From the development notebook. These entries discuss story details and describe the game at the time of writing.
Preparing a trap for the king
Version 5.26 · 12 October 2026
The expanded Mousetrap chapter makes preparation part of the adventure. The orchard scene can come from a promise to the player-master, reconstructed prompt fragments with Horatio's account, or a west-loft copy obtained while the two friends distract Polonius. Being caught opens an inspection conversation or another route, rather than requiring a reload.
Permission has its own politics. Gertrude can offer patronage. Polonius can inspect the scene. The friends can quietly enter it among the entertainments. An inspected scene warns the court and changes later access.
Witnesses matter too. Horatio can write independently before accounts are compared. Ophelia may watch Hamlet, provided the player has not lost her cooperation. During the performance, the player answers Polonius's interruption: let the fiction speak, invite inspection of the harmless vial, or turn outward with an accusation. The response changes the physical scene, and a public accusation can break an earlier promise of restraint.
The aftermath follows those commitments. An honoured promise can earn custody of a prompt copy; signing a personal account opens an official route at the cost of being recorded. The ledger, inventory and changing objective preserve the thread through Continue.
The chapter targets a 25–35-minute play session. That is a design target awaiting student testing, not a measured completion time. The important question for that test is whether players understand what they are trying to accomplish and care enough to try another approach.