solution
A Simple Theft was written in TADS, and is © 1999–2000 Mark J. Musante.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 3 of the game.
You are an apprentice to the magician Apaman. He has ordered you to steal the Hestron, one of the jewels in the Sceptre of Charlten.
| Private Vault | Stair- well | — | Corridor | |||||||
| | | u↑↓d | \ | ||||||||
| Storage Room | — | Dimly Lit Hallway | — | Guard Room | — | Stair- well | Outside the Magister's Quarters | |||
| | | | | |||||||||
| Coal Cellar | Magister of Keys' Quarters | |||||||||
| u↓ | ||||||||||
| (escape!) | ||||||||||
[Coal Cellar]
NOTE: You can't climb the rope until you have the Hestron. Also, you're expected to put the Hestron in the bag.
>i. x lockpick. x bag. x rope. n.
[Dimly Lit Hallway]
>listen. x shovel. take it. w.
[Storage Room]
>x trinkets. x door. open door. unlock door with lockpick.
>e. e.
[Guard Room]
CAUTION: The guard will kill you if you don't act first. If you run, he'll come after you.
>hit guard with shovel. x guard. x sword. drop shovel. x shovel. e.
[Stairwell] (bottom of)
>u.
[Stairwell] (top of)
CAUTION: If you go east from here with the sword, you'll die. If you go east from here with the shovel, you'll be pushed back to the bottom of the stairwell. So make sure you'll not carrying either one.
>e.
[Corridor]
>listen. se.
[Outside the Magister's Quarters]
Ironic that the keymaster's door is so easily picked.
>x emblem. open door. unlock door with lockpick. s.
[Magister of Keys' Quarters]
>x keys. x box. x pane. open box. unlock box with lockpick.
>take box. n. close door. nw. w. d. w.
[Guard Room]
>take sword. break box with sword. drop sword.
>look in box. x key. take key. w. w.
[Storage Room]
>unlock door with key. n.
[Private Vault]
CAUTION: It's fatal to take any of the treasures from the private vault unless they're in the bag (which fools the alarm). Of course, the Hestron is the only treasure that will fit in the bag.
>x shelf. x sceptre. x hestron. x crown. x cube.
>take sceptre. take hestron. drop sceptre.
>put hestron in bag. s. e. s.
[Coal Cellar]
Last chance to do weird stuff. Save the game and try things like "eat key" or "kiss guard" or "xyzzy", etc.
NOTE: You will get a different ending depending on whether on not the Hestron is the only item in the bag, or if you take the Hestron out first before going up. (Other items that fit in the bag are the key, the lockpick, and the box.) The optimal solution is to put the Hestron in the bag by itself.
>u. amusing.