Typed in by Dave Rees (
[email protected]) from the manual included with
the Infocom game "Spellbreaker".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sample Transcript and Map
This transcript is not from SPELLBREAKER, but it does show most
of the usual things you can do in the story. It contains several
simple puzzles and their solutions, and it will give you a good idea of how
Infocom's interactive fiction works. The player's sentences appear in
capital letters after each prompt (>). The map represents the terrain
in the sample transcript as you might have drawn it.
[Picture of map. Can be inferred from the transcript, so I won't reproduce
it here].
Road Near Brook
You're standing on a wide, bumpy north-south road. An impenetrable forest
lies to the east, and a babbling brook runs along the road to the west.
A sign is leaning against a pile of pebbles and small stones.
>READ THE SIGN
The sign has two arrows: one pointing north marked "To
Greener Pastures," and one pointing south marked "To Gornforb's Grocery."
>GO NORTH
Road Near Bridge
A small wooden bridge to the west spans the brook and leads (you can see)
to sunny, open pastures, where birds sing and swoop playfully. A wide road
leading south runs parallel with the brook and disappears into the dark
shadows. An impenetrable forest lies to the east, and north of here is
a marsh.
On the far side of the bridge is a troll, either dead or sleeping.
Guarding the bridge here is a buck-toothed cyclops wielding a mace. He
scowls as you approach.
>WEST
The cyclops roars at you, swings his mace, and tries to bite you. You jump
out of the way.
>INVENTORY
You are carrying:
your spell book
a pouch containing several gold nuggets
The cyclops spits out a horrible assortment of syllables that you barely
decipher as a demand for all your valuables.
>READ THE SPELL BOOK
My Spell Book
gnusto spell: write a magic spell into your spell book
frotz spell: cause an object to give off light
urbzig spell: turn a dangerous object into a harmless one
The cyclops again utters some threatening sounds, this time louder.
>SPELLS
The gnusto spell is yours forever. Other than that, you have the
urbzig spell committed to memory once and the frotz spell committed to
memory once.
The cyclops raises his mace above his head and leans back, preparing to leap
at you and strike you full force with the mace!
>CAST THE URBZIG SPELL ON THE CYCLOPS
The cyclops is replaced by a moth, which flutters away. The mace falls
to the ground.
>TAKE THE MAXE
I don't know the word "maxe".
>OOPS MACE
The mace is much too heavy for you to lift, let along carry.
>WEST
Bridge
Your're standing on a small wooden bridge spanning a babbling brook. You can
see sunny, open pastures west of here, where birds sing and swoop playfully.
As you cross the bridge, the boards creak loudly.
The troll wakes up and pulls a long nasty knife out of his shabby clothes.
He points the knife in your direction as he hisses, "Gold! Give me your
gold!"
>MEMORIZE URBZIG
urbizg spell: Using your best study habits, you commit the urbzig spell
to memory.
The troll jabs the knife in your direction, his blood-red eyes dripping
with greed. "Give me your gold, and maybe you'll live!" he hisses.
>URBZIG TROLL
You speak the words of the spell perfectly, but nothing happens!
The troll seems surprised. "Your magic fails you, eh? Ha!" He adjusts his
grip on the long nasty knife and walks slowly toward you, looking for the most
vulnerable part of you throat.
>GO EAST THEN SOUTH
Road Near Bridge
There is a mace here.
Road Near Brook
A sign is leaning against a pile of pebbles and small stones.
>WEST
Just as you're about to step into the babbling brook, you see giant
electric eels light up in anticipation of electrocuting and devouring you.
You step back away from the brook.
>SOUTH
Road Outside Gornforb's
The wide, bumpy road continues north and south here. Nestled among
the thick forest foliage is a stone building with a closed black door and
no windows. Above the door is a sign.
>READ THE SIGN
"Gornforb's Grocery
Open Every Day
(Proprietor May be Napping-Knock Several Times)"
>KNOCK ON THE DOOR
You knock on the door.
>AGAIN
You knock again on the door.
>AGAIN
You knock again on the door.
Suddenly the door opens, and you hear a voice inside say "Come in, come in!"
>GO INTO THE HUT
As you step into the hut, the door shuts quickly behind you, leaving you in
total darkness. You can't see a thing.
Darkness
A voice in the dark mumbles something about not being able to find a match.
>FROTZ THE SPELL BOOK
There is an almost blinding flash of light as the spell book begins to glow!
It slowly fades to a less painful level, but the spell book is now quite
usable as a light source.
Gornforb's Grocery
You're standing in a nearly empty store. A closed black door leads west.
Several empty glass jars, an empty bag, and a pencil are all you see on the
dusty shelves.
Gornforb, the storekeeper, continues to look in all the empty jars. "I
think there's a match in here somewhere."
>TAKE THE EMPTY BAG
"No, no," say Gornforb. "No bag unless you buy something." Gornforb looks
about and picks up the pencil. "Here. This will cost you 100 gold
nuggets."
>OFFER 1 GOLD NUGGET
"2 gold nuggets, and not a zorkmid cheaper!" says Gornforb sternly.
>BUY THE PENCIL
Gornforb takes 2 gold nuggets from you, hands you the pencil, and opens
the door. "Thank you, come again, come again."
>GORNFORB, GIVE ME THE PAPER BAG
"Help yourself, take it if you want it, thank you, come again, come again."
He stands by the door, impatiently waiting for you to leave.
>TAKE THE BAG
Taken.
"Good day, good day," says Gornforb impatiently.
>LEAVE THE STORE
As you step outside, the black door slams shut behind you.
Road Outside Gornforb's
>NORTH
Road Near Brook
A sign is leaning against a pile of pebbles and small stones.
>TAKE PEBBLES THEN PUT THE PEBBLES IN THE BAG
Taken.
Okay, the pebbles are now in the bag.
>WRITE "GOLD" ON THE BAG
Okay, the bag now has "gold" written on it.
>N.W.
Road Near Bridge
There is a mace here.
Bridge
As you cross the bridge, the boards creak loudly. The troll hears you
coming and quickly puts his long nasty knife to your throat. "This time
you shall not live!"
>SHOW THE BAG TO THE TROLL
The troll's blood-red eyes bulge disgustingly when he sees the word
"gold" on the bag. He drops his knife and reaches for the bag.
>PUT THE BAG INTO THE BROOK
"Gold!" shrieks the troll with pleasure, as he dives into the brook after
the bag. Suddenly you hear another shriek, this time of agony; some
thrashing in the water below you; and then all is quiet, save for the singing
of the birds to the west.
>GO WEST
Greener Pastures, Near the Bridge
This is the edge of one of the most idyllic spots in the land. Rare and
beautiful birds quickly encircle you, sensing no maliciousness in your
heart. They look at you with curiosity and wonder, and then hundreds
of them grab hold of your clothes and lift you up up up over magnificient
fields of green and gold to a destination not discussed in this sample
transcript.
