Guidance for "Midnight. Swordfight."
by Chandler Groover

At the game's beginning, you're intended to die a few times. Eventually the text in the 
room description will change and tell you to "wake up." Do that. "Waking up" again will 
return you to the Stroke. You can "wake up" indefinitely to toggle back and forth.

If you ever get stuck, the first thing you should do is examine your playscript. Its text 
changes in every room and tells you what you ought to be doing. However, mechanically 
speaking, there is no way to get stuck. You cannot lock yourself into or out of any situation, 
so don't worry about that.

Your actions in this game are limited to the verbs listed in your playscript. There's no 
need to try testing other verbs. Most other verbs will not work.

More explicit hints are given below. 

Don't continue reading unless you want to see them.

* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *

You want to survive the duel with the countess. You can achieve that by changing 
her weapon or your weapon or your costume. To change her weapon, drop a 
replacement Behind the Polar Bear. To change your weapon, drop a replacement on 
the Grand Staircase. To change your costume, wear another when you are inside the 
palace; when you "wake up" and you are On the Stroke, you'll still be wearing it.

There are three available costumes.
Different costumes allow you to use different verbs when you wear them.

You begin the game wearing your motley.
You can find a pig carcass in the Cloak Room.
Take the hands from the grandfather clock in the Black Salon and then talk to the Red 
Death to obtain the graveclothes.

There are four available weapons.

When the game begins, the cutlass is already on the Grand Staircase and the rapier is 
already Behind the Polar Bear.
You can find a tremendous kielbasa in the Banquet Hall.
When you wear the pig carcass, you can fly to the Moon from the Landscape Garden or 
the Fountain to obtain the vorpal blade.

Finally, you can talk to Matilda in the Fountain when you are wearing the graveclothes.

This game has no "optimal" ending. It has over twenty-five different outcomes, and
therefore "reaching the ending" is not the game's main objective. It is designed to be 
explored and reconfigured until every player has come to their own understanding.

* * *
* * *

Explicit walkthroughs to reach three endings will be given below. They take the shortest
possible routes and bypass many features in the game.

Don't continue reading unless you want to see them.

* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *

To sabotage the countess:

X countess
X Ferdinand
X Onegin
X garden
ATTACK countess
WAKE UP
F
F
CC
P
TAKE kielbasa
F
C
DROP kielbasa
WAKE UP
ATTACK countess

* * *
* * *

To infect the countess:

X countess
X Ferdinand
X Onegin
X garden
ATTACK countess
WAKE UP
F
F
CC
TAKE hands
TALK TO Red Death
WHAT
HOW
WHAT
WHAT
WHAT
HOW
WEAR graveclothes
WAKE UP
INFECT countess

* * *
* * *

To kill the countess in a swordfight:

X countess
X Ferdinand
X Onegin
X garden
ATTACK countess
WAKE UP
F
F
CC
P
CC
WEAR pig
P
P
FLY
TAKE vorpal blade
FLY
F
F
C
F
C
P
DROP vorpal blade
WAKE UP
ATTACK countess