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Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: e877c83e89da8df16ec0c1fb254c6635ac752f1f1d9ff68c6b321ad005bba1d6

# County Fair: UWT Clue Set

Participants receive 13 private clue slips describing five bakers, five pie flavors, and placements from first to fifth. By reading clues aloud without showing them, the group deduces the exact baker, pie, and placement for each entry.

**Time:** 25 minutes. UWT suggested duration of 25 minutes for this simplified 13-clue logic puzzle and debrief.
**People:** 5 to 13. Single group of 5 to 13 people, sitting or standing so all can hear.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Assemble fragmented verbal statements into an accurate grid showing each baker's pie flavor and final placement.
**Use it when:** Use when a team needs practice synthesizing distributed facts, tracking verbal data systematically, and verifying deductive logic without visual cues.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants face heavy auditory fatigue, or when a puzzle requiring advanced mathematical deduction or non-verbal mechanics is preferred.

## Materials and tools

- 1 copy of the 13 UWT Clue Slips, cut into separate strips
- 1 printed Blank Deduction Grid per participant or 1 large grid drawn on a flip chart
- Scratch paper and pens for notes
- 1 Facilitator Solution Key (held privately until step 3)

## Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut the 13 clue slips apart so each slip contains exactly one clue.
2. Draw the 5-row, 3-column table (Place, Baker, Pie) on a flip chart or whiteboard, or hand out the Blank Deduction Grid sheet.

## Say this to open

Five bakers competed at the county fair: Avery, Blake, Casey, Devon, and Emery. Each baked one pie: apple, pear, lemon, berry, or cherry. Each pie placed first through fifth. You hold 13 clues. You may read your clues out loud as often as needed, but you must never show your paper to anyone else. Work together to identify who baked what and where each pie placed.

## How to run it

### 1. Distribute clues and review rules (4 minutes)

Distribute all 13 clue slips among the 5 to 13 participants as evenly as possible. With 5 participants, three receive 3 clues and two receive 2. Remind everyone that clues may be read aloud word-for-word at any time, but slips must never be shown or traded. Distribute scratch paper or point to the shared grid.

### 2. Share clues and deduce placements (13 minutes)

Participants read clues aloud and track relationships between bakers, pies, and places. Encourage the team to record confirmed facts on their sheets or on the central chart. Example: If Clue 5 states the apple pie placed first, write 'apple' beside Place 1. The team works until they reach unanimous agreement on all five lines.

### 3. Verify against solution key (3 minutes)

The group reads out their completed table for places 1 through 5. Reveal the Facilitator Solution Key: Place 1 is Blake with apple; Place 2 is Devon with pear; Place 3 is Avery with lemon; Place 4 is Emery with berry; Place 5 is Casey with cherry. Confirm whether the group deductions match.

### 4. Debrief team communication (5 minutes)

Lead a whole-group discussion using two selected debrief questions. Ask how the team organized incoming verbal facts and resolved negative clues.


## Debrief questions

- How did keeping the clues hidden change how your group organized its notes?
- Which clue provided the breakthrough that locked the sequence into place?
- What method did you use to confirm negative clues without losing track of them?

**Finished output:** A completed table correctly matching all five places to their respective baker and pie flavor.

## Remote

Send clue text via private direct messages before starting. Participants read their assigned text aloud over audio. A shared online whiteboard displays the 5-row table where one designated scribe enters agreed facts.

## Hybrid

In-person and remote participants share a unified audio channel. Remote participants read their clues via microphone while an in-room scribe enters updates on a visible projected sheet or digital board accessible to everyone.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may ask a peer or the facilitator to read their clue aloud if reading aloud presents a barrier.
- Any participant may choose to act as scribe or silent observer without having to read aloud.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant reflexively turns their clue slip toward the table or another person.**

Remind everyone immediately: 'Keep your slips flat against your chest or facing down; read the exact words aloud instead.'

**The group speaks over one another and misses key clues.**

Pause the group and suggest taking a structured first pass where each person reads one clue in circle order before open deduction.


## Terms used here

- Information-gap puzzle: An activity where necessary data is divided among group members so coordination and verbal sharing are required to solve it.

## Participant material: Problem Statement and Clue Slips

PROBLEM STATEMENT:
Five fictional bakers (Avery, Blake, Casey, Devon, Emery) each baked one pie (apple, pear, lemon, berry, cherry). Each pie received a distinct place from first to fifth. All statements are true. 'Before' means a smaller place number (closer to first place). 'Immediately after' means the very next place number. No outside knowledge is required.

CLUE SLIPS (Cut into separate strips):
[Clue 1] Avery placed exactly one position after Devon.
[Clue 2] Emery placed immediately after Avery.
[Clue 3] Casey placed after Emery.
[Clue 4] Blake placed before Devon.
[Clue 5] The apple pie placed first.
[Clue 6] The pear pie placed immediately before the lemon pie.
[Clue 7] The berry pie placed immediately after the lemon pie.
[Clue 8] The cherry pie placed after the berry pie.
[Clue 9] Avery did not bake the apple pie.
[Clue 10] Devon did not bake the cherry pie.
[Clue 11] Casey did not bake the pear pie.
[Clue 12] Emery did not bake the apple pie.
[Clue 13] Blake did not bake the lemon pie.

## Participant material: Blank Deduction Grid

Place | Baker | Pie
1st   |       |    
2nd   |       |    
3rd   |       |    
4th   |       |    
5th   |       |    

## Participant material: Facilitator Solution Key (Do Not Show Before Step 3)

Place 1: Blake | Apple
Place 2: Devon | Pear
Place 3: Avery | Lemon
Place 4: Emery | Berry
Place 5: Casey | Cherry

Logic derivation:
- Bakers: Clue 4 puts Blake before Devon. Clue 1 puts Devon directly before Avery. Clue 2 puts Avery directly before Emery. Clue 3 puts Emery before Casey. Resulting baker order: Blake (1), Devon (2), Avery (3), Emery (4), Casey (5).
- Pies: Clue 5 sets apple at 1. Clue 6 puts pear right before lemon. Clue 7 puts berry right after lemon (pear, lemon, berry contiguous). Clue 8 puts cherry after berry. That locks places 2-5 as pear (2), lemon (3), berry (4), cherry (5).
- Combined: Blake baked apple (1st), Devon baked pear (2nd), Avery baked lemon (3rd), Emery baked berry (4th), Casey baked cherry (5th). All negative clues (9-13) are satisfied.

## Sources and adaptation

The verbal-only clue puzzle format for County Fair is cataloged by Playmeo and attributed to Mark Collard. The specific 13 clues, deduction grid, and solution key used here are original UWT materials.

Retained the defining mechanic from Playmeo sources: a 13-clue pie contest deduction puzzle distributed on private slips that may be read aloud but never shown. Because the original proprietary publisher clue text is unavailable, this run sheet incorporates the newly authored UWT introductory 13-clue set and solution key. Group size is set to 5-13 participants so that every clue is in play, with excess clues distributed evenly.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-team-building-puzzles/county-fair)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-team-building-puzzles/county-fair/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/detective-puzzle-game-for-team-problem-solving-county-fair/