The notebook

[Jeroic9]

Okay, let's own up to one thing, my fellow Boston metaguards: we done f***ed up on that one.

But that's all said and done, now for something I've been wondering: even if we had got the notebook with reasonable speed, would the number still have been a vehicle for learning a bit more about the Cabal, or was it more beneficial in the long run that we dragged our heels?

Another question is whether there was any intent in where you guys had it placed. One of the reasons I didn't go get it myself was because I couldn't dedicate time to going to a restaurant I wasn't about to shell out the money to eat at as well. The T is a bitch, so sue me.

[Tom]

The Cabal leaving the voicemails was a consequence of the notebook being left where it was. It was intended to be fun and advance the story, but we hadn't initially planned doing it. All of a sudden, we needed a Moriarty fast.

The rest of this, Elizabeth and Rick should probably answer.

[Dana]

The Cabal calling was intended to be a punishment, actually Not a reward.

Originally the Cabal messages were not supposed to have been on Joan's phone, which meant we had to write them worse and worse. Poor Cabal.

And we picked the restaurant almost entirely because it was on Fleet Street >.>

[Tom]

What I meant was "punishment" + "fun"... a "funishment". This being a game, even the consequences for not acting fast enough still had to be entertaining on some level.

MS. LAWWWSON, YOUR DRY CLEANING IS READY.

[Jeroic9]

The Cabal calling was intended to be a punishment, actually Not a reward.

Originally the Cabal messages were not supposed to have been on Joan's phone, which meant we had to write them worse and worse. Poor Cabal.

And we picked the restaurant almost entirely because it was on Fleet Street >.>

Pretty fun thought, if their alfredo were about $1.50 cheaper then the Cabal calls would never have happened, and my entire early perception of them would have been less severe.

[Connor Fallon]

Tom's voice acting in that recording, as Sweeny Todd, is still one of my favorite things in the ARG.

If only his performance as himself measured up.

[Dana]

I sent my Morgan recording around to the other PMs and they were all like "Augh creepy!" It was AWESOME.

[Sicon112]

Tom's voice acting in that recording, as Sweeny Todd, is still one of my favorite things in the ARG.

If only his performance as himself measured up.

Sweeny Todd was freaking EPIC. Nothing more needs to be said.

"Your villainous, idiotic ways have allowed me to suffer these long weeks when all I needed for proof was available on your information networks! Why didn’t you tell me my wife lived? LET NOW THIS EFFIGY REAP THE WHIRLWIND YOU HAVE SOWN! Also, can I get an appointment for tomorrow? Yours truly, BB"

.... Aaaaaand now I SOOOO want to hear that voiced....

[Dana]

Tom is a *really good actor*

[Tom]

Now who's blushing.

(At the risk of losing all the sympathy I may have... my Sweeney recordings were cold readings.)

[Elizabeth Kays]

I have to say, that did work out really well with the Cabal messages. And we thought the notebook was going to be the easiest puzzle! But I'm really pleased with how it worked out, even though it made the Cabal much scarier. Next time we'll remember to pick a cheaper restaurant Rick worked so hard getting the notebook filled out by a friend and everything!

And I second the request for a recording of that message, Tom!

[Dryunya]

Now is the good time to mention the "Ghost in the answering machine" from the credits. Did it have something to do with this particular voice mail? I remember some poorly-understood bit in Jennifer Hamilton's message which we attributed to someone else.

[Dana]

Jennifer Hamilton was me. The Ghost in the Voice Machine was Rick, who was a voice for *one of* the phone systems. Tom was just being clever with the credits

[Dryunya]

In that case, the question about that unintelligible part before the "all right" still stands. =P

[Dana]

I think she was talking about how her number would be on Joan's caller ID under her mom's name.

[Rick Healey]

Oh, the notebook. I kind of want to cry; it was so hard setting it up.

The big problem was that the owner of the restaurant thought I was trying some sort of scam with this. I spent over a half hour trying to convince her that it wouldn't cost her anything. And that I'd buy a meal to show that the only money would be from me to them. I was praying that someone would get it. The others can tell stories of me softly sobbing; I care not to recall the indignity.

Though, for the curious, here's what it actually looked like:









For the record, yes, the ingredient list does have a recipe attached to it.

[JackAlsworth]

Of course she needed swordfish. The password is always swordfish.

[Rick Healey]

Of course she needed swordfish. The password is always swordfish.

We deliberately underlined it to get folks to try that first and foremost.

[Sicon112]

Of course she needed swordfish. The password is always swordfish.

We deliberately underlined it to get folks to try that first and foremost.

...I'm pretty sure we tried it anyway, thanks very much. XD

[Connor Fallon]

Rick, since none of our players have asked, what's the recipe attached? =P

[Rick Healey]

Rick, since none of our players have asked, what's the recipe attached? =P

I dunno... that was going to a reward for actually retrieving the notebook successfully. You could have either gotten it successfully from Joan (who had it) or EFP (because even if I wasn't the one who created the recipe, I would have pulled that together faster than you could say "You have been Chopped.").

But since players didn't actually get the notebook, I might just reserve that along with some of the other stuff we didn't release but might one day use.