Key & Compass presents:
The Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man
by Neil deMause

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

Map

Walkthrough

Post Office, on line

> x me. i. x card. x package. x Validator. x line.

> unwrap package. x book.

> read book. (You read one of three random pages. These are clues for later problems.)

> g. (Repeat reading the book until your shoe starts ringing.)

> remove shoe. answer shoe. (It's Bob.)

> z. (Bob has a job for you: stop Mr. Redundancy Man.)

> z. (Bob hangs up.)

> x phone. wear phone.

By now, a tack has probably fallen loose from a poster.

> x tack. take tack. (Can't reach it from here.)

> x paper. fold paper. (Nope.)

> leave line. SPACE

Outside the Copy Shop

While in this location, you may see a prop mime and upto three passersby: an old man, a well-dressed woman, and an itinerant street musician. They'll be more important later.

Validator may also wander by at any time too, but he is never important or useful.

> x Pastiche. x Lexicon.

Two turns after arriving here, Clapper gives you a wire, a glue bottle, and a bag of iron filings.

> thank Clapper. x Clapper.

> x Newsboy. ask Newsboy about Mr Redundancy Man.

> x wire. (just a coil)

> x glue. read label (Not effective on many things!)

> x iron.

> x doors. ("IN" and "IN")

> w.

Copy Shop

> x sign. (They refuse service to superheroes.)

> x machine. x panel. x copier control panel.

> x copier side panel. open it. look in it.

> lift lid. (heavy; you drop it)

> x stapler. x cutter.

> x implements. x clips. take clips. (You take one.)

> x clerks. x door. (To HQ and restroom)

> w. (denied; only for customers)

> push green button. (denied; no service for heroes)

> ask Newsboy about copier. (He tells you about reset buttons.)

> x reset button. x slot. x tray.

So what are you supposed to do here? If you ask your teammates for help, it becomes clear,... well, clearer... that you need to cut the sign using the stuff Pastiche gave you.

However, your overall goal here is to get into that "secret door" to wherever Mr. Redundancy Man is hiding. The clerks won't let you in (to the restroom) because you're not a customer. You could prove you're a customer if you photocopied something, anything, and showed them the copy — but because of that sign, they won't let you use the copier. So that's why the first step is to get rid of that sign.

> ask Lexicon for help. ("cut")

> ask Pastiche for help. (do something about that sign)

> ask Clapper for help. (use the stuff I brought you)

One of the passages in the book suggested making a saw from a string, so try doing that:

> open bottle.

> squeeze glue. (You can't do that.)

> put wire in glue.

> put wire in filings.

> x wire. (It's coated with iron filings.)

> cut sign with wire. (This works?!)

> x plaque. (Still refuses service to superheroes.)

Now that the sign is cut, this bit of business works:

> ask Newsboy for help. (He tells you about an ordinance that says you have the right to use the copy machine.)

> tell clerks about ordinance. (Now you can use the copier.)

> put book under lid.

> push green button. ("INSERT COINS")

> Clapper, find change.

If you've lucky, you'll hear a beeping noise east. Go east regardless.

> e.

Outside the Copy Shop

It turns out that it's illegal to talk to mimes, so try talking to one of the three passersby (man, woman, or musician) when they're here. It doesn't matter who.

By the way, all attempts at getting a quarter only work when the mime's loud fan isn't on. The passersby can't hear you over the fan's noise. If this is a problem, you just need to wait until the mime turns the fan off.

> ask PASSERBY for change. (You've asked the wrong way.)

> beg PASSERBY for change. (You look like a religious fanatic.)

Lexicon won't know how to help you unless you pushed the green button earlier.

> ask Lexicon for help. (He suggests "cadge".)

> cadge change. (The passerby gives a tuppence. Lexicon suggests "inveigle".)

> inveigle change. (You get a quarter.)

> x tuppence. x quarter.

> w.

Copy Shop

> put quarter in slot.

> push green button. (The copier tells you copies are 50¢ each.)

> Pastiche, take quarter.

> Pastiche, put quarter in slot.

> push green button. ("OUT OF PAPER")

> Clapper, find paper. (A cabinet beeps.)

