Reordering
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Reordering is a basic solve path element involved in many hunt puzzles, requiring solvers to rearrange information based on a particular system in order to make sense of it.
Puzzle Application
Reordering is a quick and simple way to introduce an extra step to a puzzle's solve path. By providing information out of order, solvers are forced to both determine whether what has been presented is the correct order for their information (something that they'll be forced to face once they begin extraction), and figure out what method is expected to be used to get them into the proper order, based on any clues provided.
Alphabetical
While alphabetical order is often considered a "default" ordering, it has some benefit to being the final ordering as well. This is particularly true for cases when a series of data points begins with a series of unique, sequential letters.
Original Order: GNU, BEAR, EAGLE, FALCON, DOLPHIN, COCKATOO, ALLIGATOR
Reordered Alphabetically: Click to revealALLIGATOR, BEAR, COCKATOO, DOLPHIN, EAGLE, FALCON, GNU
Chronological
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Original Order: Amadeus, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment Reordered Chronologically Set Answers Belong To(Best Picture Oscars): Click to revealOrdinary People (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981), Gandhi (1982), Terms of Endearment (1983), Amadeus (1984)
Color
TO DO
Original Order: ARTICHOKE, BANANA, BLUEBERRY, EGGPLANT, PUMPKIN, STRAWBERRY
Reordered by Color: Click to revealSTRAWBERRY, PUMPKIN, BANANA, ARTICHOKE, BLUEBERRY, EGGPLANT
Numerical
TO DO
Original Order: DEADLY SIN, HORSEMAN, LOVE LANGUAGE, SIMPLE MACHINE, STOOGE
Reordered Numerically: Click to revealSTOOGE (3), HORSEMAN (4), LOVE LANGUAGE (5), SIMPLE MACHINE (6), DEADLY SIN (7)
Positional
TO DO
Original Order: BISHOP, KING, KNIGHT, QUEEN, ROOK Reordered by Position Set Answers Belong To(on a Chess Board): Click to revealROOK, KNIGHT, BISHOP, QUEEN, KING
Size/Magnitude
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Original Order: ALLIGATOR, BEAR, COCKATOO, DOLPHIN, EAGLE, FALCON, GNU
Reordered By Length: Click to revealGNU (3), BEAR (4), EAGLE (5), FALCON (6), DOLPHIN (7), COCKATOO (8), ALLIGATOR (9)
Arbitrary Markings
A new order can also be established with arbitrary markings or symbols, with a ordering provided elsewhere in the puzzle, but this method is less common as it removes the "aha" moment from the reordering step.
Strategy
With reordering being such a common and necessary aspect of hunt puzzles, one may expect that the task should be treated as a given and no system for determining its presence is needed. This would be incorrect, as there are some key tells within a puzzle that a set of information will need to be reordered. Similarly, identifying exactly how to reorder that data can be a complex affair, particularly if there are multiple possibilities.
Identification - Does It Need Reordering?
The biggest clue that a particular data set needs to be reordered is it being presented in a particular order right off the bat. Often, this will be alphabetical, but can also be chronological or numerical if either of those apply to the set. If a puzzle has multiple sets of data (presumably) used in extraction, it's also common for one set to be ordered alphabetically and the other to have an unremarkable ordering. This imbalance is usually a clear sign that the two sets pair up in some way, with the "unordered" set being used for the final ordering.
When this isn't the case, though, there may be some other piece of information present in the puzzle that indicates that reordering is necessary. This could be an instruction explicitly explaining so or a graphic implying a particular ordering. When none of these factors are present, it's still technically possible for reordering to be necessary, but at that point the lack of signposting may just steer solvers towards random anagramming.
Identification - How Should It Be Reordered?
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Notable Examples
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