father studying the Masquerade book, I’d have to argue that sometimes understanding the puzzle mechanic is part of the puzzle, and that the inability to solve a puzzle at first glance is not necessarily a bad thing (if you love puzzles).
Steve cQuote Reply
M.Martell,
These are great photos! Everyone should take a look at these. Thanks, M. Martell.
HollyoakQuote Reply
This is probably my second favorite reward, after the first one.
The more and more I see of Mark Addy, the more and more faith I have that he’ll be a fantastic Robert. What I like about this scene is that you can feel the friendship between the two men, but you can also clearly see the contrasts in their personalities. I like how Robert just goes off reminiscing and Ned just lets him go. Also, Sean Bean’s delivery of the “Wylla” line is perfect; the way he turns away could suggest shame over having fathered a bastard…or it could suggest that he’s lying to his oldest friend in the world to protect his nephew from a certain death. :D
LinaQuote Reply
Lex,
That would be me … sorry. I was too quick to judge/not quick enough to get the puzzle. And I repeat, D’oh!
SporkQuote Reply
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN3AyxwN0wA
RichardQuote Reply
On the spoiler:
I see the evidence for R+L=J and think it likely to be true, but I don’t want it to be. For two reasons- firstly, Ned and Catelyn have a good and trusting marriage and I don’t see why he would keep this from her, he must have known it would hurt her terribly and make life more difficult for Jon. Had Catelyn been trusted with the secret, she wouldn’t have seen Jon as a reminder of a betrayal, happier life for everyone even if no-one else ever finds out the truth.
The other is I simply don’t like it. One of my favourite aspects of ASOIAF is that it does seem real- things don’t follow a nice neat cliche of a story. Characters are shades of grey, and there is no impossible outcome. Nice symmetries aren’t preserved when it’s unrealistic to do so. Jon is, in my opinion, one of the weak links in this- he is one of the least grey of any of the characters and his story more typical than most (not all- similar could be said of Dany, though I find her story more interesting simply due to the variety of people/cultures she meets, likewise Arya). Boy with a disadvantage chooses difficult but noble career, has a hard time at first, does brave things, remains true to cause despite tempation and ends up a respected leader. Didn’t find his rise to Lord Commander believable and would have been far more interested if he’d lost that election. Add that he’s secretly royalty (or at least the son of two much beloved characters from the past, one of whom was royalty), and I find that even worse.
So I hope Jon is just Ned’s bastard, in no way ‘special’- I’d find him more interesting like that. But I accept that’s probably not the case.
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
Shinyteapot,
On the first spoiler:
If Ned promised Lyanna not to tell anyone his honor would definitely surpass the agony of hurting his wife. If Jon actually is his bastard, then he’s just cruel by taking him to Winterfell to wound his wife when he could easily provide a good position for him elsewhere. He would already have done the honorable thing by recognizing Jon as his bastard. The logical reason to keep him close is to keep him safe. That’s at least how I see it and the beauty of it is that there’s room for various opinions.
Tywin's BastardQuote Reply
Steve C,
I’d also like to thank you and Campfire for putting together an overall awesome experience. This was the only puzzle I complained about, sorry to jump the gun and assume you had made a mistake. This last one was the best puzzle by far.
SporkQuote Reply
Shinyteapot,
What if R+L=J is true, and this becomes apparent to the reader, yet Jon and the world at large never become aware of it? It becomes a bit less cliched and a lot more bittersweet… ? :)
JDPQuote Reply
Wow – that just blew me away… That would be crazy!
EdQuote Reply
Steve c,
This puzzle was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of brainteasers of all kinds . . . the harder, the better (so long as they are hard in a clever way). I know that not everyone loves puzzles . . . some people get very frusterated by them. To each their own, I suppose!
I totally agree with the idea that figuring out how to interface with a puzzle can be a part of solving it. It reminds me of beating Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid, to use a video game example. Anyway, cheers to all of you!
JDQuote Reply
Whoa, great clip, spot-on acting by both, and Mark Addy is fantastic as Robert! 5 stars!!!!
Luca CorradiniQuote Reply
JD,
Glad you liked it. It’s funny you mention MGS because to be honest, the “type in the answer without no indication that you have to do so” owes a big hat tip to the Konami Code.
Steve CQuote Reply
This clip was great. Just behind the Jon and Arya one. The way Ned says Wylla with pain behind it is greatness. I’m so stoked for Sunday! We’ll finally get the full glimpse of the Others.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
And then Jon’s life would have been in grave danger, because everyone would have been wondering at why exactly Catelyn Stark didn’t treat her husband’s bastard whom she is – contrary to custom in Westeros – being asked to raise in her own household with dislike and distrust. IMO, Cat’s and Jon’s interactions with each other confirm for any outside observers that she is being forced against her will to raise her husband’s bastard (and that famously honorable Ned Stark has a bastard at all is something that’s certainly talked about outside Winterfell – Jaime Lannister brings it up to mock Catelyn in Riverrun.)
