Secret Agents by Evan Birnholz

[oldjudge]

This weeks WaPo Sunday puzzle is a meta, and a doozie at that. As detailed in the instructions, the solver must first determine a four digit code from the initial grid and use this code to unlock a dossier which provides additional clues for solving the meta. While not hard by the meta standards we are used to, it will certainly be a challenge to non-meta solvers, and to any solver it takes some thinking along the way. I thought it was a great puzzle and loads of fun.I only wish Evan did more metas.

[rjy]

Really enjoyed this one, @ebirnholz! Always happy to see one of your metas in the Post, hope you get good feedback on this one. Your occasional metas were my gateway drug to landing in this part of the interwebs, so thanks for that!

[Meg]

This was fun!!

[boharr]

Very clever and enjoyable.

[Katiedid]

Great puzzle, and really fun!
I did the puzzle that Evan mentioned in his writeup: Exit Strategy on spyscape . com
I don't know why the meta answer exit is the correct one to choose? Seems like another one makes sense too. Has anyone else done it?

EDIT: Thanks for enlightening me, Woozy!

[woozy]

I don't know. It was fun and it was involved. But the grid was a little large for that rattle around and seek approach. Especially if you don't do sports. Still it was fun. I got the answer and almost thought "what's the next step" before realizing that I was done.