Search for Mack

Search for Mack
	◄Eamon adventure #236►
Author	Clayton Roth
Released	December 1995
Revised	23 September 1995
EAG number	236
EDX number	18-01
EDX set	Classic Eamon Adventures, Vol. 6
Native format	Apple DOS 3.3
File	Eamon 236 - Search for Mack.dsk

Search for Mack is an Eamon adventure written by Clayton Roth.

Background

Tom Zuchowski, in his review of The Search for Mack, writes that Roth's original submission of the adventure to the Eamon Adventurer's Guild had a corrupted EAMON.DESC file (the file hosting descriptions for rooms, artifacts, and monsters, as well as special effects). After being informed of this, Roth rewrote the entire set of descriptions only to inadvertently delete the file after the work had been completed. Roth was reluctant to rewrite the descriptions a third time, leaving Zuchowski to fill in the details, properly making much of the text of the adventurer Zuchowski's own work.

Premise

The adventure begins with the player's vacation being interrupted by a messenger from a Princess Catherine, entreating him or her to search for Mack. The "Mack" after which the adventure is searching is a Himalayan tricolor cat named McKenzie who has been taken hostage by the forces of the rival nation Sicilia. The ransom's being double of the Princess's royal treasury, Catherine has selected the adventurer to infiltrate Castle Charlast, home of the king and queen of Sicilia, in an attempt to rescue the feline.

The adventurer is promised 5,000 gold pieces for the safe return of McKenzie. Though, as Zuchowski notes, the gold is never produced (some carnal knowledge of Princess Catherine is offered instead), the adventure is rare in providing detailed endings for both the case in which the player succeeds and that in which the adventurer fails.

Full introduction

You were looking out the window of your room at the inn, at the snow-capped peaks of the Eamon Range, and suddenly there was a rap at the door. You decide to let the person in, and to your surpise it is Princess Catherine's messenger.

"This message is from the princess. Its contents are urgent. Should you decide to carry out the contents, you must do so immediately."

The messenger then leaves, and you open the letter. The message reads:

"I need a favor. I am prepared to compensate you well for it. As you know, the Sicilians have been at war with us for many years. We have now learned that King Charles has implemented monsters in his garrison. Not only does this impose an unfair advantage for Charles, but two days ago, the monsters infiltrated my father's castle and kidnapped the royal cat, McKenzie. They now are holding him for ransom. McKenzie costs thousands of gold, but the treasury contains only 5000GP. Charles is asking for 10000GP. He will not accept 5000, so I need you to get Mack for me. Your payment will be the whole treasury — 5000GP. So the main points of this mission are: infiltrate Castle Charlast and get McKenzie — kill King Charles and as many of his monsters as possible. One other note: McKenzie is a Himalayan tri-color. He very much resembles the Siamese. Please, I implore you. Get him out for me. I guarantee you will be payed upon delivery of my beloved Mack."

Signed: Catherine

Gee, looks like you're going on another adventure...

Walkthrough

⚠️ A walkthrough is needed for this adventure.

Location

The Search for Mack makes explicit mention of novel features of Eamon's geography. The narrative of the adventure begins with the player's being interrupted during his or her stay at an inn on a mountain peak in the Eamon Range by a messenger. The conceit of the adventure involves infiltrating the castle of King Charles and Queen Alexandra of the rival nation of Sicilia; it is indicated that this nation has its own language—Sicilian—and is much older than the nation of the player, referring to Eamon as the "New World." It is also suggested that Sicilia is an island nation. As the entirety of the adventure proper is set in Castle Charlast, one is unable to infer the locations of the Eamon Range and Sicilia.

The adventure also describes a feature of the Main Hall, noting the existence of a flea market, possibly found in the village.

Trivia

Rather than selling the artifacts from the adventure to Sam Slicker as is customary, after the successful completion of The Search for Mack the adventurer goes to "Eamon's Flea Market" and sells his or her loot to Jacoby Jones, the flea market's owner.
The use of the Power spell in The Search for Mack yields the effects that either the adventurer's trousers drop, a rain cloud forms above the adventurer's head, or a random monster exploding—or the player's head, if no monsters are present—each with a 33% chance.

External links