Riddles
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Something I didn't get around to asking on the old forum.
What did you think of the riddles/questions? Were there too many in the early series? Was it unfair that teams often lost because they missed a single riddle (whether through not gaining magic or vital information)? Did it slow gameplay up too much?
In the later series, there seemed to be less of a formula with riddles/questions. It seemed that information about clue objects was often just given in the form of scrolls and spyglass sequences rather than earned from correct riddles. Was that a good thing? Did it help speed things up, or just make things more easy, or at least mean that deaths were confined to floor puzzles and those who were truly stupid and ignored scrolls and such.
I know some teams still died through getting riddles wrong in later series, like Series 6 Team 6 who failed to earn the causeway combination from Hordriss. But the number was much reduced over the years.
Oh, and as a side question, who was the best for asking the riddles? I think I'd go for the classic wall monsters, Granitas et. al. The weeping doors were very poor replacements, in my opinion.
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To be honest, a lot of the 'riddles' weren't really riddles, but just general knowledge questions. I guess that the creators could only come up with so many real riddles.
I liked the later questions from the Brollachan which were more often a test of the teams' observational skills. (ie. What is my name, what is the name of the Valley in which Level 2 lies, etc) Gave you a good idea of which teams were paying attention and which were just trying to cruise through the game.
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I meant the subject to include both riddles and general knowledge questions.
As regards the Brol., I personally don't agree. I thought it was a bit dull and predictable, especially since on the rare occasions it asked something challenging, the teams could just confidently guess and get away with it. I much preferred the wall monsters who knew the answers to their questions.
That's not to say it wasn't well brought to life or characterised. I just thought it could be a little more threatening if it knew answers to its questions, and asked more challenging things. It was the real threat of being eaten that (for me) made the wall monster scenes worth watching.
What do other people think?
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Naw, I agree with Ark here, the Brollachan could be fooled - yet it tested the teams' observation. The earlier riddles were sometimes cool. Sometimes. However, some of the questions were very - uh - dumb. Things like 'Which is deeper: the ocean or a saucer of water?'. That just freaked me out. Especially when the team answered 'A saucer of water'...
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Series 1 and 3 had some tough riddles in them. Series 2 though had some ridiculously easy ones. Both winning teams were very lucky with Merlin's ones.
Mind you, the series 3 team 11 riddle was quite an easy one (I knew that beetle was the answer). I wonder what a winning team in series 1 or 3 would have looked like.
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Hmm, the more I think about it, the more I agree with Ark about the observational questions. I'd still like the Brollachan to be able to discern truth, and I'd still like to see proper riddles/general knowledge questions asked elsewhere, but yes, observational questions were good for making sure teams were taking things seriously. I guess the reason I was originally so sceptical was that, to the viewer, it looks like teams only have to remember information for a few minutes. But I guess in the course of filming the scenes might be spread over a much longer period, so they might need to recall info. they obtained in a scene filmed a day ago. As you say, it weeds out the teams who are just trying to muddle through (so long as the Brol. can eat them if they're wrong!).
I guess for teams of youngsters the gearing up for a scene/winding down between scenes cycle must have been pretty difficult. When you realise that, it makes the fact that some teams forgot information less concerning (tho. Series 2 Team 7 who forgot the name of the spell they'd been given is still pretty bad). It also makes me feel really sorry for the teams that knew they were done for, but still had to film for another half a day to meet their demise.
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I wonder what a winning team in series 1 or 3 would have looked like.
I'd assume that would have relatively been the same as Series 2, since these three series generally all worked on roughly the same format, even if Series 3 threw even bigger and better dungeons ::)
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There're some fantastic opportunities to say really bizarre things here, like 'they'd have been rewarded with a huge green balloon', but I'm not going to take those up. ;D
I liked the 'silver spurs' which were awarded in series 2, I guess they'd have given those out in series 1 & 3. (In fact I'm guessing they were prizes left over from series 1, indeed!)
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I forgot to mention Snapper Jack, who I liked a lot. I have a feeling hardly anyone agrees with me about him, but hey.
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Which character(s) had the best riddles or questions?
I think Merlin had some good ones and Doorkis had some really funny ones such as.
Gallstones from Gallway bay
The Holy grail in Westminster Abbey (May have Dooris)
Paddi fields in Ireland
Manx cat coming from Manchester and having its tail cut off after birth
Henry VIII with 9 wives
Golgarach's Tokein questions were good as well.
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My favourite set was the threesome offered by Golgarach in Series 3, the final one being something along the lines of 'Which is bigger, a large ocean or a saucer of water'? Thinking it was a trick question, the team answered the saucer, at which point Golgarach said 'Falsehood- of course the ocean is bigger!'!
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...am dragging up a topic from three years ago because I CAN! Heee.
Did anyone else used to gulp cheat at the riddles in the books? I used to get SO frustrated when I didn't know the answers... I only cheated in the Sorceror's Isle, but now I feel so ashamed - I can never get that experience back, sob!
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