ANSWERS: 4X Game 6

It's been thirteen days since I've posted "4X Game 6", and since then, seven of you have solved it, as you can see in the list below:

• Eric Maddy ****
• Pavel Curtis ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Mom ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Grant Fikes ***

Now just head below the break for the answers! (Oh, and SPOILERS for the new DuckTales reboot involving one of the answers, too)

PUZZLE #142: 4X Game 6

PUZZLE #142

4X GAME 6

Below, there are 4 "X"'s, each containing four 5-letter answers. Each answer is entered at an angle, following one of the arrows as it does so, and the last three letters of one answer will be the first three letters of another, albeit in reverse order. In the example above (I know all the answers are three letters instead of five, but I hope you'll still get the gist of it), the words in the first "X" are MAP, PAT, TAR, and RAM, and the words in the second "X" are ROT, TOW, WON and NOR. However, to make things even harder, none of the clues are numbered or in order, so you'll have to figure out which word goes in which angle, but don't worry, as each "tip" of each "X" (the outermost letters) will contain the same letters as the "tips" of its neighboring "X". Going back to the example above, the rightmost "tips" in the first "X" contain the letters "R" and "T", so the leftmost "tips" in the second "X" has the same exact letters, in the same exact placement.

Once you're done, unscramble the letters in the "tips" that have no neighbors (the yellow squares) to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a four-letter word

X #1
* Caramel-filled chocolate candies
* Donald Duck's sister and mother of Huey, Dewey, and Louie
* "_____ Nothing" (#3 hit song by O-Town): 2 wds.
* Repaired a boot's bottom

X #2
* Actresses Watson and Thompson
* Comparable to a hatter or a wet hen: 2 wds.
* Jean-Claude Van _____
* Kafka character who metamorphosed into an insect

X #3
* Greeting from BlueMountain.com or Hallmark.com: Hyph.
* Longest keyboard key
* Plays Pictionary with a pencil
* Switches two candies in Candy Crush Saga

X #4
* Chicago mayor Richard or his son (also named Richard)
* Earthenware pots
* Electronica duo whose song "Oh Yeah" played in the credits of Ferris Bueller's Day Off
* Waldorf or Cobb

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: 4X Game 5: XX/XY 3

As I write this, I'm in the middle of not feeling very well. Mind you, it's not because only four people so far solved my Grant's puzzle from last Monday, but because I've had a bad bug for almost all of this past week. So I'll try to make this short and reveal the solvers for "4X Game 5: XX/XY 3" from thirteen days ago:

• YYW ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Grant Fikes ****
• Mom ****
• Brad Eldredge ****
• Giovanni Pagano ****

Now just head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #101: 4X Game 5: XX/XY 3

PUZZLE #101

4X GAME 5: XX/XY 3

Before we get to this week's puzzle, here's some backstory for it: in late August of this year, I sent GAMES Magazine four puzzles similar to "4X Games", though the ones I've sent them involved single X's instead of four of them crammed together. After months of silence from GAMES, I've decided to email them back last Monday, and a couple hours later, I finally heard back from them, and they've decided to ultimately pass on them (On the plus side, I finally got confirmation on the publishing date of my second set of "Word Sandwiches" puzzles, so look forward to seeing those published soon in the February 2017 issue of GAMES!) So after all that, I've decided to incorporate two of the unused puzzles into this week's puzzle (they're X #1 and X #3, in case you're curious).

Below, there are 3 "X"'s and one "Y"; the "X"'s each contain four 5-letter answers, and the "Y" has three. Each answer is entered at an angle (save for one of the words in the "Y"), following one of the arrows as it does so, and the last three letters of one answer will be the first three letters of another, albeit in reverse order. In the example above (I know all the answers are three letters instead of five, but hopefully you'll still get the idea), the words in the "X" are MAP, PAT, TAR, and RAM, and the words in the "Y" are ROT, TON and NOR. However, to make things even harder, none of the clues are numbered or in order, so you'll have to figure out which word goes in which angle, but don't worry, as each "tip" of each "X" or "Y" (the outermost letters) will contain the same letters as the "tips" of its neighboring "X" or "Y". Going back to the example above, the rightmost "tips" in the "X" contain the letters "R" and "T", so the leftmost "tips" in the "Y" has the same exact letters, in the same exact placement.

