{"format":"murdoku-puzzle/1","id":"campfire","version":1,"difficulty":"easy","level":4,"size":{"rows":8,"cols":8},"languages":["en","hu","de","fr","es","it","nl","pl","pt","ro","ca","cs","fi","vi","tr","el","ru","uk","ar","ko","ja","zh-Hans","zh-Hant"],"defaultLanguage":"en","title":"The Campfire","tagline":"An old summer camp by the lake · a twenty-year reunion · the last song around the fire","author":"mathace","concept":"Murdoku – Manuel Garand (murdoku.com); unofficial fan-made case","created":"2026-09-28","story":"Twenty years after their last summer, five old friends came back to the camp by the lake for a reunion weekend. Verna, who had been their counsellor back then and ran the camp now, lit the campfire on Saturday night just like in the old days. One by one the logs around the fire emptied: someone went to the tents, someone to the mess hut, someone down to the jetty. When the cook came out with the hot chocolate, Verna was lying in the campfire circle, beside the fire. Everyone tells where they were – find the one who was alone with her.","rules":{"standard":["Every row and every column holds exactly one person. As soon as you place someone, cross out their whole row and column.","“Beside” = directly left, right, above or below, and in the same area. Squares with objects (the tents, the stove, the table, the pines, the campfire, the canoe and the lake) cannot be occupied; the benches, the logs, the hammock and the rowing boat can.","The murderer was alone with the victim: nobody else was in that area."],"special":[]},"roleNames":{"camper":"former camper","staff":"camp staff","victim":"victim"},"personGroups":[{"id":"campers","name":"The old friends","persons":["A","B","C","D","E"]},{"id":"staff","name":"Camp staff","persons":["F","G","V"]}],"map":{"groups":[],"gaps":[],"areas":[{"id":"Tent Meadow","cells":[[1,1],[1,2],[1,3],[1,4],[2,1],[2,2],[2,3],[3,1],[3,2]],"fill":"#e0ebcf","pattern":"marble","labelAt":[2,2],"name":"Tent Meadow"},{"id":"Mess Hut","cells":[[1,5],[1,6],[1,7],[1,8],[2,5],[2,6],[2,7],[2,8],[3,6],[3,7],[3,8]],"fill":"#e9d8bc","pattern":"planks","labelAt":[2,8],"name":"Mess Hut"},{"id":"Campfire Circle","cells":[[2,4],[3,3],[3,4],[3,5],[4,2],[4,3],[4,4],[4,5],[4,6],[5,3],[5,4],[5,5],[6,4]],"fill":"#eee1cd","pattern":"marble","labelAt":[3,3],"name":"Campfire Circle"},{"id":"Pine Forest","cells":[[4,1],[5,1],[5,2],[6,1],[6,2],[6,3],[7,1],[7,2],[7,3],[8,1],[8,2]],"fill":"#d2e2cc","pattern":"marble","labelAt":[7,1],"name":"Pine Forest"},{"id":"Lakeshore","cells":[[4,7],[4,8],[5,6],[5,7],[5,8],[6,5],[6,6],[6,7],[6,8],[7,4],[7,5],[7,7],[7,8],[8,3],[8,4],[8,5],[8,7],[8,8]],"fill":"#ebe4cf","pattern":"marble","labelAt":[6,6],"name":"Lakeshore"},{"id":"Jetty","cells":[[7,6],[8,6]],"fill":"#dcc7a0","pattern":"boards","labelAt":[7,6],"name":"Jetty"}],"objectTypes":{"bench":{"occupiable":true,"name":"bench","icon":""},"boat":{"occupiable":true,"name":"rowing boat","icon":""},"hammock":{"occupiable":true,"name":"hammock","icon":""},"log":{"occupiable":true,"name":"log","icon":""},"campfire":{"occupiable":false,"name":"campfire","icon":""},"dinghy":{"occupiable":false,"name":"canoe","icon":""},"fir":{"occupiable":false,"name":"pine","icon":""},"stove":{"occupiable":false,"name":"stove","icon":""},"table":{"occupiable":false,"name":"table","icon":""},"tent":{"occupiable":false,"name":"tent","icon":""},"water":{"occupiable":false,"name":"lake","icon":""}},"wallTypes":{},"objects":[{"cell":[1,1],"type":"tent"},{"cell":[1,3],"type":"tent"},{"cell":[1,6],"type":"bench"},{"cell":[1,7],"type":"bench"},{"cell":[1,8],"type":"stove"},{"cell":[2,6],"type":"table"},{"cell":[2,7],"type":"table"},{"cell":[3,1],"type":"tent"},{"cell":[3,4],"type":"log"},{"cell