Serve the tea and solve mysteries - Tally Ho! [Choice of Games]

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Serve the tea and solve mysteries - Tally Ho! [Choice of Games]

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Lord Cyrahzax: Oct 11, 2012

Your taste is rubbish, sir.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 04:17

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# ? Jun 9, 2024 00:30

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

We threw it out.

Picture these in lavender and tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't have thrown them out.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 04:30

Mad Jaqk: Jun 2, 2013

Pretty sure it's already lost, but unstylish.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 04:58

VivaLa Eeveelution: Apr 3, 2011

chitoryu12 posted:

Picture these in lavender and tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't have thrown them out.

Sold. Yeesh.

That particular arrangement of cloth and thread is gone forever, sir. It made for a fine argument against nudity taboos, and I did not wish to entertain it ever again.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 05:46

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

chitoryu12 posted:

Picture these in lavender and tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't have thrown them out.

Rubbish it is...!

# ? Dec 29, 2017 08:08

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

We did tell him we were blunt all those years ago.

rubbish

# ? Dec 29, 2017 14:03

Pangurban: Apr 29, 2015

chitoryu12 posted:

We threw it out.

Picture these in lavender and tell me with a straight face that you wouldn't have thrown them out.

Checkered lavender accompanied with spats. Let's make sure we all have a full picture of the horror, here.

quote:

"You...discarded it?"

"It was the only way to be certain that it was gone forever, sir."

"That was my favorite outfit!"

"It was most unsuitable. It offended the eye, and repulsed all who beheld you. I held my tongue, but I feel now it is my duty to speak up."

Rory seems rather irritated, and finally pulls out a simple waist-seam coat and white flannel trousers.

"I an unaccustomed to having my clothing discarded," Rory says. "I assume you approve of this ensemble?"

"Much better," you say, and help Rory into his far more appropriate outfit.

quote:

Finally dressed, Rory strolls into the living room, and slumps onto the easy chair, plucking up a book from the end table.

"We have plans to make, Butler. Dinner must be cooked, and I must finish this god-awful book."

Rory holds the book up. "Releasing the Hidden Potential of Your Hitherto-Unawakened Mind in 12 Easy Steps, by Professor Clarence Q. Hickory. It's my opinion that this Professor Hickory is an rear end of the first order. Listen to this excerpt."

"...there are several primal mechanisms by which emotional energies that lie dormant, perhaps suppressed by the desire to cleave to social norms, may be brought forward and thus integrated into one's personality. However, in order for psychoanalytic intervention to be effect, the patient must regress through a series of archetypical stages, to shed or replay four psychodramatic stages, to recapitulate one's phylogeny via ontogeny, as Ernst Haeckel has demonstrated."

Rory looks up. "Why Aunt Primrose felt I needed to read this drivel is beyond me. It seems to be in no particular order whatsoever. Just a series of words helter-skelter on the page. She's certain to quiz me on it, and I need to have some semblance of an answer. Does it mean a thing to you at all?"

Volunteer to read the book myself and give Rory the highlights.
Aid Rory in bluffing his way through a discussion of the book.
Encourage Rory by saying that the book is surely within his capacity to read and understand.

I'm not gonna lie, I've managed a complete playthrough of this game three times, and played through the prologue a lot more as I experimented with this or that. This is literally the first time I've managed to read that excerpt in full without my eyes glazing over and skimming at some point.

Most current stats posted:

Reginald Butler

Your Sundry Skills
Bold: 54%
Culture: 25%
Intellect: 31%
Observe: 35%
Persuade: 36%
Skulduggery: 19%
Soothing/Abrasive: 37%/63%

Your Reputation
Renown: 10%
Tranquility: 18% (-2%)
Suspicion: 10%

Rory: 47% (-7%)

Ready Monies: 25

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:00

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Wonder if this is a real book. Let�s encourage him to memorize it!

