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Aunts and Butlers (Aunts_and_Butlers.txt)

"Aunts and Butlers"

by Robin Johnson (with thanks to Tommy Herbert)

This game is written in a browser-based Javascript system. Open the file
"auntsandbutlers.html" and you will be able to play.

Note that Microsoft Internet Explorer might be suspicious of the scripts
- please do enable them. I don't know why this is: it happens when you
are opening the game file from your own hard disk, but not when you are
viewing it over the web.

Save and restore are implemented via cookies: use SAVE (NAME) and LOAD
(NAME). Single-level UNDO is also implemented.

And now, the walkthrough...

x cup
get cup
w
u
s
x iou
x letter
get iou
get letter
n
d
s
x cedilla
get suitcase
n
w
x trunk
open trunk
say password
x tailcoat
get tailcoat
wear it
e
s
take off coat
open suitcase
x urn
open urn
drop urn
get ash
x ash
n
e [to drawing room]
hit cedilla [note: This isn't a good idea, but you'll get away with it
once. This mysterious butler will - for a while - pop up when you're
about to dosomething that isn't a good idea. If you try again, you'll
lose (so save first, or undo afterwards.)]
talk to cedilla
give cedilla teacup
w
w
n [to scullery]
x water
fill cup
put ash in cup
x cup
drink cup [again, this isn't the right move]
s
e
e [back to drawing room]
give tea to cedilla
ask cedilla about gladstone
ask cedilla about virgule [and various other things]
out
out
s
in
read notice
s [to station platform]
z
z
z
z [virgule arrives]
x virgule
x gun
get gun
ask virgule about cedilla
ask virgule about america
ask virgule about england
ask virgule about gun [pheasants eh?]
n
n
n [to village green]
w
in
x plank
talk to plank
give plank iou
give plank letter
get letter
read letter [hmmm...]
get box
open box
get hat
x hat [stuffed pheasant, eh?]
wear hat [again, not good]
e
e
n
n
e [back to drawing room]
give hat to aunt
z
z [and now the plot thickens!]
out
scream
z [or anything, really]
ring bell

[From this point on, the butler has become a 'regular' NPC. He can -
after he is out of jail - be summoned by ringing the bell, and may give
help or check you if you're about to do a Wrong Move. But he will no
longer turn up to give warnings automatically.]

x corpse
eat corpse
take corpse
play piano [actually this has no effect whatsoever.]
out
out
s
w
w
n [to police cell]
x butler [The butler can be asked about all sorts of things.]
out
out
e [to village green]
ne
n
n
x divide
n

[Yes, it's a maze. Yes, you can die if you wander in early (but the
butler will tell you not to, if possible.) Yes, it has a trivial
solution once you get to the right stage in the game.]

w [following the error in the pigeon's orbit]
n
n
n
e
s [to rag-and-bone yard]
x haggis
[don't eat the haggis!
get haggis
x alf
talk to alf
ask alf about the butler
ask alf about the south
ask alf about the north
n [you do need to remember the way you came through the maze - Alf will
   follow and protect you unless you go off-track. It's deliberately a very
   easy path - just south whenever possible. If anything goes bad you can
   always UNDO.]
w
s
s
s
e
s [to divide]
s
s
sw
w
w
n [to gaol cell]
s
out
e
n
n
e [body is gone]
w
w
ring bell
butler, say password
z [until Alf arrives]
alf, say password [oooh, eldritch!]
down [to "Below Stairs"]

x portraits
s
w
in
read notice
up ["dressed to the nothings" eh?]
wear coat
up ["dressed only to the ones" - aaah]
out
down
se [to "Servants' Hall"]

x crowd

[Little sub-worlds branch off from the Hall via the service tunnels. You
can do them in any order. This walkthrough does them in "chronological"
order, which happens to run clockwise.]

ne
ne
x flower
pick it
wear it
sw
sw [back to servants' hall]

e
read hieroglyphics
e
put organs in jar
x embalmer
talk to him [most characters have more than one or two things to say, so
             try this often]
x amphora
x sarcophagus
close sarcophagus
e
push embalmer into sarcophagus
e
x cufflinks
get them
wear them
w
w
w [back to servants' hall]

se
se
x knight
talk to him
x crowd
x lance
z [jousting contests happen about 1 in 3 moves, at random.]
get lance
give it to knight
z [wait for next joust]
x hanky
wear hanky
nw
nw [back to hall]

s
s
x gloves
x shakespeare
talk to shakespeare
get gloves
wear them
n
n [back to hall]

sw
sw
x window
x wheel
open window
grab spoke
ring bell
grab stovepipe
x stovepipe
wear it
z [until you fall off - now you're back in the hall]

w
w
x wagon
x tavern
x desert
north [or any direction but east or west]
in
x cowboy
wake cowboy
up
shout
x spittoon
spit in spittoon
up
out
get jerkin
wear it
e
e [back to hall]

n
nw
x typewriter
type
x typist
talk to typist
x tie
get tie
x dial
turn up heat
get tie
wear it [nearly there!]

se
ne
x fatty
x machine
x collar
get collar
talk to fatty
put haggis on circle
push  button
get collar
wear it
sw
s [back to hall]

x self [you are now wearing 9 items of clothing, i.e. "dressed to the
        nines"]

nw
w
in
up
x poodle
talk to poodle
x bone
get it
give bone poodle
throw bone
get bone
x will
get it
x window
throw bone out window
get will
drop letter
x letter [makes sense in context!]
out
out
down

read card
n
up
e
e [back to drawing room. Hazzah!]