View source for Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth

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The [[Black Sheep]] of [[Infocom]], ''[[Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth]]'' was made for the [[Apple Macintosh]] in 1988. An [[Western RPG]], the plot was simple. You, the blacksmith Titus, are charged with finding out what happened to the Tree Druids living underground.

[[Late to the Party|Something very bad.]] And that's not even getting into the [[Sealed Evil in a Can]].

The gameplay was remarkably complex. If you got more characters to join you, you could have them go their separate ways; and [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]]; many actions had results that were unheard of at the time. However, [[Guide Dang It]] issues quickly required a [[Strategy Guide]] to be built ''into the game'', and even that didn't cover everything.

One such thing was the utterly complicated [[Feelies]]/CopyProtection. A wooden "coin" covered with letters, and when added to a compass, ''and'' when one solves 4 different riddles; gives you the magic words you use the Identify Wand. Curiously, one could technically beat the game simply through [[Save Scumming]] the effects of items; (although most wands also had activation words.)

Oh, and by the way. "Gurz" identifies Keys; "Nesoe" identifies Potion; "Odeeps" identifies Wands, and "Falp" identifies Scrolls. It's ancient [[Abandonware]].

{{tropelist}}
* [[Blasting It Out of Their Hands]] - You can actually do this. Commanding someone to shoot an arrow at a weapon held in someone's hand or their inventory and being successful (this can be tricky) actually results in the item being dropped. Everyone can drop their weapon.
* [[Guide Dang It]] - Oh, very.
* [[Hopeless Boss Fight]] - The Granite Statue in the Circular Hall has ''1000'' HP (most have around 100-200, and a successful hit takes off 10-20 damage) and can kill you in 2-3 hits. You are expected to run through the room, beat the puzzle to open the door to which way you want to go, and lick your wounds on the other side. 
* [[Missing Secret]] - There is no secret room behind the L-shaped corridor. Examining the gamecode shows this.
* [[Save Scumming]] - How anything is accomplished.
* [[Sealed Evil in a Can]] - Curiously, the game doesn't really hint that Setmoth is able to get out. You mostly break into his Tomb because you can. Better be able to kill the demon, because [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|otherwise...]]
* [[Strategy Guide]] - Built into the second version of the game.
* [[Title Drop]] - The Subtitle "Tomb of Setmoth" is obvious enough; but "Quarterstaff" is rather curious. There ''are'' a couple of Quarterstaves in the game (and the one in the Grand Druid's sepulcher is one of the best weapons against demons (it's [[An Ice Person|Cold Elemental]]) but there's nothing mentioned in the backstory.

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Apple Macintosh]]
[[Category:Quarterstaff: The Tomb of Setmoth]]
[[Category:Interactive Fiction]]
[[Category:Western RPG]]
[[Category:PC-98]]
[[Category:Sharp X68000]]
[[Category:Video Game]]
[[Category:Video Games of the 1980s]]