Congratulations! \n\nYou've made it through your journey and collected wonderful tricks that display mentalism at its finest along the way. \n\nThe next night at your showcase each one of your illusions display meaning and you describe how each one works in a way that attempts to still wow and amaze the audience. \n\nWhile on stage you see the three ladies and Keven the magazine man in the audience. They cheer for you loudly and give you thumbs up to show their support for your act.\n\nThe show is generally well received, with only a few seeing your style of truthful magic as trite and unoriginal.\n\nBuck Fortune approaches you after the show and tells you how much he hated the show. \n\nHe says, “You've made me the laughing stock of the strip. You'll never work in this town again!” \n\nHe tells you to get your stuff out and never come back to his casino again. He stomps away, leaving you and a large crowd of people stunned.\n\nSeveral of the people standing around watching this capture him yelling at you backstage on their cell phones. \n\nTheir videos go viral overnight and you become internet famous! \n\nSeveral weeks later you get a call with an offer to come back to Vegas with a permanent gig opening for Penn & Teller's Vegas show. They give you everything you've ever wanted with one simple condition: you debunk every trick in the book.\n\nYou spend the rest of your life and career performing wonderful tricks that wow and amaze crowds from all over the world. Years later you discover Buck Fortune got caught cooking the books of his casino and cheating millions of people out of their life savings. On the night the feds came to bust Mr. Fortune he skipped town moments before and was never seen in the states again.\n\n-The End-\n\nReturn to [[Start]]
As you approach the magazine stand a man with dirty white hair and a troll like face walks around the counter and greets you.\n\n“Afternoon to you,” he says, “name's Keven.”\n\nYou say, “Nice to meet you, Keven.” The two of you shake hands and he noticeable sizes you up the best his tiny legs will allow him.\n\nHe tells you that he saw you doing tricks for the ladies down the street and thought you may be interested in seeing a trick of his. \n\n“It's a wonderful sealed envelope trick that I developed myself,” says Keven.\n\nYou agree to watch it and he performs it beautifully for you.\n\n“Amazing!” you say. “I need this on my stage. Please sell it to me!”\n\nHe thanks you for the kind words and goes on to explain to you that the trick is yours but money is of no use to him.\n\n“I'll give you the trick if you can answer my riddle,” he says.\n\nKeven smiles at you a large twisted grin as he waits for you answer.\n\nDo you answer the riddle? \n\n[[Yes]] or [[No]]
“None of you people in this town understand professional magic!” you shout in Keven's face.\n\nKeven's grin fades and he looks at you with disgust.\n\n“I can't keep putting up with you amateurs,” you scream, “I'm not playing any more games. I can do my own envelope trick with no strings attached.” \n\nYou turn quick and stomp back to the casino to prepare for [[the showcase|the showcase 2]].
You cross the street and slide into the brightly lit casino. The sounds of games of chance ring loudly through the room. People buzz around from every direction, like ants on a mound. \n\nThe room's activity buzzes so loudly and with too much excitement that it starts to spin around you.\n\nPeople bump past you. You lose your balance, trip, and then fall to the ground. Everything in your pockets falls out and you scramble to pick up your belongings.\n\nHaving enough you jump to your feet and run out the large glass doors. The crowd around the [[street performer]] has grown more, so you run over to watch the show.\n
You race across the street and slam through the giant glass doors of the casino. The sounds of games of chance ring loudly through the room. People buzz around from every direction, like hornets around a nest.\n\nThe room feels electric and it draws you in like a siren's love song.\n\nYou spot a blackjack table from the distance and race over to one of its empty seats.\n\nYou spend an hour at the table counting cards and winning lots of money. Suddenly two men in black suits tap you on the shoulder.\n\n"You're out of here buddy," says the man on your right.\n\n"We don't put up with no good cheats around here," say the other man.\n\nThey litteraly lift you out of the chair, spilling all your winnings to the floor.\n\n"We'll be keeping that," says left side man. \n\nThey drag you across the floor and to the giant glass doors. They toss you out of the casino and on to the pavement of the Vegas strip.\n\nFrom the distance you see the crowd around the [[street performer]] has grown more, so you pick yourself up and walk over to watch the show.
