The Interactive PlayhouseThe grand entrance to the Miskatonic Playhouse stands in front of you. What a sight to behold. Though the [[Weird markings]] on the Grecian columns are rather disturbing. Their confusing rhytmns are hard to look at.
You can head on in to [[The Foyer]]
The playhouse foyer has seen better days; the once bright-red felt is faded and stained, the tile floor is scratched and pitted, and the wooden panelling is peeling and poorly repaired. The entire place smells of stale popcorn and disinfectant. The sounds of carpentry from behind the playhouse can be faintly heard. The only person in the lobby is Franc Turner, the cleaner. He is mopping the scratched tile floor.
(If:$FrancAppeased is false)[As you enter, Franc barks out “We’re closed” and glares at you, expecting you to leave.
You can try to talk to [[Franc]], [[Rush past him]] or go back to [[The Entrance]] ]
(If:$FrancAppeased is true)[Franc nods at you and gets back to sweeping.
You can head into the [[Auditorium]], to the [[Stairs]] or you can follow the [[Corridor]] to the toilets and backstage.]
They make very little sense. As if a passing drunk had freaked out at the concept of Grecian arhictectural flare and gone to work on making his ire known. But you cannot for the life of you, stop staring at these weird markings. You move closer to inspect them.
(if:$holding is "Occult Book")[The occult book you found describes this language. You consume a huge amount of time and energy desciphering the markings and are rather dissapointed to discover that they are a badly written mess. If someone was to try and activate this binding ritual they'd likely end up burning the whole place down. (set:$insight = $insight+1)]
(else:)[But you cannot make any sense of them.]
Back to [[The Entrance]] Franc looks over at you expectantly
[Hi, I think I'm here for an audition?]<1|
[I need to speak to someone important!']<2|
(click: ?1) [France grunts and points you in towards the [[Auditorium]]]
(click: ?2) [Franc considers throwing you out but eventually relents sending you to the [[Stairs]], pointing upwards towards the bosses office.]
(set:$FrancAppeased to true)
You attempt to rush past Franc, but he's just bigger and stronger than you He easily envelopes you in his large, impressive arms and throws you back outside to [[The Entrance]].Welcome to the Miskatonic Playhouse! An interactive wander through our hallowed halls.
Head over to [[The Entrance]] to get started.
The infamous stage of the Miskatonic Playhouse stands before you. While the building has burnt down countless times, the stage foundations always end up surviving, just about. The wood is stained with blood sweat and tears of generations of actors plying their trade. As well as a few more.... esoteric occurences. But we try not to talk about those anumore
But there is no show on just now. All the curtains are up and you can see through to the [[Backstage]].
You can head back out to [[The Foyer]] from here.The stairs lead up to [[The Producer's officer]].
Into [[The Foyer]]
Or down into the [[Basement corridor]]
Walking down the corrdior, there are a number of doors that lead into changing room. One has a star on it and the name [[Ginny Dubois]] painted on it.
Another is a generic [[Toilet]]. Probably no need to go in there.
You can also go back to [[The Foyer]] or onwards [[Backstage]].
There is a wooden wall, unpainted to one side here.
The thin, steep stairs up to the Producer's office creak ominously but lead into an open, airy office space. The office is more of a bohemian studio apartment. A rumpled bed sits in one corner covered with discarded boxes of food, which suggest he not only works here, but lives here as well. Empty bottles of various liquors sit discarded on nearly every flat surface. The space smells strongly of cigarette smoke and body odour. A door leads out the west wall, but is blocked by a large dresser, and also turns out to be locked. The East wall is covered by a long bookcase beside the bed. The south wall opposite the stairs and entrance contains three large windows with a large, cluttered desk in front of it.
(if:$KHere is true) [[[Edward Kleverstein]], the Producer, lounges theatrically on the middle windowsill framed against the Arkham skyline, smoking a thin roll-up cigarette. He is reading some kind of manuscript.
He looks up as you enter and unfurls himself from his perch.]
(if:$KHere is false) [Kleverstein isn't here right now. Want to sneak a look at the [manuscript]<1| he was reading? Or go through the [west door]<2| that is blocked by a dresser? Or just [rifle]<3| through this desk?]
Go back down the [[Stairs]].
(click:?1)[Hey, this isn't a manuscript, it's an Occult Book! (Set: $holding to "Occult Book")]
(click:?2)[You shove the dresser aside, pull open the door and [[jump through]].]
