Erstwhile

About Erstwhile

Erstwhile, subtitled the Certificate of Speculation, drops you at the end of a year it will not name. You have $10,000 split into ten $1,000 chips, and a menu of seven options: four stocks, two other assets such as a metal or a commodity, and cash, which earns nothing but cannot fall. Each option shows a one-line description and how much it moved the year before.

The clues come from the wire: real news headlines from the hidden year, credited to the outlet that ran them. Some are about the economy in general and some about the companies on the board, so a careful reader can often place the year before betting. You can put at most four chips on any one option, then lock in.

The game then plays out the following years with real year-end prices. At year 2 and again at year 4 you can change your allocation, and at year 5 the year is revealed along with your final value, your return against the S&P 500 benchmark and where you stand among the other players that day. Prices for stocks and metals are split- and dividend-adjusted year-end closes, and commodities use December average world prices.

The daily puzzle needs no sign-up. An archive of past days and an unlimited mode with random windows are there for more play, though only the daily puzzle counts for the rankings. The site shows ads; supporters get no ads and the full archive. It suits players who like history, markets and reading news for clues more than quick word puzzles.

How to play Erstwhile

1. Read the wire: the day's headlines come from the hidden year and hint at when you are.
2. Look at the seven options, each with a short description and its move over the past year.
3. Place your ten $1,000 chips, at most four on any option, and press Lock in.
4. At year 2 and again at year 4, read the new situation and move your chips if you want.
5. At year 5 the year is revealed with your final value, your return against the S&P 500 and your rank among the day's players.

Screenshots

Tips

• Date the headlines first: once you know the year, what happened next to the companies and markets on the board is history you may remember.
• Cash cannot fall, so it is a safe place for chips when the headlines point to a crash.
• Use the year 2 and year 4 checkpoints: the prices so far tell you a lot about which window you are in.

Questions