Maybe if Catelyn was the world’s greatest actress it would work, but she COULD not show kindness to Jon for his own sake. Plus, how much do you think she would appreciate her own children’s lives being in jeopardy because Ned is protecting Jon from Robert? Robert was perfectly sanguine about the brutal murders of Rhaegar’s other children; I think if R+L=J was true and known to Robert he would have seen Jon as the product of the rape of his beloved Lyanna and the direct cause of her death in childbirth. I doubt he would have shown much mercy. And I imagine his feeling of betrayal by Ned would have been immense, jeopardizing the lives of all the Starks.
Regina ThorneQuote Reply
how does anyone expect Ned to explain away to Robert that he is carrying around a baby now, during the end of the war. He had to tell him something and if he says jon is his bastard than he has to have a woman he is claiming to be the mother.
jason wQuote Reply
I have a question: just how many bastards does Robert have? I know of Gendry, Edric Storm and Mya Stone but are their any more lurking about that I don’t know about yet?
JulianQuote Reply
I would appreciate some novices if you guys don’t mind.
http://itsh.bo/evFxOX
Thanks.
NickQuote Reply
Julian,
16 i think
jason wQuote Reply
Oh crap sorry that last post is not in spoilers!! D:
JulianQuote Reply
And I am guessing they are the result of Robert’s sleeping about….Are any of the 16 more recent, like born during the event of GOT or COK or SOS??
JulianQuote Reply
Julian,
i dont know but maggy the frog told Cersei
“Will the king and I have children?” she asked.
“Oh, aye. Six-and-ten for him, and three for you.”
jason wQuote Reply
Regina Thorne,
Fair point, but As a ‘bastard’ Jon would still be treated differently to the other children. However, Catelyn might have been kinder to him- he’d still grow up knowing he wasn’t her son and wouldn’t inherit anything, but she might have been less harsh about it. Her treatment of him is absolutely understandable- it’s one thing to say it’s not the child’s fault so don’t punish him, but another to live with it- but it would be equally believable if she felt sorry for Jon and overcompensated for his not having a mother, and took her anger out on Ned, which of course would not need faking as this would never be seen in public anyway.
You raise a good point about Jon’s safety. But is keeping him close really the best way to achieve that? Not only acknowledging him but also bringing him to live in Winterfell draws attention to Jon. If his safety was more important, quietly fostering him with a trusted banner house, or giving him away for adoption if such a thing exists in Westeros might have been better.
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
Julian,
I believe there are many, baby Barra, who Ned visits being the youngest- but it’s entirely possible a few more whores were pregnant at that time!
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
I am re-reading GoT a 4th time right now and right in the beginning it becomes rather clear that it must be R+L, once you’re not so hung up in the story anymore and can concentrate on details, especially what is said right in the first chapters is quite an indication.
When Lyanna dies, she is in a room that smelled of blood and roses. She’s dying of a fever, so it says, why should their be blood? Sounds very “Wuthering Heights” to me, to weak for childbirth, unwilling to live because of Rhaegar’s death etc.
When Robert speaks to Ned in that very scene we have presented in this Maesters Path, in the book, he says that all Targaryen children are only spawn of the dragon, and NOT children. So “promise me, Ned” is rather obvious and plain.
Whatever GRRM does or writes now, I guess in the beginning it was always planned to be R+L.
Then again, Jon’s conversation with Tyrion on their way to the wall, about dreaming of owning dragons… Oh well.
The only thing that I wondered was the colouring. Is the Targ’s blone genetically dominant or only so prominent because of the incest?
Well, nothing new here, but a very objective and researched idea by a very old ASOIF veteran.
JennyQuote Reply
Remember saying Jon was his son, and taking him back to Winterfell was not necessarily a well thought-out plan, but the last wish of a dying woman who has just given birth and feared for the child’s safety. Having made a promise to Lyanna, Ned’s honour would compel him to keep it to the letter, even if ‘better’ solutions later present themselves.
JDPQuote Reply
Another theory of mine is that GRRM uses a lot of history repeating since
I thought, perhaps Ned has had a child with another woman, but it has been exchanged for a king’s son who’d be killed. JUST LIKE JON DOES WITH MANCE RAYDER’S SON
End of delicious spoileridoilery
JennyQuote Reply
He mentions it for a fact in exactly the same manner.
BUT there is a difference in the book which is that Robert says that she must have been very special to get somebody as morally steadfast as Ned to soil his honour, but that he, Robert, had never seen her!!!
I love these black things :D
JennyQuote Reply
I would appreciate some novices please. I only need four more.
http://itsh.bo/eH3FhO
Thanks ^^
DaniKaiQuote Reply
Steve c,
See, I’m not fond of Myst or the like either.
At least in Myst, though, you don’t feel like there’s nothing you can do. From my limited experience, there’s generally plenty you can do, you just feel stupid/frustrated for not getting it. It is a better game than this, though, because through experimentation and exploration in the game you can reach a solution, which can be quite satisfying.
