Hangman!

It would seem that Taljor's not quite ready to relinquish his comfy lead just yet.







Quote:

" _ _ E ____T _ _ _ E _ _ I _ _____ _ T E ____T _ S S E S____ _ _ _ _ E _ S ,
I T___I S____ E _ _ _ S E____ ____I T S____ _ _ E _ T _ _ .
_ _ E ____T _ E___S T _ I _ E____ _________ _ _ _____ _ E _ _ S___T _ E____ _ _ Y____ ____I T S____ _ E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ _ _ S E____ ____T I _ I _ _ . "

-- S _ ____T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 36
Wraith - 18


Back at ya, Wraithyboo.

ARGH!!!


"A"

Ha, ha, ha!

I edited over this post because I'm a big dummy. Sorry. Let's see if I can put things back the way they were.







Quote:

" _ _ E ____T _ _ _ E _ _ I A _____ A T E ____T _ S S E S____ _ _ _ _ E _ S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E____ ____I T S____ _ _ E _ T _ _ .
_ _ E ____T _ E___S T _ I _ E____ ____A____ A _ _____ _ E A_ S___T _ E____ _ _ Y____ ____I T S____ _ E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E____ ____T I _ I _ _ . "

-- S _ ____T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 36
Wraith - 25

Grrrr....

Uh oh! Wraith's getting mad, Tal. Better guess Q or something else that's likely to miss.

Hahahaha....

"H" please

I wish that I could tell you "He did it out of love," Wraith. But he didn't.







Quote:

" _ H E ____T _ _ _ E _ T I A _____ A T E ____T _ S S E S____ _ _ _ _ E _ S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E____ ____I T S____ _ _ E _ T _ _ .
_ H E ____T H E___S T _ I _ E____ ____A___H A _ _____ _ E A_ S___T H E____ _ _ Y____ ____I T S____ _ E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E____ ____T I _ I _ _ . "

-- S _ ____T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 42
Wraith - 25


A bump of 6 points (from 5 H's and a T that I overlooked earlier, oops) helps keep Taljor in the lead. But there's still time to catch up, Wraith. Make your shots count.

Remember when Jazman used to play Hangman with us?

I wonder where she has been lately.

Ima try 'O'....

*crosses fingers*

Can anyone join in?

If so I'll go with "W"

Shadow wrote:

Can anyone join in?

If so I'll go with "W"

Well, well, well! Look who came wandering back after 19 months at sea!

So we have Wraith with an O and Shadow with a W, eh? Let's see where that takes us....








Quote:

" W H E ____T O _ _ E _ T I A ____W A T E ____T O S S E S____ O _ _ _ E _ S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O ____I T S____ O _ E _ T _ _ .
W H E ____T H E___S T _ I _ E___O ____A___H A W _____ _ E A _ S___T H E____ O _ Y___O ____I T S____ _ E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O ____T I _ I _ _ . "

-- S _ ____T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 42
Wraith - 34
Shadow - 4


A new opponent has arrived at the gallows, Taljor. Watch your back.

You watch your back too, Wraith. Shadow lives with you. He knows how you think.

So who's next? Taljor? Wraith? Or perhaps a mysterious new fourth dark horse opponent?

Bring on the challenge! Hahahaha....

"N" please HoA

Yarrr.








Quote:

" W H E N___T O _ _ E N T I A ____W A T E ____T O S S E S____ O _ _ _ E _ S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O ____I T S____ O _ E N T _ _ .
W H E N___T H E___S T _ I _ E___O ____A___H A W _____ _ E A _ S___T H E____ O _ Y___O ____I T S____ _ E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O ____T I _ I N _ . "

-- S _ N___T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 48
Wraith - 34
Shadow - 4


The Advocacy Council for Capital Punishment would like to note that not a single plank has been added to the gallows. Please help your local executioner keep his job by flubbing your next letter pick. Thank you.

I'll go with "R"

Well... then...

I go with 'F'

Well, aren't you two just picking up the pace now?









Quote:

" W H E N___T O R R E N T I A ____W A T E R___T O S S E S____ O _ _ _ E R S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O F___I T S____ O _ E N T _ _ .
W H E N___T H E___S T R I _ E___O F___A___H A W _____ R E A _ S___T H E____ O _ Y___O F___I T S____ R E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O F___T I _ I N _ . "

-- S _ N___T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 48
Wraith - 38
Shadow - 11


There are now 27 spaces left in the puzzle. Shadow's odds of beating Taljor...well, aren't exactly ideal. But he can still hamstring the competition and affect the outcome of the puzzle! And even though the final score alone determines the victor, cracking the puzzle itself does carry another prized commodity: bragging rights.

And if Wraith can somehow nail 11 of those letters (perhaps even by a timely puzzle-solving...), she'll take the lead and possibly even snag victory from the jaws of defeat!

But don't expect Taljor to sit idly by while this happens, of course....

