Welcome to the Forum for the National Cipher Challenge 2018. Here you can post comments and questions about the challenges, and host of other things! If you are new to the Cipher Challenge, welcome, we hope to get to know you. If you are returning, then welcome back it is great to see you again! It is a friendly and open space, and to keep it that way we have a few house rules:

1. Remember that the people you are talking to on the Forum are people too (and Elves, the Elves would be very unhappy if I forgot to include them!). They have feelings, so keep it friendly and polite.
2. Above all else we want to keep you all safe, so please do not post, or attempt to post anything that could identify you. Here you can be anyone you want to be as long as you don't tell anyone who you are!
3. For the sake of all that is sacred, please please please don't give hints, tips, or above all solutions to a live challenge without asking us first! The competition thrives on secrecy and as part of the Cipher Challenge family we beg you to respect it. (And don't be tempted to post them elsewhere, like on pastebin, either. You might get away with it, but you would be surprised how good we are at tracking these down and people have been banned from the competition for doing that in the past. It doesn't make us feel good, but it would make you feel worse and we don't want that.)
4. Did we mention that this is a public forum? Teachers and parents can read, and Harry certainly will, so be polite!
5. Above all be witty, be wise and be warm. Let's make the forum a happy place to be!