Grubbyville
by Andrew Schultz (2016)
Genres: Collegiate

In this game, you play as a male high school student who wants to be valedictorian. (Your Pop is even more keen on the idea.) Unfortunately, Harley Drotz got into honors Ceramics for his fine art elective which will push him into the lead by year's end. To best him, you'll have to get into the Art Appreciation Independent Study.

action: %
response: You hear a knock. "Max! Son!"

The door opens. Pop nods determinedly. "Son, we need to have a talk."

get the general drift.)
action: 2
response: "No, no, no, son. This is about GRADES."
action: 2
response: "Bad news, son. You still want to be valedictorian?" (yes or no)
action: You go north
response: "Not funny. But it's late, so I'll let it slide.

"Harley Drotz's ahead of you now, son. Or he will be, at year's end."

tiebreaks!
classes!
deal.
action: 3
response: "Hate to say it, son, but his dad's got a little pull in the art department. Some of the mid-level administrators let him slip into honors Ceramics for his fine art elective."

tiebreaks!
deal.
action: 5
response: "Not much. But enough to pass all the tests. And not piss off the teacher."

tiebreaks!
deal.
elective.
action: You look at your surroundings
response: Pop taps his foot as you stare around your room. (Note: type REPEAT to see how you can respond to him.)
action: You repeat
response: The available options are:

tiebreaks!
deal.
elective.
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a spreadsheet
action: You look at the spreadsheet
response: It's got a comparison of your grades to Drotz's, a brief explanation of how Grubbyville awards GPA, and a listing of teachers and administrators with whom Pop has discussed your newfound interest in the study of art.

The math still makes sense. Harley's got an extra 4.5, which lowers his average from 4.6, but if you slip and get an A-, it's like he's got an extra 4.8.
action: Verbs
response: You can TAKE things, or TALK TO people. Typing I takes inventory. You can check your MOOD (synonym is SCORE,) see what you've DONE or GIVE people items. You can also see what this game is ABOUT, or CREDITS/CREDIT for people who helped. You can also THINK to figure what to do next, or see a rough MAP of the high school.
action: You look at the explanation
response: 4=A 3.7=A- 3.3=B+ 3=B 2.7=B- 2.3=C+ 2=C 1.7=C- 1.3=D+ 1=D 0=F 1 bonus for AP (advanced placement,) .5 for H (honors,) all averaged together.
action: Go east
response: You think about it. You almost can. It would be so easy, except it isn't. (Note: you really will leave if you try again.)
action: Go east
response: You leave Grubbyville behind. Pop asks why you came back empty-handed, and you come up with a mishmosh of moral misgivings and, well, if other kids found out it might be hard for you. Pop tells you he's heard Harley isn't as popular as he pretends to be, and you just blew a chance...well. You'll learn.

That June as Harley steps up to give his valedictorian speech, Pop looks at you pointedly to applaud. You two almost have a contest, who can applaud louder. After, some people congratulate you on your sportsmanship before segueing into complaining what a fake Harley is. It's not much consolation.
action: Mood
response: Different dialogue choices will give you different intro-end text. In this playthrough...

Business is business. Might as well beat Harley in the GPA stakes.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command or see your final MOOD?
action: You look
response: You're staring around Entry Hall, though you're not sure why. The Help Hole to the north is closed for the summer, so you should be getting a move on to the west.

Of course, you can always chicken out back east. That'd make everyone except Pop happy.
action: Go west
response: You can enter the teachers' lounge here. It's completely locked, since it's summer. You can also go west to X-Hall, the center of GHS, or east back to the Entry. There's also a rug here.

