Aunts and Butlers is a thoroughly enjoyable work of interactive fiction (err, an "interactive novella for the electric computer") written by Robin Johnson. The game is playable right in your browser window thanks to Robin's Javascript text-adventure engine, Versificator. Aunts and Butlers is a relatively straightforward experience but really shines thanks to a quirky sense of humor. It was also one of the competitors in the 2006 Interactive Fiction Competition, placing 16th out of 42 entries.
There really is no better way to describe the game's setting than to use Robin's own words:
Struggling to cope with a crumbling Empire, troublesome peasants, and recently some ghastly Great War that your chums tell you you slept through, it's been a tricky business lately for the English aristocracy to keep the old wolf from the old door. Especially you, the Honourable Ampersand Fodge. You've already eaten, drunk and gambled your entire family fortune, so unless you want to be in the workhouse by Christmas, you'd better get some lolly rolling in pronto.
Cue dear old Aunt Cedilla, your only unmarried elderly relative. For the past few weeks she's been threatening to come round for tea. It may have occurred to her that she's getting on a bit, so if you can squeeze yourself into the old witch's good books, she's more or less bound to leave you a tidy sum. Then maybe you'll find some way of topping her, if you can stop the rozzers from taking notice. Murder's never been your forté, but needs must and all that!
Aunts and Butlers plays like any text-adventure game where you interact with the world by typing commands into the text box. Use the cardinal directions to move (north or N, south or S, etc.) and clever terms such as "get", "talk", "use" and "kiss" to do much more interesting things. Because of its relatively simple plot and small environment, Aunts and Butlers is a good introductory game for anyone new to the world of interactive fiction. And apart from a rather stale maze sequence, the game feels fresh and interesting at every turn. Put on your tailcoat and grab the teacup, Aunt Cedilla is waiting for you in the drawing room.
Thanks to Paul for sending this one in!
For more great interactive fiction, be sure to check out interactive fiction in the JIG archives.
Anhy way to get the dirt out of the cup?
Already stuck...waiting for people to come up with hints! :)
Yay! IFs(text adventures) are the best!
However, I cannot seem to brew the tea. I have:
the ash (aka tea-leaves)
the suit
(that makes her think I'm a butler)
the water(dirty)
a cup
a bottle
an IOU
a love letter
and I don't know the password for the trunk.
Oh, and I have 13%.
How do I brew the tea???
Pay close atention, because there is no way to get cedilla to repeat an instruction if you forget it.
Craig Allison:
Perhaps you don't need to get the rainwater out of the cup.
Maybe you need to put something in instead.
Teacups are used to serve tea in, and tea would go down rather well with Aunt Cecilia. But water alone will not pass for tea. Perhaps you can add something to it.
Some sort of powdery sunstance that can pass for tea.
Aunt Cecilia has not left you her money yet, but she has given you something else. Her suitcase.
Search inside and see what you can find.
Still stuck? Perhaps you should resort to some property damage.
In other words, smash the urn you found inside Aunt Cecilia's suitcase. Take the (dog) ashes that were found inside, and add them to the water so that it looks tea-coloured. Congratulations! You are about to serve Aunt Cecilia the remains of her dog!
Tea:
Tried mixing it with ash?
Has anyone figured out the
password to the trunk, yet?
Lopsidation --
The tea
is made by putting the ashes in the teacup, and then putting the teacup under the water dripping in the scullry. You don't have to boil it or anything.
How do I get the ash?
to get ash
break urn
I am stuck at 22% I brewed the tea,
take cup, bring it into the room with leaky pipes, fill with water (dirty), mix with ash, which you get by opening the suitcase and breaking the urn, and there you have tea. Give that to Aunt C, and then go to the train station to get cousin. I got cousin, but he ran off, now I'm stuck.
MadWithMuchHeart:
Have you looked inside the
suitcase?
I have, I can't open the
urn.
mad:
break the urn
Well, this game is a little zany. You are trying to impress your aunt, but she probably will not approve of your methods. What could happen to that item that she would not approve of?
think of the urn as a piggy bank.
