20 Questions on ME

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

You do realize you're giving away just what kind of questions we'd need to ask in the future?

I don't actually have an idea in mind yet; I want to know how broad the options are.

I once saw a similar Tolkien 20 Questions where the answer was 'the name "The Little Kingdom" as once used of Arda in the Silmarillion'. I'm assuming that's a step too far, but figured it was best to ask before potentially breaking the agreed-but-not-stated rules.

hS

[Huinesoron]

And I guess I can formalise this to save time:

If the answer to Urwen's question 'Worn by a commander?' is NO, then I would like to ask 'Is it Eowyn's armour?'.

hS

[Urwen]

Then think of something, because I have a feeling you'd get it.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

And I guess I can formalise this to save time:

If the answer to Urwen's question 'Worn by a commander?' is NO, then I would like to ask 'Is it Eowyn's armour?'.

hS

Yes to worn by a commander

[Urwen]

Worn by an evil character?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Yes to worn by a commander

Hmm.

Commanders' armour:
-Aragorn's mail from Rohan.
-Forlong's mail
-Imrahil's armour
-Witch-King's mail
[-Denethor's armour]

I think we can mostly rule out Forlong - his armour is incidental - and Denethor - his status as a commander is titular at best.

The first ambiguous question was 'is it man-made', which was answered with a flat yes. So that points away from the Witch-King, whose armour was quite likely made by either Orcs or Sauron in person.

That leaves two, and of the two Aragorn is the most prominent, and may also account for the 'made me gasp' reaction (since I namedropped him as well). So:

Is it Aragorn's armour?

hS

[Urwen]

Why can't you be offline when I want you to be?

[Mithalwen]

No to evil character
No to Aragorn’s armour.
As to what you can choose well it does say in ME but I don’t see why languages or people should be excluded - not all things are tangible.

How obscure you make it rather depends on how much participation you want. I revived this to encourage participation rather than to point score on arcane knowledge and thought I had chosen a nice and fair thing but I might be wrong on that. However I will explain when it is nailed down if necessary.

[Mithalwen]

1 Alive? No
2 Place? No
3 Has a name in a language created by Tolkien? No
4 Object? Yes
5 First Age? No
6 Man-made? Yes
7 Third age? Yes
8 A sword? No.
9 Could it be picked up by Aragorn? Yes
10 Is it a hobbit thing? Again an ambiguous question but no.
11 Made by Feanor? No, well neither known to be or likely to be.
12 Made of wood? No
13 A Jewel? No
14 A standard? No
15 Made from material of plant origin? No
16 Could Eowyn wear it? Yes
17 A helmet? No
18 Would Eowyn wear it on her head? No.
19 Would it cover all /most of Eowyn’s body? No.
20 A piece of jewellery?No
21 Armour? Yes
22 Mithril shirt? no
23 Dwarf mail? No
24 Worn at Battle of Pelennor Fields? Yes
25 Worn by a commander? Yes
26 Worn by an evil character? No
27 Aragorn’s armour? No

I feel like I am watching people tackling a maze and getting close then going the wrong way

[Urwen]

Imrahil's armour?

[Urwen]

(Also, to Huey: Next time I want you to be on, I'll just try to force you to get off, since you're determined to do the exact opposite of what I want.)

[Mithalwen]

imrahil’s armour?

I r3fer you to the answer to question 19.

[Urwen]

Forlong's armor?

[Mithalwen]

Ditto unless you think Forlong the fat is smaller than Eowyn.

I may have to just tell you to save my sanity.

[Urwen]

There is Merry, but he isn't the commander.


There are Gandalf and Denethor, but they're hardly smaller than Eowyn.

[Urwen]

Thought it's possible he was a commander, but during the Scouring rather than on Pelennor itself.



So.....Merry's armour?

[Urwen]

Then again, his armour won't fit her.


There is her husband, who commanded the forces during the assault on Osgilliath.....

[Mithalwen]

Another wrong turn. You need to back track and look at my answers.

[Urwen]

Wait a second.....


Did its wearer survive?

[Urwen]

List of commanders: Aragorn, Gandalf, Halbarad, Theoden, Eomer, Grimbold, Denethor, Imrahil, Forlong, Hirluin, Duinhir, Golasgil and Dervorin


Take out Aragorn, Imrahil and Forlong, and it becomes: Gandalf, Halbarad, Theoden, Eomer, Grimbold, Denethor, Hirluin, Duinhir, Golasgil and Dervorin


Still too many.....

[Mithalwen]

Yes the owner survived. And that isn’t where you went wrong.

[Urwen]

Remaining candidates who meet the criteria: Gandalf, Eomer, Duinhir, Golasgil and Dervorin

The trouble is, there isn't a clear way to figure out whether an armor covers most/all of the body, and the pictures don't provide us with a clear estimate of that either, so I will have to narrow it down further the usual way.

Was it worn by someone from Gondor?

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Another wrong turn. You need to back track and look at my answers.

