THE RUNES

Solvers sometimes wonder if certain special technical knowledge is needed to solve some of the puzzles in The Runes.

In general terms, the answer to this question is no. The principle seems to be that all the information you need to solve the puzzles is either general knowledge or available from the puzzles themselves.

Different solvers will have different gaps in their "general knowledge", so you may find yourself checking a spelling or looking up a simple piece of information. But if you feel forced to search outside the puzzle for something complicated or obscure, you are almost certainly on the wrong track.

This doesn't mean that there isn't scope to read around some of the themes that occur out of interest or for background material. It is just to say that this is not essential to solving the puzzles.

If you would like some concrete examples of the above, look at all the puzzle solutions you have found so far. The knowledge they required will be very representative of that required for the rest of the puzzles as well.

With the exception of the source! Which I have found across all the pages. But I still can't get in the forum

To find that I think you need specialist knowledge on how to "solve a puzzle" Something I appear to be lacking. No internet site, or book has given me that information yet

The general knowledge is one thing...... ... as is knowing the various methods for tackling all the simple (????) basic puzzles on the pages. We are all good at one thing but not necessarily all of them - that's fine and good and it is a relief that it is sometimes possible to complete some of the words without having to do every puzzle on every page.

But the big key is the sudden leap into a whole new world of puzzle-solving that is new to most of us (except for those puzzling fiends who are ahead of the field!!!). There is indeed no way of tapping this skilled experience without just having a go at it and discovering the mysteries of thinking "outside the box".
If you think this is hard, you should see some of the nightmare ideas that Scurra has dreamed up himself and sent out for testing.........

we wait with baited breath for them to arrive on DVP or elsewhere

Did you not try "Missing Person" in the Off-Topic section then?
That's one of mine..

(And it's not as though I've been shy in posting puzzles over at DVP!!)

I'd agree with the Gatekeeper - you absolutely shouldn't need to bring "specialist" knowledge to a puzzle unless it is very clear from the outset that that is what you will need.
And nothing in The Runes is like that. Honest.