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:05

Pangurban: Apr 29, 2015

I don't think the book is real, thank god for that. Searching the title mostly brought me to a lot of different self-help fluff sites. Searching "Clarence Q. Hickory" brought me to everything from Wild Bill Hickory BBQ on Yelp to the Clarence Cannon Dam.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:08

CommissarMega: Nov 18, 2008; THUNDERDOME LOSER

"Sir, I encourage you to think more highly of yourself, if not this book."

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:09

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Bluff your way to success.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:09

Lord Cyrahzax: Oct 11, 2012

You can bluff your way out of anything, sir!

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:09

Ratoslov: Feb 15, 2012; Now prepare yourselves! You're the guests of honor at the Greatest Kung Fu Cannibal BBQ Ever!

Encourage. This isn't hard, boss.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:16

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Read it ourselves.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:17

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

We are a bluffer and a pugilist. A gentleman's man!

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:20

rchandra: Apr 30, 2013

Bluffing is a useful skill.

# ? Dec 29, 2017 20:30

Mad Jaqk: Jun 2, 2013

Slaan posted:

We are a bluffer and a pugilist. A gentleman's man!

# ? Dec 29, 2017 22:58

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

Help him cheat. As blatantly as possible.

# ? Dec 30, 2017 00:04

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

Bluff

# ? Dec 30, 2017 04:37

Pangurban: Apr 29, 2015

Apologies for the delay, folks. Travel's gonna be wringing me dry for another few days.

quote:

"That is a troubling situation, sir. However, it is my experience that casual conversation rarely requires a full reading of a book."

"No?"

"No. One must only have perhaps two statements that can be used to respond to any given query."

"How can it be that I have never heard of such a thing? Quickly, now. Teach me these statements. I await with bated breath."

"When faced with a query, simply say, 'Ah, yes,' and then tap your chin thoughtfully, as if pondering. That will buy you time, and very probably, the questioner will see your response as thoughtful and wise."

"It seems somehow insufficient," Rory says. "What if she presses the point?"

"In that case, you respond by simply crossing your arms and replying, 'So they say. But I remain skeptical.' That will leave her nonplussed, and she will drop the line of questioning."

"I trust you, Butler. I shall jot these phrases and gestures down to ensure I don't forget them."

"Thank you, sir. Now I should go prepare dinner."

quote:

Tying on your apron, you step into the kitchen and begin to consider your options for dinner. You make a quick calculation, taking into account the ingredients at your disposal and the time you have remaining before the arrival of the notoriously punctual Aunt Primrose.

As you see it, you have three options. Aunt Primrose's favorite dish is veal ragout with truffles and apricot compote, but she is finicky about it, and it is not a simple dish.

You could also make roast beef au jus with haricots verts, which is certainly simpler, although less impressive.

Finally, in a pinch, you could make a cheese omelet, and shave the truffles onto it. Aunt Primrose might be unimpressed, but at least it's quickly cooked and difficult to make badly.

What should you cook?

Veal ragout with truffles and apricot compote.
Roast beef au jus with haricots verts.
Cheese omelet with rosemary and shaved truffles.

It's time for another double vote! The next question is about how we want to handle dessert.

quote:

Chocolate mousse would go well, and it's fairly easy to whip up.
A port-poached pear tart with homemade raspberry-streaked creme fraiche.
Let's skip dessert.

I'll count each vote for dinner and dessert separately.

Most current stats posted:

Reginald Butler

Your Sundry Skills
Bold: 54%
Culture: 25%
Intellect: 31%
Observe: 35%
Persuade: 36%
Skulduggery: 19%
Soothing/Abrasive: 37%/63%

Your Reputation
Renown: 10%
Tranquility: 18%
Suspicion: 10%

Rory: 47%

Ready Monies: 25

# ? Dec 31, 2017 15:48

Maugrim: Feb 16, 2011; I eat your face

Our impressive boldness will not help us in the kitchen. We should play it safe with the two compromise options, Roast Beef and Chocolate Mousse.

