Hat mystery

XYZZY Awards 2011 Best Individual Puzzle

The hat mystery/puzzle/conspiracy was a metapuzzle hidden across several entries in IFComp 2011, after an idea by Kevin Jackson-Mead of PR-IF.

The games involved, all entered pseudonymously, were:

• Cold Iron (Andrew Plotkin as "Lyman Clive Charles"; Z-code)
• Last Day of Summer (Doug Orleans as "Cameron Fox"; Z-code)
• The Life (and Deaths) of Doctor M (Michael Hilborn as "Edmund Wells"; Glulx)
• Playing Games (Kevin Jackson-Mead as "Pam Comfite"; Glulx)

The existence of the metapuzzle was not spotted during the competition (despite some near misses). It was solved on ifMUD after voting closed after prompting by one of the conspirators. It went on to win the Best Individual Puzzle award at the XYZZY Awards 2011.

Links

• PR-IF's page about the metapuzzle.
• Andrew Plotkin's write-up (see also Cold Iron's notes page).
• metapuzzle2011 - at IFDB - tag containing the relevant games.

Spoilers

• A transcript of the solution process on ifMUD (18-Nov-2011).
• Walkthrough by David Welbourn.