> x cabinet. open it. (It's locked.)

> Pastiche, take paper. (She can't pull the ream of paper out; it's probably too big.)

> bend clip. unlock cabinet with clip.

> look in cabinet. take ream.

> take tray. put ream in tray. put tray in machine.

> push green button. ("PAPER JAM")

> look in side panel.

> Pastiche, take crumpled paper.

> push reset button. close side panel.

> push green button. take paper. x it. take book.

> x crumpled paper.

Now prove that you're a customer:

> show sheet to clerk.

> w.

Corridor

> x plywood. x restroom. n. (You don't need to go there.)

> break plywood. (How?)

> kick plywood. (Ow.)

> Pastiche, open door. (Her right foot has the power to kick down thin plywood doors.)

> w.

Mr. Redundancy Man's Secret Hideout and Hidden Lair

Lexicon is particularly vexed by MRM's word usage and is of no help in this battle. He will lose consciousness soon after you enter.

> x Man. x clones. x machine.

> open panel. (MRM orders a clone to stop you.)

> ask Pastiche for help. (She hurls herself at MRM, but he ducks and she crashes into a supply closet.)

> ask Clapper for help. (She suggests something in your book may help.)

At this point, MRM closes the closet door, trapping Pastiche.

> open closet. (MRM again orders a clone to stop you.)

> clone, open closet. (MRM orders another clone to stop it.)

> Pastiche, kick door. (MRM closes a second plywood door, and Pastiche's kick fails.)

Remembering the "Confusing Your Enemies With Illogic" part of your book, and noting Newsboy's hinting that the clones obey everything they're told, you need to realize that you must give them an order that they can't obey:

> clone, disobey me. (The clone kills another clone, and the cloning machine is destroyed.)

The clones start to fall one-by-one. You may wait and watch the carnage if you want to:

> z. z. z. z.

But you don't need to wait. Once the cloning machine is destroyed, nothing stops you from arresting Mr. Redundancy Man.

> arrest Man. z. SPACE

*** Stay tuned for THE FRENETIC FIVE, EPISODE 3 -- coming soon! ***

Extras

Characters

The Frenetic Five:

• Improv is the player-character and the leader of the Frenetic Five. His superpower is the ability to improvise with common objects, using them in unusual ways to solve problems. His real name is Brett, but his legal first name is Leslie.
• Pastiche has a different superpower associated with each of her body parts. Her most useful ability is her hand which she can make intangible and reach into closed things.
• Lexicon has the ability to tell you the words you're looking for. Ask him for help when you don't know the right word to use for something.
• The Clapper has the ability to locate anything nearby by clapping her hands. If the object she wants to find is nearby, it starts beeping.
• Newsboy has the ability to report the news. Ask him about any current newsworthy topic, and he'll give you the scoop.

The bad guys:

• Two clerks are in the copy shop. They absolutely refuse to assist superheroes and they block your way to the restroom.
• Mr. Redundancy Man and his duplicated clones are in his secret hideout and hidden lair. His useful ability and effective superpower of redundancy and doubling is both amusingly comedic and exasperatingly annoying.

Everyone else:

• The Validator is at the post office and in the line behind you. His annoying power is to validate your every action. His cheerfulness is not welcome at all.
• The workers and customers in the post office can be ignored.
• Bob is your contact at SuperTemps. He calls you on your shoe phone to give you your new mission.
• A prop mime performs his craft outside the copy shop.
• An old man, a well-dressed woman, and an itinerant street musician walk by the copy shop several times.

Mentioned:

• Your mother sent you the package.
• Other heroes: the Fool Who Rushes In Where Angels Fear To Tread, Old Doc Gizmo, Backhoe Woman, The Human Hydraulic Press, The Defenstrator, Microwave-Popcorn Boy, The Origami Master, the Instruction Bookworm, the Human Paradox.
• Other villains and monsters: The Man-Eating Mailbox From Planet X, the Time Being, the Crazy Gluester, The Paper Shredder From the 27th Dimension, World Wide Webster, RoboPerp, Art Gecko, the New Dealmaker.
• Referenced by Pastiche: the Staple Singers.
• Referenced by Newsboy: Johan Vaaler (inventor of the paper clip).
• Referenced by you: Dr. Seuss.