Welcome to the text adventure game: To Debunk or Get Paid?\n\nThis game follows a mentalist-magician, The Great Augur, in an adventure into the world of Vegas stage shows. \n\nAnd the fun starts right now!\n\n[[You are The Great Augur]]\n\n
As you slowly walk to the magazine stand a man with dirty white hair and a troll like face walks around the counter and greets you.\n\n“Afternoon to you,” he says, “name's Keven.”\n\n“Hello,” you say.\n\nHe says, “What's got you so down son?”\n\nYou explain to him the troubles you're having building your act for the showcase tomorrow. He tells you a story about his first encounter with the ladies on the streets of Vegas. He also explains that maybe he could help you with your act. He tells you about a trick that will knock your socks off.\n\n“It's a wonderful sealed envelope trick that I developed myself,” says Keven.\n\nYou agree to watch it and he performs it beautifully for you.\n\n“Amazing!” you say. “I need this trick more than anything. Please sell it to me!”\n\nHe thanks you for the kind words and goes on to explain to you that the trick is yours but money is of no use to him.\n\n“I'll give you the trick if you can answer my riddle,” he says.\n\nKeven smiles at you a large twisted grin as he waits for you answer.\n\nDo you answer the riddle? \n\n[[Yes]] or [[No]]
The street performer does several impressive close up street magic tricks. The gathered crowd responding positively to all of his illusions.\n\nHe completes his act and everyone starts to dicipate. You approach him to talk about his tricks.\n\n"Great close up skills," you say. \n\n"It's all in the wrist," he says. With a smooth flick of his hands infront of his face he produces some sunglasses. He then leans against the wall and says, "speak to me."\n\n"Well I couldn't help but notice your use of billets in the act here," you say. His eyebrow raises in anticipation of where this may go.\n\n"They are a stylish prop I'll give you that baby," he says. \n\n"True, but in mentalism we have two camps of folks on this debate," you say. "First camp wonders why mind readers need you to write things down. The second camp, of which I'm a member of, believes that even if you are a true mind reader this trick helps focus their minds and keeps them honest in the reveal.\n\nThe two of you debate this and other magic technices for several more mintes. Eventually you tell him about your showcase and that you're searching for the perfect act.\n\nHe offers to show you how to do one of the following, for a small fee:\n\n1) [[Color Changing Shoelace]]\n\nor,\n\n2) [[Coin Bending]]\n
The Street Performer says, "The trick is very simple you'll see. But first you must do something for me." \n\nHe starts pulling jellybeans from the air so fast they look like flashing lights. Then suddenly he stops.\n\n"You see I just don't have enough jelly-babies," he says.\n\nHe tells you to go off and get him a new bag of jellybeans. You search up and down the strip for a candy store, taking care to stay far away from the magic shop. Finally you reach a gas station with one bag of multi-colored jellybeans.\n\nYou rush back to the street performer and give him the bag. He says, "You don't listen well, do you baby? I said red, yellow and orange only!"\n\nYou pick up the bag and throw it in his face, sending the jellybeans flying everywhere. \n\nYou tell him, "go rub a monkeys tummy!" And you explain how you don't have time to run around collecting things for him like this.\n\nYou snatch the pre-bent coins from him before turning, and stomping up the street, steaming mad.\n\nYou notice a group of [[working girls|working girls 2]] and walk toward them.
