Scroll Thief — 32 of 138

Chapter 4 - Movement

[A character who is tied to things should also have some restrictions on their ability to move.]

Before an actor going a direction (called the way) when the actor has something (called the link) which is tied to something entrapping (called the anchor) (this is the limit movement while holding tied things rule):

let the next room be the home of the anchor;

if the next room is not a room, continue the action;

if the next room is the location of the actor:

if the link is tied to at least two entrapping things:

if the player can see the actor, say "[The actor] [can't] go far while [they]['re] carrying [the link] tied to [the list of entrapping things tied to the link].";

stop the action;

otherwise:

let the destination be the room way from the location of the actor;

if the destination is the next room:

if the actor is not tied to the anchor:

if the player can see the actor, say "(coiling up [regarding the actor][their] rope again as [they] [go]...)";

otherwise:

let the safe way be the best route from the location of the actor to the next room;

if the safe way is a direction:

if the player can see the actor, say "[The actor] [start] in that direction, but [the link] [hold] [them] back[--][regarding the link][they're] still tied up in [the next room], so [regarding the actor][they] [can't] really go any way but [safe way].";

stop the action;

otherwise:

if the player can see the actor, say "[regarding the actor][They]['re] tied up here." instead.

Check an actor throwing a tied up thing at when the throw source is not the throw destination (this is the limit throwing tied things rule):

repeat with the item running through secondary things tied to the noun:

if the location of the item is not the throw source and the location of the item is not the throw destination:

if the actor is the player, say "[The item] [make] it hard to throw [the noun] any further.";

stop the action.

Before an actor going a direction (called the way) when the actor is tied to something entrapping (called the anchor) (this is the limit movement while tied rule):

let the next room be the home of the anchor;

if the next room is not a room, continue the action;

if the next room is the location of the actor:

if the actor is tied to at least two entrapping things:

if the player can see the actor, say "[The actor] [can't] go far while [they]['re] tied to [the list of entrapping things tied to the actor].";

stop the action;

otherwise:

if the best route from the location to the next room is the way:

if the player can see the actor, say "[regarding the actor](coiling up [their] rope again as [they] go...)";

otherwise:

if the player can see the actor, say "[regarding the actor][Possessive] attachments prevent [them] going any way but [best route from the location to the next room].";

stop the action.

[Sometimes, if the player is tied to a movable object, the moved object will move with him.]

Definition: a thing is actor-relevant if it is the person asked or it is held by the person asked or it is worn by the person asked or it is tied to the person asked.

After an actor going somewhere when a tied up actor-relevant thing (called the item) is tied to something draggable (this is the pull draggable things rule):

let the link be a random rope tied to the item;

if the number of draggable things which are tied to the item is greater than zero:

if the player can see the room gone from or the player can see the room gone to, say "[The actor] [drag] [the list of draggable things which are tied to the item] along behind [regarding the actor][them].";

now every draggable thing which is tied to the link is in the holder of the actor;

continue the action.