Geek speak..

[+team lagonda]

a puzzle cache im working on is appearently in some sort of code from hobbit..my wife tells me alot of geeksters use this stuff..personaly im clueless..i searched all over the net for info of this stuff but cant find anything..anyone else come across this jibberish ? ? can a code in this stuff be cracked without resorting to buying hobbit books that im not interested in ? i wont say what cache it is but could use some advice on where to look to figure it out....in revenge im thinking of posting a note on this cache in welsh or some obscure language..lol..

[+briansnat]

It all depends on the puzzle.

[+Snoogans]

revenge im thinking of posting a note on this cache in welsh or some obscure language..lol..

 

Why not hide a cache in that hider's territory using Welsh or some obscure language?

[+VeryLost]

a puzzle cache im working on is appearently in some sort of code from hobbit..my wife tells me alot of geeksters use this stuff..personaly im clueless..i searched all over the net for info of this stuff but cant find anything..anyone else come across this jibberish ? ? can a code in this stuff be cracked without resorting to buying hobbit books that im not interested in ?

 

If you mean that part of the cache information is written using characters from the Tolkien novels, odds are that you could simply treat it as a substitution cipher. That is, each character in the encrypted text directly equates to a character in the English language, and you simply have to deduce what the equivalences are. Start by figuring out which symbol appears the most often - it is likely the letter E. This is a pretty common and simple form of encryption, made a bit more complicated by the fact that it's using shapes that aren't familiar to you.

[+team lagonda]

im thinkin bout buyin one of them inigma machines used by the german army in ww11 off of ebay..lol..

[+cache_test_dummies]

im thinkin bout buyin one of them inigma machines used by the german army in ww11 off of ebay..lol..

It would probably be much less expensive to just pick up a copy of that hobbit book that you're not interested in.

[+team lagonda]

Yes,,i guess you could say you need speacail equipment for this cache..although this cache didnt list as such..

Edited January 13, 2007 by team lagonda

[+Capaldo]

If it's just written in hobbit font, you might be able to just download the font and figure it out. Here's some fonts - Hobbit Fonts

[bogleman]

Iffin I was a geek I'd try this but I'm not that smrat.

[+team lagonda]

i went ahead an posted my first DNF for this one..wasnt bad though,i didnt even have to leave the house to get it..as his grace the duke of wellington once said '' the mark of a good general is to know when to retreat an dare to do it '' i,ll somehow endevor to bear my misfortune an try to remain philosiphcal about the whole thing an divert my mind onto the new senes an caches that are opening up befor us..

Edited January 13, 2007 by team lagonda

[+gof1]

Did you check out the hint on the cache page?

If so you saw this. "Puzzle hints given upon request."

Try asking the cache owner for hints.

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

im thinkin bout buyin one of them inigma machines used by the german army in ww11 off of ebay..lol..

 

There are several online versions of the Enigma machine. This one is probably one of the better ones. You enter the entire string to encrypt/decrypt vice one character at a time (i.e. decrypting as you type). Since with enigma each successive character depends on the previous, one mistake and you're ew-scrayed.

 

Mercury Rising is a very good example of a cache using the Enigma, and links the use of the Engima to the backstory and locales of the cache.

[adampierson]

Have you considered going to the library? Borrowing the book would be much more preferable than buying.

[+greengecko]

im thinkin bout buyin one of them inigma machines used by the german army in ww11 off of ebay..lol..

 

When it arrives, this one will be waiting for you - Bletchley Park

[nonaeroterraqueous]

There are at least two types of fonts used in the Tolkien novels. If it's from the Hobbit, then it's probably the runes. There are at least a couple of variations to it, and it's not always a simple letter-substitution problem, because sometimes one rune can stand for multiple English letters. Visit a bookstore; it's probably an easier task than the actual hunt for the geocache.

[Dinoprophet]

im thinkin bout buyin one of them inigma machines used by the german army in ww11 off of ebay..lol..

 

There are several online versions of the Enigma machine. This one is probably one of the better ones. You enter the entire string to encrypt/decrypt vice one character at a time (i.e. decrypting as you type). Since with enigma each successive character depends on the previous, one mistake and you're ew-scrayed.

 

Mercury Rising is a very good example of a cache using the Enigma, and links the use of the Engima to the backstory and locales of the cache.

There's also this one, which is an incredibly well-written puzzle. It looks intimidating, but I've solved most of the puzzle (with a little bit of help). The Enigma simulator recommended there is excellent. Here's the link. They have many cipher machine simulators, not just the Enigma.