Once you're done, unscramble the letters in the "tips" that have no neighbors (the yellow squares) to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: A three-letter song title

X #1

* da Vinci's The Last Supper or Michelangelo's The Last Judgment, e.g.

* Fluid that could make you tell the truth, supposedly

* Shrek and Fiona, for two

* The largest of the Florida Keys

X #2

* Honey badger

* Indian instrument played by Muriel from Courage the Cowardly Dog

* "_____ Roll" (The Price is Right game): 2 wds.

* Zeus' first wife

X #3

* _____ cum laude

* Jordan's capital

* One giving a title, perhaps

* Romulus' twin

Y #4

* Romanian Olympic gold medalist Comăneci

* The British call this type of car a "saloon"

* West Wing workers

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: 4X Game 4: XX/XY 2

It's been about two weeks since I've started Greatest Hits Month with "4X Game 4: XX/XY 2", and now it's time for me to reveal the answers to that puzzle, as well as the ten people that solved it:

• Punjit Sharma ****
• Yossi Fendel ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****
• Mom ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Debbie Benford ****
• Grant Fikes ****
• Adam Weaver ****
• YYW ****

Now just head below the break for the answers, along with a couple solver comments!

GREATEST HITS MONTH: PUZZLE #79: 4X Game 4: XX/XY 2

GREATEST HITS MONTH

PUZZLE #79

4X GAME 4: XX/XY 2

Well, it's June, the month I was born in, so to celebrate, I've decided to create another theme month in the form of Greatest Hits Month! All this month, I'll be posting puzzles that are either original creations or preexisting puzzle types that have proven successful for this blog, and starting things off will be an original creation of mine called 4X Game! In case you need a refresher on how to solve it, here are the (rather lengthy) directions!

Below, there are 3 "X"'s and one "Y"; the "X"'s each contain four 5-letter answers, and the "Y" has three. Each answer is entered at an angle (save for one of the words in the "Y"), following one of the arrows as it does so, and the last three letters of one answer will be the first three letters of another, albeit in reverse order. In the example above (I know all the answers are three letters instead of five, but hopefully you'll still get the idea), the words in the "X" are MAP, PAT, TAR, and RAM, and the words in the "Y" are ROT, TON and NOR. However, to make things even harder, none of the clues are numbered or in order, so you'll have to figure out which word goes in which angle, but don't worry, as each "tip" of each "X" or "Y" (the outermost letters) will contain the same letters as the "tips" of its neighboring "X" or "Y". Going back to the example above, the rightmost "tips" in the "X" contain the letters "R" and "T", so the leftmost "tips" in the "Y" has the same exact letters, in the same exact placement.

Once you're done, unscramble the letters in the "tips" that have no neighbors (the yellow squares) to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: A three-letter word

X #1
* _____ ½ (gender-bending anime)
* "Are too!" rebuttal
* Controversial Norwegian author Mykle (answer hidden in RAGNAROK)
* Polynesian kingdom with over 170 islands

X #2
* Beetle Bailey's boss
* Kind of tapestry featured in a scene from Hamlet
* Teen Titans character who can control the earth
* White heron

X #3
* Captain America: Civil War actor Chris
* Chocolate-filled Kellogg's cereal
* Ginger-flavored cookies
* Project _____ (recently-cancelled Xbox One game)

Y #4
* Baby carrier?
* Granny and Gordian, for two
* Yzma's sidekick from The Emperor's New Groove

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: 4X Game 3

Well, tomorrow will be my last puzzle of 2015, but before we get to that, let's look at the answers to my third "4X Game" puzzle from almost two weeks ago and the people who solved them:

• Eric Maddy ****
• YYW ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Yossi Fendel ****
• Mom ****
• Grant Fikes ****
• Adam Weaver ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Dan Simonds ***
• Debbie Underwood ****
• Lynn Sweeney ****

Now just head below the break for the answers!

