"Inner System" by benchen71

Can you storm the castle by getting across the MOAT? A weekly meta crossword constructed by forum member Ben (aka benchen71). These metas range from relatively easy to more challenging, depending on how many Australianisms he puts in them! Puzzles are posted in a new thread every Tuesday, with nudges appearing on Saturdays, and the solution coming out on Mondays. (At least, that's the plan. Given he lives in Australia, and they are so far ahead of the US time-zone-wise, things may get posted early!)
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benchen71
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Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:50 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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#21

Post by benchen71 »

We are approaching the 24 hour mark. Here's the first batch of solvers:

SeamusOL
woozy
Pair O Ducks
boharr
lbray53
I K Snamhcok
rjy
JM
MrTheHan
MatthewL
JHSeeman
Hector
Tyrpmom
Darth
Darrell
Carolyn
hoover
KayW
whimsy
ReB
hhg
Meg
HeadinHome
Jaclyn
Golem
Berto
DrTom

We start with 27!
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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Ergcat
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Location: Seneca SC

#22

Post by Ergcat »

ajk wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 7:17 pm
HeadinHome wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 6:34 pm Well I’m befuddled. I got the grid okay (fun!) and see a thing I thought was a pretty natural answer to the prompt, but have no idea what to do with all those asterisks!
This. Except that I temporarily forgot about the asterisks and thus submitted the natural but incorrect answer. :lol: :lol:
Same! Now what to do with the asterisks??!!
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Jeremy Smith
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:45 pm
Location: Tampa Bay area

#23

Post by Jeremy Smith »

Crossed the moat after an initial stumble. This was impressive! Thank you, Ben!
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BarbaraK
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Location: Virginia

#24

Post by BarbaraK »

The moat is behind me. I’d guessed the answer but didn’t submit until I’d solved and figured out how it worked. Very nice!
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.

(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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DrTom
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#25

Post by DrTom »

Boy, did I ever get confused! Luckily I came up with a very logical and defensible mechanism to get the correct answer, even if it wasn't THE mechanism. Great job on this one and its doppelganger! I wonder if when you are in space nobody can hear you cross the moat?

Charon Moat.jpg
NUDGES!I am always willing to give nudges where needed; metas should be about fun, not frustration. Send me what you have done so far because often you are closer than you think!
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benchen71
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#26

Post by benchen71 »

9 solvers to add to the list, bringing us to 36:

Kent
Johnny Luau
witchmina
markhr
heidi
Bbaack
Jeremy Smith
BarbaraK
jbird

Nudges tomorrow morning, Australia time.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#27

Post by benchen71 »

Only three more solvers:

jbird
emmie
frostyjhammer

That's 39 so far.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#28

Post by benchen71 »

Nudges, in order of increasing blatancy:

1. What system is in view here? The central entry will give you a major clue.

2. Four grid squares are rebuses. The order of these rebus squares is significant, but the order is not traditional "crossword grid" order.

3. The asterisked clues indicate significant grid entries. But which letters of these entries is in focus? The order you discovered in step 2 should help here.

4. It's the outermost letter.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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ajk
Posts: 1017
Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:22 pm
Location: Colorado

#29

Post by ajk »

Got it with the nudges, but needed all of them (still not quite sure I've decoded nudge 3). Impressive construction, thanks. :)
Check out this very cool project by many of your favorite muggles to raise money to fight cancer. You get a fun puzzle bundle and good causes get $. Win-win: Crosswords for Cancer
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MikeyG
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#30

Post by MikeyG »

Jumping in without even being done to say how much I love to see 41-D in the puzzle! I have and love all of the band in question's albums and some of Hornsby's solo efforts as well! He definitely was not content with one type of music and became a bit more avant-garde over the last decade or two, but I appreciate him pushing the boundaries!

Hoping this meta gives me fewer headaches than WSJ is!

Edit #1: Got nowhere, and the first two nudges were "fruitless" and confirmed where I was at. Do I go for #3???
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 95. Dinner and a Show
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benchen71
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#31

Post by benchen71 »

MikeyG wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 2:04 pm Jumping in without even being done to say how much I love to see 41-D in the puzzle! I have and love all of the band in question's albums and some of Hornsby's solo efforts as well! He definitely was not content with one type of music and became a bit more avant-garde over the last decade or two, but I appreciate him pushing the boundaries!
I have them all, and all of his solo stuff, too. I am a huge fan of Bruce's piano playing. His early stuff was hugely inspirational to my own piano playing and song writing, as you can tell from my two (home-recorded) albums.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#32

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the final solver update before the reveal...

PuzNewbie
CPJohnson
ajk
Alex Sisti

That's 43.
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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benchen71
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#33

Post by benchen71 »

Here's the solution to "Inner System":

IMG_20230626_083958_(500_x_916_pixel).png

This might help anyone still stuck on "Outer System" - you've got 24 hours!
Check out "The MOAT MEOW Mashup Pack" here. US$10 for 14 metas that don't always abide by the "rules" of the game: asymmetry, 2-letter words, uncrossed letters, who knows. And this time there's a mega-meta! :shock:
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sharkicicles
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Location: Chicago

#34

Post by sharkicicles »

I didn’t get it but that’s a heck of a construction. Well done Ben!
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MikeyG
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#35

Post by MikeyG »

I overcomplicated it but what else is new, haha. Clever and nuanced - well-done (and definitely not a pain in the asteroid!!)
Less cross words, more crosswords.

Solve my latest "Pun of a Kind" Meta!: 95. Dinner and a Show
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Ergcat
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Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:12 pm
Location: Seneca SC

#36

Post by Ergcat »

Yep, I overcomplicated it. Never got it. Clever puzzle as usual! Thanks Ben!
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dsbened
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Location: Seattle, WA, USA

#37

Post by dsbened »

Holy Jeff Spicoli, this puzzle was out of this world! I got the four inner planets theme, but didn't notice that a rectangular ass-teroid belt was girding my square butt!
Seattle DB
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