by Matto Mildenberger, Todd McClary, Guy Jacobson, Greg Pliska, and Sarah Bagby
Answer: INDICAXANTHIN
Problem: Pi Day Town/​Bloomsday Town

For this puzzle, teams initially solve a set of 23 cryptic crossword clues. Each clue is enumerated. Solvers will soon notice that the clue answers are presented in alphabetical order, to offer an additional layer of answer confirmation in the absence of any cross-letters. (The exception to this alphabetical ordering is the first clue, which is explicitly described as being the first step in the puzzle’s solution chain.)

Clue Answer Explanation
Machine that dries cloth is embedded in tungsten terminal STENTER Hidden word
Transmission equipment used in fighter jets on the ocean heading west (4, abbrev.) AESA Reversal of ASEA (on the ocean)
Remains after bachelor party (4) BASH B (bachelor) + ASH
Neuwirth has extra energy for a bathysphere enthusiast (5) BEEBE E (energy) in BEBE (Neuwirth)
Transferred one of the Ramones nearly $500? (6) DEEDED Nearly DEEDEE (Ramone) + D (500)
E! Network reviewed mournful song (5) DIRGE Reversal of [E + GRID (network)]
Hebrew judge and Latina explorer taking five (5) DVORA V (five) in DORA (Latina explorer)
Loud commercial for something like a hula hoop or pet rocks (3) FAD F (loud=forte) + AD (commercial)
Georgia, embracing lunatic, did Punjabi folk dance (5) GIDDA IDD (anagram of DID) in GA (Georgia)
Yours truly governed Asian country (4) IRAN I + RAN (governed)
Broadway songwriter to move characters closer together? (4) KERN Double definition
Film bear’s home? Not I (5) KODAK Remove I from KODIAK (bear)
Allow a do-over in tennis (3) LET Double definition
Mr. Strauss is evil bastard (4) LEVI Anagram of EVIL
It’s found in some drugstores! (3) MED Hidden word; &lit
Rapper retaining editor for radio, television, etc. (5) MEDIA ED (editor) in MIA (rapper)
Bad Robot produces Jan’s Galactic Constant (4,1) OORT B Anagram of ROBOT
Had fun with actress Susan by mountain retreats (6) PLAYED Reversal of [DEY (Susan) + ALP (mountain)]
Elitist cry about name (4) SNOB SOB (cry) around N (name)
Scarf won’t obscure ability to judge winter conditions (9) SNOWCRAFT Anagram of SCARF WONT
Lead English peer (5) STARE STAR (lead) + E (English)
Sexually transmitted diseases expert blasted “I love estrogen!” (13) VENEREOLOGIST Anagram of I LOVE ESTROGEN
Within limits, oversee part of the Bible (5) VERSE Hidden word

The cryptic clue answers can subsequently be arranged into a single self-ordering chain where an “action” transforms each word into a new “action” that, in turn, transforms a different word into an “action.” The starting action is given as the first entry (and clued as the beginning). This is STENTER, or “ST” ENTER. This clues solvers that the chain must begin with entering ST into one of the other answers. They can do so to KERN to yield “K” STERN. Next, solvers can add a K to the back of DVORA to make the action DVORAK. When they try transforming all answers from QWERTY to DVORAK keyboards, they will find that KODAK on qwerty corresponds to “TR” EAT on the DVORAK keyboard. And so forth. The final action is an atbash transformation of the word LEVI which yields OVER, a confirmation that solvers have reached the correct end of the word chain.

As confirmation of each action step (and to prevent any red herrings), solvers are also provided with an enumeration of every action step:

“2” 5 → “1” 5 → 6 → “2” 3 → 5 “2” → 7 → 3 “2” → 8 “7” → 3 “2” → 6 “1” → “2” 2 “1” → 3 “1” “1” 3 → 6 → 3 “2” → “2” 3 → “2” 5 → “4” 2 → “4” 3 → 8 “2” → 3 “3” → 4 “2” → 6 → OVER

Each arrow is a transformation, and each number set enumerates the action instruction. In general, action words are enumerated without quotations and the “strings” that the action acts on are given within quotations. Thus “ST” ENTER (“2” 5) in the flavor creates a transformation (first arrow) to generate the new action “K” STERN (“1” 5). This generates the action DVORAK (6), which then generates the action “TR”EAT (“2” 3). And so on. For the Playfair and Vigenere steps, the character string in quotations becomes the encryption or decryption key for that cipher.

The completed word chain consists of the following word-action-word sequence (provided here with the accompanying enumerations).

