Andrew Plotkin’s Cruelty Scale

• Merciful : Cannot get stuck.
• Polite : Can get stuck or die, but it’s immediately obvious that you’re stuck or dead.
• Tough : Can get stuck, but it’s immediately obvious that you’re about to do something irrevocable.
• Nasty : Can get stuck, but when you do something irrevocable, it’s clear.
• Cruel : Can get stuck by doing something which isn’t obviously irrevocable (even after the act).

(Taken from a rec.games.int-fiction posting. Used to rank how fair or unfair an IF game is.)

Index / dswxyz(a)look*ca / Last Updated: October 2002.