Murder on the Zinderneuf (MurderOnTheZinderneuf.txt)

                          MURDER ON THE ZINDERNEUF
The time: 1936
The place: 500 feet over the Atlantic Ocean
The setting: The luxury dirigible ZINDERNEUF
The circumstances: Sixteen passengers were aboard the Zinderneuf when the giant
airship left London. Twelve hours out of New York, only fifteen remain.
The crime: Murder
The victim: Anyone
The suspects: The fifteen passengers still alive
The detective: YOU
The solution: ????
The Game: 
 MURDER ON THE ZINDERNEUF has all of the elements of a classic mystery:plot, 
counterplot, clues, red herrings, a host of suspicious characters with secrets
to hide, and, naturally, a famous detective to sort things out: you.  To solve
the crime and expose the murderer, you can follow (shadow) suspects, search
rooms for clues, and interrogate passengers in whatever style you wish, from
soft and seductive to hard and mean.
  In only twelve game hours(36 real minutes)you must unravel the web of passion
and deceit entangling the suspects, solve the mystery, and gather enough
evidence to force the murderer to confess. The New Zork police can't detain
of the passengers. If you fail, the killer may go free - and your reputation
,as a detective, will suffer accordingly.
  To start, pick the detective whose identity you wish to assume for the game. 
Your choice will determine how quickly you will find clues, how explicit the 
clues may be and how(and how well) you interrogate suspects.
  Having adopted your new role, you will be transported to the dining room of
the Zinderneuf, and the identity of the missing person will be revealed.  Then
in the immortal words of Conan Doyle," The game's afoot!"
Following People:
You may roam freely throughout the passenger section.  Noticing which room
people go into is important.

To search enter a cabin, and walk around. After a while you may find a clue, or
"YOU FIND NOTHING." Clues may be very general like "A BROWN
HAIR", or specific
to look
at the layout and color schemes of the cabins, and read the passenger section.
Some clues may turn out to be the occupants, or irrelevant.(They didn't say
would be easy to solve) You can search a room with a passenger in it, but if 
they touch you, the search starts over again.  Anytime(except during an interr
ogation) you can review all clues you've found so far. 

Motive clue:
Each case has one bit of special evidence. This clue suggest why a murder was 
comitted, as well as who did it. You can only find a motive clue after you have
found a clue in the same room, no passengers in the room, and after a few inter
rogations. Look in rooms connected to the murder,the killers room, the victim,
and anybody related to either.

Most of the information about the murder will come from talking to the suspects
To start an interview, bump into whoever you want to talk to. This gives you
three choices: Questions, Ignore, and Accuse Suspect. 
 Approaches. If you pick Question, you will be presented with five approaches
simulating casual conversation, body language, tone of voice, and general 
manner. Each detective has a different set of options. Each suspect will 
respond differently depending on who you are, and your approach. The
response determines both quantity and quality of your answers.  You are allowed
up to three questions. You pick which of the sixteen passengers to discuss.
Responses vary in usefullness though.  "WE WEREN'T ACQUAINTED"
helps a hell of
a lot, while "HE WAS A BLACKMAILER" should be noteworthy. The better
approach, the better the response. Ultimately, you may get the answer"GET
You can change who you are asking about, but not your approach. The interview
is over when the suspect walks away, and you are offered no more questions.
You may not talk to that person until you either find a clue, or talk to 
someone else first.

Ignoring Passengers:
If you are following a good suspect, and smebody bumbs into you, you may wish
to ignore him instead of taking the time to interrogate him. There are problems
with this option(of course). If you ignore someone, he ignores you, until 
after you interrogate someone else, or find a clue.  If you do this a few times
no one will want to talk to you.  Ignored passengers can still stop your search
in rooms.

Once you think you know the murderer, you may accuse him or her. If you can
find him that is. If you are correct, AND if he thinks you have enough evidence
he will confess to his evil deeds. If you are wrong, or lack evidence, you will
be unable to talk to that passenger again during the game. This also lowers 
your rating at the end. 

