A War Story

[ArtDrake]

[This isn't a new thread, but just a renaming of the old game -- but don't stop reading! I modified the original first post so it explains better what this is about now.]

Hi! I decided that I would devote a certain amount of time to running a forum game, based on old text adventure games. Basically, you type commands into the game, and I come up with content in-game to match the command. You can make any decision in-game with the character, so long as it's a good one :D. In all seriousness, I'd like to go at least one story run with a good character, and maybe then I'll be willing to let you guys make him evil.Other forumers can just start their own or ask about hosting this thread for a bit, if they think they can do a good job, but for the most part I'd really like to keep the story-telling to myself, so I can establish the universe and its magical laws, and you guys can see if you like them or want to change them in your own stories if you choose to do something like this. I recommend examining things and exploring all possibilities as much as possible, and not just doing the stuff you're expected to do. Do the unexpected, use stuff with other random stuff, and generally have a cool adventure.

Right about now, you're probably wondering: how does this work? Well, here goes:

You are sitting in your room doing homework, and suddenly a portal opens on your walk-in closet's door. You may use an item, take it, examine it, or use one item with another.

[SmartyPants]

Use the homework with the portal.

[ArtDrake]

Great!

The homework flies into the portal, and you can hear it hit a wall on the other side. You can also hear someone ask whether someone's coming to rescue them.

Now, you just have your closed door and the portal. You may want to use the portal to retrieve your homework, but maybe it's not really a priority.

[bugfartboy]

Open the door

[Ertxiem]

And look into the portal.

[ArtDrake]

At first, the door resists, but you continue pulling. The door finally opens, and you find that the portal is also present on the opposite side of the door. However, it looks different somehow, as if it led to different place than did the portal on the other side.

Then, you decide to look in both portals. The first one, at a glance, appears to lead you into a dingy prison cell with a simple cot in the corner. It rather smells, and you decide to duck back out when you see a guard coming. The second portal opens up into a small, clean room with two seats and an array of controls in front of them, with an aerial view of a large city at night; it is the cabin of an airship.

[Steelfist]

(In the cell) Ask the guard where you are.

[ArtDrake]

You go back into the first portal, and ask the guard, who is walking away, where you are. The guard seems to be heavily inebriated, for he replies, "Go to hell! I don't love you anyway!". In the cell, there is a cot, a barred window, a lock on the cell door, and a hard stone floor.

[Steelfist]

Say to the guard: But I love you! Won't you give me a second chance and tell me where the hell I AM?!

[SmartyPants]

Examine the cot.

[ArtDrake]

I think that a normal text adventure engine would throw out Steelfist's input.

The cot, upon further examination, is composed of a bedbug-infested mattress of straw and a steel bed frame, with some sharp-looking springs that rattle loosely.

[bugfartboy]

Examine the springs

[ArtDrake]

You take the springs out of the bed, looking at them closely. They are also made from steel, but have a coating of rust on them. They come to points on either end, and look like they could hurt someone, as long as you did so stealthfully and it killed them quickly -- otherwise, they'd retaliate with whatever weapon they had.

In addition to their capacity for inflicting harm, they also seem like they could, in a pinch and in the right hands, pick a lock.

(Note: actions are in bold italics, but must be used appropriately or at least within reason)

[bugfartboy]

Kill the guard

[Ertxiem]

And, in case he didn't had time to call for help, pick the lock.