The answers to the component puzzles for this meta are as follows (alphabetized):
CODEX RUNICUS
DIRTY MARTINI
HACIENDA
INTERCOASTAL EMPIRE
JONATHAN EDWARDS
KEYBOAD PLAYER
MASTER AT ARMS
MEDIAN
MEMORIAL
ONSIGHT
PANDORA
PINNACLES
POCKET MONEY
PORTMANTEAU
SLEEPER AGENT
SPOT THE BALL
ULTIMATE FRISBEE
VALIDATOR
WHOOPEE
Having entered the previous answer, the true meta for this island is revealed: The Robber, who seems to have hidden the core memory orb. Teams are presented with some additional instructions and 12 pentagons, containing short phrases. The phrases are Printer’s Devilry clues for a 4- or 5-letter word. The clues can be solved as follows:
Original clue | Missing word | Rearranged phrase |
---|---|---|
A scroll of genocide is still the best way to mass aches. | RELIC |
A scroll of genocide is still the best way to massacRE LIC hes. |
Boggle players try to shatter sin to words. | PELE |
Boggle players try to shaPE LE tters in to words. |
Careful card play can mean points fort, ever tricks. | AMINO |
Careful card play can mean points for teAM IN O vertricks. |
In Twisting Leper, son moves with each spin. | ERAS |
In twist ERA, S ingle person moves with each spin. |
In Victorian times, bow as a popular rhyming game. | CRAM |
In Victorian times, CRAM bo was a popular rhyming game. |
Many popular games using boards also have lid editions. | MITE |
Many popular games using boards also have liMITE d editions. |
Playing Jump rises your heart rate and promotes dexterity. | OPERA |
Playing jump rOPE RA ises your heart rate and promotes dexterity. |
Scenarios help players of small worlds palm seven-handedly. | LITRE |
Scenarios help players of Smallworld spLIT RE alm seven-handedly. |
Scholars check map, sun wary players | TETRA |
Scholar’s checkmaTE TRA ps unwary players |
Some mag I’m sad, done to attack Rolls. | CITE |
Some magiC ITE ms add one to attack rolls. |
The latest version of Monopoly hay model penguin. | SATIN |
THe latest version of Monopoly haS A TIN y model penguin. |
Your counter must stop aces marked with a snake. | PONS |
Your counter must stoP ON S paces marked with a snake. |
Solvers can now arrange the hexagons and pentagons into a truncated icosahedron, such that the letters on the hexagons surrounding each pentagon spell out the answer word for that pentagon. The direction to read is indicated by whether the clue is written clockwise or counterclockwise. The 4-letter answers are bordered by the desert tile, which does not contain any letter.
Since some of the letters occur more than once, solvers must have some way of deciding which tiles to place where. The flavor text mentions that in “Australian rules Catan”, adjacent resources must be different. This allows a unique placement of the tiles:
Teams have now constructed something that looks similar to a globe. “Australian rules” and “extends across the world” suggest looking at antipodal points. Extracting the indexed letter from the antipodal hexagon in the same order as the first part of the meta gives the final answer: the Robber has hidden the core memory IN A FORBIDDEN DESERT
.
Answer | Antipode | Index | Extraction |
---|---|---|---|
HACIENDA |
MEDIAN |
4 | I |
MEDIAN |
HACIENDA |
6 | N |
ULTIMATE FRISBEE |
JONATHAN EDWARDS |
7 | A |
JONATHAN EDWARDS |
ULTIMATE FRISBEE |
9 | F |
MEMORIAL |
PANDORA |
5 | O |
CODEX RUNICUS |
MASTER AT ARMS |
10 | R |
VALIDATOR |
SPOT THE BALL |
8 | B |
PORTMANTEAU |
DIRTY MARTINI |
10 | I |
MASTER AT ARMS |
CODEX RUNICUS |
3 | D |
SPOT THE BALL |
VALIDATOR |
5 | D |
PANDORA |
MEMORIAL |
2 | E |
SLEEPER AGENT |
ONSIGHT |
2 | N |
PINNACLES |
KEYBOARD PLAYER |
8 | D |
POCKET MONEY |
WHOOPEE |
7 | E |
KEYBOARD PLAYER |
PINNACLES |
9 | S |
ONSIGHT |
SLEEPER AGENT |
4 | E |
DIRTY MARTINI |
PORTMANTEAU |
3 | R |
WHOOPEE |
POCKET MONEY |
6 | T |