CASA ::

Flag reference map (Quill variables)

Flag 0 – Darkness / lighting state
Purpose: Whether the current area is dark.
Used in: Under-stage movement and torch logic.
Behaviour:
SET 0 when entering dark areas.
CLEAR 0 when leaving or lighting the area.
Effect: Triggers “Everything is dark.” system message when set.

Flag 5 – Trapdoor linkage state
Purpose: Synchronises trapdoor state between stage and under-stage.
Used in: Lever logic.
Behaviour:
Set when lever is pulled.
Cleared when lever is pulled again.
Effect: Determines whether the trapdoor object is open or closed.

Flag 11 – Sofa searched
Purpose: Prevents repeated sofa searches.
Used in: SIT command in Green Room.
Behaviour:
Set after sitting once.
Effect: Stops repeated creation of the King of Clubs.

Flag 30 is the score accumulator, and in The Magician it is modified in very deliberate, theatrical beats. Every change is a clean ±10, and every scoring action corresponds to either professional stagecraft or unprofessional behaviour.

Below is a complete breakdown of every place in the response table where Flag 30 is modified, grouped by intent and outcome.

Positive scoring actions (+10)
These all represent correct preparation or performance discipline.

WEAR TAILCOAT — PLUS 30 10
Dressing correctly for the act.

GET RITA (after she changes) — PLUS 30 10
Successfully preparing your assistant.

LOWER CAGE (flies) — PLUS 30 10
Correctly rigging the dove cage.

WEAR TOP HAT — PLUS 30 10
Completing the magician’s costume.

DROP SAW (on stage) — PLUS 30 10
Placing the sawing-in-half prop.

DROP BOX (on stage) — PLUS 30 10
Placing the sawing box.

DROP PACK (on stage) — PLUS 30 10
Preparing the card trick.

DROP RABBIT (on stage) — PLUS 30 10
Preparing the rabbit trick.

DROP BAG (on stage) — PLUS 30 10
Preparing the egg bag.

DROP EGG (on stage, bag present) — PLUS 30 10
Completing the egg bag trick correctly.

These ten actions are the only way to reach exactly 100 points, which is required for Message 35.

Negative scoring actions (−10)
These represent clumsiness, impatience, or poor stage etiquette.

GET CAGE (on stage) — MINUS 30 10
You shouldn’t be handling heavy props during setup.

GET SAW (on stage) — MINUS 30 10

GET BOX (on stage) — MINUS 30 10

GET PACK (on stage) — MINUS 30 10

GET BAG (on stage) — MINUS 30 10

GET RABBIT (on stage) — MINUS 30 10

CLIMB LADDER while wearing or carrying top hat — MINUS 30 10
The hat falls and is lost.

These penalties are subtle but brutal: one careless pickup can permanently block the best ending.

Mr Creosote wrote: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:56 am Would you have the "UNGACed plain text file"? Sorry, I'm not so familiar with these formats, but I'd love to experiment a bit on my side.

I stood in front of the mansion with my collar turned up and my patience already worn thin. Every year it was the same. The place was supposed to be empty, locked up, quiet. Instead, light flickered behind the windows and the sound of music and shouting drifted out into the night. Pesky kids. Again.

I wasn’t about to march straight in. My leg wouldn’t take it, and even if it did, there were more of them than me. So I did what I always do best: I walked the long way round and started thinking.

Out in the garden I found the usual clutter. A bench, bins, a ladder someone had left lying about. I shifted the bench closer to the wall, testing it with my weight, then climbed over into the neighbour’s garden. Someone clearly took pride in their roses. One bush was tied back with twine, knotted tight. I couldn’t undo it, so I snapped a broken tile off the ground and cut the twine free. That would come in handy.

Back on my side, I leaned the ladder against the mansion wall and checked it twice. No sense rushing. From halfway up I could see an upstairs window standing open, a tattered net curtain hanging loose. Inside, a group of kids were huddled together, whispering and telling ghost stories. I smiled to myself.

I pulled the curtain free, nearly losing my balance, then climbed down and fetched a white party balloon I’d spotted earlier. I blew it up, tied it off, and fixed the twine to it. Then I added the net curtain, stepping back to admire my handiwork. It wasn’t much to look at, but it would do.

Back up the ladder I went. I lowered the homemade ghost past the window and swung it gently. At first nothing happened. Then someone screamed. Chairs scraped, feet pounded, and the room emptied in seconds. I hauled the ghost back up before anyone got a good look at it. One room down.

From there I climbed higher, through the window and into the attic. It was dark, so I flicked on my flashlight and swept the beam around. That’s when I saw it: a nest, crawling with spiders. I don’t mind spiders, but I knew exactly who would. I scooped the nest into an old ice-cream tub, snapped the lid shut, and climbed out onto the roof.

Smoke drifted from the chimney below. I tipped the nest in and listened. Moments later, screams echoed up from inside as spiders poured out into the fireplace room. Another group of kids fled, shouting about things crawling in their hair. I allowed myself a quiet chuckle.

Next I turned my attention to the kitchen. Through the window I could see kids preparing food, dipping apples into caramel. Nearby, a hot water header tank sat against the wall. I dropped a dried-out red marker pen into it and waited. Soon enough, there was a scream as someone turned on the tap and saw what looked like blood pouring out. The kitchen emptied fast.

With the room clear, I slipped inside. On the table were onions, sticks, and a pan full of sticky caramel. I dipped the onions, pushed sticks into them, and set the fake apples in the fridge to harden. I didn’t have to wait long. When the kids came back and bit into them, the screams told me the trick had worked.

There were still a few holdouts. I unlocked the cellar hatch and climbed down, finding a freezer and, inside it, a dead rat. I wasn’t touching that without gloves. I put it into an empty pizza box, carried it back up, and placed it neatly on the doorstep. Then I rang the doorbell and hid in the bushes.

The door opened. A kid picked up the box. A moment later, there was shouting and the sound of something being flung down the drive. I stayed hidden until it was quiet again.

For good measure, I lobbed a pair of eyeballs into the punch bowl through an open window. That finished off the last of them. One by one, the rooms fell silent.

At last, the mansion was empty. I stood in the doorway, listening. No music. No laughter. Just the creak of the old building settling. Another year sorted. I turned away, already thinking about the paperwork and the cleaning crew I’d have to call in the morning, and headed home, satisfied that the night had ended exactly as it should.

Mr Creosote wrote: Sat Feb 28, 2026 10:49 pm The ridiculous number of locations aside, those QEGS games seem to be very sparse on objects, possible interactions etc. That makes them easily parseable, I guess.

Mr Creosote wrote: Sat Feb 28, 2026 10:49 pm Very interesting! I fed this into several different models. Each of them found the winning condition with ease. But when it came to actually writing down a step-by-step solution, one model just laid out generic, high-level descriptions. Two others said "OK" and started printing commands, but apparently got stuck in endloess movement loops at some point and timed out.