Original answer Transformed answer Enumeration Instruction
STENTER STENTER “2” 5 “ST” ENTER
KERN KSTERN “1” 5 “K” STERN
DVORA DVORAK 6 DVORAK
KODAK TREAT “2” 3 “TR” EAT
STARE STARTRE 5 “2” START “RE”
VERSE REVERSE 7 REVERSE
GIDDA ADDIG 3 “2” ADD “IG”
VENEREOLOGIST VIGENEREOLOGIST 8 “7” VIGENERE “OLOGIST”
OORT B ADDNT 3 “2” ADD “NT”
MEDIA MEDIANT 6 “1” MEDIAN “T”
SNOB SNTOB “2” 2 “1” “SN” TO “B”
SNOWCRAFT BOWCRAFT 3 “1” “1” 3 BOW “C” “R” AFT
AESA CAESAR 6 CAESAR
BEEBE ADDAD 3 “2” ADD “AD”
MED MEADD “2” 3 “ME” ADD
DIRGE DIMERGE “2” 5 “DI” MERGE
IRAN IRADIN “4” 2 “IRAD” IN
FAD FAIRADD “4” 3 “FAIR” ADD
PLAYED PLAYFAIRED 8 “2” PLAYFAIR “ED”
DEEDED ADDADA 3 “3” ADD “ADA”
LET LEADAT 4 “2” LEAD “AT”
BASH ATBASH 6 ATBASH
LEVI OVER OVER OVER

Solvers are also given an encoded string:

ZGXWOLSCREBKITZWZTLYZGFLLSVTGOWTGYZOLIMDEKSVF

This string gives the puzzle answer, encoded via the same sequence of ordered word transformations. To extract this answer, solvers must decode the title beginning with the final action transformation (atbash) and working their way backwards through the transformation chain. The decoding process is set up to be fully deterministic. Each action transformation can only manipulate the encoded answer in one precise way. This decoding process proceeds as follows:

Encoding action Decoding counterpart Result
ZGXWOLSCREBKITZWZTLYZGFLLSVTGOWTGYZOLIMDEKSVF
ATBASH Atbash ATCDLOHXIVYPRGADAGOBATUOOHEGTLDGTBALORNWVPHEU
LEAD “AT” Remove “AT” from front CDLOHXIVYPRGADAGOBATUOOHEGTLDGTBALORNWVPHEU
ADD “ADA” Remove “ADA” CDLOHXIVYPRGGOBATUOOHEGTLDGTBALORNWVPHEU
PLAYFAIR “ED” Decrypt playfair BEPNASFYZOMDIMADSTHHFAIRMEIRADPNSMVZNKCQ
“FAIR” ADD Remove “FAIR” BEPNASFYZOMDIMADSTHHMEIRADPNSMVZNKCQ
“IRAD” IN Remove “IRAD” BEPNASFYZOMDIMADSTHHMEPNSMVZNKCQ
“DI” MERGE Remove “DI” BEPNASFYZOMMADSTHHMEPNSMVZNKCQ
“ME” ADD Remove “ME” BEPNASFYZOMMADSTHHPNSMVZNKCQ
ADD “AD” Remove “AD” BEPNASFYZOMMSTHHPNSMVZNKCQ
CAESAR Caesar shift + 1 CFQOBTGZAPNNTUIIQOTNWAOLDR
BOW “C” “R” AFT Remove front “C”, rear “R” FQOBTGZAPNNTUIIQOTNWAOLD
“SN” TO “B” “B” to “SN” FQOSNTGZAPNNTUIIQOTNWAOLD
MEDIAN “T” Remove median “T” FQOSNTGZAPNNUIIQOTNWAOLD
ADD “NT” Remove “NT” FQOSGZAPNNUIIQOTNWAOLD
VIGENERE “OLOGIST” Encrypt Vigenere TBCYORTDYBAQAJCEBCIGER
ADD “IG” Remove “IG” TBCYORTDYBAQAJCEBCER
REVERSE Reverse RECBECJAQABYDTROYCBT
START “RE” Remove “RE” from start CBECJAQABYDTROYCBT
“TR” EAT Remove “TR” CBECJAQABYDOYCBT
DVORAK Dvorak to Qwerty INDICAXANTHSTINK
“K” STERN Remove “K” from end INDICAXANTHSTIN
“ST” ENTER Remove “ST” INDICAXANTHIN

Note that the decoding CAESAR step is a Caesar +1, which reverses the Caesar -1 shift in the encoded chain. Similarly, the playfair encoding is an encryption, so solvers must decrypt. The Vigenere encoding is a decryption, so solvers must encrypt.

Decoding the string yields the puzzle answer: INDICAXANTHIN.