Revision Quest II

A few weeks back, I compared the 1997 and 2011 editions of an obscure adventure gamebook called Egyptian Quest, the latter of which was self-published by the author and contained several intriguing additions compared to the original printing.

I had a hypothesis for those additions -- specifically, that they were written for the nineties edition but that had to be pared back to hit a strict word count -- and I had also intended to cover Egyptian Quest's sibling, Aztec Quest, in the same post. However, it turned out that there were far more changes than I was expecting, and I was able to make a much stronger case for my theory than I was expecting to from just the first book. So, like some weird DVD extra nobody asked for or watched, here are a selection of the changes between versions of Aztec Quest.

As with before, text in green marks additions in the 2011 edition; text in red is cut from it (i.e. it only appears in the 1997 version).

Aztec Quest: Introduction

Can you escape to rejoin your family? Can you elude the priests as you flee through the ruins of this terrifying city? Will you even survive your first meal of rats in chocolate sauce?

(Probably cut in 1997 so the introduction would neatly fit on a single page.)

Aztec Quest: Section 1

Darkness. You've opened your eyes to total darkness. Your head hurts as if somebody recently bashed it with a club. Which, now you come to think of it, was exactly what happened.

You leap to your feet and promptly fall down again. You're exhausted, trembling, every muscle aching. You stand up again, more cautiously this time and reach out in the darkness. Your hand touches a rough stone wall.

You wonder where you are. You wonder how you got here. Most of all you wonder how you're going to get out.

As you explore the confines of your tiny cell, your memory gradually returns...

A few lines down in the same section:

Most of all you remember the last thing your guard told you before you passed out in this filthy cell. The/how the Angry Lord has ordered a human sacrifice to persuade the gods to turn away the invaders.

And you are going to be it!

There's a noise. You stand very still, your back against the wall. Suddenly you are blinded by light. You can see in silhouette the broad figure of your guard. Has he come to take you to the sacrificial temple?

"Awake are you?" he growls. "Not before time. I got some food for you. The High Priest says you need fattening up before... well, you know."

The guard arrives. "I got some food for you," he growls.

This could be your chance to escape...

I mean, come on, the longer version clearly sets the scene much better.

Aztec Quest: Section 8

"So what's the deal here?" you call in the direction of the mysterious voice. "I mean, how often do I have to play? How much am I likely to make in a season? Do I get one of the new horses the Spanish are bringing in?"

"Hey, man," the voice calls back, "you mightn't have to play any more than just one game, you dig? Money for old aloe rope. And if you hitch up to a winning team, you get all the perks. Not just some boss-eyed Spanish horse, but copal, amber, jewels, silver, gold, featherwork, crystal... heck, I'll even throw in a few bottles of grade A cochineal so you can dye stuff red!/anything you could want!"

Rather odd that the Educational Content was apparently chosen for cutting in 1997.

Aztec Quest: Section 11

These hearty instructions are being issued by Prince Nezahualcoyotl, the character with the smooth line of chat and the fancy armour. His name, one of the soldiers mentions, means 'hungry fox' which you've now decided just about sums him up.

"Excuse me, Prince Foxy," you ask while trying to keep up, "but where are we going?"

(The same joke recurs a few lines later in the 2011 edition; in the 1997 edition, the player character calls him "Prince Nez -" instead, which does not appear to be intended as a pun on "pince-nez", sadly. Multiple other mentions of "Foxy" are changed similarly in the 1997 edition, usually substituting his full name, which actually makes the whole book slightly longer, but oh well.)

Aztec Quest: Section 18

An entire line that is only in the 1997 edition, not replaced by anything in the 2011 version, which is such an oddity it's worth noting:

With fists flying, you throw yourself on your guard.

Your guard is tough. He has 40 Life Points and carries a sword that gives 6 extra points of damage on every successful hit...

