Step 1

This is a type of game that's become much more common in the last 5 years: a matrix game. It is easy to mistake this for a shelf game, because it's easy to set it up as one, at least until we try to work with the clues. A good rule of thumb is that if the pieces (which in the shelf set up would be T, V, W, etc.) will appear multiple times, then we might want to draw a matrix. If the pieces may or may not appear multiple times and it's not clear who is which, then we definitely want to draw a matrix.

The advantage of a matrix is that it allows us to see our information in vibrant 2-D, even without special glasses. That is, it's easy to see all the cars that have the power windows, and it's easy to see all the options that W's got, both of which would not be true if set up as a shelf game. The disadvantage is that since we can't use that second dimension to set up different arrangments, if we want to branch this out or even branch within any of the questions, we're going to have to draw a whole 'nother little grid. We have the room, and if we need it, it'll be worth the 20 seconds it takes to draw. But we don't need it yet, and we may not turn out to.