You can see a brochure rack (in which is a GHS brochure) here.
action: You take the brochure
response: (the GHS brochure)
You already know enough about GHS. You understand the inner workings pretty well, and of course brochures never cover that.
action: You examine the rug
response: SAY NO TO DRUGS is woven into it, but someone duct-taped over the D. In fact, a lot of people did, and the administrators just gave up getting the janitors to peel it off.
action: You look under the rug
response: Nothing is hidden in the game.
action: Wear rug
response: (first taking the rug)
You wouldn't get far carrying it.
action: You take D.
response: (the D)
That seems to be a part of the rug.
action: You look at D.
response: (the D)
You see nothing special about the D.
action: You go to the north
response: There's a wall there. You should know GHS like the back of your hand after three years--and after a brief look, you see you can go east, west and inside.
action: Inside
action: Go west
response: X-Hall is the center of GHS. Corridors head in diagonal directions to the various departments, the teachers' lounge is to the east, the upperclassmen's social area is south, and the testing room is to the north. Looks like people are still taking a standardized test right now. You can go inside to the library, and a rusted elevator panel lies to the west.
action: You look at panel
response: You don't need to do anything with the rusted elevator panel. You're not sure why it's there, and you don't have time to find out, now. It's being curious about that sort of thing that can distract you from your business here.
action: Inside
response: Well, okay, I lied a bit. You can go inside in the full game.
action: You go to the south
response: Back north is X-Hall. Ironically, you can go in to the Chess Hovel to the side of the social lounge, here.
action: You go to the east
response: There's a wall there. You should know GHS like the back of your hand after three years--and after a brief look, you see you can go north and inside.
action: Inside
response: You can really only go back outside from here.

Dennis Durfle paces here in front of a shelf of chess books, reading a chess book and mumbling to himself.
action: Examine book
response: A dizzying array of books with weird names.
action: You look at Dennis
response: You remember being horrified when you barely placed above Dennis on both a female and male list of Who's Hot. He's not ugly, but he sure frowns a lot, so he might as well be.
action: You talk to Dennis
response: "Go away. I don't trust you."
action: You read books
response: It'd take too long to get started.
action: You ask Dennis about Chess
response: [Use TALK TO to interact with characters.]
action: You go outside
response: Back north is X-Hall. Ironically, you can go in to the Chess Hovel to the side of the social lounge, here.
action: Go north
response: X-Hall is the center of GHS. Corridors head in diagonal directions to the various departments, the teachers' lounge is to the east, the upperclassmen's social area is south, and the testing room is to the north. Looks like people are still taking a standardized test right now. You can go inside to the library, and a rusted elevator panel lies to the west.
action: You go to the north
response: You shouldn't disrupt the testing. Nobody important may be taking those tests, but if people are distracted, GHS's average grades as a whole will suffer. That would make your valedictory less presitigious.
action: Northeast
response: You think about going northeast, but you're intimidated a bit--you don't really have anything resembling art to show off. Obviously, you'll need to get there, but you get the feeling they don't like tip-top students there. You need some street cred. (NOTE: the arts wing is beyond the scope of the introduction. The goal is to find something that will get you something resembling art.)
action: Northwest
response: Big Ed, the security guard, is probably lying in wait. While he hated science in school, he's extra enthusiastic about guarding the science wing. You would be quite a scalp for his detention quota without a pass. Unfortunately, there are no teachers here to give you a pass.
action: Southeast
response: This is the Humanities Wing of Grubbyville High School. It has various activities you can't put a price on, and it encourages people to have careers that won't make much money.

The World Languages Sub-Wing is south, the Social Studies Sub-Wing is southeast, and the English Sub-Wing is east. The Social Studies Sub-Wing is actually open, because it houses the yearbook staff, too.
action: You go to the southwest
response: The life skills wing is beyond the scope of the introduction. Which is kind of ironic, because you find the skills therein a bit...introductory.
action: About yourself
response: In pretty good shape, but not dumb-jock shape. Pretty well-dressed, but not mindless preppie well-dressed. People wouldn't suspect you of being a valedictorian, til they talked to you.
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a spreadsheet
action: Go south
response: Exotic languages won't help you with exotic art appreciation, here. Well, maybe they will once this game is more than an introduction. We'll see.
action: You go to the east
response: The school paper office is that way, but you don't need to influence anyone on the editorial staff. Maybe when you're older, you'll need to schmooze them. But nobody REALLY reads the school paper. Especially in the summer when it's not being published.
action: You go to the southeast
response: This sub-wing, part of a NW/SE hall, brings back bad memories of a teacher who couldn't quite find enough subjectively wrong with your work to give an A-. Still, it's an annoying memory.

An open door leads southeast into the yearbook office.
action: Go southeast
response: An open door leads northwest back out of the yearbook office.

Myron Knurp fidgets and chews his nails here. At the sight of you, he hastily guards a yearbook pass.
action: You examine Knurp
response: He doesn't gaze right up at you. You're not surprised he had no nerve to tell his colleagues he doesn't want to do drudge work on a summer Saturday morning.
action: You talk to Knurp
action: 1
response: "The sky."