This sounds like it's a piece of armour, such as a gauntlet or boot, rather than a full suit of mail.

hS

[Mithalwen]

Exactly.

[Urwen]

But whose?

[Urwen]

Wait, maybe Boromir's arm braces are the answer?

[Mithalwen]

No. Aren’t they just a film thing? I don’t recall them mentioned although he prob had them.

[Urwen]

Or maybe Imrahil's vambrace which he used to detect that Eowyn was alive? This could very well be the reason for the gasp.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Okay, I may regret this question, because I'm not sure it will tell me as much as I'd like, but:

-Is it something that Eowyn could wear? (Again assuming she was placed directly in front of it.)

(Why Eowyn? Why not Eowyn?)

hS

Indeed. This was the gasp since it was literally placed in front of Eowyn. Also why I quibbled an armour since is an uncountable noun like clothing.

Mind you I had a moment when it was asked about Aragorn picking it up. Could easily have happened offstage.

[Urwen]

I did it! I beat Huey!

Okay, fire away!

[Urwen]

Someone please ask some questions?! >.<

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

I did it! I beat Huey!

And here I thought we were working together to get the answer...

Well done, I'd completely forgotten the vambrace, even though I used it in a riddle less than a month ago! Where's the 'sheepish embarassment' smiley?

hS

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

Someone please ask some questions?! >.<

Oh, right, that.

Um, is it alive?

hS

[Urwen]

I find it unfair that you were all eager to solve Mithalwen's round, but not mine. Is it because I solved it instead of you?!

Is it alive? No

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

I find it unfair that you were all eager to solve Mithalwen's round, but not mine. Is it because I solved it instead of you?!

Is it alive? No

... I was asleep. And you are the only person who saw it as some kind of contest to get the answer.

I'll let someone else ask the next question; don't want to monopolise the thread.

hS

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Urwen

I find it unfair that you were all eager to solve Mithalwen's round, but not mine. Is it because I solved it instead of you?!

Yes, I do not respond immediately to posts made at 5 in the morning local time just to spite you. We're all doing it. It's a conspiracy. See, even Mith is holding a grudge that you solved her puzzle rather than Hui.

You gotta realize that games are played for fun, voluntarily. Don't make demands of people when it comes to that, or the game stops being fun and people stop playing.


Object?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Named, yes - but no promises on 'easier'.

While we're talking about the future, can I get a rules clarification?

a Person, a place, an event or an item of ME

-Could the answer be a group of people?
-How about a language?
-Or a concept like 'the Unseen'?
-Does the answer have to be from Middle-earth itself, or just from the Legendarium as a whole?
-What about older versions of the Legendarium?
-How about non-Legendarium Tolkien (eg, the Father Christmas Letters)?

hS

You could use anything as the answer. However, from personal experience of someone who used to pick very abstract or unusual things as the answer, it's not as much fun as you might think. The less black and white the concept gets, the harder it is to answer yes or no to simple questions. Look through some old questions on the thread and you'll see what I mean. So choose wisely what battle you want to pick there.

My sister and I play this game IRL. When we were younger we kept coming up with really abstract things - "argument", "reflection", "charity", that kind of thing - but it always took forever to get the answer and there was barely a clear yes/no in the answers. So now we have an agreement that we do simple things only - which doesn't mean they can't be tricksy, just not weirdly abstract.

As for alternative versions / non-Legendarium - there's technically nothing to stop you using it, but speaking with perfect honesty I'll be quite ****ed off at you if you do. Doesn't seem like a fair game if the guesser hasn't heard of the answer before.

[Urwen]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Yes, I do not respond immediately to posts made at 5 in the morning local time just to spite you. We're all doing it. It's a conspiracy. See, even Mith is holding a grudge that you solved her puzzle rather than Hui.

You gotta realize that games are played for fun, voluntarily. Don't make demands of people when it comes to that, or the game stops being fun and people stop playing.


Object?

If you don't wanna post, then don't log in? What's even the point of logging in if you're unable to do anything? The only plausible conclusion is that you are doing it on purpose. There are other people like me, people who get excited when someone else gets online, only to be disappointed when that person does nothing. You understand?


In fact, I will stop answering questions altogether and when you bug me about it, I will ignore you, and see how YOU would like that, how about it?!

[Urwen]

This will be the last one I answer

Is it alive? No
Object? Yes

Have fun while I ignore you.

[Huinesoron]

Originally Posted by Urwen

If you don't wanna post, then don't log in? What's even the point of logging in if you're unable to do anything? The only plausible conclusion is that you are doing it on purpose. There are other people like me, people who get excited when someone else gets online, only to be disappointed when that person does nothing. You understand?

From the way you're talking, it seems like you're unaware that most modern browsers will keep you logged in automatically. So what you are saying comes over as people either need to add several extra steps to their visits to the Downs, or not visit the Downs at all unless they intend to engage with you. Which, I'm sure you understand, is unreasonable.

hS