an (updated!) interactive fiction game from E. Jade Lomax (ink-splotch / dirgewithoutmusic), the writer who brought you Beanstalk, Second Star to the Left podcast, and Stay?.
"Return to your sleepy, strange little hometown after years away. Explore your old haunts, reconnect with old friends and new, and dig into the mysteries that rise up in the town like mist.
It's a story about leaving home and coming home; about life after death-- in more ways than one. This choose-your-own-adventure game lets you explore who you used to be so that you can decide who you want to be."
More a Haunting than a History is my second IF (interactive fiction) game, a story about returning to your childhood small town and finding both it and yourself different than you left them.
Version 2.0 is cleaner, stronger, with new content and a trophy system! If you've already explored MAHTAH, dive back in to see what's new to find, experience, or break-- if you haven't given MAHTAH a chance yet, I'd love it if you gave the new & improved version a try!
PLAY IT HERE:
Understand your past. Decide your future. -- An urban fantasy narrative about life after death, in more ways than one.
In version 2.0, I made three main changes, as well as various bug fixes (thanks everyone who wrote me about bugs!):
Updated the dialogue system to make for smoother, less awkward conversations-- dialogue being the main gameplay mechanism!
Streamlined the dreams & climax/river scene systems to improve the narrative experience (ensure certain backstory content got seen/emphasized/excluded as relevant)
Introduced a trophy system (more details on the why of this under the cut)
MAHTAH was both a blast and a slog to write, just like Stay? was a rush -- I'd love to hear your thoughts, feelings, and experiences as I start chipping away at my next IF project.
Why trophies? I've added in "trophies" at the end of the game because a) it seemed fun and b) I'm hoping this will help shore up one of what I see as the weaknesses of MAHTAH-- a single playthrough feels "complete."
In some ways, this was a goal of mine; I wanted non-repeat players (players who get to an ending and never pick up the game again) to have a satisfactory and full experience & to not feel like they were "missing out" on anything.
But this also leads to there being no clear motivation to replay the game, and no hint of the different secrets you can find, relationships you can build through the game, and endings you can have open up to you. It makes the "exploration space" feel more shallow than Stay?'s-- and it is certainly different than Stay?'s-- but they are both stories about exploration & discovery.
In MAHTAH, the discoveries are your friends, your feelings, your relationships, your past-- yourself, even. You can get a pretty full picture in a single playthrough if you max enough things out, in just the right way, but generally I think it takes a few playthroughs of MAHTAH to get the full experience and story.
Even if a single playthrough can be "satisfying," it's not the end of the story or the experience, but my focus on trying to make single playthroughs "stand on their own" undercut the visibility to the gaps and holes still remaining that required repeat playthroughs to access.
So: trophies. They're fun! And they both inform the player at the end of the story that there is content they didn't access -- and ideally make some of that content interesting and desirable. It gives the player a goal as they launch into the next playthrough, and hopefully having that goal lets them play the game in new ways and meet new experiences.
[ID: A digital drawing in color of Tam from More a Haunting than a History by E. Jade Lomax. They are tall and thin with dark skin and buzzed hair and wear a long blue coat, orange flannel shirt, off-white slacks, and brown dress shoes. They are looking backwards and reaching back with one hand while the other holds onto their messenger bag.]
sometimes you meet a character and Immediately know you’re gonna spend the rest of your life doing magic science with them
Hi oh my god I had been playing mahtah for a day or so when the new update dropped!! The new trophies are so delightful thank you very much, but alas I have come for another matter in desperation: I truly can't figure out to romance Chris lmao. I've done a run with at least every other character epilogue and I've attempted to be nice to everyone but I truly can't get his points up above 2 by endgame even though I've cleared all his dialogue TvT I've come to you as my last resort, since I genuinely respect your work so much and I did genuinely want to have a complete natural experience 🙏
Ah! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
The trouble with Chris is he will also judge you for how you treat others around him; in general, be kind and polite, but also when he snaps at Gwyn, don't snap back at him. When you visit him in the hospital, invite him back to the house for hot cocoa if you get that option. In general, take the time to say kind, sympathetic things in his dialog options, rather than driving toward truth, answers, and goals. Where Bec loves some good sharp sarcasm, and Gwyn appreciates quirky joy and practical loyalty, Chris genuinely likes the little niceties.
