The Beacon Star armchair treasure hunt was published in 2017 by Randy Pischel. It remains unsolved (as of this writing), and offers a Treasure valued at over $5,000 dollars to the first person who can solve it. A few of the puzzles inside the book have been solved. However, there are multiple puzzles, and possible multiple layers to those puzzles, so there is still much yet to discover.

In previous MW Codes and Ciphers segments, I had demonstrated how the Polybius Square was used in The Art of Hidden Messages and The Ultimate Quest armchair treasure hunts. Each had a unique way to hide information, to then apply to a 5×5 grid, and reveal a message.  In this segment, I’d like to show how the Polybius Square was used in The Beacon Star armchair treasure hunt. Randy presented the needed elements in a very clever way.  

As you might recall, a basic Polybius Square is a 5×5 grid filled with the letters of the alphabet. Often the I/J are together. Each row and column are numbered. To utilize this grid, and obtain a message, pairs of numbers need to be provided. In armchair treasure hunts, these pairs of numbers can be hidden in original ways. While one might understand how to apply numbers to the Key, it is just as vital to be able to recognize the hidden elements to apply. And this isn’t always obvious.

Hindsight, of course, is always 2020. But upon first glance at page 19 of The Beacon Star, it might not be clear that pairs of numbers to apply to a Polybius Square are given here. (permission given by Randy to show page).

What is also given within the image is an ordering technique. I love how Randy creatively hid, in plain sight, all the elements to use and apply.  Let’s go over it.  It might help stretch your mind (it did mine), to see outside the box on other pages of The Beacon Star, or another hunt.

Consider the whole image first.  It is noticed each polygon contains a Letter. These range from A-M. Without duplicate. Whenever you see something like this you might be suspicious something is being ‘ordered’. Next consider the numbers.  None above 5. That can make you suspicious of a Polybius Square. 

But there aren’t pair of numbers given.  Or is there?

In the first polygon with the F, ask how many number 1’s are in it.  There is one, 1.  What about the polygon with the M? There is 1, 5.  The polygon with the A holds 4, 3’s. 

There is your pair of numbers!  Incredible.    So go ahead and finish.  Ordering the decoded letters by the letters in the polygon.

Hats off to Randy.  Have to love this solution. START AT TWELVE.

Now what does it mean?  Some of that is being discussed on the MW Forum!   Join us there! 

Best of luck with all that you seek! Always Treasure the Adventure!