Update 1: The First National Bank of Timrod’s Shoe
"Laura Bains, right?
“Laura Bow, sir. And I believe you have the advantage.”
“Crodfoller Rhubarb, ma’am. But you can call me Rube. So, I suppose you’ve already met Sam.”
“Yes. He’s very… colorful.”
“Don’t let him shake you. He’s tough on the outside, but inside he’s got a heart of stone.”
“I’m sure he… pardon me, what did you say?”
“Never mind, just pulling your leg. Why don’t you take this desk right here and we’ll get you settled in.”
Welcome to Dagger of Amon Ra. The short talk with Crodfoller (well, that and the 80-page hint book and 50-page manual) are all we have to get started with this game. There is an intro cinematic accessible from the main menu, but I won’t be posting that until we’ve met the characters in it and know a little bit about them. First, let’s take a look at Laura’s desk, here in the middle of the New York Daily Register News Tribune’s newsroom.
If we try the drawer, it’s (unsurprisingly for a Sierra game) locked. By touching the black corners of the desk blotter as if handling a bomb (seriously, being even a few pixels off will get you a “Don’t touch that!” message) we can turn the corners up to look underneath them. Maybe…
Ah-ha! This desk blotter doesn’t follow the laws of physics.. either that, or it’s so infested with mold that the corners can stand up on their own. I’m not really sure which. Anyway, we have a key! Let’s try it on the drawer.
This is the game’s way of letting us know we won’t be needing that key for anything else. Unlike a few of Sierra’s earlier games (and a few other adventure games from this time period), Dagger of Amon Ra is nice enough to dispose of items we no longer need after we’ve used them for their intended purpose.
Inside the drawer is… a single piece of paper? Seriously, Sam? Not even some tape, or scissors, or a stapler? What a jerk. Oh wait, this is.. this is Laura’s press credential? If we talk to Crodfoller about it, he’ll mention that Sam ran out of press passes and this is the best he could do. What a jerk. We’ll take it anyway. There’s also a baseball in Laura’s trash can, which belonged to the sports reporter who previously occupied Laura’s desk. Let’s just have a look at that.
We can also try to talk to Laura’s desk while we’re here. If we do..
While we’re here, we may as well ask Crodfoller about the case. Using the “Ask” action on him brings up this interface, which is a little confusing. You actually have to select the item to ask about, then hit “exit” to ask about it.
Rather than do screenshots of every line of Crodfoller’s dialog, I’ll sum it up here:
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Detective Ryan Hanrahan O’Riley is investigating the burglary for the police. Crodfoller couldn’t get much out of him.
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Dr. Archibald Carrington III is the museum’s curator, and has been on the job about a month. Crodfoller doesn’t think he’s on the level. According to Crodfoller, Carrington didn’t seem like he cared too much about the Dagger vanishing.
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Dr. Pippin Carter is the archaeologist who originally found the Dagger in Egypt. Unlike Carrington, Dr. Carter was “incensed” at the dagger’s disappearance.
Crodfoller also suggests we go to the local police precinct to meet with Det. O’Riley, and to a speakeasy to speak with Ziggy, a ‘stoolie’ that Crodfoller has used in the past.
The only other thing Crodfoller really cares to talk about are his travel tips for New York:
One step ahead of you there, buddy. Meet the First National Bank of Timrod’s Shoe, now open for business. Before we go on to the mean streets of New York, there is one other thing we can do for a hint: examine the bulletin board near Laura’s desk. This gets us:
With that, we are clear to exit the newsroom and head out into New York. Join us next time for a trip about town!
