Upon the Spooky House — 5 of 8
Ben Poisonor
Chapter 3 - The First Floor
Inside from the Porch is Floor1. The printed name of Floor1 is "A Gutted Antechamber". The description of Floor1 is "This ruin of a room looks like it could have been quite grand once. Unfortunately, age and some malevolent force have wrecked its once tremondous grace. Walls have been torn down haphazardly, blocking passage to the other rooms on this floor, and cobwebs litter the ceiling. A winding, sinister stairway leads up to the mansion's second floor." Instead of listening to Floor1, say "Deathly quiet, except for the chittering of the bat near the stairway." Instead of smelling Floor1, say "Smells really musty."
[Here we are at the mansion's first floor. I admit that I cheaped out on this part, but only because the spookiness level of a house's first floor is so-so. Really, the second floor is a house's spookiest level, next to its basement and attic. So, more like second spookiest. Third. Whatever.]
A backdrop called the stairway is in Floor1 and Floor2. The description of the stairway is "It looks rickety and unstable, but it's not so damaged that you can't go down or up it, depending on where you are in the mansion." Understand "stairs" or "staircase" as the stairway. Instead of taking the stairway when Lucille is in Floor1, try going up. Instead of climbing the stairway when Lucille is in Floor1, try going up. Instead of taking the stairway when Lucille is in Floor2, try going down. Instead of climbing the stairway when Lucille is in Floor2, try going down.
[Ugh, implementing was such a hassle. I just really hate implementing doors and stairs and anything of that nature Let's just move on.]
Cobwebs are a backdrop. Cobwebs are in Floor1 and Floor2 and Penult. Understand "cobweb" or "spiderweb" or "spiderwebs" or "webs" or "web" as the cobwebs. The description of the cobwebs is "Lacy, if dingy, cobwebs. They honestly look kinda neat, if untidy." The handfeel of the cobwebs is "They feel pretty dusty".
[Every spooky house story needs cobwebs! It is one of the essential requirements of the genre.]
Winston is an animal in Floor1. "[one of]A great big bat swoops down from the ceiling and flies right in front of your face![paragraph break]It lets out an unholy shriek! 'Whoooooa, it's Lucy! Man, it's been a while. Hey, you remember your old pal Winston?' Uh, well. [italic type]That[roman type] took a turn[or]Winston flaps about the ceiling amicably[stopping]." Understand "bat" or "great big bat" or "big bat" as Winston. The description of Winston is "Winston catches you looking at him and winks. 'Heya, Lucy!' he says." The handfeel of Winston is "Feels rather furry. Winston gives you the evil eye". Instead of taking Winston, try touching Winston. The sound text of Winston is "He's yakking and gabbing. Maybe you could ask him a question".
[I don't know where in my mind of spooktacular atrocities I came up with Winston. I was probably inspired by that absolute classic in the spooky house genre, Scary House Amulet.]
Instead of asking Winston about something:
say "[one of]'Huh?'[run paragraph on][or]'Bwah?'[run paragraph on][or]'Erm?'[run paragraph on][purely at random] [one of]says[or]interjects[purely at random] Winston. '[one of]I didn't quite get that[or]I don't catch your meaning[or]You ain't making much sense right now[or]I don't understand[at random], Lucy.' You should try asking something else";
say ".[paragraph break]".
Instead of asking Winston about a topic listed in the Table of Winston Topics:
say "[reply entry][paragraph break]".
Instead of telling Winston about something: try asking the noun about it.
Understand "big guy" or "main guy" as "[guy]". Understand "head honcho" as "[honcho]". Understand "big boss" as "[boss]". Understand "main man" or "big man" as "[man]".
Table of Winston Topics
| topic | reply |
| "Winston/bat/himself" | "'Wait, do you really not remember me? Man, the big guy must've pulled a fast one on you.' He frowns." |
| "Lucy/Lucille/me" | "'C'mon, Lucy, don'cha remember your own name?' Winston pauses. 'Well, I guess you prefer to go by Lucille,' he adds." |
| "house/mansion/manor" | "'It's all property of the big guy, Lucy,' says Winston. 'The main man. The big boss. The main guy. The big man! The head honcho.' He just goes [italic type]on[roman type] like this." |
| "memory/memories/amnesia" | "'I've heard of the boss pulling stunts like this, but never on [italic type]you[roman type], Lucy,' Winston replies." |
| "[guy]" or "[man]" or "[honcho]" or "boss/dracula/honcho" or "[boss]" | "'You know,' says Winston, 'the guy!' That is [italic type]extremely[roman type] unhelpful." |
| "poop/guano" or "bat poop" | "Winston belches. 'Man, that coffee really works.'" |
| "alimony/payment/payments" or "alimony payment" or "alimony payments" | "'Wha? Are you saying the boss is tryin['] to get out of paying alimony? Man, that's low.'" |
| "ectoplasm/ghost" or "ghost juice" or "ghost remains" | "'Alas, poor Freddie!' says Winston with exaggerated vigor. 'Man, the boss is a real jerk.'" |
| "Freddie/Fred" | "'He was the boss's accountant,' says Winston. 'He was only here for a short bit. Probably wouldn't of remembered him even if the boss hadn't made your memory go screwy.'" |
| "stake/steak" | "'Boss must've hid it,' says Winston. 'Sorry you gotta deal with him, Lucy.'" |
| "horse/Strikefire" | "'[italic type]Oh[roman type], that guy,' says Winston. 'Boss must've screwed up his memory, too. Gosh, I'm real awful sorry about this, Lucy.'" |
[Winston's main purpose is to add a bit of flavor to the game, mainly by letting the player learn more about the backstory at their own pace. I am a big fan of this approach in games, as it satisfies the curious player while letting the speedy player "get on with it." I wanted to add more in that vein to Spooky House (e.g., a diary), but, well, I was running low on time, and it's a short game anyway.]