# Game: Crack the code **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111 "2002-10-06T22:45:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anubis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Anubis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anubis)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/1 "2002-10-06T22:45:12Z")
Heres a new game for us to try. One doper posts a sentence or paragraph that is in a certain code-thing, like cryptograms. Everyone else tries to figure out what the sentence says, then they post it and as much of the code as they know. They then post a new sentence/paragraph with a different code. Example: Jqpe pe tnxf g jyd. Lt xtj my gngfcyl. means This is only a test. Do not be alarmed when the code is: a-g b-m c-z d-l e-y f-k g-i h-q i-p j-b k-v l-n m-c n-x o-t p-a q-h r-f s-e t-j u-w v-s w-o x-u y-f z-r So, here’s the first one: W oa jsfm jsfm jsfm pcfsr. Gc pcfsr hvoh W oa rcwbu hvwg. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/2 "2002-10-06T23:18:36Z")
I am very very bored. So bored that I am doing this. Heres mine: moyn yn d rym mxygoywx. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/3 "2002-10-07T01:24:04Z")
No takers? Here is a hint if you are really stuck: m=t o=h y=i n=s ---
**Author:** ![23skidoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f04885/32.png) [@23skidoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/23skidoo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/4 "2002-10-07T02:34:58Z")
Did you goof that last word? I can’t find any words that fit T_I_HI\*\* ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/5 "2002-10-07T03:24:02Z")
Correct, skidoo. and let me just add: DOH! and :smack: It should have been this: moyn yn d rym mxygpywx Solution: this is a bit trickier Someone please post another code, I feel a bit silly now… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/6 "2002-10-07T10:55:55Z")
wimt hxfk xktcuk kh cousyv oqsravkiuj tq jzibt I could toss up a perl coding script so that you could encode your own inputs. I think that’s about the only way to solve this. ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/7 "2002-10-07T12:15:46Z")
Wikkit, there are tons of similar things at various webpages. [http://www.reed.edu/~mcphailb/applets/crypto/](http://www.reed.edu/~mcphailb/applets/crypto/) ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/8 "2002-10-08T05:38:41Z")
Except that I didn’t use a monoalphabetic substitution cipher. Similar, perhaps, but the same? Prove it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/9 "2002-10-08T13:17:13Z")
I figure this is a Vignerie Square. I can’t program and am not so motivated but am I on the right track? ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/10 "2002-10-08T13:19:11Z")
BTW, if anyone is interested, The Code Book, by Simon Singh is a riveting, fascinating look at codemaking and codebreaking through the ages. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/11 "2002-10-09T05:54:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KidCharlemagne \* > \*\*I figure this is a Vignerie Square. I can’t program and am not so motivated but am I on the right track? \*\* No, not a standard Vignere Square, but related to it. I’d never heard of it until now, it’s pretty interesting; especially that Babbage cracked it and never told anyone. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/12 "2002-10-09T10:05:13Z")
Actually, the Vigenere cipher is quite easy to crack if you know what you’re doing. However, Wikkit’s code is far too short for me to attack it using one of two standard techniques. Hmmm…interesting… ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2002, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/13 "2002-10-09T11:48:51Z")
Alternating Bi-alphabetic? ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-crack-the-code/131111/14 "2002-10-10T05:20:40Z")
10 alphabets, so it’s not square, but they’re all used in a non-linear non-random way. I can provide a larger sample if desired.