":[3,6],"type":"bench"},{"cell":[3,7],"type":"bench"},{"cell":[4,1],"type":"fir"},{"cell":[4,3],"type":"log"},{"cell":[4,4],"type":"campfire"},{"cell":[4,5],"type":"log"},{"cell":[5,1],"type":"hammock"},{"cell":[5,4],"type":"log"},{"cell":[5,8],"type":"dinghy"},{"cell":[6,1],"type":"fir"},{"cell":[7,2],"type":"fir"},{"cell":[7,5],"type":"water"},{"cell":[7,7],"type":"water"},{"cell":[8,5],"type":"water"},{"cell":[8,7],"type":"boat"}],"wallFeatures":[],"extras":[],"cellSize":46},"persons":[{"id":"A","name":"Autumn","gender":"F","role":"camper","color":"#c62828","avatar":{"bg":"#e65100","skin":"#f6d8c0","hair":"#b7482c","style":"ponytail","shirt":"#2e7d32","headband":"#f2a53a"},"clue":"She was in the first column. She was alone with a woman.","job":"former camper, now a vet","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"camper","constraints":[{"type":"col","cols":[1]},{"type":"with_gender","gender":"F","exact":true}]},{"id":"B","name":"Brody","gender":"M","role":"camper","color":"#2e7d32","avatar":{"bg":"#1565c0","skin":"#e7b98f","hair":"#3a2a1c","style":"short","shirt":"#c62828","cap":true,"beard":true},"clue":"There was exactly one other person in his area.","job":"former camper, now a firefighter","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"camper","constraints":[{"type":"with_count","n":1}]},{"id":"C","name":"Casey","gender":"F","role":"camper","color":"#1565c0","avatar":{"bg":"#6a1b9a","skin":"#d9a57a","hair":"#1c1a1a","style":"curly","shirt":"#f2a53a","earrings":true},"clue":"She was beside a tent.","job":"former camper, now a songwriter","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"camper","constraints":[{"type":"beside","obj":"tent"}]},{"id":"D","name":"Dustin","gender":"M","role":"camper","color":"#6a1b9a","avatar":{"bg":"#2f4858","skin":"#f1c8a5","hair":"#d9b464","style":"short","shirt":"#264653","mustache":true,"mustacheColor":"#b89a4a"},"clue":"He was the westernmost person in his area. A log was somewhere in his column.","job":"former camper, now a banker","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"camper","constraints":[{"type":"extreme_in_area","dir":"W"},{"type":"col_has","obj":"log"}]},{"id":"E","name":"Everly","gender":"F","role":"camper","color":"#e65100","avatar":{"bg":"#ad1457","skin":"#f6d8c0","hair":"#d9b464","style":"long","shirt":"#7fc4d8","necklace":true},"clue":"The canoe was somewhere in her column.","job":"former camper, now a teacher","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"camper","constraints":[{"type":"col_has","obj":"dinghy"}]},{"id":"F","name":"Flynn","gender":"M","role":"staff","color":"#00838f","avatar":{"bg":"#5d4037","skin":"#e4b998","hair":"#1c1a1a","style":"bald","shirt":"#f4efe6","apron":true,"beard":true},"clue":"He was in the Mess Hut.","job":"the camp cook","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"staff","constraints":[{"type":"area","areas":["Mess Hut"]}]},{"id":"G","name":"Grady","gender":"M","role":"staff","color":"#ad1457","avatar":{"bg":"#3f6a3a","skin":"#e7b98f","hair":"#5a3a22","style":"short","shirt":"#6b8e23","cap":true,"mustache":true,"mustacheColor":"#5a3a22"},"clue":"He was not in a corner of his area. He was in the Pine Forest.","job":"the park ranger","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"staff","constraints":[{"type":"not_corner_of_area"},{"type":"area","areas":["Pine Forest"]}]},{"id":"V","name":"Verna","gender":"F","role":"victim","color":"#1b1b1b","avatar":{"bg":"#5a2a2a","skin":"#f0cdb0","hair":"#8a8278","style":"bob","shirt":"#2e7d32","whistle":true},"clue":"The victim. She was found in the Campfire Circle, beside the campfire – alone with the murderer.","job":"the camp