You receive the Strange Leaflet from the Council when you reach Level 9. When you use it, you're transported to a text adventure! The adventure is obviously a homage to Zork and other classic text adventures of its ilk.
To minimize spoilerage, this guide is presented as a series of questions and answers. Of course, merely reading some of the questions may be a spoiler, but this is the best I can do. To reveal an answer, click the "Answer" button. To reveal all answers at once, click here:
Note: Most commands can be abbreviated. For instance, you can type "e" instead of "east". You can also use "inventory" at any time to check your current stash of items.
1. What should I do at the beginning?
You want to get into the house, don't you? Try "open door" and then "east".
2. What do I need to do in the house?
There's this nice sword here. It seems like it would be useful. Try "take sword".
3. Is there anything else to do in the house before I leave?
When you're in the house, try "examine fireplace" (or "examine mantel", which has the same effect). You will notice one of the five following objects:
a brass bowling trophy
a brick building
a white house
a carved bird
a model ship
As far as anyone knows, the item on the mantel is determined randomly each Ascension run. If you are fortunate enough to get the brass bowling trophy, then you can buy it from the Trophy Hut to get it into your real trophy case. The other four items do nothing.
4. What else can I do in the house?
There's this fireplace here. It seems like it would be potentially useful to light it, but you can't yet.
However, if you examined the fireplace (see question 3), you might have noticed that there was some tinder. Try "examine tinder". You'll then get a piece of parchment with the Gnusto spell on it. This spell will allow you to copy another spell into your scrollbook. As the description says, "potentially useful!"
5. Where do I go from the house?
Well, you can leave the house by going "west". You can't cross the stream to the south, so it looks like your only choice is to go north. Unfortunately, it looks like you can't get into the cave, either.
6. How do I get into the cave?
There's this stick here, which also looks useful, so use "take stick" to grab it. As the description says, there's a thick hedge, but you do have this handy sword, don't you? Try "cut hedge" to slice the hedge and then go "west". This brings you to a bonfire, where you can "light stick" to make a torch. Now you can enter the cave!
7. What should I do in the cave?
A nasty-looking serpent is here! Fortunately, you have this handy sword. Use "kill serpent" to defeat the serpent. Now, "open chest" to get the snazzy treasure.
8. Is there anything else to do in the cave?
Coincidentally, there is. Try "look behind chest" and "look in hole" to get a grue egg.
In the old leaflet quest, this was all there was. But now, there's more. Much, much more!
9. What can I do after finishing up in the cave?
Well, you now have this handy torch, and the house has this handy fireplace. Go back to the house and then try "light fireplace". Voila, some boots!
Of course, if you do this without carefully looking at everything, you might miss something valuable. See questions 3 and 4.
10. How can I cross the stream?
After doing everything in the cave, obtain the boots. Then use "wear boots" and cross the stream.
This will bring you to a forest. Be careful when entering the forest! You can't get back across the stream once you've gone in.
11. How do I get through the forest maze?
Once you enter the forest, you get stuck in a maze. It seems impossible! Fortunately, the creators of the Kingdom are not cruel people. Just keep going in random directions, and the game will eventually take pity on you and you'll reach the forest clearing.
12. What do I do in the forest clearing?
Well, you can't get out of here, so try climbing the tree ("up"). Now, what is there to do up here? It doesn't look like you can reach anything, except for the egg. So go ahead and "take egg".
13. How do I get the ruby from the roadrunner?
Good question. Once you've obtained the egg, chuck it at the roadrunner ("throw egg at roadrunner"). Now climb back down the tree. Unfortunately, the ruby is nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, there's only one place it could be -- in the leaves. Getting the syntax right here is tricky -- use "look in leaves" to obtain the ruby.
14. OK, I have the ruby. Now what?
Throwing stuff at stuff worked pretty well for you last time, so maybe you need to throw the ruby at something else. As you can see by quick experimentation, the only thing you can productively throw it at is the bowl. So "throw ruby at bowl" and now you have this handy CLEESH scroll.