Hi!!! I just wanted to tell you that seeing your new game reminded me that Stay? exists and that it's soooo good. It's been a while since I played it, so I don't remember the details, but I do remember being amazed at how much variation there was, how every detail was perfectly woven into the story, and how human the characters felt despite us not getting that much time to know them. Plus, I personally love war plots, and yours DID NOT disappoint. I also really loved how the different "career paths" impacted your story, and just how many different details and paths you could get depending on what you did at every step of the way. I don't know, I just remember liking it a lot and feeling really accomplished once I managed to beat it.
Also, out of curiosity, who are all the LIs? In my lifetimes, I remained pretty faithful to Myka (love of my life, she was so great!!!), but I imagine Esteban, Jo, Suzette and Gemma to be romanceable. Did I miss someone else?
Another question I have is: how did you get the idea for the game? And by that I mean, what was the inspiration for the plot and all the different characters + why did you even decide to make a CYOA in the first place?
Because, again, it was incredibly good and I'd like to know which stars do I have to thank for it existing.
Anyways, once I'm really excited to play More a Haunting than a History, and I just know it's gonna be as great as Stay? was!
Thank you so much and have a nice day! ~ 🍪
Hello there! Thanks for writing me. There are five major romanceable characters in Stay?: Myka, Esteban, Jo, Gemma, and Suzette. Technically, there are some minor romanceable NPCs (ex. the different folks you can live your life with in the "fuck off into the hills" ending), but those five are the main gist of it. The main five can also also each be platonic life partners for you, rather than traditional romantic partners, if that's more your style.
Myka is my wife's favorite love interest in Stay? by far, so great taste.
Stay? actually has a very clear origin story for me. My friends and I played Outer Wilds, which I highly highly recommend, and I was so delighted by its balance and structure that I wanted to see if I could make something built on the same bones. I drafted up my @sortinghatchats quiz to get used to the ink system, and then dove into Stay?. It was the most fast/obsessed I've ever put a story on paper (so to speak) and I admit I may still be chasing that high.
I built the basic structure first, and then added on the setting, characters, plot macguffins, details, etc. on top, trying to interweave and connect them. I like how it turned out. The plotline with the southern lands, to be vague for spoilers reasons, was actually a very late addition and I think it, in many ways, is what made the game work for me.
I hope you enjoyed MAHTAH! It's a very different game than Stay?, in some ways; and I'm proud of myself in different ways in terms of what I tried to build there.
Chris was probably my favourite but I never managed to work out how to actually befriend him (tried every option I could find but I suspect the game wants you to treat it more like a conversation and figure out what level of conversation/intensity/engagement? he's comfortable with since he reacted off to choices that seemed fine to me)
Part of the other complexity with winning over Chris in my More a Haunting than a History game is that he, especially, will also judge and react to you based on how you treat other people in front of him.
Chris is possibly one of the harder NPCs to win over in that game-- though you might be able to say that of any of the characters, to be honest. Tam and Daisy are arguably the easiest -- show interest and don't be a dick, and they'll like you just fine -- but Chris, Bec, and Gwyn all have specific versions of the player character they jam best with: Be a bit of a sarcastic asshole to make Bec most comfortable; with Chris, be thoughtful and kind, not just to him but to everyone; with Gwyn, be engaged and try to connect with her.
To me, the heart of MAHTAH isn't about the ending you earn/choose or the NPCs you win over. The main game play and the main player choice in MAHTAH is deciding who you are. Is the player character kind or sullen? Sarcastic or earnest? How do they feel about their past? Do they want to know everything about who they were, or do they refuse to allow things that they don't even remember define their future? Are they rekindling old relationships, making them into something new, or leaving them fallow? Do they want to know everyone's secrets, or do they just want to get through this and go home?
