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So to prep the next tournament, we're going to need nominations (yes, just like the easter egg tournament). There's simply way too many puzzles in the entire Sierra library to do them all individually, and we can't do it "game against game" because I'd like us to focus on the good puzzles. It's too easy to look at these games and complain about the puzzles we got stuck on, so the purpose of this tournament is to relive the best moments of game design. These are the really creative puzzles or sequences that you remember and would happily play the game again for just to marvel at the MacGyver-like brilliance of them. It could be a clever combination of items, a big puzzle made up of several tiny puzzles, maybe an arcade sequence, or even just a simple puzzle with a great pay-off (for which I'm sad I can't nominate saving Guybrush from drowning in Monkey Island 1).

NOMINATION RULES:
1. Please nominate only five puzzles at most to make it easier on me.
2. You are allowed to nominate more than one puzzle per game.
3. Avoid repeating nominations by reading other posts. This is to avoid obvious winners and/or wasting your nominations.
4. Easter eggs, or creative ways to die do not count as puzzles (they count as other tournaments!)

Hope that makes sense!

Le Serpent Rouge - Gabriel Knight 3
Death's challenge - King's Quest VI

I'll give it some more thought about a couple of additions

King's Quest VI - The Cliffs of Logic (the best copy protection I can think of, and it sort of work like a puzzle)
Gabriel Knight I - Writing the message on Laveau's tomb
Gabriel Knight II - Retrieving Wagner lost opera and the original diagram
Quest for Glory II - Julanar

GK2: Guiding the wolf to the furnace.
GK1: 12 and 3 and turn the key
LSL7: Converting Vicky
Shivers: I'm a huge fan of the Pinball puzzle.
Island of Dr Brain: Liquid Weights

Might as well throw some in:

King's Quest 6 - The Catacombs (the only maze I ever look forward to playing)
Quest for Glory 4 - The Avoozl Rituals
King's Quest 5 - Graham vs. Mordack
King's Quest 6 - The Five Gnomes
Space Quest 3 - Roger vs. Arnoid

I can think of a few more classic puzzles as well, but we'll need to see how many entries we get.

Datadog wrote:King's Quest 6 - The Catacombs (the only maze I ever look forward to playing)

I always felt this, too. All other mazes seem an arbitrary chore to overcome to be able to start playing the game again. The Catacombs fit the mood and the story of the game.

Datadog wrote:King's Quest 6 - The Five Gnomes

I loved the Sense Gnome puzzle. Even though it was perhaps too easy, it was still fun.

Shivers: Chinese Checkers puzzle
Shivers 2: Egg puzzle
Rama: octospider and raman numerical puzzles
Lighthouse: phew... the whole game is one puzzle!

I probably won't be voting a ton in this round, because I haven't played anything near the complete library of Sierra games, but I do have some nominations.

Space Quest 2: putting the gem in the mouth. Genius.
Leisure Suit Larry 3: Using Patti's clothing in very ridiculous and creative ways.
Quest for Glory 2: The whole 'Trial by Fire' segment near the end of the game.
Police Quest 2: The time bomb. It didn't necessarily fit the game well, but I loved the puzzle.

Quest for Glory 1: Navigating/Surviving the brigand stronghold
Quest for Glory 2: The WIT trials
Gabriel Knight 1: The Schattenjager initiation sequence
Gabriel Knight 2: Using the tape splicer to gain entry to the wolf kennel
Space Quest 5: Roger vs. WD-40

I'll leave this thread open for a while and start the tournament in fall while I attend to things. This should give everyone time to add something.

Rudy wrote:Lighthouse: phew... the whole game is one puzzle!

Ha ha - I don't know if I can put down a whole game as a puzzle. Any particular moments jump out at you?

Space Quest 2: putting the gem in the mouth. Genius.

Genius indeed! As mod of this tournament, I may have to bend my own rules and also nominate "HOLD BREATH" if no one else does.

I loved the Sense Gnome puzzle. Even though it was perhaps too easy, it was still fun.

Yeah, when I'm showing the game to someone, I usually let them solve that puzzle. It's easy, yet engaging enough to get someone interested in adventure games.

I'll get this one going within the week. Getting all the nominations together, it looks fairly massive, but we can pull it off. Although I might have to request only 3 nominations per person next time.

Any last minute entries? I'm going to squeeze in a couple extra nominations.

Space Quest 2: HOLD BREATH
King's Quest 1: The Troll Bridge

Conquests of Camelot: the riddle stones (I like riddles)

King's Quest 3: defeating Manannan (lots of great puzzles, but that gives you such a sense of accomplishment and finally lets you relax)

Police Quest 1 EGA: arresting Hoffman. (it's a tense scene where following proper police procedure saves you life)

I want to pick puzzles from Quest for Glory 1 and 4 too, but I'm too tired/lazy to think of more.

I imagine Colonel's Bequest has some I like too.

Maxor127 wrote: Police Quest 1 EGA: arresting Hoffman. (it's a tense scene where following proper police procedure saves you life)

That is a great one!