Mechanisms

Mechanical devices that have to be switched on, or that need power to operate, are common. A mechanical device may have several buttons or levers, and it may not be obvious what the buttons and levers do. They might seem to do nothing, or do nothing in the room that the player is in while having an important effect in a different room. Or the result of pressing a button or pulling a lever might be delayed for a few turns.

A mechanical device may have a gauge or data readout whose meaning is not clear. If you pull the red lever, for instance, the green dial might change to read “3”. In this case, you may have to figure out what several levers do, and what the readings on the dials mean.