This last puzzle exists entirely outside of the Flash game, which only requires you input the solution, once you have it. You can only tell something has happened if you get it completely right, and that is part of the problem. Without some indication that you’re on the right or wrong track it becomes obtuse. As I said before, it’s a fine puzzle, but not a good game.
All just my opinion, of course.
blerghQuote Reply
Meg,
OT, but DirecTV aired the first two hours of THE BORGIAS last night US EDT in conjunction with a Showtime preview promotion. I don’t think there’s anything there for us to worry about. :)
DH87Quote Reply
blergh,
Fair enough, but can we get extra points at least for the fact that to solve the puzzle, you have to compare apples to oranges? :)
Steve CQuote Reply
blergh,
Probably because it’s nothing else but a puzzle.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
The only issue I have with the interface was that when I couldn’t click on anything, I assumed I needed to type something. The fact that nothing happened on my first few attempts led me to assume that the interface was buggy or that I was supposed to do something before I clicked begin.
As for the solution, I’m not sure how it relates to the puzzle. I get that it’s kind of tricky and clever since the puzzle is about taste and Tears of Lys supposedly has no taste. Still, based on the clue about betrayal, mercy, and sorrow, I’m trying to remember if Tears of Lys was used in the books for those purposes: Jon Arryn could be the betrayal part. Was anyone given Tears of Lys for mercy? Out of sorrow? I”ve started a re-read of the series, but am still in AGoT at the moment. Of course, the puzzle may not have meant for anyone to focus on betrayal, mercy, and sorrow but on bitter, sweet, and tang.
Brother WolfQuote Reply
Steve C,
heh. I got the apples and oranges reference. Thought it was clever. Thanks for such a fun month. And I am sorry for our more outspoken fans. I guess you cant please everyone.
tekQuote Reply
If anyone is still looking for “tutelage” from half a maester…
http://itsh.bo/hkyGBD
feeblegeniusQuote Reply
just create a new email account and invite yourself.
JennyQuote Reply
tek,
You never can please everyone , but I just think it’s so cool that this Maester’s Path thing came to pass. It’s been great. And now there’s the food … talk about pulling out the stops !
But the best, for me, was working in the Always Support The Bottom reference.. :) Makes you feel positively pampered .
obsidianQuote Reply
Shinyteapot,
A cliche story is when you can predict what will happen next based on what is already there. It’s more of a plot than a setting. Jon Snow’s parentage is part of the setting and that GRRM chose to keep it secret until some stage doesn’t mean it should be unpredictable for the readers. What shouldn’t be predictable is the plot development- how to make it revealed and what impact it will have on the story. I’m confident that George will impress and surprise us as he did so often.
hnQuote Reply
There’s also Baby Barra in King’s Landing who is killed on Cersei’s orders.
ShinyTeapot, although I do think Ned should have sent Jon off for fostering to REALLY maintain his cover, I still think he couldn’t take the risk that Catelyn would be a little too kind to Jon. How likely is a great lady to appreciate having to raise her husband’s bastard or “husband’s bastard” if Jon is really Ned’s nephew? So if she had shown kindness to Jon, I think someone would have started to wonder what the heck was going on and whether Catelyn Tully was really that spineless :P
It’s definitely a sad situation for all of them. And I more and more wish Rhaegar and Lyanna had just left a damn note for the Starks and Targaryens about prophecy or whatever before they ran off! (Unless everyone but Robert is wrong about Rhaegar, that is!)
Regina ThorneQuote Reply
Regina Thorne,
About fostering…I’m not sure that would have been safer for John , given that Ned is not the only one who knows. There is Howland Reed , I can’t remember whether Wylla the milk mother is still alive , and maybe Benjen (wherever he is). If anything slipped out would Jon be safer with one of the Bannermen ? I can’t really think so.
obsidianQuote Reply
What do you get for “becoming a maester”? for getting all 5 novices?
http://itsh.bo/gAnfWh
Todd L. RossQuote Reply
http://itsh.bo/eEgo7w
Still need 4 novices. Any help would be appreciated.
Ryan AQuote Reply
That one was omg tricky…ofc I knew I’d find some help around here, thx guys.
Also need a few more novices if some mind ;)
http://itsh.bo/dOocFs
SA_AvengerQuote Reply
Seven h*lls. I have forgotten about the Actolytes
Anyone wanna help me out? Please…
http://itsh.bo/e0RvRb
MariusQuote Reply
I just completed all five links and obtained 5 novices, I can’t wait to see what the final reward is! Any ideas…? it sucks we have to wait so long for it
Nathan HolleyQuote Reply
Well the puzzle wasn’t hard once I knew how to “enter” my solution. The first thing I thought of when seeing the bottle being poured was the answer. I too need Novices if anyone would be so kind. http://itsh.bo/e3cuqS
Chris LillyQuote Reply
You are forgetting that this is the same Catelyn Stark that released Jaime Lannister from prison in the hopes of saving her children. Granted she was desperate but when it comes to a mother protecting her children there is no telling what she could have done.
DaanishQuote Reply
need 5 novice’s please!
http://itsh.bo/hD1x6H
Jay FickQuote Reply