[Balin] ...with the knife, in the...

[Balin]

Brantley is about to play a game he has played many times before. This time, he retrieves an item from the kitchen before starting the game. Why?

[Doriana]

Is the game a board game? card game? video game? sports? RPG? pencil and paper game? chess?

Is it a one-player game? two? three? more? Relevant who he plays with? Has he played the game with the same person / people before?

Does he think having the item will make him more likely to win? others more likely to lose? Does he want to win the game?

Is the item edible? If not, is it related to food at all? If so, storing food? preparing food? eating?

Is it bigger than a breadbox? WAG: Is the game a lateral puzzle and he gets an actual breadbox for reference in case anyone asks him if something in the puzzle is bigger than a breadbox?

[Balin]

Is the game a board game? card game? video game? sports? RPG? pencil and paper game? chess? None of these

Is it a one-player game? two? three? more? Two at minimum, usually more Relevant who he plays with? Yes Has he played the game with the same person / people before? Not all of them

Does he think having the item will make him more likely to win? No others more likely to lose? No Does he want to win the game? Yes

Is the item edible? No If not, is it related to food at all? Indirectly If so, storing food? preparing food? Indirectly, No to rest eating?

Is it bigger than a breadbox? No WAG: Is the game a lateral puzzle and he gets an actual breadbox for reference in case anyone asks him if something in the puzzle is bigger than a breadbox? I love it! But this isn't it.

[Earnest]

Brantley = HAM?
he = Brantley?

kitchen = would it work with the same item in another room? Is the item likely to find in the kitchen? If others were playing the game, did they know he went to the kitchen to have the item before starting? Did they know he had the item during the game?

Does he know he will need the item for sure? Does he use it as part of the game? Or maybe as an adjoint to it (e.g. he knew that according to the rules of the game he could stay sit without going to the kitchen for a long time and therefore he takes the item he needed before the game start)

Does he retrieve the item: from fridge? From oven? From a drawer? Is it an item usually found in kitchens? Fork? Knife? A sharp item? A drinkable item? technology relevant? is the game played online? COVID relevant? A game played steaming with others? E.g. chess?

Brantley is about to play a game he has played many times before --> does he play it with others? Has he ever needed the item? Something having the same functioning of the item? Is light relevant? Something written? Is the game about guessing something? About not moving? About miming?

WAG: is it a game about being touched in the dark, he had a pet with fur and put food on the feet of other players so that the pet go and touch them with the fur scarring them.

[Balin]

Brantley = HAM? he = Brantley? Yes to both

kitchen = would it work with the same item in another room? Yes, in theory Is the item likely to find in the kitchen? Yes If others were playing the game, did they know he went to the kitchen to have the item before starting? Yes Did they know he had the item during the game? FA

Does he know he will need the item for sure? Yope Does he use it as part of the game? Yope Or maybe as an adjoint to it No (e.g. he knew that according to the rules of the game he could stay sit without going to the kitchen for a long time and therefore he takes the item he needed before the game start) No

Does he retrieve the item: from fridge? From oven? It's usually found near here From a drawer? Possibly
Is it an item usually found in kitchens? Yes Fork? Knife? A sharp item? A drinkable item? None of these
technology relevant? is the game played online? COVID relevant? A game played steaming with others? E.g. chess? No to all

Brantley is about to play a game he has played many times before --> does he play it with others? [bYes[/b] Has he ever needed the item? No Something having the same functioning of the item? No Is light relevant? No Something written? No Is the game about guessing something? Yes About not moving? No About miming? Yes

WAG: is it a game about being touched in the dark, he had a pet with fur and put food on the feet of other players so that the pet go and touch them with the fur scarring them. No

[Doriana]

Is the item an oven glove? a potholder?

Are they playing charades?

[Earnest]

About miming? Yes --> so is he expected to mime something? a movie? an item? an object? a person? A famous person? Relevant? If so, did he use the item that he took from the kitchen? Did he give it to a teammate? Or maybe the absence of the item help others guessing something? E.g. he took the pot-holds and face to burn himself? Did he want to mime the word "hot"? Or maybe did they use the item to signal something? E.g. the turn? Did they all use the item? Did the item help someone guessing? Miming? Both?

Did they know he had the item during the game? FA --> did he have the item during the game? If not, did someone else? Did he hide it? Did someone hide it? Did he use it before the game?

This time, he retrieves an item from the kitchen before starting the game --> did he forgot the item inside the oven last time? Maybe the others were confused because they thought he was miming?

[Balin]

Is the item an oven glove? Yes, specifically a pair of oven mitts a potholder?