Final Accusation:
If all else fails, in New Zork, you can tell the police who you suspect. If 
they find evidence, the criminal will confess, and your reputation will be 
salvaged, somewhat. If you are wrong, damage to your reputation is the least of
your worries. Do not be tempted into wild accusations.

The Verdict:
As soon as you make a valid accusation, you will learn who killed the victim,
and why. You will be given a rating based on your performance. Speed, amount of
evidence,number of false accusations all add up, and of course, solving the
case. Some cases will be harder than others, but there is always ctrl-reset!

1. Start in the victims room. Anybody in there might be connected. Ask them 
about the victim for starters.
2. Some people know more than others. The only way to find out who, is ask.
3. Pay attention to the way people talk about one another. First names,etc.
4. Use common sense and some imagination. Remember which approaches work.
5. If you find nothing in a room the first time, don't look again. When
tells you they don't know, forget it, but if they tell you to get lost,try
6. Don't be hasty to accuse. Don't use the final accuse, unless you
only have
one or two people in mind.
7. Don't worry about obscure references from the suspects. It is not
8. If you are really confused, QUIT before the game has run out.

*Veronica          *         *Marle Roget        *         *Aldo Sandini       
*Blond                        Brown Hair,Glasses            Black Hair         
*Pink Carpet                  Lavender Carpet               Smokes             
*Gold Piece        *         *Pink Piece         *         *Green Carpet       
*                  *         *                   *         *Blue Piece         
*Buck Battle       *         *Antoni Peste       *         *Stephie Hart Wilson
*Blonde            *          Black Hair                   *Red Hair           
*Green Carpet                 Gold Carpet                   Pink Carpet        
*Gold Piece                  *Black Piece        *          red Piece          
*Margaret Vandergilt         *                   *Jeremiah Falmuth             
*Brown Hair,Glasses                               Red Hair                     
*Smokes,Cigarette Holder                          gold Carpet                  
*Lavender Carpet             *                   *White Piece                  
*Violet Piece                *                   *                             
*Vincent Van Wente           *                   *Natalia Berenski             
*Brown Hair,Smokes           *                   *Black Hair                   
*Cigarette Holder                                 Lavender Carpet              
*Gold Carpet                                      Blue Piece                   
*Green Piece                 *                   *                             
*                  *                                       *                   
*                  *                                       *                   
*Felicity Sucrose            ********************           Oswald Stonemann   
*Blonde                      *Hester Prymme     *           Bald,Cigars        
*Pink Carpet       *          Brown Hair,Glasses           *Reading Glasses    
*Pink Piece        *          Gold Carpet                  *Green Carpet       
**                 *         *Brown Piece       *          *Green Piece        
*Rod London        *         *Phillip Wollcraft *          *Sally Rose         
*Black Hair                  *Brown Hair,Glasses*           Blonde             
*English Cigarettes           Lavender Carpet               Smokes             
*Green Carpet      *          Light blue Piece             *Pink Carpet        
*Dark Blue Piece   *         *                  *          *Orange Piece       
The Detectives:

Harry Hacksaw:
Released from the police force when a kidnapper died under "intense
ion"-but only after revealing the location of the victim. "HARD
HARRy" relies
on gut instincts and a personal code of honor that nothing can bend. He does 
not like brainy investigations.

Chief Inspector Emile Klutzeau:
His success has long baffled not merely the criminal elements in France, but
his superiors in Surete, most notably Commisiner Wetfuss. His epic struggles,
strenous training with his houseboy and valet Kongo, trenchcoat, and trademark
Gallic mustache have combined to make Klutzeau a legend in his own time(if not
his country.

Miss Agatha Marbles:
This spinster sleuth is the leading exponent of the so-called "secondhand 
solution." A keen student of human nature, she relies almost exclusively on

gossip for evidence.  She is tall,thin, and frail.  The elderly Miss travels
rarely, except through the generosity of her nephew, novelist Chandler East.

