:AT THE PARTY
: This being New Year's Eve, you are at a party. This being New Year's
:Eve, you are at a very bad party. You have already tried talking to
:everyone here, but most of them are too plastered to respond.
: There is a board game here.
:
:> X GAME
:
:It is called "Claim to Fame," and is a cross between Charades and the
:$24,000 pyramid.
:
:> PLAY GAME
:
:Trust me, you don't want to.
:
:> X PEOPLE
:
:The other guests are thoroughly plastered.
:
:> TALK TO GUESTS
:
:What do you want to say?
:
:> TELL GUESTS ABOUT FRANCE
:
:The other guests are uninterested in your trip to France, as they all
:just returned from there themselves.
:
:> Z
:
:Time passes...
It's eerie, Neil, it's like you were there. I should mention how it
continued:
>X ROOM
As far as you can tell, the party is contained in this single room. You
see folding chairs and coffee tables placed at strategic locations,
relfecting the lurid glare of the television screen. Small bowls of
tortilla chips and dip litter every available furniture surface. Sallie,
the cat, is hiding under the sofa.
>X TELEVISION
It is tuned to Dick Clark's New Year's special. Why doesn't this man age
anymore? On top of the television is a remote control.
>PICK UP REMOTE
Your fellow partygoers complain as if with one voice, compelling you to
return the remote to where you found it. They urge you to rejoin the game
of "Claim to Fame."
> PLAY GAME
Trust me, you don't want to.
> I
You have:
a plastic cup containing:
flat champagne
a wristwatch (being worn)
an urge to leave
> TIME
It is 11:04. Too early to make a graceful exit...
(Others should feel free to pick up where I left off. I'm sure it's a
pretty common scenario....)