_{This puzzle is a part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #3: Pencil and Paper Games}

I’m a bit uncertain who to ask about this…

You see, there’s this man I do know. I say ‘know’ – we’re not shut mates, come from totally totally different walks of life actually. It’s extra that – for some cause I nonetheless do not absolutely perceive – he appears to belief me, worth my opinion… Because over the past ten years, he is contacted me a number of instances when he is been going by means of some form of private difficulties – disaster of religion, relationship issues… that form of factor. Except he would not inform me precisely what the issue is. No, it appears this man has determined that the way in which to assist him cope along with his troubles is to play a recreation…

So every time, he will get in contact, we change correspondence, have a little bit of back-and-forth, he invitations me over after work, then we each drink relatively an excessive amount of and have a recreation of hangman – you already know, the paper-and-pencil recreation? He chooses a secret phrase and I’ve to guess the letters from it. And I do know everybody has their very own barely totally different manner of drawing the gallows, and so forth., however on this man’s guidelines you successfully received ten probabilities to be fallacious, and on the eleventh that was it – recreation over*. Sometimes he gained, typically I gained, and it doesn’t matter what the end result he’d thank me for serving to him clear his head, mentioned I’d “made his thoughts up for him”, after which on the finish of the evening he’d ship me on my manner with slightly one thing for my bother, and I’d attempt to stagger house however all the time get up in a ditch the following morning with a horrible hangover, little or no recollection of the evening earlier than, and lined in goodness-knows-what. Happy days…

Well, the opposite day I obtained an preliminary message from him inviting me over for one more recreation, however the unusual factor is: since then I have never heard a peep out of him. He’s gone all chilly, like – is not answering my replies asking him after we ought to be assembly. I’m apprehensive one thing may need occurred to him.

For some cause I’ve saved all of the previous video games of hangman we have performed. I’m questioning if there may be some clues right here to assist me work out what’s occurred this time. Only factor is, as a result of he likes his secrecy we all the time play in a code. Probably ought to have talked about that sooner… Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a unique image. Always the identical code every time. Unfortunately, I haven’t got the important thing at hand. And I can not really bear in mind what the options have been – like I say, we all the time drink A LOT whereas enjoying – solely that I’m positive there was some form of theme to them. I simply want I might recall what it was…

Can you assist me? It may assist you to to know that I all the time play a specific technique to my first guesses – one which a number of gamers of the sport use. And then I’ve one other technique for the following few guesses that I typically resort to utilizing… After that, it is simply wise guesswork.

I actually hope he is okay.

TASK: Describe the narrator’s hangman-solving technique, deduce the 5 options to the earlier video games, and thus the identification of the ‘man’ who instigates the video games. What’s occurred this time?

^{* Note from OP: This is the rule-set I all the time performed after I was a child: Five strains for the gallows (together with the little strut to help the top-beam), then head, physique, two legs, two arms. I do know different individuals may use extra or fewer strains of their building, or do the arms earlier than the legs, even typically including toes or facial options in the event that they need to give extra probabilities (or further struts on the backside of the gallows in the event that they worth respectable carpentry strategies and constructions constructed to final…). In any case, I’ve caught with what I do know 🙂}