That joke's so bad, it'll never be so bad it's good.

You frown and glance meaningfully at the hall pass.

"No you don't. That's yearbook staff property. And you're not yearbook."

respectable?"
action: 2
response: You explain you'd like to be on the yearbook, just because. Maybe you could help him with some of the drudgework. But you might need lunch first. Fair enough, says Myron, as he hands you a temporary pass for the day.
action: Mood
response: Your current mood is UN-ALLIED. You've done 1 sly thing. You can list everything you've done with DONE.
action: You look
response: An open door leads northwest back out of the yearbook office.

Myron Knurp fidgets and chews his nails here.
action: You go northwest
response: This is a NW/SE hall.

An open door leads southeast into the yearbook office.
action: Done
response: You haven't been nice to anyone.
You've been sly to Myron Knurp.
You haven't been nasty to anyone.
You've met Dennis Durfle, but you haven't done anything meaningful around them.
You've met pretty much everyone you're going to at Grubbyville today.
action: Inventory
response: You are carrying:
a yearbook pass
a spreadsheet
action: You look at the yearbook pass
response: It's laminated and neon-ish, and nobody questions its authority. Though it also expires at the end of the day.
action: You go northwest
response: You flash your hall pass at Big Ed, who's cleverly hidden in a drinking fountain recess like it's a speed trap, as you walk down the corridor. It works!

Math/Science Wing
All the hard sciences are covered here: clockwise from south, you have Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science to the northwest (it's the only one open--independent study projects and all) and finally Math (math team off-season practice) to the north. The Earth Sciences department is upstairs.
action: You go to the northwest
response: This lab is full of computers that aren't quite as good as what you have at home. Most are off, but one PC is humming away. You see a backpack by it.
action: You look at the backpack
response: The backpack appears to be Tod Smoot's. He's kind of a jerk, from what you know but you don't want to look through his stuff without SERIOUS provocation. Maybe you'll find it.
action: Examine pc
response: You aren't expecting much, maybe some assignment on heap sorts or whatever. But wait! It's a game! A sort of cheap one, but a game nonetheless!

It's...PARTICIPATION POINTS, by the Disgruntled Intellectuals Club. It features Harley Drotz and...you! Play it? (yes or no)
action: Yes
response: WHO WILL YOU PLAY AS?
action: 2
response: Well, it's you against Harley Drotz. It's sort of like the two political parties, but you're going with outer weenieness over pure force.
action: 3
response: You and Harley argue for a bit, and Mr. Jones moans he wishes more students would participate so enthusiastically.
action: 1
response: You berate other students for not participating as much as you. Harley nods in agreement.
action: 2
response: It doesn't seem terribly detailed. And you're curious how it ends.
action: 1
response: The teacher appreciates your alternate view on life compared to Harley. It's a bold gambit, but not really, because you always manage to say people may not agree with you, but there you go.

WOW! WHAT A BUSY DAY! ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOTHING SPECIAL FOR YOU, MAX! IT REALLY IS THAT EASY, IF IT'S EASY!

Harsh.

IF YOU HATED THIS GAME, THE DISGRUNTLED INTELLECTUALS CLUB DOESN'T CARE! OKAY, WE SORT OF DO!

You have to admit. You're curious now. And a little annoyed. Even without the ten control-g bells at the end of the game.

You groan and roll your eyes, and the backpack gets your attention. Whoah, a sequel, or something. You wouldn't normally mess with others' property, but hey, they baited you, and you aren't going to STEAL it.
action: Examine backpack
response: The backpack appears to be Tod Smoot's. You wouldn't normally look through it, but after playing that game...well, there are notes for others, including CASINO FUN by NO FUN CASEY.

It has with formulas for the probability of turning $50 into $100 playing craps, and if you play, you either go broke tonight or get hooked on gambling and go really broke ten years from now. The game will note playing it saved you three hours you would've wasted rolling dice and a headache from the noise, and it also lets the user see the formula used so it didn't have to bother actually simulating all those dice rolls.

