Stiffy Through The Ages

Recommendations by Ivanr

One of the most enduring characters in interactive fiction is a guy named Stiffy. Stiffy Makane. A misogynistic, notoriously ill-coded three-room game from 1997 launched an enduring inside joke, and over the past 20 years the ribald id of the IF community has been everywhere from the void of outer space to the decadent city streets of ancient Rome. He's been parodied, deconstructed, and even murdered.

There didn't seem to be a list chronicling these, so now there is. (Warning: these are pretty much all affirmatively NSFW)

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1. The Incredible Erotic Adventures of Stiffy Makane, by Mark Ryan (1997)
Average member rating: (12 ratings)
Ivanr says:

The half-assed (1/10 -assed, perhaps) game that started it all.

2. Stiffy Makane: Mystery Science Theater 3000, by Anonymous (1998)
Average member rating: (16 ratings)
Ivanr says:

The IF community was quick to the draw, with this relatively humorous MST3K take released within a year of the original.

3. Stiffy Makane: The Undiscovered Country, by Adam Thornton (2001)
Average member rating: (18 ratings)
Ivanr says:

A few years later, Stiffy zips up and takes on his dream job - the captain of a federation starship. Goofy, less wildly offensive than the original (not a difficult task), and has some clever IF community references. Its use of graphics made this a relatively big deal at the time.

4. Mentula Macanus: Apocolocyntosis
by One of the Bruces and Drunken Bastard
(2011)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

Ivanr says:

Ten years later, the saga continues, and Stiffy becomes firmly enshrined in the annals of IF. This is the apotheosis of Stiffy. Sprawling, erudite, and all-embracing in its depiction of human sexuality, this finely-crafted game takes Stiffy to the days of ancient Rome. Ask not "why" - rather, ask "why not?"

5. The Cavity of Time
by Sam Kabo Ashwell
(2011)
Average member rating: (11 ratings)

Ivanr says:

Emboldened by his newfound relevance, Stiffy resumes his role as a deep-space adventurer, plunging boldly forward into the final frontier - choice-based IF. This is a CYOA in the truly surreal style.

6. Nemesis Macana
by Herman Schudspeer, Victor Gijsbers
(2012)
Average member rating: (14 ratings)

Ivanr says:

A bizarre coda, released within a year of Apocolocyntosis. For once, we do not play as Stiffy, but as... an old enemy of his. Roughly as comprehensible as the Melville novel from which it seems to draw its inspiration.

7. Rape, Pillage, Makane!
by Chandler Groover
(2015)
Average member rating: (12 ratings)

Ivanr says:

Always pushing boundaries, in 2015 Stiffy ventured into the wild world of subversive, socially-aware Twine games. Medieval society sucked, and faux-Medieval society is often worse. Especially with Stiffy around. This game takes a pretty serious look at what it means for someone to act in the way that a horny IF protagonist is pre-supposed to do.

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