Edric's Puzzle Hunt 2022

Edric's 2022 Puzzle Hunt
Clock graphic from Edric's 2022 Puzzle Hunt
Running TeamEdric Haleen
Winning TeamCardinality
No. of Rounds7
No. of Puzzles (Feeders and Metas)26
Timeframe and Location
LocationOnline
Start Time2022-07-11 12:00 EDT
Finishing Time (Winning Team)5d 13h 38m
Official End Time2022-07-20 12:00 EDT
Links
Hunt LinkLink
Edric's Treasure Hunt Chronology
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Edric's 2022 Puzzle Hunt (the fourth non-treasure hunt in the series, and the second "Puzzle Hunt") went live at 12:00 noon EDT on Saturday, July 11, 2022. The hunt was structured in the style of an Australian hunt, with six rounds of puzzles released over the course of a week, and then a final metapuzzle at the end.

The twist on this structure, however, was that the rounds were released in reverse chronological order. Instead of being released last, the meta puzzle was released first -- two hours before the puzzles for Day 6 were released. Then (as it went on to explain on the website), "Each day, the puzzles [were] released two hours earlier than they were the day after."

There were many examples throughout the hunt where time was acting "weirdly." A puzzle titled "September 19th" included a reference to "Christmas in July." There was a series of "torn-out" notes on Days 1, 3, and 6 in which the setter expressed [mock] confusion and consternation about the way time was flowing oddly. Even the clock graphics showed the minute hand traveling backwards around the face (at least until the first metapuzzle was solved)!

Solvers also discovered partway through the hunt that something which began as a single reference within a single puzzle expanded in scope to actually become first the theme of an entire puzzle and then the theme of the entire hunt. (Which itself turned out be actually be a tribute to a giant in the intellectual community!)

List of Rounds[edit | edit source]

Round Number of Puzzles Notes
Day 1 4 (Released at 23:59:59 EDT, July 16, 2022)
Day 2 4 (Released at 22:00 EDT, July 15, 2022)
Day 3 4 (Released at 20:00 EDT, July 14, 2022)
Day 4 4 (Released at 18:00 EDT, July 13, 2022)
Day 5 4 (Released at 16:00 EDT, July 12, 2022)
Day 6 4 (Released at 14:00 EDT, July 11, 2022)
Meta 1 (Released at 12:00 EDT, July 11, 2022)
Final Meta 1 (Gated behind initial meta)