Counterfeit Monkey — 24 of 292
Emily Short
Section 4 - Facts and Motives
[For many of the scattered characters, they're going to try to work out what you want from them and behave according to that script, whatever it turns out to be. Shop sellers will assume that you're a possible customer and use that script until you defy it; that kind of thing.]
To decide what fact is the ostensible motive:
if the current interlocutor knows a motivational fact (called the probable motive):
decide on the probable motive;
otherwise:
decide on generic-truth. [The guy wants to know why we're talking to him like this]
Table of All Known Facts (continued)
| fact | summary |
| you-hit-on | "That you want to date this person." |
| you-are-dangerous | "That you have dangerous questions." |
| you-are-religious | "That you are proselytizing." |
| you-are-tourist | "That you're a lost tourist." |
| you-are-past-customer | "That you're a past customer." |
| you-are-possible-customer | "That you're a potential customer." |
| you-take-survey | "That you're taking a survey." |
| you-are-feckless | "That you're a confused nitwit." |
| you-are-student | "That you're a student." |
| things-close-today | "That a lot of places close for Serial Comma Day." |
| canada-girl | "That the girl has a Canadian flag on her pack." |
| fake-canada | "That the Canadian flag is a lie." |
| allowed-in-movie | "We've been admitted to the movie theater." |
| lena-needed | "That Slango left a message for you with Lena at the Aquarium." |
| slango-friendship | "You and Slango truly are friends." |
| waterstone-invited | "Waterstone is invited to a demonstration at the Fleur d'Or." |
| carpets-shampooed | "Waterstone's wife is shampooing the carpets." |
| plan-making-inanimate | "That you're thinking of making Brock inanimate." |
| inanimate-safe | "That it's safe being inanimate." |
| plan-riding-roc | "That you're considering riding a roc." |
| roc-chances | "That you're willing to take your chances." |
| gel-needed | "That you'll need gel." |
| have-gel | "That you have gel." |
| upgrades-needed | "That you'll need upgrades on your letter remover." |
| have-upgrades | "That you have upgrades on your letter remover." |
| trust-me | "That Lena can trust you." |
| lena-distrusts | "That Lena does not trust us at the moment." |
| mark-known | "That the patron's name is Mark." |
| brock-found | "That the rock is really Brock." |
| crime-bg | "That one of you is criminal." |
| atlantean-bg | "That one of you is Atlantean." |
A fact can be motivational or purposeless. A fact is usually purposeless. you-are-student, you-hit-on, you-are-tourist, you-are-possible-customer, you-are-past-customer, you-take-survey, you-are-feckless, you-are-dangerous are motivational.
Assumption relates various quips to various facts. The verb to assume (it assumes, they assume, it assumed, it is assumed) implies the assumption relation.
An availability rule for a quip (called the target):
if the target assumes a fact which is not known by the player, it is off-limits.