Congratulations! \n\nYou've made it through your journey and collected tricks that display your abilities with mentalism and your natural talent to wow and amaze. \n\nThe next night at your showcase each one of your illusions amazes the audience and you eat up every moment on the stage, milking it for all it's worth.\n\nBuck Fortune loves you and the show you've put together. He tells everyone that will listen to him, “I found this wonderfully talented psychic”. \n\nMr. Fortune offers you a full time job as long as you continue to display your true abilities to his crowd.\n\nYou accept his offer and spend the rest of your life earning millions of dollars as a famous Vegas stage show.\n\nOne night, years later, you hear a loud explosion in the lobby from your penthouse apartment. You run down and learn that Buck Fortune's been cooking the books of his casino and cheating millions of people out of their life savings. The feds search the casino and find no trace of Mr. Fortune. They close down everything and you're left broke and homeless. \n\nYou return to your hometown and live out the rest of your days doing children birthday parties and drinking heavily every night.\n\nBuck Fortune was never seen in the states again.\n\n-The End-\n\nReturn to [[Start]]
Stephen Smith
You pull out three of your Powerball 60 lotto tickets, normal looking scratch offs to the untrained eye. Only the small print on the back, explaining it's a trick, gives away the ticket's secretes.\n\nYou hand out the tickets to red and say, "Just simply put the ones you think are winners in one pile, and then the losers in another." You run through your routine and after your big number reveal the ladies ask you if they can scratch off the tickets.\n\n“No, they aren't real tickets,” you say. You show them the tiny print and they still insist on trying to scratch them.\n\n"I guess if you want to you can," you say.\n\nThey scratch them off and when none of them are winners they finally accept that the tickets aren't real.\n\n“This is stupid,” they all say. \n\n“Don't feel bad sweetie,” says red. “It's just that here in Vegas it's all about the dollar bills.”\n\nThey all start laughing as they walk away from a defeated you. \n\nYou sigh in defeat and collect your things. You slowly walk down the strip away from the working girls and toward a large [[magazine stand|magazine stand 2]] at the end of the block.
With great luck you come across the most perfect place to start off building your act, a small magic shop.\n\nYou swing through the door and approach the counter where a young man in an ancient crush velvet suit sits idly appearing coins.\n\n“Brilliant pulls,” you say to him with a smile.\n\nBarely looking at you he pulls two coins from behind your head. He then tosses them both into the air with some flair and they bust into a puff of smoke. In the smoke a dove emerges. The dove circles around in the air before landing on the clerk's shoulder.\n\n“Magnificent,” you say. “Your method is clean and quick.” You go on to explain to him your situation and say, “I want an opener that's going to knock their socks off!”\n\nHe smiles back at you and says, “I have two tricks that are perfect openers for you. The first is the classic but effective [[tossed out deck]]. Or if you're feeling extra dangerous you could try the [[smash and stab]].”\n\nThe tossed out deck is a simple trick you've done a variation of in the past with much success.\n\nThe smash and stab is a more complex trick you've never attempted, but you're the real deal so who cares!\n\nWhich trick do you choose?\n
Feeling good about your act shaping in to something spectacular, you stride up to the three working girls. They're all dressed to attract potential johns with dresses tight enough you wonder if they might suffocate in them.\n\nYou say, “Afternoon, ladies.”\n\nThey giggle at you and one of them, wearing a bright red sequins dress, says, “Hey there sonny. Looking for a date?”\n\nYou tell them no, and then flash appear three fresh roses before their eyes. “Ooo a magic man,” says red. “Gonna make us disappear?” They all giggle again.\n\n“Don't be silly, nothing fetching as you three could ever disappear,” you say. They soften to you and you explain to them your search for the perfect act to showcase tomorrow night. This gets their attention and you can almost see the dollar signs flashing in their eyes.\n\n“How would you lovely ladies like to be my personal guest for the showcase tomorrow night,” you say. \n\nThe ladies all nod in agreement at once. One of the ladies, long legs and a tight green short dress says, “But what's the catch magic man?”\n\nYou say, “Nothing you all can't handle. Just simply give me your honest opinion on a trick that I'll perform for you.”\n\nThey agree to your terms and you prepare to show them one of two tricks you can't decide on:\n\n1.\t[[Kioku]] - One of your favorite portable mind reading tricks that's slow and effective, but you worry about it not being large enough for a showroom.\n\n2.\t[[Powerball 60]] - A quick and cheesy mind reading trick that utilizes scratch off tickets you carry around on you at all times.
To Debunk or Get Paid?
