It's Code Season

For tabletop RPG gamers, here's an easy recommendation: dCode.fr. This website has a heaping helping of tools to decode (and encode) just about any variety of cypher . . . including being able to identify them (or at least run through various permutations).

On the GM side, it's useful for creating interesting codes so that your criminal masterminds aren't all using a basic substitution cypher. On the player side, it can easily solve codes once you know – or guess – certain details. This can represent smart heroes with the skills to break codes on their own, or speed up gameplay when the players know what the code is and how to solve it but don't want to spend game time actually implementing the decipher algorithm. Whether you want to mess around with a periodic table or decode something written in the Scream Cypher, we're sure you'll find something AABAB BAABB ABBAA.

-- Steven Marsh