Curious Atlas: Cipher School, a Decoding Game

About Curious Atlas: Cipher School

The Curious Atlas is a puzzle newspaper that is printed on the move, in the press car of a sleeper train called the Atlas Overnight. All night it rolls through moonlit hills, and at every stop a reader hands up a telegram written in a secret rule. Before the morning edition goes out, someone has to read them. Tonight, that is you.

A night is three stops, and each stop is a short lesson. First the lesson card shows the rule and decodes a word with it, flap by flap, so you see exactly what it does to the letters. Then the telegram arrives on the press car’s split-flap board, every letter printed in that rule. Tap a flap and set its true letter with the brass keys, or just type it. Each true letter is used once, and the board says nothing until the whole telegram reads true, or until you ask it to Check, which drops the wrong flaps as slips.

Decode a telegram without a hint and you master the stop: every flap riffles over in a wave, the lamps of the station streak past the window, steam rolls over the glass and the whistle sounds. Take a hint and the stop is still passed, with help, and it waits for another night. There are seven stops on the line, from a one-step slide to the mirror, the vowel ring, a keyword alphabet and a stranger’s key with no rule at all. There is no clock. A night takes about five to ten minutes, and your progress stays on this device.

How to play

Read the lesson card: it names the stop’s rule and decodes a word with it, flap by flap.
On the board, each flap shows a printed letter. Tap a flap (or move with the arrow keys) and set its true letter with a brass key, or type it.
Each true letter is used once: setting it again moves it to the new flap. The rule plate stays open while you work; fold it with the Rule button.
Check drops any wrong flaps and counts each as a slip. A hint sets one flap for good, but the stop is then passed with help, not mastered.
Decode the telegram without a hint to master the stop. A night is three stops; the ones you have not mastered come first next time.
Press Escape or Start to pause. There is no clock.

Controls

Tap a flap, then a brass key — set its true letter (or type the letter)
Arrow keys or D-pad — move along the board; Space or Ⓐ — next empty flap
Backspace or Ⓑ — clear a flap; Enter, 2 or Ⓡ — check
1 or Ⓧ — hint (the stop passes with help)
Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

What does mastering a stop mean?

Decoding its telegram without a hint. Slips from Check cost a few points but never stop you mastering it. A stop passed with a hint stays open to master another night.

Do I have to guess the rule?

No. Every stop teaches its rule first, with a worked example. The Conductor’s Slide asks you to count the steps from one flap set for you, and the last stop has no rule at all: only the flaps set for you and the shapes of the words.

Why can I use each true letter only once?

Each printed letter stands for exactly one true letter and the other way round, so setting a true letter again moves it to the new flap.

Is there a clock?

No. Take your time; pausing, switching tabs or opening Settings never costs anything. Today’s run, the daily challenge, is the same three stops for everyone.