Mind Yer Binder
You approach a large agglomeration of tents, stalls, shacks, and lean-tos that have grown together into a huge mazy clump of alleys and passages. Sort of like a coral reef, only instead of little aquatic animals, it's full of hobos trying to sell things to other hobos.
At the entrance to this wretched hive of commerce and villainy, you find a wooden post with some boards nailed to it, which appear to be pointing out various districts within the marketplace. However, since the writing on the signs consists of, e.g., "Squiggly line, three dots in a triangle, cartoon eye, two parallel arrows", they're not actually very helpful.
While you're looking at the signpost, a hobo in a shabby overcoat sidles up to you. "Can't read the hobo glyphs, eh?"
"No no, of course I can," you protest. "I'm just not used to this particular, er... font."
"Yeah, right. Look, I'm not supposed to do this, 'cause the secret hobo code is not meant for outsiders, but it just so happens I'm in need of a fi-- I mean, I'm in a bit of a fix. So, I'll sell you this hobo glyphs binder for thirty hobo nickels."
"And I'll be able to translate the glyphs with it?"
"Well, it's not like your standard dictionary, see. The glyph system changes pretty quick. Evolves, you know? So a straight whaddyacallit... lexicon, right, wouldn't be very useful. But the notes in here should give you enough of a handle on the system that you'll be able to get started, and the more good examples of hobo glyphs you find in your travels, and the more notes you add to the binder, the better you'll get at reading them."
(You currently have X hobo nickels.)
| Buy the binder (30 hobo nickels) |
With at least 30 nickels:
Thank you for your patronage.
 | You acquire an item: hobo code binder |
Without enough nickels:
You don't have enough nickels to buy that.
| Leave |
Suit yourself.
Occurs at Hobopolis Town Square.
References
- The title of this adventure almost certainly refers to the character of Milo Minderbinder from Joseph Heller's Catch-22.