(click:?3)[Oh my god, there's nearly every drug known to man covering this desk. An amazing number of discarded scripts and empty bottles, as well as just... random drosss. Eurgh.]Sadly, it's too dark down here. So you have to return up the [[Stairs]] The backstage area is a large, busy space. Eight men and women are busily engaged in an array of production activities. Sets are being built, lights are being repaired, and arguments are being had about the best (and cheapest!) solution to whatever latest disaster has beset the playhouse.
The space is approximately 100 square meters (1076 square feet) in size with [[Hannah Carter]]’s small office sectioning off one corner. The office contains a desk covered in paperwork and the playhouse’s newly installed phone line.
From here you can go out to the [[Auditorium]] or along the [[Corridor]].
(if: $job > 0) [Someone has left the [[Tool]] cabinet unlocked]
(if: $liftfixed is 3)[You can head down into the [[Prop's Room]]]
(else:) [Also, there is some kind of elevator here, but it's got an out of order sticker on it.]Ginny is a beautiful, sweet, darling angel with the most amazing eyes and a sunshine personality.
Hedge hasn't figured out the Ginny sidequest yet, so all you get is this fun interactive sentence.
You head back out to the [[Corridor]].
(click-replace: "beautiful") [pallid]
(click-replace: "sweet") [sour]
(click-replace: "darling") [twisted]
(click-replace: "angel") [devil]
(click-replace: "the most amazing eyes") [a manipulative manner]
(click-replace: "a sunshine personality") [the ability to kill you with a word]The Backstage Manager, Hannah Carter. She asks you why you are bothering her?
(if: $job is 0) [
["I heard there was work going"]<a1|
["I wanted to audition"]<a2|
(if: (visited: "Edward Kleverstein") is true)[ ["Kleverstein said I could pick up some work"]<a3|]]
(if: $job >0) [["Is there anything you need doing boss?"]<b1|
(click: ?b1)[(if: $holding is "Tools") [Yeah, I need someone to fix the [[lift]]. Get to it!] (else:)[
Yeah, who swept these floors yesterday? They did a terrible job. Can you [[At Work<-do it?]]]]
]
(click: ?a1) ["That you might have, but you are several hours late. Come back tomorrow at dawn and I'll see if there's work for you"]
(click: ?a2) ["Audition? There's no auditions today. Come back tomorrow at sundown. Kleverstein doesn't do shit during the day"]
(Click: ?a3)["Oh did he now? Alright, get to work [[At Work<-Sweeping the floors]] and I'll pay you a half days wage"]You spend the rest of the day sweeping the floors. At the end of the day, Hannah gives you a half days wages and tells you to be back at the crack of dawn.
(If: $job is 0) [You head home and fall asleep. Congratulations! You've got a job.
You can now come and go around the [[The Entrance<-Playhouse]] to your hearts content. No-one will stop you.]
(else:) [In the morning you head back to the [[The Entrance<-Playhouse]].]
(set: $job to $job + 1)Kleverstein’s rake-thin body is dressed in late 19th century bohemian fashion. An unbuttoned dress jacket covers a dark red open shirt, and jewellery adorns both of Kleverstein’s arms and neck.
"Good day, can I help you? I'm not used to getting visitors quite so... early
[["Hey, you owe me an apology!->apology]]"
["I'm here looking for work."]<a1|
["I heard there was something weird and eldritch about this place."]<a2|
(click: ?a1)["Oh are you? Of course. Well, if it's work you are after, we have plenty of jobs here at the Playhouse. Just go down and talk to Hannah Backstage and she will sort you out."
[No, but I mean, like acting work!]<b1|
[I was hoping for something a little more.... esoteric?]<b2|
]
(click: ?a2) ["Eldritch? As in....?"
[You know, like, cosmic horror and occult books and things. I've read the stories]<c1|
[I mean, that I'm the sort of person that sees an opportunity and seizes it and I can help you out!]<c2|
]
[]<final|
(set: $Kquest to "Ah, so you are a conneiseur. I have just the thing. Please wait [[here->The Producer's officer]]. (set: $KHere to false)")
(set: $Kboot to "Oh. I'm afraid you are a day early. Auditions are tomorrow. Close the [[door->Stairs]] on your way out. (set: $KHere to true)" )
(set: $MetK to true)
(click: ?b1) [(replace: ?final) [$Kboot]]
(click: ?b2)[(replace: ?final) [$Kquest]]
(click: ?c1) [(replace: ?final) [$Kboot]]
(click: ?c2)[(replace: ?final) [$Kquest]]
A mundane, uninteresting and entirely forgettable toilet. Neat! Indoor plumbing isn't that common in the 1920s and althought an observer from the future might find this room entirely benign, you for one are impressed and proceed to avail yourself of the facilities, feeling like a monarch on their throne.
