Parsers and Imperatives

The parser is the part of the Skotos game that figures out what you mean when you type in a command. It expects commands to be delivered to it as imperatives (in real life, words like "Stop!" or "Wait!"). You're telling your character what to do. There's no need to include a pronoun like "you" or "I" because the system automatically adds it:

> stop
You stop.

When you type something like this, all of the other players in the game who are nearby will see a short sentence naming your character and the action he or she performs:

Joe Skotos stops.

Commands should be simple, singular thoughts. A complex command might involve a verb, an adverb, a preposition, an adjective, and a noun (wave tiredly to a tall student), but not much more. The Skotos parser system can understand simple commands like these:

> go north
> smile happily at girl
> slyly wink to third waiter

Hundreds of commands can be used to say things in a Skotos game. For instance, you can state, question, mumble, or shout. Use the command that best conveys your character's emotions. After the verb, put what you want to say in quotation marks:

> say "I think you'll like it here."
You say, "I think you'll like it here."

> whisper to pin "Give me a tattoo?"
You whisper to Pin Liou, "Give me a tattoo?"

Finally, you can attach spoken evocations to many gestures, like frown, smile, or wink. This allows you to speak while engaged in another activity:

> smile broadly, "Hello, my friend!"
You smile broadly, "Hello, my friend!"