Black is still the assassin. It's just disappointing that we blew our entire turn on the first guess, using a word we all agreed on. Shows a major disconnect between our team and spymaster.
On that note, I think Dave might have been going for a D&D-style wizardry theme- something like Cast, Staff, Dragon.
THUMB, for sure. Then I like PLAY or STRING, both in musical terms, and probably in that order. String and wind instruments all have fingering charts, which teach you have to play them.
EDIT @Lewwyn: Hmm, I can see the reasoning for avoiding thumb, but I don't connect fingering to piano-playing, where what you press is what you get. I may be overthinking things
THUMB, for sure. Then I like PLAY or STRING, both in musical terms, and probably in that order. String and wind instruments all have fingering charts, which teach you have to play them.
EDIT @Lewwyn: Hmm, I can see the reasoning for avoiding thumb, but I don't connect fingering to piano-playing, where what you press is what you get. I may be overthinking things
i like string a lot now that you mention it. And I might put that number one. But piano is actually technically a string instrument but it can't be piano and strings because then it would have been instrument. I guess I can see where you might want thumb but then why not Play Strings? I think the word fingering is specific to the verb form in order to get play. But yeah I could see strings over piano
“The wind went mute and the trees in the forest stood still. It was time for the last tale.”
I could see thumb, conductor, staff, play, and string depending on how direct this clue is. I would say that string is probably my first option, but the others are a wash.
My first thought was THUMB and PIANO. I took piano lessons way back in the day (but didn't stick with it) and I vaguely remember being instructed on proper playing technique. Thus, fingering. Reading the spoilers, though, I can see the case for PLAY and STRING. CONDUCTOR and STAFF seem more remote. Let's see if we can rule out some possibilities.
I agree with Lewwyn that it's probably not PIANO and STRING, because in that case you'd clue Instrument. PLAY and STRING would be easier to clue with something like Strumming, which would neatly avoid PIANO. (Strumming is more common word, right, so you'd think of it first.) Of course, it would also suggest THUMB, but Fingering doubles down on it, with "finger" right there in the word. And PLAY and THUMB wouldn't require a music theme at all; you'd clue Console or Joypad.
So we're looking for one of PLAY/THUMB and one of STRING/PIANO. I think I lean towards PLAY and PIANO, because they work as a definition, like the other clues we've had so far. But I'm not too sure of them, and I don't know which order we should guess in.
I really have no strong opinions on which combo is right. I thought conductor and staff because of a music theme, but then we would have gotten a different clue. I would say it is thumb and string, as fingering is much more of a string thing than a piano thing.
but it can't be piano and strings because then it would have been instrument. I guess I can see where you might want thumb but then why not Play Strings? I think the word fingering is specific to the verb form in order to get play. But yeah I could see strings over piano