What is The Cartographer's Lie?
The Cartographer's Lie is a daily deduction puzzle on a nautical hex map. One hex has been drawn incorrectly. Every supplied survey note is true, and exactly one location can satisfy all the notes together.
Your job is to identify that location and file a correction. The map's engraved terrain, landmarks, compass directions, and district boundaries all carry information; reading the key is part of solving the puzzle.
Notes describe the same location
A note may specify a direction, a number of neighboring terrain types, or a position within a named sheet. Combine these constraints rather than treating each clue as a separate destination.
Compass conditions are strict. A location north-east of every named landmark must be both north and east of all of them. Dashed boundaries identify districts, while two-letter ground codes help distinguish terrain that looks similar.
How to play
- Open the daily browser chart and choose an available tier. Read the key before beginning the survey.
- Turn over the chart; the timer starts when the survey begins.
- Apply each note to eliminate impossible hexes. Use the map's tentative and ruled-out marks to track your reasoning.
- Select the one hex that satisfies every note and file a correction.
- Review the verdict. You have three corrections; using all three reveals the lie.
Find the intersection
Imagine one note places the lie north of a landmark and another requires exactly one neighboring marsh. First identify the northern candidates, then inspect only those candidates' neighbors. A location that satisfies one clue beautifully still fails if it contradicts another.
Distinguish your own crossed-out marks from the game's rejected-correction stamp. Tentative markings record a hypothesis; a filed correction spends one of your limited attempts.
The browser offers Casual and Standard charts. Hard belongs to the iPhone app, and Fiendish is part of its Guild offering, so the visible tier names do not mean every tier is playable free on the web. The daily chart changes at 5 a.m. New York time.
Play The Cartographer's Lie or read the site's illustrated lessons.