Password:
This actually requires a specific person saying it...
Ash:
Have you tried using force?
Stuck at 91%. Anybody know how to
combine the will and the love letter? The butler keeps making vague references, but is no real help.
I've got 22% but I've managed to lose my cousin. Any ideas?
MadWithMuchHeart:
think of it like a porcelain piggy bank. how do you get money out of a piggy bank?
I'm up to 25%, but still no cousin and no password, can I get another hint on that password?
i have
the suitcase, the clump of ash, an IOU, the letter, the tailcoat, a teacup (with dirty water), and a bottle
but i cant figure out how to make the tea. and i've figured out the password for the trunk, but i cant figure out who is suppost to say it. please help!
I've noticed a lot of people are getting hung in about the same spot: in the house with a bunch of items. Read the spoilers for some hints!
Did you give Aunt Cedilla the tea yet?
If not, mix water with ash from the broken urn and give that to her.
After giving Cedilla the tea...
She mentions your cousin. Go south to the train station and wait there for him. When he arrives, make sure you talk to him about his gun, he'll give you an important clue. Try taking it, too. Also, ask him about America, England and Cedilla.
Got the gun, lost the cousin and can't figure out what to do?
Head to the sheriff's place and poke around in there. You should find a hat. Examine it for a vital clue. Remember: the game hinted that you wanted to kill Cedilla. ;-)
Take the hat and put it on Cedilla's head, then wait for your cousin to appear...
And as for the trunk, don't worry about it until much later in the game.
Rush and Nikki:
Don't worry about your cousin. He'll turn up at a certain place and time.
In the meantime, I suggest you go...shopping. How about taking a stroll around town and see if you can find anything?
The only place you can really go to is the police station.
Is there anything in there you can take?
How about something you "lost" and have now come to "claim" it as yours?
In short, look inside the Lost Property box and take the ugly hat you find there.
Obviously YOU can't wear such a horrible hat. What could you do with it?
Head back to the drawing room in your house and offer the hat to Aunt Cecilia. She will wear it and your cousin will turn up, livening up the story considerably!
how do I talk to cousin about stuff, what is the comand?
Frick, I lost cousin Virgule. Stupid Texan. ;)
how do you get the gun? I'm talking to Virgule but nothing's working.
Man, I'm about to be arrested, what hat?
Slackjob, it seems so obvious once you figure it out but...
you just take the will and put the letter in its place
I still can't get gun!
xadrian:
So you're about to be arrested, eh?
If you'll pardon the awful pun, you'll be "saved by the bell".
In other words, a short while after you are arrested, someone should give you a silver bell. What do you do with it?
Ring it, of course. A butler will appear out of nowhere and bail you out. Afterwards, perhaps you should visit the police station and thank the butler..
Later in the game, after you have rescued the butler, you can summon him at any time by ringing the bell and asking him about items in your current area for valuable clues.
uh oh i was arrested...for future reference, how do you get the gun from the cousin?
Okay, I've got 66% but now I'm confused.
I'm in the theatre with Shakespeare, what should I do? I tried to give him the gloves but he obviously doesn't want them.
help please!
liz:
You don't need to get the gun from the cousin.
Nikki:
try wearing the gloves, remember you need to be "dressed to the nines" the gloves are one of the nine!
Drat! I'm utterly bamboozled at 91%!
I have no idea what do do with all this love-letter/will business. Kaykee has said that I have to "just take the will and put the letter in its place". This however, has not worked. The letter is there and the will is in my pocket, but what else must I do for something to happen? Please help!
how do i
wake up the cowboy?
I didn't quite get arrested, but I figured I could only poke around Plank's face for so long.
Yeah, and I think I'm too new at text based interactve fiction to understand why this dumb redneck just won't give me his gun. Do I have to trick him?
Help? I'm at 31%- I have:
Gotten Cedilla killed, Virgule's nowhere to be found, and nothing has changed anywhere except I can go farther north/northeast and get killed by random packs of things. Haven't opened the chest.
And I'm stuck.
