Petals Around the Rose
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Petals Around the Rose is a lateral thinking mind game traditionally played with five dice.
It is played by computer program or with physical dice that are rolled by a Potentate of the Rose, a person who knows the one "secret rule" of the game. The rule does not vary from game to game, and knowing it will automatically allow one to "win" (making this more of a puzzle than a game).
For each roll of all dice, the secret rule will produce a single numerical solution, which the Potentate keeps secret. The players then attempt to arrive at this solution by inductive reasoning. If they do not, the Potentate of the Rose will tell it to them, and it is their task to figure out the solution for the next roll.
There are three rules:[1]
- The name of the game is "Petals Around the Rose", and the name of the game is the key to the secret rule.
- The answer is always zero or an even number.
- Anyone who knows the game may give the answer to any roll, but they must not disclose the reasoning.
Traditionally, the Potentate can only tell others these three rules, as well as the "answer" to each roll. Getting six correct answers in a row is usually considered proof that you know the secret rule, and have become a Potentate of the Rose.
