THE SHRIVELED HAND OF EFOUA:
Like I've said before for many episodes, it should be possible to run into all three guards, especially considering the team in this episode had two pendants. The only two options are that the guard was in the Ledges which would force them up into the Crypt or it was in the Dark Forest, although that makes it inevitable they would hit all three guards. (That is still a possibility since they had two pendants.)
You know, I kind of agree with you there. It is possible that the last guard could be in the Dark Forest since the second kid was too stupid to plow through the wall. Also, it wouldn't be the first run where a team was forced to encounter all three temple guards. "Alexander and the Gordian Knot" and "The Discarded-Seal of Ivan the Terrible" all had unavoidable temple guards. It just depends on how much the producers are banking on the team.
THE MASK OF THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK:
It could only have been in the Crypt or the Lightning Ball Room. (They entered the King's Storeroom at the last seconds so the temple guard still would have appeared) To me, the Lightning Ball Room sounds stupid as an option since the Mine Shaft-Shrine passage opened.
It is possible that the Lightning Ball Room did have a temple guard, perhaps if the producers were thinking that the kids would take the elevator rather than trying the Mine-Shrine passage. But I still have to go with the Crypt because of the whole direct path thing.
THE GOLDEN GOBLET OF ATTILA THE HUN:
One pretty much had to be in the Ledges for triple capture to be possible. For the other one, I'm leaning towards the Room of the Secret Password, although I think the Shrine-Mine Shaft door would have opened anyway.
Its possible that the Secret Password would only open up though, similar to "The Lost Logbooks of Magellan". Its not too far of a reach even though the layout looks long. Rachelle did add two extra rooms to her layout also.
THE LEOPARD-SKIN CLOAK OF ANNIE OAKLEY:
I'm really convinced it was in the Ledges for two reasons. One, they already went through enough rooms that the Storeroom-Medusa's Lair door should have opened. Two, if they hit a temple guard in the Ledges, the first player would have been removed in the Laser Light Room, as opposed to one room away, making that simple choice of which room to enter from ultimately decide how difficult the run would be.
Yeah, it had to be in the Ledges. I don't think the producers would ever use the Observatory as a temple guard placement in center of the temple runs. It would also make the one room away run more simple as you said.
THE SNAKESKIN BOOTS OF BILLY THE KID:
The Room of the Secret Password seems like the only possibility, although it seems stupid to me since there should be no incentive to enter that room. The only other option I can think of is if the door up from the Laser Light Room did open, and to me, that really doesn't seem all that unlikely.
I agree that it does seem kind of weird, but it could also be similar to "the Diary of Dr. Livingstone" where they might expect the team to jump right into the elevator rather than trying the Shrine door, which does happen in a few runs (Annie Oakley, Ahmed Baba, the Two-Cornered Hat of Napoleon)
For 'The Golden Goblet of Atilla the Hun', you can hear the sound of the Dark Forest Door opening in the Jester's Court.
Likewise, you can hear the sound of the King's Storeroom door opening in the Jester's Court for the 'Snakeskin Boots of Billy the Kid'.
It's possible that a guard was in each of the rooms I mentioned for each run.
Not sure if the door to the Dark Forest opened in Attila the Hun, but if it did, I would assume the Mine Shaft wall would be locked similar to Keys to the Alhambra and the Imperial Purple Robe.
The King's Storeroom door definitely did not open in Billy the Kid though. You would be able to tell because of the light from the room above.