Regy Rusty:
did you ever have the letter torn in half??? if not:
go to the police station and give the Plank the letter, at which time he will tear it in half, drop one half, and eat the other. now drop that half in the apartment and take the will
dixie:
you have a spitoon there, what happens when that is used properly?
spit in there and a lounk CLANK will wake him up.
MadWithMuchHeart:
The butler is in jail, maybe you can thank him for taking the fall for you!!!
I'm stuck at the nines :/
I am wearing a stovepipe, a tie, a jerkin, a pair of cufflinks, a flower, a handkerchief, and a pair of gloves. Where are the other two items? I feel like I've looked everywhere. I can't find any doughnuts for the engineer, either.
I can't find him, unfortunately, rush- nothing in the station has changed, and I thought I looked everywhere else...
Help! I'm at 94%. I think I have everything but I don't know how to finish. Anyone?
Jetamors, you need the
tailcoat and collar
MadWithMuchHeart, forget about
Virgule and go talk to the butler in jail
MadWithMuchHeart:
there are two exits in the jail - one leads to a cell...
Because I have been so wonderfully helped by rush, I feel like sharing the good will. Here are some hints for various parts of the game people seem to be finding most tricky/I found most tricky.
Virgule
You can't get his gun. Period. Don't try. Instead, come up with a way to get him to use it to your advantage...
Trunk
Darn that british accent of yours! Who else could conveniently say the password in another way? Perhaps a lower class way...
"Inside Trunk" (If you don't know what I mean by that, don't click, eh?)
I'd recommend going west immediately after going downstairs. You'll find out what you need to do in all those other rooms.
Take "dressed to the nines" literally.
How many rooms are there downstairs?
Commander
Need to figure out what to feed him? What accent is he speaking with?
You may have missed something important in The North maze...
I hope those are somewhat helpful... If any more assistance is needed, I'll be glad to perform the role of the butler. Good day.
R.
Ahah, I feel stupid, I overlooked
the jail in the police station every time.
*Facepalms*
Have much of 'nines'....but uncertain what to do with
knight
my "outfit isn't numbering up"
there are eight rooms in the trunk, but one of them is just the entrance (stairs). I believe I have all six items from other rooms, plus the tailcoat (I am "dressed to the sevens")....I'm sure I have to get something from the knight...
thanks.
*sigh* ok, got through all that without needing help, now am stuck at 88%. I'm
In the "unmissed old cow's" flat with a nasty poodle who doesn't care if I throw it for him and I can't reach the will. The butler's hint about him being run over is no help. No items seem helpful.
Hint, please? What do I do now?
Nevermind, I win! Wonderful adventure! Reminds me a tad of Jeeves & Wooster. *goes to play Hamlet now*
Still stuck at 91%
I can't figure out how to alter the punctuation on the love letter to reflect more in my favor. Any hints?
Help, I'm stuck!
I know
I need to give "Fatty" the haggis, but he just eats it and ignores me.
What am I doing wrong?
Seashell- Undo, undo! I hope you saved.
You can't just hand over the haggis, you need to use it to make Fatty go away
What's the black circle for? Maybe that can help you?
Put the haggis on the circle and push the button, Fatty is teleported away and you can get what you need
I'm finally done! I was so hung up on that last little bit.
slackjob:
You don't actually need to ALTER the punctuation or anything written on the letter. Perhaps you could abridge it, though.
Try reading the love letter slowly.
"Ampersand, I'm leaving you. Everything". Hey, that sounds all right!
So you need to cut the letter in half. Unfortunately, you can't do it.
But maybe there's somebody who can.
What other document are you carrying? Read it.
Perhaps you should be honest and pay the police a visit about that IOU of yours.
Give officer Plank the IOU and see what happens.
He rips it in half and eats it. So, give him the love letter. He will rip it in half, conveniently exactly where you want, and eat only one half, leaving you with the other. Take it, go to Aunt Cecilia's house, take the real will, and drop the love letter to take its place. Then return home to meet your Aunt's solicitor and win the game!
seashell:
So Fatty eats the haggis, while standing on the mysterious black circle on the floor? How convenient and interesting...
And there's a big bright red button nearby, you say? Fascinating...