There's also notes for a game called Being Dennis Durfle. It's light on the technical stuff but in-depth in the usual hit-piece ways.
action: You take the backpack
response: That's someone's property. Better not do much more than look.
action: You go southeast
response: Math/Science Wing
All the hard sciences are covered here: clockwise from south, you have Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science to the northwest (it's the only one open--independent study projects and all) and finally Math (math team off-season practice) to the north. The Earth Sciences department is upstairs.
action: You go southwest
response: That area's beyond the scope of this introduction. You can go north to Math or northwest to Computer Science, though.
action: Go north
response: You can go inside the math study area, which doubles as the math team's training room, if you'd like. Pneumonia Alley connects the science wing with the Arts wing.

You can see list of birthdays here.
action: You look at the list
response: (list of birthdays)
You look through today's, for curiosity's sake:

Thad Bings, Dennis Durfle, Pip O'Floppovich, Fredley Freydel, Simba Zabmis.

The only name you recognize is Dennis Durfle, the chess guy. Everyone knows who he is, but they don't know him.
action: You look up Dennis in the list
response: (list of birthdays)
You discover nothing of interest in list of birthdays.
action: You go north
response: There's a wall there. You should know GHS like the back of your hand after three years--and after a brief look, you see you can go south, east and inside.
action: Inside
response: The Math Study Area is full of all kinds of mathy things that are supposed to make math fun.

You can see a Book of Modern Chess Strategy here.
action: You take Book
response: Taken. Geez, it's as painful to slug around as a textbook.

Taken.
action: Inside
response: There's a wall there. You should know GHS like the back of your hand after three years--and after a brief look, you see you can go outside.
action: You take list
response: (list of birthdays)
You don't need to take it, but it maybe has useful information.
action: You give Book to Dennis
response: (the Book of Modern Chess Strategy to Dennis Durfle)
"Hey! Wow! Where'd you...? But Big Ed... oh, man! I'd been missing that two months! Thanks! I...I was about to go buy a new one."
action: You talk to Dennis
response: SCHOOL...
Club wants to write about you?
action: 3
response: "Whoah. Those hacker types. They're pretty rough."

"Yeah," you say. "They got me, already."

Dennis looks like he almost trusts you.

SCHOOL...
action: 1
response: "How did you know?" You explain something about the math team, and he launches into turf wars between the math and chess teams, and how people who are on both are extra annoying. You nod in agreement. He seems almost surprised.

"Man. I didn't know we were bummed by the same stuff. But you asked me what I'm doing here. What are YOU doing here?"

After you explain, Dennis continues, "Well, enemy's enemy stuff, I guess. Still can't forgive Harley for, um...look, I have something that can help you. I wrote some really satirical protest poetry or something but if I submitted it to the school art magazine, they'd say I was just some bitter dork. You'd give it gravitas and stuff. What do you say? I just want to get the message out." (yes or no)
action: Yes
response: You take a closer look at Dennis's note. It's a lot more coherent and funny than you'd imagined. You're almost...jealous. You find yourself riffing on it--like you're not totally happy with Grubbyville. You wonder how serious he is about not really wanting any credit. Maybe he'll backstab you later. I mean, If you can think ten moves ahead in chess, what else can you plan?

But with this writing, you feel like you should be able to shmooze.

Leaving the Chess Hovel behind, you feel like this grades thing is just business. You're not finding some huge tax loophole. Harley started it. Someone will find a new loophole next year.
action: Mood
response: Different dialogue choices will give you different intro-end text. In this playthrough...

You've been nice to Dennis Durfle, particularly Dennis Durfle.
You've been sly to Myron Knurp.

You're looking forward to more than just getting a better GPA. It sounds a bit hokey, and it might not last, but there you go.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT, UNDO the last command or see your final MOOD?
action: No
response: That was a rhetorical question.
action: You talk to Dennis
response: SCHOOL...
action: 1
response: "How did you know?" You explain something about the math team, and he launches into turf wars between the math and chess teams, and how people who are on both are extra annoying. You nod in agreement. He seems almost surprised.

"Man. I didn't know we were bummed by the same stuff. But you asked me what I'm doing here. What are YOU doing here?"

After you explain, Dennis continues, "Well, enemy's enemy stuff, I guess. Still can't forgive Harley for, um...look, I have something that can help you. I wrote some really satirical protest poetry or something but if I submitted it to the school art magazine, they'd say I was just some bitter dork. You'd give it gravitas and stuff. What do you say? I just want to get the message out." (yes or no)
action: No
response: "Talk to me if you change your mind."