puz-code-and-cipher-01
The worked example tells you which direction the encipherer moved. You need to travel the other way.
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The worked example tells you which direction the encipherer moved. You need to travel the other way.
Work out the size of the step from the worked mapping before you touch the message itself.
Write the alphabet out with 1 under A and count along; the gaps between numbers are part of the message.
The word boundaries are doing real work here. Ask whether the reversal applies inside each word or across the whole line.
Copy the legend out in front of you and decode one symbol at a time, keeping the groups in the order they are printed.
Line the known word up against the first three ciphertext letters and count the gap between one pair.
Write the alphabet forwards on one line and backwards directly beneath it, then read straight down.
Write both rows out and always start your lookup in the row the ciphertext belongs to.
Do not try to fill the gaps in. Encipher each candidate yourself and compare the results letter by letter.
Handle the digits under four first and decide what wrapping downwards should give before touching the rest.
Count the letters first. An odd total tells you how many letters ride on each rail before you interleave anything.
Start with the words that are only one letter long, then look at the pair of identical letters.
Subtract each letter's position from 27 and check your rule on the shortest word before doing the rest.
Only every fourth letter lands on the top rail. Extract those three letters for each candidate before doing any more work.
Cut the ciphertext into equal blocks first, then label each block with the column number it was sent as.
Deal with the operation that was applied last before the one applied first, and treat each word separately.
Strip the offset off every number first, and keep the letters in a separate column from the arithmetic.
Write out each candidate alphabet in full, dropping repeats, then check every letter of the known word before deciding.
Ask which step was performed last, and remember that a key tied to position stops matching once the letters move.
Write the repeating key out underneath the ciphertext letter by letter before you subtract anything.
Add the four data letters in each group and reduce the total below 27 before comparing it with the check letter.
Write 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 above the five columns and add up only the columns holding a one.
Number the letters one to ten and write the repeating key underneath before subtracting anything.
Decide which letter is doing the work of a key, and remember that whatever it is, it is not part of what you read out.
Try both systems on the first three or four letters only, and keep the one that starts producing vowels in sensible places.