What else? Push the button. The teleporter on the floor will activate and Scotty, I mean Fatty, will be beamed away...
Leaving you free to get your grubby little hands on that rather fetching collar.
Since it doubles as a vital spaceship part, however, it might be a good idea to leave this place immediately.
Fatty
The button causes things to transport to other places.
Like the circle
Spoilers for the places I got stuck
Embalmer:
Kill him. In next room is cufflinks.
Fatty:
Put haggis on black circle, press button, look at machine, take collar
(and one for those asking about the...)
Knight:
give him the lance, take handkerchief
Ending:
When you think you are finished go to your drawing room
Haha, I like how, at 88%,
disposing of Gladstone
promoted me from
gentleman to nobleman. :D
a68tbird:
The location with the knight contains a lance. The lance's description is pretty helpful.
If you've waited around with the knight, you may notice he seems to be having trouble with his jousting.
See if you can help him out! He's missing something that's essential to jousting. He can't knock his opponent off the horse without it.
MadWithMuchHeart:
There may be some fixed objects in the room that seem unimportant at first, but it may be wise to give them another look.
Did you notice the window is stuck half-open?
The gap may be small, but then, so are poodles!
slackjob:
Your butler gives a hint for a hint of sorts if you show him your IOU.
You could follow him up on it by showing your IOU to Plank.
Plank isn't particularly observant when you hand him a piece of paper. Give him any piece of paper and he'll likely assume it's just another IOU.
Hope that helps, if you still need it. :D
seashell:
You're right, it's not good to just hand it over to him. Try using objects in your environment to your advantage.
Aside from giving the haggis, you can also place it somewhere in particular in the room.
You know what the button does, right?
Good luck!
a68tbird
Keep in mind that there are two sub-rooms to the northwest, that is Commander Fatty's room and the room with the typewriter guy. Each one of those has a piece of clothing. As for the knight, well he's not very clever. Try waiting around and see what happens to him. Maybe you've got a way to help him out.
slackjob
Since you have the same problem I did, I suggest looking at rush's earlier hint to me.
seashell
You're not trying to appease Fatty. Instead, try to figure out a way to get rid of him. Maybe if you place the haggis on a certain conspicuous object in the room and then do something else, he'd just... dissapear.
how do i get the jerkin from the cowboy? he won't stop giggling with miss kitty.
Stager,
The way things seem to be going between the cowboy and Miss Kitty, I don't think YOU will be the one taking the cowboy's clothes off of him...
You are a gentleman. Do the discreet thing and leave the lovebirds alone.
In other words, exit the tavern and the cowboy's jerkin will be thrown out the window, falling next to you.
I'm stuck on the "dressed to the nines" part.
I have the items from the north(both of them), the south, the east, the southeast, and the northeast, and the tailcoat.
What do I do for the west(saloon)(I spat in the spitoon but there is no clothing) and the southwest (the mill) (I have no idea where the poodle is).
I'm stuck at the mill. is the
stovepipe
the only item that I am supposed to get there?
I have 8 of the items now. still looking for the 9th...
I'm stuck at 88%!
What do I do after I get the will?
lopsidation-
For the West:
if you've spat in the siptoon that should be all you need to do, just go outside and it should appear
For the Mill:
you might like to take a closer look at that window
an extremely closer look
still not got it?
climb out
lopsidation:
look 'outside the box' for anything that may resemble something you can wear.
could the window be of any use to you?
I wont reveal the answer as that would make the game less of a challenge to you...
I'm stuck at 41%, what do I do after I bring alf and the butler to my house?
Nevermind, I got it, but now I'm stuck at the dressed to the nines part...
I've got the tailcoat, cufflinks, collar, stovepipe, handkerchief, jerkin, gloves, and tie
What else do I need?
Yay! I won! Interesting game, I might try a different one..
I managed to get myself killed with 25% completion, but I used Undo...
I got the hat from the police station, put it on and went into the woods...and cousin Virgule proceeded to shoot me.
How do you get the haggis?
can some one tell me how to get the tie from the typist?!?!?
