Cryptology - the final foray

This was my favorite day. During the previous five weeks of the EB I felt that I was having trouble finding the optimal working arrangement for this group - they didn't want to work alone, or in pairs, or in small groups, or all together with me at the chalkboard. What to do?

On week six I handed them these rules:

• If there are prizes, they must be divided evenly.
• Cooperate! Help each other! Also, make sure everyone gets to help.
• Leave the room as you found it.

Then I handed them a box labeled "Spy Tools" containing alphabet clocks, enigma machines, sheets with the alphabet for solving substitution ciphers, and some odd-looking index cards with weird holes cut out.

Then I handed them the first clue and stood back.

1. Easiest first! XQGHU WKH WUDVK FDQ

They correctly figured out that "easiest first" referred to the Caesar cipher, the easiest code we had learned. They found the next clue UNDER THE TRASH CAN:

2. The mystery starts with AAA. AIHFACJQMBJOLYW

"Starts with AAA" indicated that they needed to use an Enigma machine with all its rotors initially set to A.

The next clue was found on the BOTTOMBOOKSHELF.

3. VMVVPNPMFGQVGGQCETDI - Jesse

This one didn't even hint at which method was needed, but since they hadn't used the alphabet clock yet they decided to try that, with my name as the key. It worked.

The next clue was found under the MIDDLELUNCHROOMTABLE.

4. Congratulations! Sorry there aren't any prizes, but at least you're not getting painted red, boxed up, and given as an inter-office Christmas gift.

This is very unhelpful! However, when they held one of those funny-looking index cards over it, the cut-out spaces revealed this message:

4. Congratulations! Sorry there aren't any prizes, but at least you're not getting painted red, boxed up, and given as an inter-office Christmas gift.

They found the PRIZES IN RED BAG IN OFFICE as advertised. One bottle of bubbles, one grow-beast dinosaur, and two pencil erasers for everyone. Max took charge of the prize distribution in a very effective way, declaring that dinosaurs would be picked from youngest to oldest. It was subsequently decided that pencil erasers would be chosen first from youngest to oldest, then from oldest to youngest.