Shelter of the Sneaky Smuggler

=><= ##(font: 'Vollkorn')[$alert[SHELTER //of the// SNEAKY SMUGGLER]] (font: 'Vollkorn')[- A Quest of Epic Proportions - by Jason Ermer] ###[[START->intro]] [[ABOUT->about]] <=

Your team has a shared attribute called $emph[vitality]. At the start of the Quest, your team's vitality is ''3'' ❤ ❤ ❤. If your vitality ever drops to 0, that's $emph[bad news]... but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ $alert[//Do this now:// Record your starting vitality somewhere all players can see. //Note! Alerts from the game will appear in $alertcolor text, like this.//] [[CONTINUE->getting started 2]]

You find yourself in the wilderness, once again running errands for the professor. Dangerous tasks like this are just part of your job as the professor's young assistant and on-call adventurer. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ The professor's words replay in your head: $prof["We've gotten an anonymous tip about the location of a smuggler's secret hideout. We think she's the one who stole untold riches from the museum a year ago! Take a look, would you? I'm told it's down at the bottom of some cave. Sounds treacherous, but I’m sure you'll do great."] (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ Now that you think about it, the professor never explained precisely what stolen treasure you are looking for. [[CONTINUE->rope decision]]

You tie the rope to a nearby tree stump and carefully rappel down to the floor of the cave. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ ($use: "the rope") [[CONTINUE->entrance]]

You start to climb down the sheer cave wall without a rope, hoping to find enough points to place your hands and feet as you go. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ But you quickly lose your grip on the wall and drop to the floor of the cave, twisting your ankle when you land. Ouch! ($vitdec: 1) [[CONTINUE->entrance]]

From the bottom of the entrance shaft, two damp tunnels lead deeper into the cave. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ The two tunnels lead in roughly the same direction, however one of them slopes gradually upward while the other slopes gradually downward. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ From the upper passage you hear a clicking sound, like wooden sticks being knocked together. From the lower passage you hear a faint rustling sound, like fabric blowing in the wind. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ Which passage do you take? The [[upper passage]] or the [[lower passage]]?

You’ll have to be careful to avoid getting caught up in the sticky webs. Perhaps you could create some kind of barrier between yourself and the webs. Something on the floor, at least, would make your progress easier. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ ($yesno: "Do you have a $emph[blanket] to spread over the spider webs?", "blanket yes", "blanket no" )

You gingerly place the blanket over the spider webs. This should help you avoid getting stuck. ($use: "the blanket") (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ You carefully tiptoe across the blanket, past the spider webs. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ That’s when a $emph[giant spider] scuttles down from the ceiling to inspect whatever has been touching its web! $emph[[[RUN!->run]]]

You try to gingerly tiptoe through the spider webs, but they cover every surface! You are soon tangled up in the sticky strands! (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ That’s when a $emph[giant spider] scuttles down from the ceiling to inspect whatever is caught in its web! (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ The spider bites you! ($vitdec: 1) (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ But then the spider scuttles away into the darkness. Maybe you don’t taste that good? [[CONTINUE->after webs]]

You panic and run away from the giant spider, getting lost in the maze of twisty little passages. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ ($yesno: "Do you have a $emph[compass] to help you get back on track?", "compass yes", "compass no" )

Fortunately, you find your way back to your intended path with no trouble! ($use: "the compass") [[CONTINUE->crate room]]

Unfortunately, you wander around for an hour trying to find your way back. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ It’s exhausting. ($vitdec: 1) (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ But you find your way back, eventually. [[CONTINUE->crate room]]

($use: "the lantern") (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ You light the lantern, illuminating the eight hairy legs and eight shiny eyes of a $emph[giant spider] that was lurking in the darkness! $emph[[[RUN!->run]]]

As you creep along the dark passageway, your hands grasp the $emph[[vertical bars of a wooden gate.]<gate|] (click: ?gate)[==\ Oh wait, those aren't wooden bars! They're $emph[(link-goto: "the legs of a giant spider!", "spider legs")]

At the end of the cave passage, you find a rocky chamber that must have once been the smuggler's hideout. A few soggy papers and bits of trash lie scattered around the space. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ A single wooden crate remains unopened among the detritus. ($yesno: "Do you have a $emph[shovel] to pry it open?", "shovel yes", "shovel no" )

Using the shovel for extra leverage, you pry the crate open with ease. ($use: "the shovel") [[CONTINUE->loot]]

Without any tools, you try and pry open the crate with your bare hands. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ It hurts! ($vitdec: 1) (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ But it works! You open the crate. [[CONTINUE->loot]]

Inside the crate you behold an object so magnificent it defies description. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ (set: _a to 1)(set: _b to 1)\ No wonder the professor didn't go into much detail about it. The ''//[amazing treasure]<treasure|//'' is too incredible for words!(click-rerun: ?treasure)[(replace: ?treasure)[(set: _a to it+1)(nth:, _a, "amazing", "remarkable", "stunning", "incredible", "marvelous", "awesome", "wonderful") (set: _b to it+1)(nth: _b, "treasure", "object", "thing", "piece", "artifact", "item")]] You should return it to the museum immediately. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ Good luck getting past that $emph[giant spider] on your way back out! [[THE END->debrief]]