PHYL -
The haggis is in the rag-and-bones yard, up in the North maze area. I had to go back for it too. The one thing that you need keep in mind:
SAVE, RESTORE your game - but easier - UNDO. You'll end up getting killed many times (I did anyway) but just kept undoing until I found the haggis
Kiki:
Alter the immediate environment to cause the typist to take his own tie off.
Do you see anything nearby you could use for that reason?
Turn the dial. The temperature will increase, and a sweating typist will throw his tie on the floor, leaving it yours for the taking.
thankyou everyone for all of your help, that is the first text adventure game that i have completed and after lots of maps to remind myself where i was going, i have decided that i enjoyed it!!
keep more of these coming :D
all right, so here is a complete walkthrough...
take teacup
w
up
s
take letter
take iou
n
d
w
take tailcoat
n
fill teacup
s
e
s
wear tailcoat
remove tailcoat
open suitcase
break urn
take ash
put ash into teacup
e
give teacup to cedilla
w
s
s
s
in
s
wait
wait
wait
wait
n
out
n
w
in
look in box
give plank iou
give plank letter
out
e
n
n
e
give cedilla hat
w
s
n
e
w
w
w
ring bell
w
s
s
w
in
n
s
out
e
ne
n
n
n
w
n
n
n
e
s
take haggis
n
w
s
s
s
e
s
s
s
sw
w
in
n
s
out
e
n
n
w
(wait until alf shows up)
tell alf password
d
s
se
n
nw
turn dial
take tie
se
ne
put haggis in circle
press button
look machine
take collar
out
s
ne
ne
take flower
sw
sw
e
e
push embalmer
e
take cufflinks
w
w
w
se
se
take lance
give lance to knight
take handkerchief (note: if you've done something else while at the field, you'll have to wait for the handkerchief to appear).
s
s
take gloves
n
n
sw
sw
open window
go through window
grab stovepipe
fall
ne
ne
w
w
in
spit
out
take jerkin
nw
w
wear tie
wear collar
wear flower
wear cufflinks
wear handkerchief
wear gloves
wear stovepipe
wear jerkin
wear tailcoat
take bone
throw bone through window
take will
out
out
e
n
u
e
e
Help with the password please!
i got alf to say the password, but the trunk closed again and he's gone! how do i get it back open?
something vozome forgot
at the very end after "take will", there should be the command of "leave letter".
Hats off to this excellent diversion. As an experienced long-time text adventurer, I must admit that there was a spot where I was a little stuck.
Waking the cowboy
The rest was straightforward and quite entertaining enjoyable. I'll likely download the code just to see what easter eggs i didn't find. Be sure to ask anyone you meet about the game's author. :-)
For anyone getting a little stuck, remember that everything in this style of game has a purpose, and when in doubt
"ask jeeves about" whatever it is.
is there any other games like this??? because that was excellent.
I've got my letter torn up and my IOU eaten up by the sergeant. How do I get to the real will?!?!?
Excellent and challenging game. I wish there was a sequel. I have a question, though. I finished the game, but it says I have only completed 99%! How can I finish 100% of the game?
Stuck after getting the pigeon from el butler-man.
i'm at zero percent....how do i take the suitcase?
Nevermind, found out what to do with pigeon and wierd dude. But... what about the
underground servants quarters?
should i follow the
Billions of people running across the room?
YAY! I beat it!
Thanks for the help, guys!
woops...dropped letter in my house too early....alf stole it! can't finish the game?
don't have letter anymore either...do I have to go back to the yard and search for it?
im stuck on 0% haha, what do you have to write?
WOW that was challenging and really fun!
I'm going to play Hamlet now
Im stuck right at the start... i have the teacup, how do i get her inside...? take her suitcase... whatever... im stuck with the aunt
Hi there, I'm at 78% and need help.
Where do you find the collar and...does it matter if you didn't put the haggis in the circle?
Have 8 out of the 9 9's. Also, where do you get the will from?
Thanks, could use some help...!!!
Ok, I did not put the haggis in the circle, Fatty ate it, now how can I get the collar?
Thanks, appreciate any help.