Are they playing charades? Yes

About miming? Yes --> so is he expected to mime something? Yes a movie? an item? an object? a person? A famous person? Could be any of those, see above Relevant? No If so, did he use the item that he took from the kitchen? See next Did he give it to a teammate? Yes Or maybe the absence of the item help others guessing something? No E.g. he took the pot-holds and face to burn himself? No Did he want to mime the word "hot"? See above Or maybe did they use the item to signal something? No E.g. the turn? Did they all use the item? No Did the item help someone guessing? Miming? Both? Neither

Did they know he had the item during the game? FA --> did he have the item during the game? No If not, did someone else? Yes Did he hide it? No Did someone hide it? No Did he use it before the game? No

This time, he retrieves an item from the kitchen before starting the game --> did he forgot the item inside the oven last time? No Maybe the others were confused because they thought he was miming? No

[Doriana]

Do they use the oven mitts as containers for the paper slips with the words/phrases on them?

[Earnest]

Did he give it to a teammate? Yes --> had he retained the mitts, would the puzzle have worked? Did he give it to a teammate in order to be more effective in guessing? To be advantaged toward others? To communicate secretly? To cheat? To avoid something from happening? E.g. someone (the teammate?) to burn himself? Did B give the mitts to the teammate before the start of the game?

Did something relevant happened in the past that made it necessary to use the mitts? If so, did someone burn himself? Risk to burn him/herself? Dirty him/herself?

Did the teammate expect to be handed the mitts? If so, before starting the game? Did the teammate used them? Handed them to someone else? Used them when it was his turn to mime? When it was B turn to mime? When it was someone else's turn to mime? Every time a teammate mimes?
Did the teammate wave the mitts? Used both mitts in the same way? Handed one and retained the other? Handed one to an opponent?

Are scores relevant? Time to guess? Writings? Turns?

[Balin]

Do they use the oven mitts as containers for the paper slips with the words/phrases on them? No

Did he give it to a teammate? Yes --> had he retained the mitts, would the puzzle have worked? No
Did he give it to a teammate in order to be more effective in guessing? To be advantaged toward others? To communicate secretly? To cheat? To avoid something from happening? This E.g. someone (the teammate?) to burn himself? No to rest
Did B give the mitts to the teammate before the start of the game? Yes

Did something relevant happened in the past that made it necessary to use the mitts? No If so, did someone burn himself? Risk to burn him/herself? Dirty him/herself?

Did the teammate expect to be handed the mitts? Yes If so, before starting the game? Yes Did the teammate used them? Yes Handed them to someone else? Used them when it was his turn to mime? This When it was B turn to mime? When it was someone else's turn to mime? Every time a teammate mimes?
Did the teammate wave the mitts? Used both mitts in the same way? This Handed one and retained the other? Handed one to an opponent? No to rest

Are scores relevant? Time to guess? Writings? Turns? Only that the person used the mitts when it was his turn to mime

[Doriana]

Had the teammate (H/A/M? H/A/F?) requested the mitts in advance? Had they ever played charades before? Did they know the phrases beforehand? Do they have two normal, healthy hands?

[Balin]

Had the teammate (H/A/M? H/A/F?) Either requested the mitts in advance? Yes Had they ever played charades before? Yes Did they know the phrases beforehand? No Do they have two normal, healthy hands? Yes

[Doriana]

Can we call the teammate Alex?

Does Alex use the mitts every time it was their turn to mime? Does Alex actually put them on? Did Brantley know what Alex needed the mitts for?

Relevant how many people are on each team? If so, just Alex and Brantley? Three people? Four? More?

[GalFisk]

Sign language relevant? Other hand signals? Cheating?

[Balin]

Can we call the teammate Alex? Sure

Does Alex use the mitts every time it was their turn to mime? Yes Does Alex actually put them on? Yes Did Brantley know what Alex needed the mitts for? Yes

Relevant how many people are on each team? No If so, just Alex and Brantley? Three people? Four? More? Assume a small group on each team, but irrel

Sign language relevant? Yes Other hand signals? No Cheating? Yes

[hominid]

Does Alex know sign language? Does Brantley? Is Brantley trying to prevent Alex from using sign language to cheat?

[trebor]

Well, sh#t. Sometimes you just somehow completely miss a puzzle, and then as you read the posts you think, "I'd like to have a go at this one". And then...you're pretty sure you find the question that puts the final dagger in it. Although it's a real treat to watch people think, in question form.

[Balin]

Well, sh#t. Sometimes you just somehow completely miss a puzzle, and then as you read the posts you think, "I'd like to have a go at this one". And then...you're pretty sure you find the question that puts the final dagger in it. Although it's a real treat to watch people think, in question form. ... such things happen. Glad you liked this one though!

Does Alex know sign language? Yes Does Brantley? Yes Is Brantley trying to prevent Alex from using sign language to cheat? Yes

****SPOILER****

Brantley often has a group of friends over for charades. His new friend Alex is deaf, and the two of them communicate with sign language. When Alex joins the group for charades for the first time, Brantley gets a pair of oven mitts from the kitchen for Alex to wear while miming so there can be no communication through sign language.

Well done!