Congratulaitons! The old man's opportunity just may show you what kind of a preformer you really are.\n\nYou tell Buck Fortune that you would love to showcase your act for him on the stage. He provides you with the show details and flies you out to Las Vegas, Nevada two days later.\n\nYou step off the plane, wide eyed and bumping into everyone.\n\nIt takes you a long time to find your luggage and track down the man with the tiny sign donning your name across it's front.\n\nOnce you arrive to Mr. Fortune's casino he tells you they've pre-sold out your showcase for the following night. “I'm so excited to show off these skills of yours kid,” he says. You thank him again for all his support of your act. He slaps you on the back and says, "I have faith in you kid. Natural talent like yours is hard to come by these days."\n\nHe leaves you in the hands of Erin, an assistant that he says will provide you with whatever funds you need to build your showcase act.\n\n“I need to hit the streets and find that act,” you say to Erin.\n\nShe hands you a card that she explains has no limit and to buy whatever you need. \n\nYou thank her and rush out the door. \n\nYou find your way to the main Vegas strip and begin the search for the perfect act.\n\n[[Opening Act]]
You pull out your Kioku cards and preform the mind reading trick on all three ladies.\n\nEach of them stares at you with wide eyes, truly amazed by the trick. Red even says, “Can you really read minds?”\n\n“Of course not my dear, but I am quite in tuned with the world around me,” you say. “But it is all just a trick I assure you.”\n\nThey tell you this is the one for your act. You quickly collect their names for the tickets and take off up the street toward a large [[magazine stand]] at the end of the block.
It's a magical night at Sam's Bar and Lounge tonight. \n\nYou've just finished a successful mentalism act to a small crowd. Most of the crowd consist of nightly regulars struggling to hold on to their bar-stool.\n\nAt a bar like Sam's even the smallest of crowds makes things cramped in this exposed brick walls room.\n\nYou walk off a makeshift stage to a moderate spattering of applause from the folks in the room paying any attention.\nA trunk stands ajar near your feet, The Great Augur written across its side in white paint. As you collect your things into the trunk a portly man with bushy mutton chops and dressed in an expensive suit approaches you.\n\nHe extends out his right hand and says, "Name's Buck Fortune."\n\nYou shake his hand, the small man's grip deceptively strong. He tells you the act was the best thing he's ever seen. "Better than Copperfield and Blaine combined," he says. "Truly amazing, son. This is a real gift."\n\nYou thank him and explain, "This act took a while to perfect, I assure you."\n\nHe winks at you and promises to keep your secret. With great enthusiasm he goes on to tell you about his new casino opening just off the Vegas strip. "Four swimming pools, a full country style buffet, and a damn amusement park in the back yard. Augy I'm telling you it's going to be the crown jewel of the block!"\n\nBefore you have a chance to catch up to him he says, "And I want you to headline the whole thing." Then mostly to himself he quickly adds, "Pending successful completion of a trial showcase."\n\nHe stares you down through his tiny spectacles, waiting for an answer.\n\nYou stutter and struggle to say "[[I..ll..take..it.]]"
The clerk throws down a smoke screen and then disappears. When the smoke clears he appeares next to a glass case just to your left. With a smooth motion he pulls out the package containing the card trick. \n\nHe quickly wraps the deck with a rubber band and tosses it to you.\n\n“I assume you know how this one works,” he asks.\n\nYou play dumb and shake your head 'no'. \n\nHe takes you through the motions and when he's finished you grab the deck and perform the trick yourself, perfectly. \n\n“Simple enough,” you exclaim. “How much do you want for it?”\n\n“That'll be one-hundred and fifty big ones,” he says.\n\n“Okay, but let me show you something first,” you say. \n\nYou reach into your pocket and grab out your own set of cards for the tossed deck trick and you perform your version for the clerk.\n\n“That's amazing!” The clerk says with excitement, “how do you do it?”\n\n“That sir is for me to know, and you to enjoy,” you say. \n\nThe clerk explains how he would rather sell your trick instead of the cheesy version he has. He offers you one thousand dollars for the trick and ten percent of each sale he makes. You show him how to perform the trick and he asks your name. After telling him and asking him to watch for you on the strip with your own show, the two of you sign a contract, and you leave the store smiling. \n\nAs you walk down the strip you hear the sounds of a street performer calling for an audience.\n\nDo you turn and walk toward the [[street performer]]?\n\nOr do you step out to cross the street and go into a nearby [[casino|casino 1]]?\n
You continue your stomping tantrum as you approach the three working girls. They're all dressed to attract potential johns with dresses tight enough you pause long enough to wonder if they might suffocate in them.\n\n“Ladies,” you say with face red and frustrated.\n\nThey crack small smiles, but remain standoffish. \n\nOne of them, dressed in a bright red sequins dress, says, “Hey there honey; you looking to relieve some stress?”\n\nYou tell them no and sloppily appear three wrinkled roses before their eyes. Red says, “So you're a magic man? Want to disappear us or something?”\n\n“Don't be stupid,” you say. “I need your help with choosing a trick for my showcase tomorrow night. All you have to do is watch a trick and I'll leave tickets for the three of you at the box-office.”\n\nThey soften to you a little and you can almost see the dollar signs flashing in their eyes.\n\nThey agree to your terms and you prepare to show them one of two tricks you can't decide on:\n\n1.\t[[Kioku]] - One of your favorite portable mind reading tricks that's slow and effective, but you worry about it not being large enough for a showroom.\n\n2.\t[[Powerball 60]] - A quick and cheesy mind reading trick that utilizes scratch off tickets you carry around on you at all times.
