Patrick Berry's "Sweet 16"

Discuss meta crosswords from sources other than those listed above.
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BrianMac
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Patrick Berry's "Sweet 16"

#1

Post by BrianMac »

As advertised on Matt Gaffney's site this week, Patrick Berry has a suite of mini puzzles, described as a "mini-puzzle extravaganza consisting of 16 half-page variety puzzles plus a meta-puzzle to tie everything together."

Available here for $10.00: Patrick Berry's Sweet 16.
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Cindy
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#2

Post by Cindy »

I bought it. Now I have some weekend fun since all the metas are done.
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hcbirker
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#3

Post by hcbirker »

I just printed it out. Glad to have something to do this weekend. I hate being without a meta!
Heidi
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Cindy
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#4

Post by Cindy »

hcbirker wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:42 pm I just printed it out. Glad to have something to do this weekend. I hate being without a meta!
The addiction is real!
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BrianMac
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#5

Post by BrianMac »

I bought it as well for the same reason. I did 1-8 last night. They are fun puzzles - challenging but not impossible. Some new puzzle forms I have not seen before.
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Al Sisti
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#6

Post by Al Sisti »

For those of you who haven't purchased this suite, it is wonderfully done; elegantly crafted and wrapped up perfectly. Patrick Berry at his best... well worth the cost.
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MajordomoTom
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#7

Post by MajordomoTom »

made the investment, now going to see what return I get on those funds.

:)
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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sharkicicles
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#8

Post by sharkicicles »

Highly recommended.
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TMart
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#9

Post by TMart »

These puzzles are brilliant. About halfway done, but well worth the $10.
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ChrisKochmanski
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#10

Post by ChrisKochmanski »

Glad I found this thread. We were on vacation last week, and I must have overlooked Matt G's note about "Sweet 16."

Fun, fun, fun!
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Cindy
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#11

Post by Cindy »

They are fun. Hope to finish this weekend.
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hcbirker
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#12

Post by hcbirker »

Finally finished. What a great set of puzzles!
Heidi
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MajordomoTom
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#13

Post by MajordomoTom »

they are fun, they are quirky, and they are interesting.

I've finished 2, have several others 50 to 75% done, and started on most of the rest.

Then will have the "meta" to tackle.

Quite a range of style and "hmm" puzzles. Definitely something you will want/need to pick up and put down and return to after some "percolating" to be able to push them forward.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
LesY
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#14

Post by LesY »

This was a lot more enjoyable and sneaky-good than it was shaping up to be after the first 2 or 3. I should have known better.

Well worth the investment!
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joequavis
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#15

Post by joequavis »

Took the plunge today, and am enjoying these very much. I like this format, similar to the Lollapuzzoola. Looking forward to finishing up this weekend. I've breezed through some, and yet there are others where I've yet to jot down a single letter despite staring at it for what should be ample time to have some idea.

Good change of pace for normal meta-only solvers like myself.
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Cindy
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#16

Post by Cindy »

Solved! And that was lovely construction.
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MajordomoTom
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#17

Post by MajordomoTom »

I'm about 12 done and a few strong guesses and a few messes that I need a new page to work on ... these little puzzlers and teasers and twisters are very nicely constructed and packaged.

Though I'm not sure how M_____M (#13) is going to fit into his meta puzzle ... nor some of the other words I've discovered thus far. Very odd collection of words. Will be interesting to see how it fits together - and I don't want to print the answer PDF, that would be too tempting.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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Cindy
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#18

Post by Cindy »

MajordomoTom wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:06 pm I'm about 12 done and a few strong guesses and a few messes that I need a new page to work on ... these little puzzlers and teasers and twisters are very nicely constructed and packaged.

Though I'm not sure how M_____M (#13) is going to fit into his meta puzzle ... nor some of the other words I've discovered thus far. Very odd collection of words. Will be interesting to see how it fits together - and I don't want to print the answer PDF, that would be too tempting.
I started by printing two copies. I knew I would need more than one stab at some of them and I did. But as strange as some of this seems as you go, it works beautifully when you’re finished.
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MajordomoTom
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#19

Post by MajordomoTom »

my second copy is for my wife, but she's not picked it up and I probably will ... repurpose it.

some of my pages are a mess. #15 in particular.

some of the mechanisms are very nice. I finally got most of #5 and have a 90+% guess, I can't figure out how the "LL" works, but that's what it has to be for the "team" Not that my "team" would ever do that particular activity. I really liked #2 and #3 when they came together. This guy likes to play with words. #9 took a while and was a mess but now fits perfectly. #8 was a mind bender but I got there.

some of them - #6 - you could just brute force with an online anagrammer. I got it about 75% and then just chucked it into the internet as I wasn't able to make it all the way. But that's the only one I think you can do that for, so that's not bad. Certainly couldn't "slay" #4 that way.

Right now, I have answers to 1 through 14. I've #15 mostly filled out (lots of erasures) and not sure how to find an answer in that puzzle, but haven't given up. #16 - I have part 1 completed, trying to figure out how to go from 14 words and add/drops to 8 letters. But haven't given up hope.

Too long, sorry. But wanted to share the fun with anyone who hasn't taken the plunge to spend the $10 to show that it's worth the time/$.
"Lots of planets have a North", the Ninth Doctor.
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billkatz
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#20

Post by billkatz »

This was an epic journey. I bought it before my ski trip to Utah last weekend, and worked it in the airports and on the airplanes and a bit in the condo in the evenings. I finally worked out the meta this evening, with a few nudges that helped me find transcription errors in my lists of letters. I needed a couple pushes along the way, especially with #15. And I did use an online anagram solver for #6 and one other. I now see how it all ties together. Very clever construction - this must have taken an enormous amount of work to create.
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