Frequently Asked Questions

Subdivided Into Three Sections: General, Sponsors, Players

General Questions

Why don't you answer your phone?
- TIME CONSUMPTION! Many people, ourselves included, take far too long to get to the point. After Covid 19 decimated our personnel pool, we have no one available for the phones. Please use the red Suggestion links to pass on relevant info.
- Feel free to leave a voice mail, but our response time is pathetic. Email and suggestions are much better and get adequate responses if appropriate.

Sponsors' Questions

Why do you keep posting videos days before the actual contests start?
- The serious contestants can view the puzzles, visit the sponsor's pages and find the answer on the sponsors page and be prepared ahead of time for the official start of the contest.
- The sponsors love this benefit, as it gives their webpage early exposure to all of the contestants. The contestants visiting before the contest starts allows them time to explore the sponsor's site without the pressure to immediately leave once the contest solutions are discovered.
I'm not getting the lead/trail word concept, could you explain?
- In order to ensure all of the contestants visit our sponsors web pages we have implimented that procedure. Just solving the puzzle will not win the contest. Winners must go to the sponsor's web page and find the puzzle solution and obtain the leading and trailing words on the sponsor's website as designated in each contest. So when we build the puzzles and phloatphrases, we go to the sponsors' websites and choose a lead and trail word for that specific puzzle contest. In summary, they are used to force each contestant to go to the sponsor's website.

Players' Questions

Why do you keep posting videos days before the actual contests start?
- The serious contestants can view the puzzles, visit the sponsor's pages and find the answer on the sponsors page and be prepared ahead of time for the official start of the contest.
- The sponsors love this benefit, as it gives their webpage early exposure to all of the contestants. The contestants visiting before the contest starts allows them time to explore the sponsor's site without the pressure to immediately leave once the contest solutions are discovered.
Why are your individual puzzle contests 3 days long, while the overall paying aggregate contest 7 days long?
- This allows strategies to be applied at the contestants' discretion.
  - For example, with the puzzle contest spanning two aggregate contests, if you wait for the beginning of the next aggregate contest to begin, you can achieve a much higher value for that win than at the beginning of the next aggregate contest rather than the end of the previous contest cycle.
  - Another consideration is that besides the top spots, random winners are selected as winners in each contest. As you can only win one time per puzzle, your choice could have significantly different results.
  - We leave the stratigizing to you!
Why are the puzzles so easy / difficult?
- As you can see from the question, we can't please everyone! To be like Popeye, they are what they are...