Since your gamers needn't actually pay cable rates, you may have them sending plaintext around the world, but telegrams used to cost a bit by word and distance. Commercial codebooks weren't secret, they were ways to compress lengthy blocks of text into, say, ten-letter words [5-letter half-words], thus saving transmission time and expense. e.g.:
Of course there were also telegraphic codes for secrecy, like this 1882 bankers' code, which (as John McVey notes has been argued) may have incorporated the first use of the "one-time pad".
Minus the crucial one-time-pad conversion, the codewords look like this:
Nauseated Dilacerate Grainy Pitiless Outlay Limetwig Homiletic Cemental Gentiles Marasmus "Pursuing Crowley headed stone ring We must intercept before gate opened"
"To-the Mass State Police.*** From-the Chief Medical Examine[r] Arkham. Will-not-be-possible-to complete WhatleyW post-mortem head did-not-have mineral substratum remainder-of body dissolved into green semi- liquid."
5 comments:
pleased you like my scans :)
@ Combom
They're an incredibly useful resource. Thanks for making them available.
Since your gamers needn't actually pay cable rates, you may have them sending plaintext around the world, but telegrams used to cost a bit by word and distance. Commercial codebooks weren't secret, they were ways to compress lengthy blocks of text into, say, ten-letter words [5-letter half-words], thus saving transmission time and expense. e.g.:
ARKTEAWOIA
"The person is an adventurer, be on your guard; cannot find a more suitable agent."
—The ABC Universal Commercial Telegraphic Code, 6th edition (1920).
More about commercial codes? See this wonderful site: http://www.jmcvey.net/cable/index1.htm
Of course there were also telegraphic codes for secrecy, like this 1882 bankers' code, which (as John McVey notes has been argued) may have incorporated the first use of the "one-time pad".
Minus the crucial one-time-pad conversion, the codewords look like this:
Nauseated Dilacerate Grainy Pitiless Outlay Limetwig Homiletic Cemental Gentiles Marasmus
"Pursuing Crowley headed stone ring We must intercept before gate opened"
Third, last, and most impressive to me in its sheer vocabulary, Bensinger’s Complete Phrase Code (1921 reprint of a 1906 text), hat-tip again to John McVey:
EWGZOATAGM RIPEVUBSER AKBUZBRASC ETYONTUKEM DUTNYBAAVY ALKOCRILER GLERJABAMP AFTNAKUJBO BECKAHELEV CAFGOROYAJ OHVIRVAVUC IRLOTKOUMB DYDUROKAMV UKPUJLAHZO.
"Eastward from-Australia ship-has sunk along-with full-cargo due-to heavy-storm, crew-saved, boarded another ship found abandoned adrift.* New bridge has-a chart showing previously unknown island near-here, curiously proceeding to-there now."
*[Movie version.]
OFDIJAHYUH. EMKNOKDYPAY EGODTDUTOL DEYVAIDYAB LOUISIANA ATZIJWOBUR IVSYLOBTIP POVOPUMPGA OBOXTKAYIT GAGEPICMAT KIEFKPYEMP LEKDAANSAY HIPYKPUWYX IZDICALBUT. BULKEKAOVS OVPOKHAZKY. ODVADOPGUB AGMEVEKIRS LEGRASSE NOLAPD OWSYLIJMUB ULWAGEFWIR.
"Police be-on-the-alert.** Discovered very-dangerous deranged criminal conspiracy in-the Louisiana back woods killing people at-a-sacrifice to-a peculiar metal figure illustrating mixed sea-going eight armed headed scaled land animal. Caught members red handed. Please as-quickly-as-possible advise Detective Legrasse NOLAPD with-regard-to information-re this denomination."
**[Though realistically the police wouldn’t use this codebook.]
UMUKSJYNAG SAWUROFDIJ. GOYVACAYZO KALOJFIULN ARKHAM. OGELKCYTAZ WHATLEYW OGGIGHIPFE EKVATKELKA TYNZOOZCLA BABFEENRED IPFBOGYVLE RAEXTJOAWL.
"To-the Mass State Police.*** From-the Chief Medical Examine[r] Arkham. Will-not-be-possible-to complete WhatleyW post-mortem head did-not-have mineral substratum remainder-of body dissolved into green semi- liquid."
***[Same comment.]
HYALBCUBUX FANOFJULAF, NOVTODYREC,
ALBAPFAPUH MYRIREVURD WESTAWIJYV
RAYETKINOV AYBOVGOWTA NOMHAELEDY.
"I-will combat endless madness, outer darkness,
and-the enemies of-the Earth who-would willingly
serve monstrous beasts from other dimensions."
[Would make a great CoC "geek pin" with an LED flashing the Morse; if anyone wants to, feel free.]
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