Jota exclaims, "Speech! Speech!"
zarf (aka Andrew Plotkin) says, "So, you chop two large white onions and saute them in olive oil."
zarf says, "Saute them for about 45 minutes. Really. A *long* time. They'll turn brown."
zarf says, "Then add a cup of white wine, and simmer for a few more minutes."
zarf says, "A cup of blue cheese or Gorgonzola. But really squishy stuff, not dry."
zarf says, "Let that melt, and serve immediately over pasta. Sprinkle on walnuts."
zarf says, "And you'd better remember al lthat, because it's the solution to the endgame puzzle in next year's game. Good night!"
Sargent says, "zarf's next game: Sautee and Web."
- from the transcript of the award ceremony
1998 was the third year of the Xyzzy Awards, and a very good year for Interactive Fiction. A number of notable games were released, including the groundbreaking Photopia (which dominated the IF Competition), the Lovecraft-esque Anchorhead, the long-delayed Once and Future (aka Avalon), and Spider and Web, which dominated the awards.
Best Game
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Anchorhead, by Michael S. Gentry
Little Blue Men, by Michael S. Gentry
Once and Future, by G. Kevin Wilson
Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Best Writing
Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Anchorhead, by Michael S. Gentry
Muse, by Chris Huang
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Little Blue Men, by Michael S. Gentry
Best Story
Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry
Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Best Setting
Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry
Muse, by Chris Huang
Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade
Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Best Puzzles:
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Enlightenment, by Taro Ogawa
Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade
Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry
Best NPCs:
Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
Guilty Bastards, by Kent Tessman
Mother Loose, by Irene Callaci
Muse, by Chris Huang
Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Best Individual Puzzle:
Getting out of the chair, from Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Getting out of the maze in Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Entering the warehouse in The Plant, by Mike Roberts
The granite cube in Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade
The snack machine puzzle in Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
Best Individual PC:
Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
Bad Machine, by Dan Shiovitz
Muse, by Chris Huang
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Zork: A Troll's Eye View, by Dylan O'Donnell
Best Individual NPC:
The Interrogator in Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
The troll in Enlightenment, by Tara Ogawa
The wolf in Mother Loose, by Irene Callaci
Alley in Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Michael in Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry
Best Use of Medium:
Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin
Arrival, by Stephen Granade
Bad Machine, by Dan Shiovitz
Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
Photopia, by Adam Cadre
Relevant Web Sites and Sources:
- A listing of the winners is available at http://www.xyzzynews.com/98winners.html
- A transcript of the complete ceremony is available at http://www.eblong.com/zarf/award-transcript2.html
- And, as usual, all the games listed are available at the IF Archive at http://ifarchive.org/