Key & Compass presents:
Bloodless on the Orient Express
by Hannes Schueller

• Map
• Walkthrough
• Extras
  • Characters, Credits, Endings, Inventory
• Thank You to my Patreon supporters
• Support me on Ko-Fi
• External links:
  • This game at Homepage, IFDB, IFWiki, and ifwizz.
  • Tweet about this walkthrough on Twitter.

Map

Walkthrough

Darkness

You awake hungry. Are you in Paris yet?

> about. stand. open coffin.

Luggage Van

> stand. x me. i. x suit. x cape.

> x coffin. x crates. x large crate. (locked)

> x door. e.

Snow! The train is caught in a snow drift.

> w.

Mail Van

> x calendar. x records. x bags.

> w. ne.

Northeast Compartment

> x man. open shades. (The man stops you.)

> bite man.

Alas, he is also a vampire and stronger than you. You're now dead forever.

*** Drained (Ending 3/4) ***

> undo

> out. n.

North Compartment

> x nuns. x crosses. bite nuns. (Crosses prevent you.)

> s. nw.

Northwest Compartment

> x father (or mother, son, daughter).

> x snail. open cage. take snail.

> out. w. nw.

First Compartment

Two men here are having an argument.

> listen.

They are Professor Saxton and Doctor Wells. Saxton has a fossil stored in the locked crate in the luggage van.

> x Saxton. x Wells.

> ask Saxton about fossil. (He drops the key.)

> take key. out. e. e. e.

Luggage Van

> unlock crate with key. open crate.

You find a prehistoric ape-man with an alien mind who sucks your own brain dry.

*** Dawn of a new super monster (Ending 4/4) ***

> undo

> w. w. w. ne.

Second Compartment

> x mirror. x bed. x pyjamas.

> x tin. x net. x comb. (You don't need these items.)

> look under bed. (You find a bag.)

> x bag. open bag. x book. (It's a recipe book for escargot.)

> take book.

> out. w. n.

Kitchen

> x jute bag. open it. x garlic.

> take garlic. (Its smell prevents you.)

> x stove. x burner. x pan. x table. x oil. x plate.

> s. w. n.

Classy Compartment

You can only examine things in this location. If you try to do anything else, the conductor shuffles you out.

> x body. x detective. x conductor.

> x desk. x pen. x paper.

> s. w.

Locomotive

> x shovel. x boiler. open it. x water.

> x tender. x coal. x whistle. x scarf.

> take scarf. take coal.

> e. e. n.

Kitchen

> wear scarf. take garlic. (You manage it.)

> put garlic in pan. put snail in pan. put oil in pan.

> put coal in burner.

> turn on stove. (You plate the food and take the plate.)

> i. x meal.

> s.

Restaurant Carriage

The detective is here, attracted by the smell. You're also now unwilling to leave this location.

> give plate to detective.

He eats the meal then makes a speech to everyone. The shady man panics, attacks, then dies, his blood spilling everywhere!

> drink blood.

Someone drives a stake through you as you drink.

*** Staked (Ending 2/4) ***

> undo

> x shady man. (Save the blood somehow!)

> put cape on shady man —or— put cape on blood.

The cape absorbs the blood, which you drink later in private.

*** Minor inconvenience which can't spoil your vacation (Ending 1/4) ***

Extras

Characters

• A shady man is in the northeast compartment in third class. He is also a vampire and stronger than you.
• A group of nuns occupy the third class north compartment in third class. Unfortunately for you, they're all wearing crosses.
• A family of Italians are in the northwest compartment in third class.
• Professor Saxton and Doctor Wells are two anthropologists having an argument in the first compartment in second class.
• A French detective is examining the murder scene in the classy compartment in first class. His grooming is impeccable.
• A conductor is overseeing the murder scene in the classy compartment, and blocks almost anything you try to do there.
• A dead woman is in the classy compartment in first class. She was obviously drained of her blood, but it wasn't by you! During the detective's speech, you learn she was a countess.
• A prehistoric ape-man inside the locked crate in the luggage van is really an ancient alien who can take over others' minds and bodies, including yours.