Afterwards, you stare at yourself in the mirror and wonder what you are doing with your life.
[You haven't even got a job]<g1|
[You haven't found a way into the basement. But that's fine, cause it's still impossible.]<g2|
[You're not even a little bit insane.]<g3|
[You've found $secret secrets.]<g4|
(if: $job >0)[(replace: ?g1)[You have worked $job days at the Playhouse]]
(if: $insight >0)[(replace: ?g3)[You are a little insane]]
Alright, time to [[Corridor<-get back out there]]
You are falling. This wasn't a hidden secret of the Playhouse. Only a door to a box in the gods that was removed in a renovation years ago. You would likely have died if this was that sort of game. But you were lucky enough to land on an English gentleman who was visiting the Playhouse, shaking hands with everyone saying how glad he was to meet them and explaining that he was from the future and was making a 'pod cast' about this place.
Anyway, he's dead now. And you are alive, standing in the [[Auditorium]].
(set: $secret = $secret + 1)Kleverstein raises one eyebrow.
"An apology? Whatever for?"
["In an earlier version of this game you told me to fuck off and it hurt my feelings"]<a1|
["Yeah, your cleaner Franc threw me out into the street. I want an apology!"]<a2|
[]<a3|
["Yeah, this text-based adventure that we're playing right now. You were rude. But like, not here. An earlier version of you. I think it was because Hedge hadn't written your dialogue yet".
](b1|
[Kleverstein sits down at his desk and wipes his hand across it. Several bottles crash to the floor in a loud clatter and a spray of white paper and dust erupts around him. He gives out a small cough before settling down into the chair and putting his feet up on the desk.
"So you are saying that, what we are doing right now is not in fact, having a conversation, but more of, say, a cosmic manuscript. Set out by some elder god. Perhaps an entity dreaming us into existence?"](c1|
["Well. Maybe. I actually think it was written by a nerdy guy with a beard who likes meta storytelling a little bit too much."
](c2|
[Kleverstein pauses. Staring off in the distance, trying to find some kind of way of interpreting your odd words and digesting them. His hand slowly reaches out and grabs one of the mostly empty bottles. He pulls out the cork and empties the foul smelling white liquid down his throat. He then pats his jacket until he finds a small metal box, from which he pulls a small, hand rolled cigarette. He lights it up, still not meeting your eye and continues thinking...
The two of you pause and breathe in the awkward silence.
Eventually, Kleverstein turns to look at you and says "I'm... sorry."
"Can you ask this elder god that you commune with if it will forgive me for my transgression? I can but provide some small recompense. Perhaps a gift?"
He pulls out a book from his desk and hands it to you. (set: $holding to "Occult Book")
You take the book and head out [[the door->Stairs]]
](d1|
(click: ?a1)[(replace: ?a3) ["Hold on, slow down a second. Game?" (show: ?b1)]]
(click: ?a2)[(replace: ?a3)["Really? I don't have time for this shit. FRANC!"
Seconds later, Franc appears and throws you [[out of the theatre.->The Entrance]] ]]
(click: ?b1)[(show: ?c1)(show: ?c2)]
(click: ?c2)[(show: ?d1)]In one corner of Backstage there is a metal frame walk in cupboard called the tool cabinet. It used to be made of wood, but after the Playhouse burnt down last time, it's been replaced with a metal mesh, which Hannah insists is much safer.
Lying inside, there are [a set of carpenter's tools]<a1|, a [piece of string]<a2| & a [generic macguffin]<a3|
You only have your hands, so you can only hold one thing at time.
(click: ?a1) [You grab the tools (set: $holding to "Tools")(show: ?a1)]
(click: ?a2) [You grab the string (set: $holding to "String")(show: ?a1)]
(click: ?a3) [You grab the macguffin (set: $holding to "Macguffin")(show: ?a1)]
[Head [[back out ->Backstage]]](a1|(set: $FrancAppeased to false)
(set: $KHere to true)
(set: $Insight to 0)
(set: $job to 0)
(set: $holding to "nothing")
(append: ?sidebar) [(align: "<=")[(size: 0.75)[You are holding:
**$holding**]]](if: $liftfixed is 2)[After one final push, you get the lift fixed! But annoyingly, you break the tools. They are no long of any use to you.(set: $holding to "nothing") You can now head in an out of the prop room using the lift.]
(else:)[You spend the rest of the day trying to get the lift to work.]
You head back home after a solid days work.
In the morning you head back to the [[The Entrance<-Playhouse]]
(set: $liftfixed to $liftfixed + 1) (set: $job to $job + 1)
Still under Construction. But assume that cool stuff happens down here.