# ? Dec 31, 2017 15:56

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

It's the holiday season, of course we must go with Roast ~~beast~~Beef and Creme Fraiche

# ? Dec 31, 2017 16:01

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

Roast beef and chocolate mousse.

# ? Dec 31, 2017 17:04

chitoryu12: Apr 24, 2014

Veal ragout and a pear tart. Go big or go home.

# ? Dec 31, 2017 17:13

rchandra: Apr 30, 2013

Veal and ~~moose~~ mousse.

# ? Dec 31, 2017 19:50

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

chitoryu12 posted:

Veal ragout and a pear tart. Go big or go home.

Seconded.

# ? Dec 31, 2017 19:58

CommissarMega: Nov 18, 2008; THUNDERDOME LOSER

Veal ragout and some mousse, perfect!

# ? Dec 31, 2017 20:25

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Roast beef & chocolate mouse.

# ? Dec 31, 2017 22:22

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?

CommissarMega posted:

Veal ragout and some mousse, perfect!

# ? Dec 31, 2017 22:46

Ratoslov: Feb 15, 2012; Now prepare yourselves! You're the guests of honor at the Greatest Kung Fu Cannibal BBQ Ever!

chitoryu12 posted:

Veal ragout and a pear tart. Go big or go home.

This. Also, wtf is haricot vert?

# ? Jan 1, 2018 01:15

ultrafilter: Aug 23, 2007; It's okay if you have any questions.

Ratoslov posted:

Also, wtf is haricot vert?

Green beans.

# ? Jan 1, 2018 01:20

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

ultrafilter posted:

Green beans.

It's French for this

# ? Jan 1, 2018 01:22

Pangurban: Apr 29, 2015

Yeah, I kept thinking I had to be missing something, because whenever I Googled "haricots verts" I would see pictures of green beans but none of the recipes called them green beans. Though apparently there are some very fancy things you can do with green beans!

In other news, I also asked a couple of relatives who know a tad more about cooking than me about veal ragout. They general consensus seemed to be that veal is an odd choice for a ragout, since veal is pretty tender on its own and ragout can easily be used to tenderize a piece of tough meat. But hey, maybe it works if you're an old lady. Or maybe it works if you're on a time crunch, like we are.

quote:

It has to be the veal, you realize suddenly. If you offer Aunt Primrose her favorite dinner, that will go some way towards putting her in a good mood. The veal it is, then.

You begin to gather the ingredients for the ragout. Wait a moment. What about dessert?

Chocolate mousse would go well, and it's fairly easy to whip up.

quote:

The dark chocolate mousse will surely create a satisfying conclusion to dinner. Surely Aunt Primrose can't complain about mousse.

You square your shoulders, take a deep breath, and begin to cook dinner, as Rory paces back and forth in the living room, gnawing on a fingernail, and looking out the window tensely.

You pick up the knife, and...

...what would you say is your general approach to cooking?

Playful and improvisational.
Careful attention to a popular recipe, ensuring a comforting familiarity.
Irritated and slapdash, filled with shortcuts and work-arounds.

Most current stats posted:

Reginald Butler

Your Sundry Skills
Bold: 54%
Culture: 25%
Intellect: 31%
Observe: 35%
Persuade: 36%
Skulduggery: 19%
Soothing/Abrasive: 37%/63%

Your Reputation
Renown: 10%
Tranquility: 18%
Suspicion: 10%

Rory: 47%

Ready Monies: 25

# ? Jan 2, 2018 00:36

Ratoslov: Feb 15, 2012; Now prepare yourselves! You're the guests of honor at the Greatest Kung Fu Cannibal BBQ Ever!

Playful and improvisational! _{dear god I hope this doesn't wreck us}

# ? Jan 2, 2018 00:43

Slaan: Mar 16, 2009; ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH

slapdash af

# ? Jan 2, 2018 01:06

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Cook playful & inspirational, with help from the rat nesting in our hair.

# ? Jan 2, 2018 01:15

FoolyCharged: Oct 11, 2012; Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?