director","avatarSvg":"","solverRole":"staff","constraints":[{"type":"area","areas":["Campfire Circle"]},{"type":"beside","obj":"campfire"}]}],"victim":"V","murderer":"D","solution":{"C":[1,4],"A":[2,1],"F":[3,6],"V":[4,5],"D":[5,3],"G":[6,2],"E":[7,8],"B":[8,7]},"walkthrough":[{"place":["A","G"],"cand":{"B":[[1,5],[1,6],[1,7],[3,3],[3,4],[3,5],[3,6],[3,7],[4,3],[4,5],[4,6],[4,7],[5,3],[5,4],[5,5],[5,6],[5,7],[7,3],[7,4],[7,6],[8,3],[8,4],[8,6],[8,7]],"C":[[1,4]],"D":[[1,5],[3,3],[3,4],[3,5],[4,3],[4,5],[5,3],[5,4],[5,5],[7,3],[7,4],[8,3],[8,4]],"E":[[3,8],[4,8],[7,8],[8,8]],"F":[[1,5],[1,6],[1,7],[3,6],[3,7]],"V":[[3,4],[4,3],[4,5],[5,4]]},"text":"Verna was found beside the campfire (R4C4) in the Campfire Circle – on one of the four logs R3C4, R4C3, R4C5 or R5C4 – and the murderer was alone with her there, so the Campfire Circle holds exactly two people. Autumn was in the first column: R2C1 in the Tent Meadow, or the hammock (R5C1), R7C1 or R8C1 in the Pine Forest. She was alone with a woman, and no woman can reach the Pine Forest: Verna is in the Campfire Circle, Everly had the canoe (R5C8) in her column, so she is in column 8, and Casey was beside a tent, so she is in the Tent Meadow, where all three tents stand. Autumn is at R2C1, in the Tent Meadow, which she shares only with Casey. Grady was in the Pine Forest but not in a corner of it: R5C2, R6C3, R7C3, R8C1 and R8C2 are corners, which leaves the hammock (R5C1), R6C2 and R7C1 – and column 1 is Autumn’s: Grady is at R6C2."},{"place":["C"],"cand":{"B":[[5,6],[5,7],[7,6],[8,6],[8,7]],"D":[[5,3],[5,5],[7,3],[8,3]],"E":[[7,8],[8,8]],"F":[[3,6],[3,7]],"V":[[4,3],[4,5]]},"text":"Casey was beside a tent: R1C2 and R3C2 lie in Grady’s column, R2C3 in Autumn’s row – Casey is at R1C4. Rows 1 and 2 are taken, so Flynn, who was in the Mess Hut, is in row 3: R3C6, R3C7 or R3C8. Of the logs beside the campfire, R3C4 and R5C4 lie in Casey’s column: Verna is at R4C3 or R4C5, in row 4. Dustin had a log in his column – the logs are in columns 3, 4 and 5, and column 4 is Casey’s – so he, too, is in column 3 or 5: he and Verna share these two columns. Everly is in column 8, and with rows 2, 3, 4 and 6 taken she is at R7C8 or R8C8. That leaves columns 6 and 7 to Brody and Flynn alone: Flynn was sitting on a bench at R3C6 or R3C7 (R3C8 lies in Everly’s column), and Brody is in the other column."},{"place":["D","V","B"],"cand":{"E":[[7,8]],"F":[[3,6]]},"text":"Who was alone with Verna in the Campfire Circle? Rows 1 to 4 and row 6 are taken and the circle has no square in rows 7 and 8, so the murderer is in row 5: R5C3, R5C4 or R5C5 – and R5C4 lies in Casey’s column. R5C3 and R5C5 lie in the two columns that Dustin and Verna share, so the only person who can be alone with Verna in the Campfire Circle is Dustin: Dustin is the murderer. He was the westernmost person in his area, so he is west of Verna: Dustin is at R5C3 and Verna is at R4C5. Rows 7 and 8 are left for Brody and Everly, and Brody, in column 6 or 7, can only be at R7C6 or R8C6 on the Jetty or at R8C7 in the rowing boat. Both Jetty squares lie in column 6, so on the Jetty he would have been alone – but there was exactly one other person in his area: Brody is at R8C7, sitting in the rowing boat."},{"place":["E","F"],"text":"Row 8 is Brody’s, so Everly is at R7C8 – the one other person on the Lakeshore. Column 7 is Brody’s too: Flynn is at R3C6, sitting on a bench. Everyone is placed."},{"final":true,"text":"Case closed: Verna was alone in the Campfire Circle with the former camper who became a banker. Dustin is the murderer!"}],"solver":{"rules":[],"occupiable":["bench","boat","hammock","log"]},"verification":{"tool":"tools/murdoku_solver.py","unique":true,"guessFree":true,"checked":"2026-09-28"}}