PUZZLE #54: 4X Game 3

PUZZLE #54

4X GAME 3

Below, there are 4 "X"'s, each containing four 5-letter answers. Each answer is entered at an angle, following one of the arrows as it does so, and the last three letters of one answer will be the first three letters of another, albeit in reverse order. In the example above (I know all the answers are three letters instead of five, but I hope you'll still get the gist of it), the words in the first "X" are MAP, PAT, TAR, and RAM, and the words in the second "X" are ROT, TOW, WON and NOR. However, to make things even harder, none of the clues are numbered or in order, so you'll have to figure out which word goes in which angle, but don't worry, as each "tip" of each "X" (the outermost letters) will contain the same letters as the "tips" of its neighboring "X". Going back to the example above, the rightmost "tips" in the first "X" contain the letters "R" and "T", so the leftmost "tips" in the second "X" has the same exact letters, in the same exact placement.

Once you're done, unscramble the letters in the "tips" that have no neighbors (the yellow squares) to get this week's FINAL ANSWER: a four-letter word

X #1
* "2 _____ 2 Quit" (MC Hammer song)
* Aladdin's Rajah, for one
* Dominions (Hidden in PREGNANCY)
* Spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

X #2
* Creature from Miscrits that... okay, fine, it's the first several letters from TREELESS
* Pain reliever that sponsors Jeopardy!
* Purple-haired cyclops from Futurama
* Six-time US Open winner Chris

X #3
* _____ over one's head: 2 wds.
* Faun from Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!
* What the Grinch did to Christmas

* Pays, as the bill

X #4
* Female death-spirits from Greek mythology
* Given the pink slip
* Sans _____ (type of type)
* Zoolander from Zoolander

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured that one out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: 4X Game: XX/XY

Before I reveal the answers to "4X Game: XX/XY", I'd like to share some news regarding my last puzzle: a while ago, I sent GAMES Magazine three "Moving Stairc--" er, "Shapeshifters" puzzles, and just last Tuesday, I finally got confirmation that they're acceptable for publication! I haven't received a publication date just yet for these puzzles, but it's still pretty neat nonetheless! And to celebrate, I'm going to do something special regarding tomorrow's puzzle! (though I'm not revealing what it is quite yet; you'll just have to wait and see) Anyways, let's reveal the people who solved "XX/XY":

• Adam Weaver ****
• Grant Fikes ****
• YYW ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Debbie Underwood ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Cayden Curtis & Lynn Sweeney ****
• Paolo Pasco ****
• My sister Alex ****

Now just head below the break for the answers, along with a few solver comments!

PUZZLE #40: 4X Game: XX/XY

PUZZLE #40

4X Game: XX/XY

Yep, it's another "4X Game" puzzle, except that this time, one of the X's has been changed to a Y! Read the directions to see how that changes things!

Below, there are 3 "X"'s and one "Y"; the "X"'s each contain four 5-letter answers, and the "Y" has three. Each answer is entered at an angle (save for one of the words in the "Y"), following one of the arrows as it does so, and the last three letters of one answer will be the first three letters of another, albeit in reverse order. In the example above (I know all the answers are three letters instead of five, but hopefully you'll still get the idea), the words in the "X" are MAP, PAT, TAR, and RAM, and the words in the "Y" are ROT, TON and NOR. However, to make things even harder, none of the clues are numbered or in order, so you'll have to figure out which word goes in which angle, but don't worry, as each "tip" of each "X" or "Y" (the outermost letters) will contain the same letters as the "tips" of its neighboring "X" or "Y". Going back to the example above, the rightmost "tips" in the "X" contain the letters "R" and "T", so the leftmost "tips" in the "Y" has the same exact letters, in the same exact placement.

Once you're done, unscramble the letters in the "tips" that have no neighbors (the yellow squares) to get one of three 3-letter words; this week's FINAL ANSWER is the only one of those three that starts with a vowel.

X #1

* "It's _____!" (Memorable quote from Admiral Ackbar): 2 wds.

* Mattress that stop-motion sheep don't want you to sleep on
* Fathers a foal
* Arc de Triomphe's locale

X #2
* "_____ Blue" (Song from Hoodwinked!): 2 wds.
* Kia Optima, e.g.
* A dodecagon has twelve of them
* Unsafe at Any Speed author Ralph

X #3

* Teen Titans member born in Azarath
* Party like no tomorrow
* Reading Rainbow host _____ Burton
* "Not in a bajillion years!"

