LSAT 80, Game 2 Setup, Mystery Novel, LSATHacks

LG Game 2 Setup, by LSATHacks

Game Setup

Time on first attempt: 9:43

—————

This is a linear game. I usually find these easy, but I thought this one was harder than most. You can draw the seven chapters of the novel like this:

I’ve also added the first rule: T can’t go first.

The next rule also involves T. It must go exactly two spaces in front of W:

This rule adds new restrictions on where T can go. Since T must have three spaces after it (two blanks and W), then T can’t go fifth, sixth or seventh:

It’s optional whether to draw these “not” rules. But when one variable is particularly restricted, I think it’s helpful. My first time through the game I hadn’t consciously realized that T _ _ W can only be placed in three positions.

The next three rules interact heavily with this. They are as follows:

I’ve also drawn R with a circle around it as random, as it’s the last remaining variable.

T _ _ W creates a gap of two spaces. This is hard to fill, as there aren’t that many clues that can go together in that space. We can’t put both SZ there, for example (rule 3). You can put U and X, but only in the XU order, to keep W and X separate.

Here’s a diagram to illustrate how easy it is to make mistakes. At first glance, this may seem a possible placement:

But, this diagram won’t work. There’s no way to both put UX together and also to keep SZ separate. Any diagram that places R and has two spaces of two will fail, for the same reason. So while R is technically random in this game, it’s surprisingly hard to place.

Watch out for this interplay during the game, and you’ll handle it with ease. It’s the main constraint the questions use.