Depending on who you play as, what type of person, different answers, secrets, endings, and relationships will open up. I enjoyed writing NPCs who are only drawn to certain types of people -- if you act certain ways, Chris won't love you and won't listen to you, no matter what you say to him.
The latest patron reward for patrons $1 + is live!
I've been working on a new version of More a Haunting than a History, my latest IF game. I've cleaned up some content and bugs (thank you for everyone who's sent in bug reports!), as well as worked to improve some of the gameplay "flow" especially around chatting with the major NPCs. I've also added in trophies!
The most current version of 2.0, still under test, is now available to patrons at the link below (as well as some further commentary on my goals for v2.0!):
Join E Jade Lomax on Patreon to get access to this post and more benefits.
Surely you get enough asks gushing about having played your games haha, but here's another. I ADORED Stay? and pretty much begged my friends to play it because it messed me up for DAYS. Just finished MAHTAH minutes ago, which thankfully hit me a bit gentler but was no less profound to play or less of a lovely narrative to live in for a time. Surprising myself as much as anyone, I fell pretty hard for Chris, but I can't wait to replay and explore other paths! Thank you for making these games! <3
Ah, thank you for writing me, I'm so glad! I'm working through some prose writing at the moment, but already trying to plot out what game I'd want to make next. I miss ink!
Chris is a delight and I find his full arc pretty satisfying to play through. He's got a lot of subtlety, which was fun to play with and try to express. Also, he needs several hugs.
I've also got a v2.0 of MAHTAH that should hopefully be dropping soon -- it fixes some of the gameplay fumbles I've noticed in playthroughs so far as well as adding in trophies for people's runs :) Thought that would be a fun add!
(Link to Stay? and my other games if folks haven't gotten a chance to play them: https://ejadelomax.itch.io/stay)
So I have just finished playing More a haunting than a history (which is delightful and I’m planning to do it again) and thus how would you sort the cast ?
Oh, I hadn't even done this exercise yet myself. Hm.
For those new to this game, @sortinghatchats is a personality typing system that I & @improbabledragon built out. It's defines two levels: primaries & secondaries.
One of the best ways to get to "know" the system is to sort yourself or a character using our interactive sortinghatchats quiz here: https://ejadelomax.itch.io/sortinghatchats -- it's more like a "chat" than a quiz, so please explore all the options it gives you!
PRIMARY: Morals, motivations, drives -- WHY does this character do what they do?
LION PRIMARY - Internal & Intuitive & Idealist - Lions trust themselves and listen to their instincts; they tend to care immensely about doing the right thing. A Lion’s watchword: Some things are just wrong, no matter what pretty words you use to excuse them.
BIRD PRIMARY - External & Decided & Idealist - A Bird avoiding a choice that they think is right, but that feels wrong, will feel immoral. Consistency & integrity are key.
BADGER PRIMARY - External & Intuitive & Loyalist - A Badger prioritizes the people who need them the most. Concrete & practical in their morality, the "white tower" thinking of idealists (Lion & Bird) can frustrate them.
SNAKE PRIMARY - Internal & Decided & Loyalist - A Snake prioritizes the people who they personally value the most.
Burned Primaries have lost their comfort in, faith in, or surety in their moral desires -- they may no longer pursue them, or think of them as idealistic or naive -- but the desire remains.
SECONDARY: Methods, means, designs -- HOW does this character do what they do?
LION SECONDARY - Solid & Inspirational & Improvisational - A Lion Secondary hates to misrepresent themself. Their directness and honesty can capture the respect or allegiance of comrades.
BIRD SECONDARY - Solid & Situational & Constructed - Birds collect things-- skills, knowledge, tools-- and excel in the situations where those things particularly apply.
BADGER SECONDARY - Fluid & Inspirational & Constructed - Badgers work. They don't give up or take the easy way. They fit the space they're in, the need they're meeting, and they just keep going.