Y #4

* "Day" that this puzzle was initially posted on?
* _____ No. 1 (fighting game that originally came with a demo of Final Fantasy VII)
* Baymax from Disney's Big Hero 6, for example

Once you believe you've figured out the FINAL ANSWER, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net or itsredhead64@gmail.com (though I'm more likely to check the second one) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already figured it out. If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!

ANSWERS: 4X Game (and FREE HINTS for "Section Six 2")

Before I get to the solvers and answers of "4X Game", I'd like to provide you guys with an update to my previous puzzle, "Section Six 2". I think I might've made that one a little too hard, since just six people so far have solved it. Since I want that number to rise, I've provided some alternate clues to what I believe are some of the harder clues in that puzzle. To find out what they are, just highlight the white space after each clue number! (Don't worry, I won't be taking any stars away if you do use these new clues)

RING 1
2) Dracula, for one
3) Walking stick
6) Fit together (Anagram of NY CUPS): 2 wds.

RING 2
* Clark Kent's alter-ego
* Shoestring
* Dancehall/Reggae subgenre with electronic instrumentation
* _____ and the Brain ('90s animated series)
* Rhyming pairs of lines

RING 3
* Current WWE champion John
* Radio buttons that are already tuned in to a station
* Green duck from Tiny Toon Adventures
* _____ Falls (waterfall that borders Ontario and New York)

RING 4
* Rough and scratchy, like old film
* Tight gathering
* Kind of nut used in pies

Now with all that out of the way, here are all of the people who have solved "4X Game"!

• Grant Fikes ****
• Paolo Pasco ****
• Adam Weaver ****
• Eric Maddy ****
• Tyler Hinman ****
• Mom ****
• Debbie Underwood ****
• Christian H.P. ****
• Sam Levitin ****
• Giovanni Pagano ****
• Lynn Sweeney **

Now just go below the break for the answers, along with solver comments, some pictures, and even a Tex Avery cartoon!

PUZZLE #28: 4X Game

PUZZLE #28

4X GAME

This one's kinda tough to explain, but I'll try my best; below, there are 4 "X"'s, each containing four 5-letter answers. Each answer is entered at an angle, following one of the arrows as it does so, and the last three letters of one answer will be the first three letters of another, albeit in reverse order. In the example above (I know all the answers are three letters instead of five, but I hope you'll still get the gist of it), the words in the first "X" are MAP, PAT, TAR, and RAM, and the words in the second "X" are ROT, TOW, WON and NOR. However, to make things even harder, none of the clues are numbered or in order, so you'll have to figure out which word goes in which angle, but don't worry, as each "tip" of each "X" (the outermost letters) will contain the same letters as the "tips" of its neighboring "X". Going back to the example above, the rightmost "tips" in the first "X" contain the letters "R" and "T", so the leftmost "tips" in the second "X" has the same exact letters, in the same exact placement.

Once you're done, unscramble the letters in the "tips" that have no neighbors (the yellow squares) to get one of two four-letter words; that's this week's FINAL ANSWER!

X #1
* Old TV knobs you "don't touch"?
* Sedate and unadventurous
* Pesky little insects
* Symphony in _____ (Tex Avery short)

X #2
* Doctor Who baddie who wants to EXTERMINATE! all of humanity
* _____ Marner (old book subtitled "The Weaver of Raveloe")
* R&B singer whose first album was 1999's Kaleidoscope
* Waldorf, but not Statler

X #3
* "Brain"y Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain
* Hits a fly or a fly ball
* Chews like Daggett or Norbert
* The Man in the Iron Mask, according to Marvel?

X #4
* Act on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, say: hyph.
* Former baseball commissioner Bud
* Liver fluids
* Griffon who was Rainbow Dash's friend from flight camp [I'd say more, but that would act as SPOILERS for a certain My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode from late last month...]

Once you think you know what the FINAL ANSWER is, send it to either redhead64@chartermi.net (the main email for my home computer) or itsredhead64@gmail.com (the main email for my tablet and whenever I'm not at home) and I'll put your name on a solvers list once I post the answers in about two weeks. You can also use those email addresses to give me some comments and feedback (or get a hint from me in exchange for a "hint star", more details for that are on the sidebar to the right) or send me the answer to last week's puzzle, if you haven't already solved it (but make sure you do so before this Sunday!). If you have a printer and want to solve this puzzle on paper, just head below the break for a version you can print out!