Aztec Quest: Section 25

An amusing change between editions:

Patiently you wait until Prince Nezahualcoyotl stops talking and begins to doze. With a silent So long, suckers!/prayer you creep patiently away into the night.

The duplication of "patiently" also strikes me as something which might have been sorted out in editing, further indicating the 2011 version is indeed taken from an earlier draft.

Aztec Quest: Section 30

There is a printing error in the 1997 edition which means part of the final sentence is cut off thusly:

Nothing much I can say to help you here except that one corridor runs north to 72, the other runs east to 84 while the door opens onto 104.

Aztec Quest: Section 43

"Aaaarrrrgh!" replies the Spaniard.

"Pardon?" you say politely.

"I said Aaaaarrrrgh," he confirms. "It's the noise I make when I'm dying."

With which he falls to the ground, dead.

But the conversation comes to an abrupt end as the Spaniard falls to the ground. Dead.

All the same, it's an ill wind...

Work that one out, then.

Aztec Quest: Section 62

A trademark Brennan example of breaking the fourth wall:

"...I suppose I shall have to accept," you tell the Prince with a sickly grin.

"Capital!" exclaims Prince Nezahualcoyotl. "Off you go to section 50!"

Aztec Quest: Section 77

More educational content gets cut...

This is exhausting, but the view is great. By the time you're half way up, you can see right across the ruins of the entire city. You've also noticed that portions of the original surface of the pyramid have been cleared recently, presumably by the Aztec priests, and in some areas refaced with adobe bricks.

Aztec Quest: Section 79

This group of buildings is so overgrown you'd imagine the Aztec priests (or anybody else for that matter) haven't been here for a century or more. As against that, somebody in there seems to be playing the maracas softly to themselves.

If you feel like investigating this early example of Herb Alpert and his Tiahuana [sic] Brass/these musical sounds, turn to 123...

Aztec Quest: Section 80

Should you attack the ambassador (and so find yourself in a fight that is more or less impossible to win):

Unfortunately this guy is a lot tougher than he looks since you don't get to be an Ambassador by picking daisies.

Aztec Quest: Section 110

"I refuse to be stopped by a couple of flea-bitten Aztec lumps of axolotl droppings!" you scream rudely, drawing your dice and hurling yourself forward./"I won't be stopped by a couple of flea-bitten Aztecs," you cry.

"Help!" screams one guard.

"Help!" screams the other, confirming your suspicion that Aztecs are all cowardly lumps of flea-bitten axolotl droppings.

"Help!" scram both guards in unison.

At which point seven thousand/7,000 heavily armed reinforcements come charging out of nowhere to their aid.

Each of your 7,002 opponents has 50 Life Points and carries a +5 sword. Bu the good news is you automatically get in the first strike. When the fight is finished, please tidy up by taking yourself off to 13/go to 13.

Aztec Quest: Section 118

There is an extra option in the eBook edition, of going through another door to 118... which must be a mistake, later picked up in editing but reinstated by the eBook edition, given that's the section you're already in.

Aztec Quest: Section 153

If nequem cloth is made from aloe thread, you can safely move the lever to the right. Otherwise moving the lever to the right will destroy the universe.

Signed, One Who Knows These Things

This is the sort of message just guaranteed to send you bats. Why can't people just TELL you which way to move the stupid lever. But it's no use hassling. You have to take life as you find it and if you're going to rescue your folks, you have to move that lever.

Aztec Quest: Section 157

All right, let's calm down here and analyse logically what your options are. First, you can panic completely and run around in circles like a headless chicken at 127...

It seems worth noting there are far fewer changes to Aztec Quest than Egyptian Quest -- several long-winded jokes that could have been pruned are left alone (make particular note of section 69), and many sections are left alone entirely, whereas pretty much every section of Egyptian Quest had some kind of trimming to it. The two books are exactly the same length, so maybe the Aztec adventure was just shorter to begin with. Unless someone is willing to translate the French-language versions of Greek Quest and Roman Quest, though, that's the best we can do for now...