“Wonderful!” he says. Then he slaps his hands together and recites the riddle.\n\nHe says, “What is it that exists, but never happened?"\n\nYou ponder the riddle for only a moment before shouting, “Misdirection!”\n\n“Correct,” he says. He goes on to explain the trick to you in detail and you thank him multiple times. You offer to pay for the trick again and he declines the money. You tell him the time of the showcase the next day and assure him as many tickets as he wants will be waiting for him at the box-office.\n\nYou gather up your things and take off back to the casino to prepare for [[the showcase]].
The Street Performer says, "The trick is very simple you'll see. But first you must do something for me." \n\nHe starts pulling jellybeans from the air so fast they look like flashing lights. Then suddenly he stops.\n\n"You see I just don't have enough jelly-babies," he says.\n\nHe tells you to go off and get him a new bag of jellybeans. You search up and down the strip for a candy store, taking care to stay far away from the magic shop. Finally you reach a gas station with one bag of multi-colored jellybeans.\n\nYou rush back to the street performer and give him the bag. He says, "You don't listen well, do you baby? I said red, yellow and orange only!"\n\nYou pick through the candy, one by one sorting them into colorful piles.\n\nWith a snap and a cheer he thanks you for supplying him for another year. He tells you to keep the rest and reveals the trick shoe cast. He gives you his pair and you slip them into your breast pocket.\n\nYou turn, and then strut up the street whistling.\n\nYou notice a group of [[working girls]] and walk toward them.
The clerk looks you in the eye with fear.\n\n“Have you ever heard of this trick? It isn't the easiest in the book and I have only sold one of these things,” he says.\n\n“No, but danger doesn't bother me. You could say that I have a lucky streak with the dangerous tricks,” you say. \n\nThe clerk goes into the back behind a red velvet curtain. Rummaging noises protrude from the back room and as time passes by you wonder if he's ever coming back. Suddenly he pops out again, hair and velvet suit all wrinkly. But he's also not alone; he has a man with him dressed in a black spandex suit and teal mask on his face.\n“I am unable to perform this trick myself,” says the clerk, “my friend here will have to show you how it works.” \n\nThe man in black, without a single word, performs the trick nearly perfect. You look with wide eyes thinking how much money you can make by performing it in your show as he dabs at a slice now dripping with blood on his left hand. The man in black slips away as mysteriously as he appeared.\n\nYou turn and look the clerk right in the eye.\n\n“How much,” you ask, “I must have this one; The Great Augur never misses!”\n\n“This one runs for five-hundred bucks.” You think to yourself although you're covered by Buck Fortune's massive bank account, but you feel someone of your status can never pay that much for a simple opening act trick.\n\n“I'll take it,” you say. \n\nThe clerk goes to the back room and you look down at the glass case the used trick sits on. The sounds of rummaging emerge from the back room and you look back up at the curtain, then right back to the trick. \n\nYou grab the trick, and run out of the store sprinting down the Vegas strip. \n\nAs you run away down the strip you hear the sounds of a street performer calling for an audience.\n\nDo you run to blend in with the [[street performer]]'s growing crowd?\n\nOr do you step out to cross the street and slip into a nearby [[casino|casino 2]]?\n