15. How do I defeat the giant?
As you can readily see, trying to drink either of the two glasses ("drink left" or "drink right") will lead you to an amusingly horrible death. So you'll need to try something else.
You'll need the CLEESH scroll. Once you have it, you can "cleesh giant" to settle his hash. Now you get the giant pinky ring ("take ring") to grab it.
Warning! Using the scroll causes it to crumble to dust. If you have earlier obtained the GNUSTO scroll, make sure to use it on the CLEESH scroll before using it on the giant.
That's all there is in the quest, as far as anyone knows.
16. What items can you obtain from the strange leaflet?
There are three items you can get in the leaflet that will remain in your real inventory:
Frobozz Real-Estate Company Instant House (TM)
giant pinky ring
grue egg
Everything else exists only in your inventory inside the leaflet.
17. I've heard you can get a trophy from the strange leaflet. Is this true?
Yes, you can, but not always. When you're in the house, take a look at the mantel over the fireplace ("examine mantel"). There are five possible items that are on the mantel. If the brass bowling trophy is on the mantel, go ahead and take it. The brass bowling trophy trophy will then be available for purchase in the Trophy Hut. If it's not there, you'll have to try again next Ascension. See also question 13.
18. I've heard you can get a skill from the strange leaflet. Is this true?
It sure is. You'll need to get both the GNUSTO scroll (see question 4) and the CLEESH scroll. Then, before you use the CLEESH scroll on the giant, use "gnusto cleesh" to copy CLEESH into your permanent scroll book. Now you can use it in regular Kingdom encounters. CLEESH costs 10 MP and turns your foe into a newt, salamander, or frog (although not, despite what the description might lead you to think, a toad), a pathetically weak monster you should have no trouble defeating. As you might expect, CLEESH does not work on boss or boss-type monsters.
19. What Easter eggs are there?
The strange leaflet is loaded with easter eggs. Here are a few of them:
At the beginning, try "open mailbox", "take leaflet", and "read leaflet".
Try typing "win game".
Try typing "take fire" when you're at the bonfire.
In the house, try "move chair" (this is a TMBG reference).
Try typing "DENNIS" (this is a Homestar Runner reference).
Try typing "throw X at Y" for a combination of X and Y that doesn't work.
Try typing "consult guide" (this is a Hitchhiker's reference).
Try typing "burn forest" when you enter the forest maze.
Try typing "count leaves" when you find the pile of leaves.
Try typing "take ruby" (or doing something silly with the ruby) when you already have the ruby. (This is a Lord of the Rings reference.)
Try typing "drink" at any time.
After getting the CLEESH scroll, try "cleesh me" (a Monty Python reference).
Try typing "hello, sailor".
When meeting the giant, try "kill giant" (an Ender's Game reference, as is the rest of the Giant's Game).
20. I am a very lazy person and would just like a list of commands I should type. Perhaps you could provide such a thing?
I can, albeit grudgingly. Here you go.
open door, east, take sword, examine fireplace, take trophy [if applicable], examine tinder, west, north, take stick, cut hedge, west, light stick, east, north, kill serpent, open chest, look behind chest, look in hole, south, south, east, light fire, take boots, wear boots, west, south, south, south, [wander randomly until you get through the maze], up, take egg, throw egg at roadrunner, down, look in leaves, up, throw ruby at bowl, gnusto cleesh, up, cleesh giant, take ring.
That's all.
21. I've heard there is a cheat code to the Strange Leaflet. What is it?
There is a cheat code in the Strange Leaflet which will give you bonus stats. This cheat code is the one thing that the KoL administrators do not want spoiled. Thus, it is not here. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME FOR IT. I will not give it out.
There are four things you should know if you're trying to find the cheat code:
The cheat code varies from ascension to ascension. It's not the same every time.
There is no cheat code that works if you get the trophy.
The cheat code comes from one of the predecessor games of Zork.
You only get one chance at entering the cheat code. If you enter the wrong one, the right one won't work if you try it later.
