Bogus Riddle?

[Uncle Yuan]

Let's see how you all do with this.  I've been replaying Neverwinter Nights and I came across the classic "answer this riddle or get eaten" encounter.  This was the riddle:

A group of knights sit around a table.  They clink glasses with the knight to the left, and they clink glasses with knight to the right.  If there are fifteen knights, how many clinks do you hear?

Because of the set up, you actually get a multiple choice - 15, 30, 45 and a couple of others that amount to 'repeat that.'


[spoiler]
I actually dithered on this one a while.  It really was not clear to me if each knight specifically clinks glasses with both knights to either side of him (knight #1 left-right, knight #2 left-right, etc) or if by the time they're done each night will have clinked with both knights to either side of him.[/spoiler]

[Viking]

Fifteen clinks, as I count it:

Clink 1) Knights 1 & 2 clink with each other.
Clink 2) Knights 2 & 3 clink with each other.
Clink 3) Knights 3 & 4 clink with each other.
Clink 4) Knights 4 & 5 clink with each other.
Clink 5) Knights 5 & 6 clink with each other.
Clink 6) Knights 6 & 7 clink with each other.
Clink 7) Knights 7 & 8 clink with each other.
Clink 8) Knights 8 & 9 clink with each other.
Clink 9) Knights 9 & 10 clink with each other.
Clink 10) Knights 10 & 11 clink with each other.
Clink 11) Knights 11 & 12 clink with each other.
Clink 12) Knights 12 & 13 clink with each other.
Clink 13) Knights 13 & 14 clink with each other.
Clink 14) Knights 14 & 15 clink with each other.
Clink 15) Knights 15 & 1 clink with each other.

From the above roll call, we see that each knight has clinked with his right & left neighbors, no more and no less.

The riddle is, perhaps, inartfully phrased.  Maybe deliberately so.  But I find the above roll call much more likely than the following...

Knight 1: First I shall clink glasses with Knight 2, to my left!  Then I shall clink glasses with Knight 15, to my right!

Knight 2: Now I shall clink glasses with Knight 3, to my left!  Then I shall clink glasses with Knight 1, to my right, who I have already just clinked glasses with!

Knight 3: Now I shall clink glasses with Knight 4, to my left!  Then I shall clink glasses with Knight 2, to my right, who I have already just clinked glasses with!

.
.
.

Knight 15: Now I shall clink glasses with Knight 1, to my left!  Then I shall clink glasses with Knight 14, to my right, who I have already just clinked glasses with!

Knight 1: Dang - I need to clink glasses again?  Hey, waiter - I need a refill over here!

[BWPS]

None, because you're deaf.

[Reepicheep]

One clink in between each knight. Same amount of clinks as there are knights.



I can't help myself from posting sometimes.