I won the game! It took quite a lot of figuring out, but I got it.
Lovely! I do miss good ol' text adventure games, they're becoming so rare these days. This one is very witty, and not too difficult, and not much chance of getting stuck at unwinnable states (as far as I can see). Very nice.
ok im stuck at zero % what do you do with that bottle!!!
How do you kill Aunt Cedilla?
and please give me the straight forward answer:
What is the password? i'm so STRESSED about it
how come I can't take the
hankerchief from the knight when he tosses it to me?
it just says Sorry you can't get that! i started over, i tried to catch it, pick it up, etc?
where do you get the bone?
im stuck on zero 0\0
actually it should be "wait" three times or "z" three times before the bell appears..."w w w" is confusing as it's..."w" is shorthand in IF for "west" not "wait"....just saying...come to think of it, it is kinda weird that "z" counts as a wait command...ahahaha
Somewhat enjoyable game. This game would've been more enjoyable if it wasn't confusing with random unnecessary elements and seemingly racist in parts. (How come the only Blacks that show up in the game are slaves or are described as wearing straw skirts?) Maybe I'm reading too much into those few parts but you've got to wonder why Johnson bothered....I think it was a little funny that the goal of this game was to kill an obnoxious relative just so you can become rich but I'm sure some people wouldn't agree.
Has anybody else noticed (about the dog)
it arrives with your aunt as a jar of ashes, yet you have to deal with him later in your aunt's flat? Resurrection!
where is the bone because i'm in the tavern and i can't get it! please help me!
WALKTHROUGH! Took me forever to do this! Hope you all apreciate this.
Start:
Walk around, don't go to the door/south. Pick up the servents tailcoat, teacup, iou, and letter. Wear the tailcoat.
Aunt at the door:
Come back and open the door. Aunty will give you a suitcase and demand a cup of tea, then go wait in the drawing room. Open the suitcase, take and break the urn, and get a peice of ash.
Making tea:
Go to the scullery. Say, "take water with teacup". You will now have a teacup full of dirty grey rainwater. Remember that ash you got? Put the ash in the teacup ("put ash in teacup"). It will look like tea now. Kinda.
Giving tea:
Come to the drawing room. Your "aunt" will be sitting there. Feel free to try commands like, "kick aunt" and "kiss aunt" (If you try to hit her though, you will lose. Say "undo" to get back."). Then give her the teacup. She will think this is tea. Take the cup when she is done. She will then tell you to go meet your cousin Virgule at the railway station.
Meeting cousion Virgule:
Go out the door (south of foyer). Keep going until you get to the front of the railway station. Say "in" to get in. Go south until you can't go south any more. Say "wait", and cousin Virgule will arive (brandishing a shotgun).
After meeting:
Leave the station, and head back, until cousin Virgule starts to complain about how he hasn't shot anything, and leaves. Explore the town if you want (don't go the "The North" though. If you do, make sure to say "SAVE" beforehand).
Police (love letter)
Make sure you go to the police station. Give Sergeant Plank the love-letter. He will mistake it for a IOU, rip it in half, and drop one half (eating the other). Take it. Don't leave yet - there is more.
Ugly hat:
Open the LOST PROPERTY box. Take the hat. If you try it on, the butler will warn you not to. THE BUTLER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! Don't wear it, or cousin Virgule will pop out of nowhere, mistaken you for a pheasent, and shoot you (and you will die).
Murder:
Come back to Aunt Cedilla after you visit the police station. She will think the hat you got is beautiful - so give it to her (awww!). Now, examine the room. Suddenly, your cousin with the shotgun will apear out of nowhere, mistake Aunty for a pheasent, and shoot her head... off. Examine the room again. Sergeant Plank will apear (as he heard the shot), and say you are under arrest. DO NOT TALK TO HIM. He will hang you if you do.
Escape bell:
Upon examining the room again, you will discover you have misteriously abtained a bell in your hand. Take the bell and ring it. The butler will come the rescue, blame himself for the crime, and say you were at a cricket match at the time. Phew!