Humboldt Hause:
He claims to be the first scientific detective. The son of German immigrants
and a resident of London, he is the foremost authority on dirt,tobacco,and 
similiar material. A piece of carpet speaks volumes to him.Hause's
hat,pipe, and accordian are almost as well known as his deductive powers.

Lieutenant Cincinnato:
Well known for his rumpled trenchcoat and battered Model A Ford and his
outstanding record as a crimestopper. His apologetic manner and unkempt
appearance conceal dogged persistance, a sharp eye for detail,and a concern for
minor discrepancies that borders on obsession.

Charity Flaire:
Aided by the mind of a general, the will of a gladiator, and the body of an 
exotic dancer, Charity Flaire, a war orphan of uncertain parentage, built the 
Web, the largest smuggling network in post-war Europe. since her
1933 with a fortune, Miss Flaire's hobbies have included crime prevention
counter-espionage for her Majesty's government.

Achille Merlot:
The famous Swiss(not French) detective, a London resident s~ince the war, 
indulges his passion for method and order by solving crimes no one else could
possibly solve. Merlot concentrates on method as opposed to mere clues. His
ridiculous appearance, and comic vanity - the short, pear shaped silhouette, 
preposterous mustache, and cane-give him a harmless air he finds useful in 
getting people to talk in interrogations.

Jethro Knight:
Also known as "the Angel" for his saintly behavior, but regarded by
cops in England as a rogue himself, is more often described-by women, at least
-as a "handsome devil." Possesed of a rugged physique and a con
man's charm, 
the Angel does not hesitate to cut corners in his ceaseless struggle with those
he terms 'the ungodly.'

Detective Ratings:
Each detective has a personalized best and worst rating. In between, there are
six general ratings that apply to all.
Super Sleuth
Ace Detective
Expert Criminologist
Trained Investigator
Glorified Gumshoe
Feeble Flatfoot
The Suspects:
The following are condensed versions of the original text.

Veronica Marlowe:
Hollywood actor,long blonde hair,out of work, married Buck Battle to get
leading role.

Francis "Buck" Battle:
Big Olympic medalist,married Veronica after knowing her less than 24 hours.Won 
three medals in swimming.

Margaret Vandergilt:
Author of gossip column.Many enemies.Patron of Vincent Wente, and mother of 
Felicity.Once divorced,twice widowed. Brown hair,glasses,smokes

Vincent Van Wente:
French modern artist, good looking,met Margaret, and then sucessful. smokes

Felicity sucrose:
18 year old innocent,blonde,surrounded by suitors,but none have gotten lucky

Rod London:
Rich, but likes life of fortune,dark, good looking, strong,smokes English cigs

Sally Queen:
Former fan dancer,arrested for lewd conduct,smokes,married to stonemann.

Oswald Stonemann:
immigrant,built empire of industy,horses,and munitions,45, bald,overwieght
smokes havana cigars, glasses for reading

Natalia Berenski:
ward of Jeremiah, rumor that her parents are Russian,ballerina,? on religousnes
slender, black hair,18.

Reverend Jeriamiah Folmuth:
fought voodoo in bayous,born again type, tax evasion, 42 red head

Stephie Hart Wilson:
Rich,red hair, studied in Tibet,climbed Andes,good shot with gun,pilot,no lover

Aldo Santini:
stage magician,ventriloquist,schitzo,medium for rich widows,chain smoker,

Marie Roget:
sucessful fashion designer,sensitive,mild, ruthless with competition,36,glasses

Anton Peste:
married to Mariewears dark suits,hungarian,polite,reclusive,50,striking looks

Hester Prymme:
librarian,won trip as contest, but no one knows about it existing, glasses,
shy, but moments of animation, keeps to herself,(Scarlet Letter?)

Phillip Wollcraft:
Bostonian,investigates standing stones,druidic circles,at night cries out in
a foreign tongue. glasses,brown hair,specialized in primitive cultures.

That's it for Zinderneuf docs, Good luck