Stooping to Diplomacy is a Glulx interactive fiction game written with Inform 7 and is © 2026 by Ryan Veeder (as Anonymous). This game was a puzzle written for #EnigMarch 2026 and is also a sequel to The Board of Regents. Both games takes place in The Little Match Girl series universe.
In this game filled with cryptic wordplay clues, you play as Lephrea, head of the Sect of Thorns, tasked by Atë, Queen of All Vampires, to form an alliance between your vampire clan and the animals of the Kansas City Zoo. To aid you in this task, you have your pendant, your tattoo, and an insufferable Ouija board.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
Lagoon
You, Lephrea, a vampire, are in the Kansas City Zoo to negotiate an alliance between her clan and the zoo animals.
> x me. i. x tattoo. x pendant.
> x board. ("GREEN LIGHT")
> go. ("ACIDITY")
> pH. (Now it's "CLOONEY SHOW")
> ER. ("YES")
> x lagoon. x bugs.
> s.
Baboon
> x baboon. x plaque. (Lester is very possessive of a doll named Sharon.)
> x board.
Most of the Ouija board's statements are in the style of cryptic crossword clues. These clues tend to have two parts to them, a definition at one end or the other, and a wordplay part which forms the bulk of the clue.
The wordplay part often uses indicator words to signal the type of wordplay used on the fodder, the rest of the words in the clue. The indicator can be before or after the fodder.
The number(s) at the end of the clue tell you the word length(s) in the answer.
Break this clue down this way:
Therefore, anagram GRIND RIFLE into a 10-letter word that means a type of lover.
Answer: GIRLFRIEND
> girlfriend (correct)
> talk to baboon. (You can only talk to snakes.)
> s.
Giraffe, Rhino
> x giraffe. x rhino.
> x board. (giraffe's clue)
Giraffe's Clue: JOHN PAUL II CURTAILED INAUGURAL CELEBRATION OVER REALLY NASTY FOOD (7)
This one uses charades wordplay which is rarely signalled by an indicator. Parse it like this:
Solve (JOHN PAUL II CURTAILED):
Solve (INAUGURAL CELEBRATION OVER REALLY NASTY):
Therefore POP + CORN = a 7-letter word that means a type of food.
Answer: POPCORN.
> popcorn (yes: giraffe wants popcorn)
By the way, the Ouija board isn't going to give you the rhino's clue until the giraffe gets its popcorn. The board only focuses on thing at a time in any given location.
> w.
Lion, Ungulates
> x lion. x deer.
> x board. (deer's clue)
Deer's Clue: BEFORE RON HAS ROTATED STONE (6)
This is another charades clue but out of order, signalled by the word BEFORE. Parse it like this:
ROTATED indicates an anagram. Anagram HAS into SHA:
Hopefully, you've heard of Sharon Stone, the actress? Therefore Sharon is a type of Stone.
Answer: SHARON
> Sharon (yes: the deer want Sharon)
> w.
Boardwalk
> x leopard. x gorilla.
> x board. (gorilla's clue)
Gorilla's Clue: GAZING ENDLESSLY INTO MAE'S AMMUNITION CHAMBER (8)
This is insertion wordplay, indicated by INTO:
ENDLESSLY indicates curtailment. So lose the last letter of GAZING:
Oh, I guess that apostrophe-"S" was short for "IS", like an explicit equal-sign. Drop it.
Answer: MAGAZINE
> magazine (yes, the gorilla wants a magazine)
> e. n.
Africa Hub
> x pavilions. x short bridge. x long bridge.
> x board.
Hub Clue: SHIFT G.O.P. SPOONER'S DESTINATION (4 4)
So, that apostrophe-"S" is another explicit "IS":
SPOONER signals a spoonerism. SHIFT GOP becomes GIFT SHOP.
Answer: GIFT SHOP
> gift shop. (The board wants a souvenir?)
> x gift shop.
> nw.
Bridge
> x river. x board. (nothing)
> w.
Elephants
> x elephant. x rocks.
> x board. (elephant's clue)
Elephant's Clue: OVER NIGHT I RELIEVE FATIGUE (4)
The word OVER is an indicator for a hidden word. FATIGUE is the definition. Find the hidden word in the fodder:
Answer: TIRE
> tire (yes, elephant wants a tire)
> n.
Plaza
> x house. x Russell.
> talk to Russell. (The orangutans re-locked the Great Ape House from inside.)
> x board. (Russell clue)
Russell Clue: RUSSELL'S APROPOS COMPOSITION (4 3)
This time the definition is first. Parse it like this:
COMPOSITION is an anagram indicator, where APROPOS is its fodder.
Answer: POOR SAP
> poor sap (correct)
> in.
Reptile House
> x snakes. talk to snakes. (You get a new pet: Vex.)
> x Vex. (He's a woma python.)
> talk to Vex.
> talk to snakes.
> x board. (python clue)
Python Clue: DELI RICE TANGLED PYTHON (4 4)
PYTHON is the definition and it's anagram wordplay signaled by the word TANGLED. So all you have to do is anagram DELI RICE to get the name of a python.
This took me ages to figure out, but think of members of Monty Python.
Answer: ERIC IDLE
> Eric Idle (uh-huh)
> out. ne.
Outside the Barn
> x barn.
> x board. (outside-barn clue)
Outside-Barn Clue: BRAIN'S IDEAS CONTAIN NEXT MOVE (6)
This is a hidden word clue, with CONTAIN as the indicator and NEXT MOVE as the definition:
Answer: INSIDE
> inside (correct)
> in.
Darkness / Barn
> squeeze pendant.
> take bag. x it. x machine. x frogs.
> out. ne.
Outside the Great Ape House
> x ape house. x toucan.