Saving butler:
Come back to the police station [to save your butler!]. Go north to the "gaol" cell. The butler will inform you of northlander named Alf, and give you a carrier pidgeon, to guide you to him.
The North:
Go the "The North". The carrier pigeon will "direct" you safely through the alleys. Keep following it (it will say, "the pigeons orbit errs the the west/north/ect.), until you get the the Rag-and-Bone Yard - REMEMBER YOUR PATH! - where you will meet Alf the Northlander.
Taking Alf:
Take the haggis. Alf would like you to guide him back to the police station so he can help [the butler]. If you didn't remember the path, it basicly goes like this: North, east, then south (and south and south...) Go to the police station "gaol" cell. Alf will free the butler, slicing his chains, then they will both come back to the manor to bury your aunt.
Opening the trunk:
Head the the manor. Go into the servents quarters to open the trunk, and waste some time (examine the room) until Alf comes in. Tell Alf to say password (just type, "tell Alf to say password"). He will, with a country accent, and the lid will creak open, reavealing an iron staircase. Afterwords, Alf will run away (in fear).
ALL SERVENTS HALL CLOTHES:
Enter the staircase. The butler will join you. BIG STUFF HERE! Once you get something, wear all the stuff that is wearable. Continue south to the servents hall. Wander around (all directions) and take Shakespere's white gloves (south,south), take a knights lance and give it to him, and you will receive a hancercheif (you already HAVE it - no need to take it) (wearable)(SE,SE), push the embalmer into the sarcophagus, coninue east, and take the saphire cufflinks(east,east), pick the flower from the cavern floor (wearable) (ne,ne), spin the dial to raise the heat and take the typist's tie which is thrown on the ground north,nw), place the haggis on the black circle (teleportation circle) and press the red button to get rid of Fatty, then take the trilatinium-spolorex collar(inside the machine)(north,ne - quickly leave though, or the room will explode), open the window, then exit through the window and land on the roof, take hold of the stovepipe then fall back down to the servents hall (this is wearable!)(sw,sw), spit in the spittoon, which will wake up the sleeping cowboy, who will rush up the stairs to meet miss kitty- exit the tavern and the jerkin will be thrown out for you to take (ew..) (west,west,in). Put all this stuff on. You are now ready and fully dressed
Aunt's flat:
From the servents hall, go northwest, then west. Go into the building. Since you are "dressed to the nines", you can now go up the stairs, to Aunt's flat. You are so close now!
Poodle:
Take the bone, open the window. Remeber the mill? Throw the bone out the window! Gladstone the evil poodle will jump out the window, get hit by a train, leaving the last will and testimony unprotected (awwww).
Switching wills:
Grab that will! Drop your halve-of-a-loveletter on the ground. Leave the flat, until your butler will inform you that "Excuse me, sir," he says, handing you a visiting-card. "This gentleman is waiting for you in your drawing-room. It is apparently a matter of some great import.". Go back to the manor (nw,n,u,e,e, starting at servents hall), and to the drawing room!
ENDING:
If you win, it should now say... Drawing room
A pinstriped solicitor unfolds himself from the armchair as you enter.
"Mr. Fodge," says the solicitor. "I represent the estate of Miss Cedilla Fodge. We have located her will, and it would seem she has bequeathed her entire fortune to yourself. The money will be in your bank account tomorrow morning. Good day."
He prances out. The butler shimmers in, with a bottle of champagne on a silver salver.
"Congratulations, sir," he says. "You appear to have won. Refreshment?"
*** You are rich ***
You completed 100% of this adventure.
The butler rates you as an esteemed personage.
________________________________________________________
I do not understand why there have been so many - complications - with this game. Its really very simple. Take items, and flip with random commands. You can just make them up. Kiss, climb, hug, fight, spit, dance, yell, ect. There are alot, using just basic verbs. Tips: Saying, "place" or "leave" something op something wont work (place pinapple on dog/leave letter). This is one of the best and one of the easiest textual games i have ever played. I must admit though, the cowboy thing was a bit hard. I think that was only because i didn't know what a spittoon was. Wish everyone luck with this game!
Where do you find the haggis?