So...bearing in mind that:

1) No player can take two turns in a row,
2) Attempts to solve the puzzle are the exception to #1 and can be made by anyone at anytime,
3) A failed attempt to solve the puzzle will cost the would-be puzzle-solver everything, including all of his or her points and the privilege of playing with this puzzle further, and
4) Search engines are verboten and you're on your honor here...

...who's next?

That would be me...

"M"

M it is!









Quote:

" W H E N___T O R R E N T I A ____W A T E R___T O S S E S____ O _ _ _ E R S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O F___I T S___M O M E N T _ M .
W H E N___T H E___S T R I _ E___O F___A___H A W _____ R E A _ S___T H E____ O _ Y___O F___I T S____ R E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A _ S E___O F___T I M I N _ . "

-- S _ N___T _ _

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 52
Wraith - 38
Shadow - 11


So...when we call the game "Hangman," are we refering to the guy getting hanged or the guy doing the hanging?

Because both of them haven't had very much to do this round.

But the guy getting hanged is looking pretty relieved about that.

Okay.... I pick 'u'

...and that covers all of the vowels, including Y.









Quote:

" W H E N___T O R R E N T I A ____W A T E R___T O S S E S____ O U _ _ E R S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A U S E___O F___I T S___M O M E N T U M .
W H E N___T H E___S T R I _ E___O F___A___H A W _____ R E A _ S___T H E____ O _ Y___O F___I T S____ R E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A U S E___O F___T I M I N _ . "

-- S U N___T _ U


ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 52
Wraith - 44
Shadow - 11


Shadow didn't join you this time, Wraithyboo?

I'm here

I'll take "K"

A fine choice, sir.









Quote:

" W H E N___T O R R E N T I A ____W A T E R___T O S S E S____ O U _ _ E R S ,
I T___I S____ E _ A U S E___O F___I T S___M O M E N T U M .
W H E N___T H E___S T R I K E___O F___A___H A W K____ R E A K S___T H E____ O _ Y___O F___I T S____ R E Y ,
I T___I S____ E _ A U S E___O F___T I M I N _ . "

-- S U N___T _ U


ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Taljor - 52
Wraith - 44
Shadow - 14


So I guess nobody's going to pick "Q" this time around, huh?

Um...

" when torrential water tosses boulders it is because of its momentum. When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey it is because of timing. Sun Tzu

I guess that means I don't get the bragging rights.

There is always the next one.

Wraith wrote:

Um...

" when torrential water tosses boulders it is because of its momentum. When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey it is because of timing. Sun Tzu

And here I thought that people might still be stumbling over "boulders". But with that few letters in the alphabet left, the process of elimination wouldn't have to stretch very far, would it?

It helps that countless people in the world are familiar with Sun Tzu and his teachings. Even though some historians have a lot of questions about who he was, where he came from and whether he even existed at all, his definitive work--The Art of War--has shaped warfare from ancient China onward, even finding a surge of popularity in the West in recent centuries. It makes me wonder how, with a tactician like Sun Tzu in China's history, Genghis Khan enjoyed as many martial victories over China as he did about 1,700 years later.

People of military bent have been quoting Sun Tzu all the while, of course.


Oddly enough, my introduction to this puzzle's Sun Tzu quote came in the form of a Knights of the Dinner Table comic strip, when the gang is playing a game of Risk (or "Risque," in Legalese). For the first half of the game, Sara is confining herself in Australia, quietly building up her forces while Brian--masterful Risk player that he is--is out conquering the rest of the globe, singlehandedly beating back Bob, Dave and B.A. in a massive, sweeping conquest. But in routing all three of those armies, Brian carelessly makes the mistake of spreading his own forces too thin, and Sara (whom Brian has been ignoring, seeing her as no threat) takes that opportunity to quote "When the strike of the hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing." Sara then proceeds to break out of Australia and slap Brian's woefully dispersed armies around like they stole something. Brian, ever the sore loser that he is, rages out and flips the gametable after Sara saturates the entire world with her army and wins the game.

And so, here we are:

Quote:

" W H E N___T O R R E N T I A L___W A T E R___T O S S E S___B O U L D E R S ,
I T___I S___B E C A U S E___O F___I T S___M O M E N T U M .
W H E N___T H E___S T R I K E___O F___A___H A W K___B R E A K S___T H E___B O D Y___O F___I T S___P R E Y ,
I T___I S___B E C A U S E___O F___T I M I N G . "

-- S U N___T Z U

In other words, "Hit 'em fast, hit 'em hard and hit 'em at just the right moment"...which is pretty much what Wraith just did in coming up from behind and snatching victory out of Taljor's hands at the last minute.

The final score:

Wraith - 58
Taljor - 52
Shadow - 14

Now be sure to commend Taljor on being such a worthy opponent, Wraith. Also, the next puzzle's yours. Make it a good one!

Shadow wrote:

I guess that means I don't get the bragging rights.

There is always the next one.

That's the spirit!