Credits

The response to ABOUT or CREDITS:

Bloodless on the Orient Express has been written by Hannes Schueller (email redacted) as an entry to the ECTOCOMP 2011. The rules state that not more than three hours must be spent for a game's implementation (not counting preparation time). If you feel this game is underimplemented, buggy, missing "modern conveniences" or generally short, please keep this in mind. Also due to the three-hour-rule, the game has not seen any serious testing. Bug reports, transcripts and any other kind of feedback are therefore welcome!

The implementation strategy I went with in order to stick to the time limit was to first program all the barebone game logic required to finish the game with the best ending. So, in any case, I would have an enterable game for the competition. This took about two hours. So I spent the remaining hour fleshing the locations out as much as possible. Of course, this is still not on the level I'd usually go for with "unlimited" time resources. Nevertheless, I believe there is some funny optional stuff in there now.

Endings

Ending 1 is the winning ending. Endings 2, 3, and 4 are losing endings.

• Minor inconvenience which can't spoil your vacation (Ending 1/4)
• if, in the restaurant carriage, you put your cape on the shady man (or the blood) after the shady man is killed.
• Staked (Ending 2/4)
• if you try to take or drink the blood in the restaurant carriage, or
• if you try to bite anyone in the restaurant carriage.
• Drained (Ending 3/4)
• if you try to bite the shady man in his compartment.
• Dawn of a new super monster (Ending 4/4)
• if you open the large crate in the luggage van.

Inventory

• a suit. You're wearing it.
• Ignore it. You may not remove it.
• a cape. You're wearing it.
• After the shady man dies in the restaurant carriage, put your cape on him (or the blood) to win the game with ending 1.
• a calendar and some telegraph records. They're on the desk in the mail van.
• Read them both, but don't bother taking them.
• a pet snail. It's in a cage in the third class northwest compartment.
• Open the cage, then take the snail. The Italian family won't see you do it or stop you.
• Put the snail in the pan.
• an iron key. Professor Saxton in the first compartment has it.
• Listen to the men, then ask Saxton about the fossil. He'll drop the key as their argument gets more heated.
• The key unlocks the crate in the luggage van. Open the crate for ending 4.
• a bag. Find it by looking under the bed in the second compartment.
• Open it; it contains the book.
• a book. It's inside the bag.
• Read it. It's a recipe book for making escargot.
• a hair wax tin, a hair net, and a comb. They're all on the washing stand in the second compartment in second class.
• You don't need any of these things.
• some garlic. It's inside the jute bag in the kitchen.
• You must wear the scarf, covering your mouth and nose, if you want to take the garlic.
• Put the garlic in the pan.
• a pan. It's on the stove in the kitchen.
• Leave it on the stove. Put the garlic, oil, and snail in it.
• some oil. It's on the cooking table in the kitchen.
• Put the oil in the pan.
• a plate. It's on the cooking table in the kitchen.
• You will not take the plate unless there's a meal on it, and you'll take the plate automatically when you do cook the meal.
• In the restaurant carriage, give the plate with the meal on it to the detective.
• some coal. It's in the tender in the locomotive.
• In the kitchen, put the coal into the burner.
• a whistle. It's in the locomotive.
• You shouldn't be able to take it, but you can. Leave it alone.
• a red scarf. It's in the locomotive.
• In the kitchen, wear the scarf. Now you can safely take the garlic without smelling it.
• a meal. You can prepare this in the kitchen.
• You'll need the scarf, garlic, pan, oil, snail, coal, and book.
• Leave the pan on the stove.
• Put the garlic, oil, and snail in the pan. You must be wearing the scarf when taking the garlic.
• Put the coal in the burner.
• While holding the book, turn on the stove. Assuming everything is where it's supposed to be, you'll create the meal, automatically putting it on the nearby plate and taking the plate.

Thank You to my Patreon supporters

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