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Text Adventure Tango #1: Plundered Hearts
I’m surprised you have such a low opinion of text adventures! Even the ancient ones, and Plundered Hearts is almost thirty years old, have more funny extras than the player will discover on his own.
My earliest experiences with text adventures mostly had me fighting the parser and seeing loads of “I don’t know how to ‘verb’” and “That doesn’t accomplish anything”.
Of course, I never played any of the games that are considered “classics”, but it has kinda tainted my view a little.
And actually, I’m not surprised I could swing on that rope here, but I didn’t expect an elaborate death sequence. I figured it was sooner going to be a simpler “Mama warned me not to do any unnecessary dangerous things.” or something.
Anyway, let’s continue:
> n
> x everything
> n
> x everything
I’m hoping this room turns out to be the library.
I’m curious to see if that “low vibration” / earthquake thingy gets repeated if you take the hat again. And I want a closer look at that one book that seems to be read. Maybe something’s in it.
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
And actually, I’m not surprised I could swing on that rope here, but I didn’t expect an elaborate death sequence. I figured it was sooner going to be a simpler “Mama warned me not to do any unnecessary dangerous things.” or something.
I like it that Mama only turns up when you do something out of the ordinary. It’s quite possible to finish the game without hearing anything about her.
I’m hoping this room turns out to be the library.
I’m curious to see if that “low vibration” / earthquake thingy gets repeated if you take the hat again. And I want a closer look at that one book that seems to be read. Maybe something’s in it.
Yes, I’m all for it. 
Butter my buns and call me a biscuit! - Agent A
TimovieMan, you’ll be happy to know you can’t actually explore the wings before going to the ballroom. The butler says “No ma’am, that way is private”. Although, as we discovered, you can still get in from outside the house.
>N
You scuttle underneath the long table.
East Hallway
The carpeted hallway turns from west to north here, extending into the east wing. A long table blocks the way south.
>N
Library
Everything in this private office is larger than life. A huge portrait decorates the north side, and black drapes mask the east wall. Bookshelves tower over a cherry desk, and a massive wooden globe squats in a corner. Music wafts distantly from the ballroom across the hall to the south.
An expensive hat is hanging on a knob.
>X PORTRAIT
The portrait seems familiar, and you realize it is exactly the picture on the front of the banknote Lafond sent you, same clothes, same surroundings, same pose.
>X DRAPES
Dark drapes cover an entire wall of the room.
>X SHELVES
Most of the books appear unread, their pages uncut, the spines not yet creased. All except one, “Treatise of Power” by Sir Michael Villiers.
>X GLOBE
The massive wooden globe, painted in greens and blues and white, describes the world as presently known.
>X HAT
It is a crimson tricorne with a curling ostrich plume stuck in the crown.
Question: Do we have a name?
Butter my buns and call me a biscuit! - Agent A
I don’t think so, do we? The opening letter addresses us as “Honored Lady”. We do have a rank, however.
SCORE UPDATE:
>SCORE
In 499 turns, you have achieved a score of 10 out of 25 points. This gives you the rank of Plucky Lass.
In case there’s a hidden switch in the bookshelf:
> push book
> pull book
Otherwise:
> take book
> x book
> read book
And I want to try something:
> take hat
> put hat back
> take hat
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
>PULL TREATISE
You half tip the book out of the shelf when it snaps surprisingly back into place. There is a mysterious scraping sound from inside the wall.
>X TREATISE
You gaze at “Treatise of Power” without taking it. It seems to be the only book that has been read in the library, the leather creased and dull with use.
>READ TREATISE
You half tip the book out of the shelf when it snaps surprisingly back into place.
>TAKE HAT
As you lift the hat from its knob on the wall, a low vibration tingles up your legs from the floor.
>PUT HAT ON KNOB
You prop the hat back on the knob.
>TAKE HAT
As you lift the hat from its knob on the wall, a low vibration tingles up your legs from the floor.
So the rumbling does have to do with the hat.
> pull book again
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
Library
Everything in this private office is larger than life. A huge portrait decorates the north side, and black drapes mask the east wall. Bookshelves tower over a cherry desk, and a massive wooden globe squats in a corner. Music wafts distantly from the ballroom across the hall to the south.
A knob juts out of the wall.
>PULL TREATISE
You half tip the book out of the shelf when it snaps surprisingly back into place.
>I
You have your reticule (hanging from your wrist), a shirt, breeches, a flower, a cotton frock, a bit of mirror, a leather bottle, a jewelled brooch and a slab of pork. It seems that your reticule contains a missive, smelling salts and a banknote. You are wearing a hat, a beautiful ball gown, your kid slippers and a linen chemise.
> x knob
> push knob
> pull book
and if that doesn’t work:
> pull knob
> pull book
This has “secret passage behind the bookshelf” written all over it. 
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
>X KNOB
You can see nothing on the knob.
>PUSH KNOB
Fiddling with the knob accomplishes nothing.
>PULL TREATISE
You half tip the book out of the shelf when it snaps surprisingly back into place.
>PULL KNOB
Fiddling with the knob doesn’t do anything.
>PULL TREATISE
You half tip the book out of the shelf when it snaps surprisingly back into place.
This has “secret passage behind the bookshelf” written all over it.
Yes, it rather does, doesn’t it.
Don’t look at the hint if you don’t want a hint.
Have you examined everything in the room?
EDIT: I was stuck here for ages. If my memory serves me well, I needed a walkthrough.
Butter my buns and call me a biscuit! - Agent A
EDIT: I was stuck here for ages. If my memory serves me well, I needed a walkthrough.
It wasn’t very clear to begin with, but in this particular case it’s even worse because the description of the portrait refers to the banknote included with the game, and the scan of it at the start of this thread isn’t quite good enough to make out.
That makes it even harder to realize that you can in fact examine the island of St. Sinistra painted on the globe. And even that’s just one step in the right direction.
Ok, let’s explore the room some more.
> look behind portrait
> take portrait
> open drapes
> push globe
> pull globe
> open globe
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
>LOOK BEHIND PORTRAIT
The portrait is firmly fastened to the wall.
>TAKE PORTRAIT
Don’t dally around.
>OPEN DRAPES
You pull the cloth aside momentarily.
>PUSH GLOBE
You press the globe at random.
>PULL GLOBE
Pulling the globe has no desirable effect.
>OPEN GLOBE
You can’t open a globe!
Considering what was said above, maybe I should mention that when you examined the portrait the game refers you to this banknote, which is included in the game box.
I’m not sure why the portrait isn’t described in full, but it’s most likely someone’s ‘clever’ idea of copy protection. 
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