Warm-up mystery: the fifth dish
Four people arrived for dinner. Each brought exactly one dish. Five different dishes were put on the table, although nobody brought two and no dish was divided into parts. Where did the fifth dish come from?
Keep the answer closed for a moment. Start by checking your assumption: did everyone at dinner arrive from somewhere else? This is an original practice puzzle for this page.
| Question | Host's answer |
|---|---|
| Did somebody bring two dishes? | No |
| Was a dish prepared in this house? | Yes |
| Was another person already in the house? | Yes |
Reveal the first solution
The four people came to their host's home. Each brought one dish; the host had already prepared another. That makes five dishes. The premise counts the people arriving, not everybody attending dinner.
How to play a yes-or-no mystery
The host needs to keep one consistent story rather than changing the solution to fit each question. If an answer contradicts an earlier fact, compare the facts and correct that particular contradiction.
- The host knows the complete story and reads only its premise.
- Players ask questions that can be answered yes or no. Split questions that contain several assumptions.
- The host says 'irrelevant' when a detail doesn't affect the solution and asks for clarification when a question is ambiguous.
- Players build an explanation that fits all the facts in the premise.
- When the story is solved or the players choose to stop, the host reveals the answer and connects the clues.
Another mystery: a satisfied customer
A courier arrived at a closed door, photographed it and left. The customer received the photograph and was happy, although no parcel was handed over. The courier completed the task, and nobody tried to open the door. What had the customer ordered?
Separate what the premise says from the familiar assumption: it mentions a courier, but never promises a parcel delivery.
Reveal the second solution
The customer was in another city and asked the courier to check whether a new front door had been installed. A photograph of the finished door was the requested result. No parcel delivery was part of the task.
Prepare a round with Bonnie
In this format Bonnie helps prepare the material while the human host answers questions from the known solution. If a clue points elsewhere, revise it to fit the agreed answer rather than changing the story mid-round.
- Request the whole card: a premise, complete solution and two small clues.
- Check every fact in the premise against the answer. Resolve inconsistencies before playing.
- Prepare example player questions and check which answers follow from the full story.
- Show players only the premise; keep the solution and clues with you.