How fast are you going to count?

"...17...16...15..."

I try opening the door while the button is pressed in.

That also does not work, but the ceiling resets.

"20...19...18..."

Working in 10 second bursts (then returning to press the button), I examine the room more thoroughly.

In reply to Heath (msg # 36):

1s/s

The room is built of concrete.  It is empty of any ornamentation of any kind.  There is no secret door, no hidden message, and no other apparent exit besides the door.  The spikes are set about 3 inches apart and are deep.  Sliding between them would not be possible.  They look cleanly polished with no signs of blood on them.

There are no bodies or skeletal remains around to use to prop the ceiling open, and there are no weapons or swords to wedge in the moving mechanism.

It is simply an empty concrete room with a steel door, a red button, and a small electronic screen.

In all this searching, the button has been pressed several times.  Each time, the spikes reset.  York has counted to 30 but that resulted in nothing.

"20...19...18..."

Is there anything special about the monochrome screen?

When I counted to 30, it simply kills me right? Then nothing happens?

Can I pull the button out?

When you counted to 30, the button was being pushed by htphinney, so it kept resetting the machine.  So you have not died...yet.

There is nothing special about the screen or button.  You cannot remove the button.

I let the spikes crush me to save me from this god-awful place.

York begins counting to 30 again.

"...12...11...10..."

He lays on the ground with htphinney laying next to him.

"...9...8...7..."

Their death seems imminent as the spikes approach.

"...6...5..."

Then the ceiling crosses over the point where the red button is imbedded in the wall.  There's no turning back now!

"...4...3..."

And then, once the button is covered up by the ceiling and spikes, the ceiling retracts upward once more, and the door swings open.

Whoever exits first posts the next puzzle.

(This puzzle is actually more fun (or evil) when the players really care about their characters and don't want them to die.  They will push the button until the cows come home.)

That was amazing

I ran this puzzle in my Matrix game a few years ago, and they pushed that button so many times I lost count.  And then, in frustration, they finally let the clock run out, fearing that their much loved characters were about to be lost forever and trying to figure out what about the puzzle they just weren't getting...

It was a cruel yet funny joke.

Go ahead and post a new one.

That is just...

Mwahaha!  Should I change my portrait back to Darth Vader now?  :)

If you'd like.  Or use that dog from your profile.

A number of random yet seemingly specific people awaken in a room with four tatami mats' worth of space. The rooms ceiling, floor, and walls were all made of the same white incandescent foam-like glass. In the left corner was a corner door, a door made to fit snugly into the corner. In front of the corner door was a little dragon made of beautiful blue clay, he was standing, wings folded behind him, on a pedestal with all four feet supporting him as he sat staring at you with a smugly devilish grin. He was only made of clay but there seemed something entirely too alive about him...

Heath picks up and examines the dragon

It animates for a fleeting moment to wriggle out of your hand and replace itself in front of the door "Don't touch me!" he growls before becoming stone again

Heath examines and then opens the corner door.

Trying to open the door leads you nowhere, as the corner door has no door knob and seems unmovable. There seem to be spiders around the door though, miniscule but many in number, you my friend have just drawn their attention. There's no way of telling whether or not they are poisonous as of yet.

Birdie goes up to the dragon and bows in respect before it, and very, very politely asks it for help in leaving the room.

"You must answer a riddle." the dragon answers simply in a voice that storms into your brain and reverberates before it ever even touches your ears.

"Dragon, sir, would you please tell us what the riddle is?" Birdie waits patiently for an answer.