The haggis is at Alf's place.
Loved the game. Just a quick comment on the racially-oriented question above: I was worried by some of the descriptions myself at first. However, I noticed that one of the rushing servants was supposed to be Sherlock Holmes' landlady Mrs. Hudson; could some of the others be literary inside jokes as well?
Racist? FFS!
To think that somebody is worried about describing Alf as a dirty Northerner or a slave as "half naked" or whatever just shows that the style of humor is going right over their head! It's all about the toffs view of life!
Anyway, yes, many of the scrambling servants are literary in-jokes.
I laughed out loud when the first 'servant' I saw was Manuel!
We also have :
Igor, with the, um, pickled cauliflower
Marvin, the sad metal person with a bucket
Alfred!
Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper)
Man Friday (portrayed as a black savage because, um, his character IS a black savage, sheesh!)
Kryten (I think, with the square head)
Jeeves (I think "A valet in a bowler hat, carrying a pair of Etonian-coloured spats and a match")
Columbia (maybe, that's the only "attractive housekeeper in a gold tailcoat" I've ever seen)
Not sure about:
"A bent, wiry manservant carrying a frying-pan"
"A skinny office-boy in shirtsleeves, carrying a stapler"
"A thin, stooped, middle-aged housekeeper, carrying a teapot and an enormous plate of sandwiches" (makes me think of the mad hatters tea party but maybe not)
"Some sort of hunched anthropomorphic duck, carrying a ketchup bottle" (WTF?)
"A short, elf-like creature"
"A fat butler, swigging surreptitiously from a bottle of cooking-sherry"
... Some of those may just be generic or invented, but probably just over my head.
... I kept looking for Bob Cratchett, but haven't seen him yet.
As to the game in general - yes, the cowboy was the most unintuitive part - and Why I had to come looking for a spoiler :( . I also missed the key item hidden in the starship description. The rest was absolutely fantastically paced however!
ah! - Short, elflike creature
could be Dobby, the house elf in Harry Potter.
"Some sort of hunched anthropomorphic duck, carrying a ketchup bottle" is (and i'm for certain, because there aren't that many hunchd anthromorphic birds out that carying catsup bottle.) (from Wikipedia)
Igor, from a TV cartoon about a vegetarian vampire duck named Count Duckula, who is vegetarian because Igor gave him katsup instead of blood for his reincarnation. Igor is a hunched balding vulture, and Druckula's servent.
I think i'm going to figure out some more tomorrow or maybe sometime later.
Lastly, i'd like to say i'm sorry (after re-reading what I wrote) for what I wrote at the end of my walkthrough. O: Musta been in a bad mood.
I am in the Servent's Hall and did not pick up the haggis when first collecting Alf. I tried to go back to the North but there is only death when I follow the same path. Or, I must have taken a wrong turn. Can anyone help me get the haggis?
Very amusing, good writing. It's sort of like those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books except more intelligent. I enjoyed it.
The butler shimmers in, with a bottle of champagne on a silver salver.
"Congratulations, sir," he says. "You appear to have won. Refreshment?"
Huzzah!
I finally completed it with your help thnx guy!
A bent, wiry manservant carrying a frying-pan
Undoubtedly "Alberto Malich the Mage" - Death's manservant from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
Sancho Panza's there too (from Don Quixote).
What a billiant and hilarious game! Thanks for the walkthrough!
"A sad metal person, carrying a bucket of water" is Marvin from the Hitchhikers series.
Heh.
Oh, and one think I forgot about my walkthrough:
You don't have to remember your path. Alph will save you from anything that tries to attack you. And I don't know how you'll get the haggis - just keep Undo-ing, I suppose. Otherwise, I dont' think there's a way... maybe ask the butler? Dunno.
I tried googling some of the other ones, but I can't figure it out. Aw well.+
This game was pretty easy for me. I thought it was a little too whimsical, especially without much explanation - for example, there is travel with the "falling backwards" (it's why the poodle is still there)... I had some trouble with opening the trunk, the starship and the love letter (and used the walkthrough), but I found the cowboy, and the other parts, very easy.
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