//Shelter of the Sneaky Smuggler: A Quest of Epic Proportions// by Jason Ermer This interactive story is a short example of a //Quest of Epic Proportions//, a cooperative game about negotiating and making group decisions. For more information, visit (link-repeat: "www.mythematics.org/quest")[(open-url: "http://www.mythematics.org/quest.html")]. All Quest materials were designed by Jason Ermer using the assets credited below. They are released under a (link-repeat: "CC BY-NC 4.0 license")[(open-url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/")]. You are free to use, share, adapt, and remix everything, as long as you give appropriate credit and don’t resell it. ''CREDITS'' * Interactive story was created using (link-repeat: "Twine")[(open-url:"http://twinery.org/")]. * All images are released under (link-repeat: "CC BY 3.0")[(open-url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/")] and available from (link-repeat: "game-icons.net")[(open-url: "http://www.game-icons.net")]. ** Images by Delapouite: \ (link-repeat: "Old Lantern")[(open-url: "https://game-icons.net/1x1/delapouite/old-lantern.html")], \ (link-repeat: "Rolled Cloth")[(open-url: "https://game-icons.net/1x1/delapouite/rolled-cloth.html")], \ (link-repeat: "Rope Coil")[(open-url: "https://game-icons.net/1x1/delapouite/rope-coil.html")], \ \ ** Images by Lorc: \ (link-repeat: "Compass")[(open-url: "https://game-icons.net/1x1/lorc/compass.html")], \ (link-repeat: "Spade")[(open-url: "https://game-icons.net/1x1/lorc/spade.html")], \ (link-repeat: "Sticking Plaster")[(open-url: "https://game-icons.net/1x1/lorc/sticking-plaster.html")] //Updated July 2024// [[BACK->title]]

{  (set: $firsttool to false)  (set: $alertcolor to "orange") (set: $alert to (text-colour: "orange"))  (set: $emph to (text-style: "italic", "bold"))  (set: $prof to (text-colour: "thistle")+(text-style: "italic"))  (set: $vitdec to (macro: num-type _amt, [ (output:)[$alert[Decrease your vitality by ''_amt'' ❤.]] ]))   (set: $use to (macro: str-type _supply, [ (output:)[$alert[Cross $emph[_supply] off your gear list.]] ]))  (set: $yesno to (macro: str-type _question, str-type _yes_psg, str-type _no_psg, [ (set: _s to "\u00a0") (output:)[{ _question  (print: "\n") (link-goto: "YES", _yes_psg) (print: _s + "or" + _s) (link-goto: "NO", _no_psg) }] ]))  (set: $rolldice to (macro: str-type _skill, num-type _bonus, str-type _reason, [ (output:)[{ $alert[Roll your (upperfirst: _skill) dice and find their sum.(if: _bonus > 0)[Then add +_bonus for _reason.]] }] ]))  (enchant: ?Passage's lines, (transition: "dissolve")) }

Your team also has a collection of supplies that you will use during the adventure. Each of these supplies can be used $emph[one time.] (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ Six pieces of $emph[adventuring gear] are shown below. <img src="https://i.imgur.com/5andGzA.png" alt="six supplies: blanket, compass, first aid kit, lantern, rope, shovel" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"> $alert[//Do this now:// Decide as a group which $emph[4 pieces of adventuring gear] you will carry with you. Write down your selections somewhere all players can see.] Then, it's time to [[start the adventure!->cave entrance]]

//Shelter of the Sneaky Smuggler// is a short example of a //Quest of Epic Proportions//. The main quests have the same basic structure, but they are longer and unfold over several chapters. The main quests include many decisions in each chapter, and require more careful management of your gear and supplies. Plus, some of the main quests include extra rules and surprises! For more information about the Quests of Epic Proportions, or to request access to one of the main quests, visit (link-repeat: "www.mythematics.org/quest")[(open-url: "http://www.mythematics.org/quest.html")]. $alert[Thank you for playing!]

{  (enchant: ?passage's lines, (transition: "fade")) }

Eventually you are able to extract yourself from the spider webs. You continue deeper into the cave. [[CONTINUE->crate room]]

The upper passage is impossibly dark. ($yesno: "Do you have a $emph[lantern] to light the way?", "lantern yes", "lantern no" )

After creeping along the passageway for a few minutes, you are surprised to discover an area where the walls are draped in $emph[[lacy, white curtains.]<curtains|] (click: ?curtains)[==\ Oh wait, those aren't curtains! They're $emph[(link-goto: "spider webs!", "spider webs")]

Carefully you find your way through the dark passage and continue deeper into the cave. [[CONTINUE->crate room]]

At the end of an adventure, it's often good to reflect on how it went. Discuss the following questions as an adventuring team. //There were several decisions that we had to make during the story. How effective was our team at ensuring everyone's ideas were heard and considered? What contributed to our success? How could we improve on this in a future adventure?// [[OK->summary]]

The spider bites you! ($vitdec: 1) (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ But then the spider scuttles away into the darkness. Maybe you don’t taste that good? [[CONTINUE->after spider]]

Welcome to this sample //Quest of Epic Proportions!// A Quest is a cooperative game in which all participants work together, making decisions as a team. (link: "CONTINUE")[==\ Successful teams will discuss alternatives and include all members' voices as they decide the best course of action. When a setback or conflict occcurs, successful teams work on tolerating frustration and disagreeing agreeably. [[CONTINUE->getting started 1]]

Nevertheless, here you are. You stand at the entrance to the cave: a vertical shaft that drops about thirty feet straight down into the ground. ($yesno: "Do you have a $emph[rope] to help you climb down?", "rope yes", "rope no" )