SNAKE SECONDARY - Fluid & Situational & Improvisational - Snakes adapt. Flexible, fluid, and clever, they can wear any face without feeling untrue to themselves. As long as they know who they are at heart, what does the rest matter?
Burned Secondaries do not defer or default to any particular method; they use whatever is at hand, somewhat like a flexible Snake or Badger secondary. However, there is no joy or satisfaction in that indifference, and they tend to have a general lack of faith in their own abilities or in their right to the luxury of choosing between methods or taking their own preference or comfort into account.
(We don't mean to imply that WHY (primaries) matters more than the HOW (secondaries) -- that's just the ordering of the sorting. A "Badger/Lion" is a Badger Primary, Lion Secondary).
For MAHTAH, though... let's sort some kids!
Chris - Burned Lion Primary, but he looks like a Bird. He’s not happy enough though to be a true Bird. He’s disillusioned and exhausted. It’s important to him to be a “good person” but he doesn’t trust his own feelings to help guide him in what that should look like. Instead, he makes pro/con lists and tries to calculate cost and benefit.
That’s a fine way to make decisions, and satisfying to some— but not Chris. He’s just hollowing out his own chest trying to satisfy some need to be good enough. Maybe if he thinks about it long enough, he can do it right, he hopes.
Certain choices in the game will help you move Chris down a path to “unburning.”
For secondary... Badger. He just keeps showing up. When you need him, he's there. When anyone needs him, he's there-- quiet, helpful, exhausted.
Gwyn - Gwyn is either an Idealist (Lion or Bird) or a burned Snake Primary. While she's friendly and bright, and she does love her friends, she's got that "coldness" that you can get from a smiling Idealist or a burned Snake. She loves her friends, but that love has little to do with why or how she lives her life. She, as she will tell you, is willing and ready to leave and never look back, because it's something she needs.
To sift her out between an Idealist (Lion or Bird) and a burned Snake, we'll look at two things:
How "okay" is she?
What was she like before, in your memories? What has changed? What were her motivations back then?
If you read Gwyn as pretty okay-- healthy, happy, satisfied -- then Idealist is more likely. She's got a lot of space in her heart. I do read her as pretty well adjusted, but I think there’s room in the prose to see her as a lot more damaged. So I’d probably call her an Idealist primary, probably a Lion (she totally makes moral calls based on “vibe”)— but I wouldn’t argue with anyone who reads her as a burned Snake instead.
For secondary, she’s a Snake. A warm, wholesome, friendly Snake who shifts and adapts to help and comfort her friends. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks or assumes about her, based on her methods, except for the people who she thinks truly “know” her (ex. Chris, Bec). Plenty of folks think she’s silly or flighty and mostly she just thinks that’s funny. At the end of the day, she still gets what she wants.
Bec - The angriest Badger Primary. Lion Secondary. Also angry there.
Daisy - Daisy is gloriously unburned, whatever her sorting is. They and Tam are likely the healthiest, happiest kids here.
For secondary, I think Bird. Daisy excels in particular skill sets— food, fancy coffee making, knowing everyone in town— but also is one of the best NPCs for answering questions and describing the world. (This is why they’re my wife’s favorite). They know a lot of things, not all of them useful, and it gives them joy.
For primary, their community-oriented priorities and interests make me err towards Badger, but I think an argument could be made for the other sortings.
Tam -
Lion primary. Bird secondary. They're a straightforward young person. They go with their gut -- it's important to them that things feel right, and they're driven to go seek their truth in an intuitive, exploratory way.
That sense of exploration and discovery ties in as well with their secondary -- a magpie's Bird Secondary, with a constant need to seek and build knowledge and experiences. They fear a cage or a void more than anything; they seek (and find) wider horizons.
Original you - somewhat spoilery, but only I think in terms of "vibe." If I had to sort the younger version of the player character, I'd go with a Snake Primary / Lion Secondary (this is why they jammed with Bec so well) that burned hard.
If you want to play MAHTAH, you can do so (for free) in your browser here:
Understand your past. Decide your future. -- A story about life after death, in more ways than one.