> x board. (toucan's clue)
Toucan Clue: ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS' SUMMIT IN MONACO IN SHAMBLES (9)
This is mostly anagram wordplay signaled by IN SHAMBLES with ASSOCIATE as the definition, but SUMMIT also signals an initialism with PROFESSORS.
Answer: COMPANION
> companion (yes: toucan wants a companion)
> in. (locked)
> se.
Forest
Nothing happens here.
> sw.
Railroad Tracks
> x tracks. x Henk.
> talk to Henk. (You order him to fetch a sloe blood fizz.)
> ne. s.
Swimming Pool
> x pool.
> x board. (pool clue)
Pool Clue: TALL STICK
This isn't a standard cryptic clue. I didn't figure this one out on my own, but "tall stick" is the literal English meaning of PALO ALTO.
What a tree or a Californian city has to do with a pool in Kansas City is beyond my comprehension. It doesn't seem remotely relevant.
> Palo Alto (verified)
> s. s. s.
Giraffe, Rhino
> give bag to giraffe. (She gives you a magazine in exchange.)
> x issue.
> x board. (rhino's clue)
Rhino Clue: ADJUSTS MELODIES (5)
That's a double definition clue.
Answer: TUNES
> tunes (yes, rhino wants tunes)
> w. w.
Boardwalk
> give magazine to gorilla. (She gives a tire in exchange.)
> x tire.
> x board. (leopard's clue)
Leopard's Clue: DEER LISTEN TO CAVETT AND VAN DYKE (3-3)
This is a sounds-like clue signaled by LISTEN:
Answer: DIK-DIK
> dik-dik (yes, the leopard wants a dik-dik)
> e. n. nw. w.
Elephants
> give tire to elephant. (She gives a mannequin in exchange.)
> x mannequin.
> e. se. e.
Baboon
> give mannequin to baboon. (You take the doll.)
> s. w.
Lion, Ungulates
> give doll to deer. (They start playing, except for a little dik-dik.)
> take dik-dik. x it.
> w.
Boardwalk
> give dik-dik to leopard. (You acquire a Walkman.)
> x Walkman.
> e. e.
Giraffe, Rhino
> give walkman to rhino. (You acquire a mirror.)
> x mirror.
> w. n. nw. ne.
Railroad Tracks
> take fizz. (You dismiss him.)
> x fizz. drink fizz.
> look. x glass.
> ne. nw.
Outside the Great Ape House
> give mirror to toucan. (The house doors open.)
> in. (Your tattoo shudders.)
> x tattoo.
> in.
Entryway
The doors shut behind you.
> x cage.
> x board. ("JUST KEEP MOVING")
For once, the board is not being cryptic. Go clockwise.
> nw.
Hall (west-southwest)
> x board. (ape clue 1)
Ape Clue 1: REVIEWER SUBJUGATED CACOPHONY, EXPELLED TUBAS (5)
The definition is REVIEWER, CACOPHONY is an anagram indicator, and EXPELLED is a deletion indicator. Deletion wordplay is about removing one or more letters.
Answer: JUDGE
> judge (yes)
> n.
Observation Station
> x bench. x feces.
> x board. (ape clue 2)
Ape Clue 2: PRINCIPAL, WHAT ARE YOU WAFFLING ABOUT? REMAIN DEFIANT, OBSTINATE (7)
PRINCIPAL is an initialism indicator:
Answer: WAYWARD
> wayward (yes)
> ne.
Hall (north-northwest)
> x board. (ape clue 3)
Ape Clue 3: IN CONNECTICUT, I ESPY ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE (6)
This is a hidden word clue; IN is the indicator:
Answer: CUTIES
> cuties (yes)
> e.
Education Station
> x facts.
> x board. (ape clue 4)
Ape Clue 4: CHOP OFF TOP OF ROOF BEAM POST (5)
This is a beheadment clue, where the indicator is CHOP OFF TOP OF. Beheadment means to remove the first letter. ROOF BEAM is a simple clue whose answer is RAFTER. And POST is the definition.
Answer: AFTER
> after (yes)
> se.
Hall (east-northeast)
> x board. (ape clue 5)
Ape Clue 5: TENUTA EXCHANGES DEMOCRAT FOR REPUBLICAN PEERS (4)
This one is primarily a substitution clue indicated by EXCHANGES ... FOR. But before we can apply it:
So, replace the D in JUDY with an R to get a 4-letter word that means PEERS.
Answer: JURY
> jury (yes)
> s.
Interpretation Station
> x signs. x board. (ape clue 6)
Ape Clue 6: MIRRORED NAMER OF GEORGE (7)
MIRRORED suggests reversing letters.
George Foreman was an American heavyweight boxing champion.
Answer: FOREMAN
> foreman (yes)
> sw.
Hall (south-southeast)
> x board. (ape clue 7)
Ape Clue 7: HORROR THRILLER, DURING CHRISTMAS EVE? NO (5)
This is a hidden word clue signaled by DURING:
Yes, Seven is the name of a horror thriller movie.
Answer: SEVEN
> seven (yes)
> w.
Entryway
Hm. You've made a complete circuit and all you've found are seven words. But if you read them in the clockwise order you found them in, they form a complete clue!
The Great Ape House Clue: JUDGE WAYWARD CUTIES AFTER JURY FOREMAN (SEVEN)
Break it down:
To sum up:
Answer: JUSTICE
> justice (success)
*** The End ***
Vampires and humans:
Featuring:
Animals:
Mentioned:
This is the response to CREDITS:
(Thank you for checking out my game. This story was written for #EnigMarch 2026, where you make a new puzzle every day all month long. But this game took me more than one day to make, whoops. The prompt was: "Hint."
Tested by SARAH WILLSON and CARL MUCKENHOUPT.)
Items are listed in the order they're acquired in this walkthrough.
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