RO® is characterized as a puzzle of simple complexity.
The "simple" is readily apparent, but the "complex" requires some effort to get to.
And it is because of this effort required, that some players may not get past the simple, and not understanding the puzzle, will therefore settle for solving it via trial and error.
By solving a RO® puzzle via trial and error, you could spend all day, or accidentally solve it in record time. I realize that this can be fun in and of itself, but this approach to the game will provide the limited experience of Luck, similar to Roulette.
Those looking for a more complex puzzle experience will want to discover the properties of the puzzle, and exploit them. So, it was intended that the only trial and error that you should intentionally employ would be for the initial discovery.
By that I mean, the discovery of the rotation rules.
Lets look at Novice 1.
Select the Outermost ring, and rotate it Clockwise.
It will rotate 90 degrees, and the rings inside it will rotate an additional 90 degrees clockwise (total 180).
Now rotate the innermost ring 90 Clockwise. You will see that its rotation is not followed by any other rings.
Now rotate the middle (3rd) ring. Rotate it 90 degrees clockwise, and the rings inside it rotate an additional 90.(total 180)
This bit of trial and error has given the player all they need to know about this puzzles rules. They can then go forward and solve this puzzle with a game plan.
By realizing that only the rings on the inside of the selected ring will move in addition to the selected ring, you can then make the logical assumption that you can solve this puzzle best by starting with aligning the outside ring, and then working your way inward.
OK, that seems simple now that we figured it out. If we now look at puzzle Novice 2, and employ the same discovery, we will quickly deduce that the solution for Novice 2 is the reverse of Novice 1. You would solve Novice 2 from the inside out.
And again, its simple once we take the time to understand the rotational rules of each puzzle.
But Novice 3 starts to get more complex.
Using the method of discovery we employed for the first two puzzles, we see that rotating the selected ring in Novice 3 will cause rings on both sides to be affected.
If we rotate the center ring (3rd ring) 90 degrees clockwise, the rings inside will rotate an additional 90 degrees, while a single ring immediately outside will rotate 270 degrees Counter-Clockwise.
If we attempt to solve Novice 3 using either of the strategies we used for Novice 1 or 2, we will not solve this puzzle.
Welcome to the complex, or at least the beginning of it.