Credits

The response to CREDITS:

Thanks to my beta-testers (in order of appearance): Jon Blask, Stephen Granade, Lenny Pitts, Cody Sandifer, and Mindy Nass. And much thanks to Dan Shiovitz, Iain Merrick, and Dan Schmidt for emergency coding help.

Also, thanks to Alex, for teaching Newsboy how to Awwwk!

This game features a built-in hint system, so you shouldn't need to ask for help (not from the author, anyway). Any bug reports and comments should be directed to email reacted.

Inventory

• an ID card. You're wearing it.
• Examine it, then keep it on and ignore it.
• a package wrapped in brown paper. You're carrying it.
• Open it: it contains a how-to-book.
• a how-to book. It's inside the package.
• Read it several times for clues on how to solve this game's puzzles.
• It's also the most reasonable thing to put under the lid of the copier machine to copy.
• some brown wrapping paper. It's the wrapper from the package after you open it.
• You can ignore the wrapping paper.
• a shoe phone. You're wearing it, but the game doesn't mention it until it starts ringing.
• When it rings, remove the phone and answer it. When the conversation is over, wear it then ignore it.
• a spool of wire. This is one of three things that the Clapper gives you when you arrive outside the copy shop.
• Reading the how-to book suggests that a string can be turned into a cutting tool.
• Open the glue bottle and put the wire in the glue to coat the wire with glue.
• Put the sticky wire in the bag of iron filings to coat the wire with filings.
• In the copy shop, saw the wooden sign with the wire to remove it. Unfortunately, a plastic plaque with the same message is revealed to have been under the first sign.
• a bottle of glue. This is one of three things that the Clapper gives you when you arrive outside the copy shop.
• Open the bottle and put the wire in it to coat the wire with glue.
• You cannot put glue on anything else.
• a bag of iron filings. This is one of three things that the Clapper gives you when you arrive outside the copy shop.
• Put the glue-coated wire in the filings to coat the wire with filings. This turns the wire into a cutting tool.
• a paper clip. There's a pile of paper clips on the table in the copy shop. Examine the implements to notice the clips.
• Unlock the cabinet in the copy shop with the paper clip.
• a large wooden sign. It's in the copy shop near the copier machine.
• Cut the sign with the wire after you've dipped the wire in both glue and iron filings.
• You don't need to take or use the wooden sign.
• Ask Newsboy for help when the wooden sign has been cut off to learn about a helpful ordinance.
• a ream of paper. It's in the cabinet in the copy shop.
• The cabinet isn't mentioned in the room description, but if you ask Clapper about paper, the cabinet will beep.
• Unlock the cabinet with the paper clip.
• Put the ream in the paper tray of the copier machine. You'll need to first take the tray before you can put anything it in.
• a paper tray. It's in the copy shop's copier machine.
• Take it. Put the ream of paper in it. Put the tray back into the machine.
• a tuppence. One of the passersby gives it to you if you cadge quarter when that character is outside the copy shop and the mime's loud fan isn't on.
• You don't need a tuppence.
• a quarter. One of the passersby gives it to you if you inviegle quarter when that character is outside the copy shop and the mime's loud fan isn't on.
• Ask the Clapper to find a quarter to learn that a passersby has one.
• Ask Lexicon for help to learn the cadge and inviegle verbs.
• Put the quarter in the slot of the machine then push the green button to learn you need two quarters.
• Ask Pastiche to take the quarter and put it back in the slot. Now the machine thinks you've paid fifty cents and you can now push the green button.
• a crumpled paper. It's in the copier machine when you get a paper jam.
• Open the copier side panel and look in it to see some of the crumpled paper.
• Ask Pastiche to take the crumpled paper to unjam it.
• Ask Newsboy for help to learn the copier has a reset button. Push the reset button after the crumpled paper has been removed.
• a sheet of paper. The copier machine spits it out after you successfully use it.
• Show the sheet to the clerks to prove you're a customer. You may now enter the secret door.

Score

The only response to SCORE is:

Your mission has not yet succeeded. Evil is still afoot.

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