History Headscratchers / GrimFandango

** The demon drivers are there for the reapers. The reapers aren't allowed to drive cars, otherwise they'd take their hearse and take off through the Eighth Underworld.

* The driver demons are there because the dead are apparently unable to operate cars in some way, but Olivia drives without any apparent issues. What changed?

** Because the dead don't all make their journey at the same time. Once one group of dead people use them, they're still there for the next group.

* If the majority of stays in the Land of the Dead are supposed to be temporary, why are there so many skyscrapers in El Marrow? For that matter, who built and maintains the freeways? Sure we could handwave it as "the elementals/demons did it" but that just raises the question of "why?". It doesn't seem like demons work at super speed or anything.

** Maybe they don't if they're not reaped? Having enjoyed both TheBookOfLife and [[WesternAnimation Southpark]] here's a WMG: 1. Land of the Remembered, 2. Land of the Forgotten, 3. ???, 4. Profit.

** The impression I had of it was that they were not sales agents bargaining over it, they were distributing the rewards one had earned. A bureaucracy, not a shop. Manny didn't try to sell the guy who got the walking stick a better package, he just said 'this is what you get'. Don't you think the one who traveled in a packing crate full of foam would have gotten a better deal if he could? Although with the 'agents' getting points toward their own afterlife with the quality of their clients, it does seem like there's something like sales going on. [[MST3kMantra Probably best not to think about it too much]].

* I have a question about Salvador; "What did he do to end up working as a reaper?" He said himself the he used to be a reaper for the D.O.D. Correct me if i' m wrong, but; don't people who work at the D.O.D are the ones who did wrongful deeds in their past lives and decided to make it up by being reapers instead of walking? As the viewer/player can possibly tell how Manny could've ended up working for the D.O.D. He's very competitive, manipulative, dangerously genre savvy, a thief, and quite possible more. In general, hes is a loveable rogue. Salvador seem to have some of same qualities as well as a strong sense of loyalty. But we later found out that he was qualified for a golden ticket on the number nine. Which raises more questions about him, a). how long was he with the D.O.D? b). was his crimes in life was so bad that he needed to work there?
** My guess is that he was one of the first people LeMans & Co stole a No. 9 ticket from, before they had fully refined the scam into dumping those clients at the lightbulb mines at the edge of the world. I'll bet they thought - hey, as long as this guy can't leave, let's tell him he's actually indebted to the DOD and get him to work for us in the bargain! But Sal found out and went underground, and Domino had to come up with a better plan to deal with former clients.

* I have another question; it's about the people in the two cities. So in the beginning of the game you can see several people (including the clown and and counting the D.O.D workers as well) at the Day of the Dead festival and in Ruba Carbra. So are those people refusing to walk or are they working to pay of their debt or get some funds for there journey? and if the last are the case, so do they do that every year? And what happen if you refuse to walk the four or three years?
** Some give up hope of reaching the Ninth Underworld or even stop believing in it. And if you refuse to make the journey, you effectively condemn yourself to the Eight Underworld, with all its dangers. There is no enforcement of any rules other than the gatekeeper, so presumbaly the only real rule is that you can enter the Ninth as long as you don't cheat yourself into it.

** The ticket's ''aren't'' interchangeable; why do you think Nick went plunging headfirst into hell when he tried to use somebody else's? It's not clear if it's because he doesn't know better or he's just desperate and in denial (the latter seems more likely, since he's smart), but for one reason or another, Hector has convinced himself that he can bribe his way into heaven through sheer quantity of stolen tickets.

** Maybe they don't if they're not reaped? Having enjoyed both TheBookOfLife and [[WesternAnimation Southpark]] here's a WMG: 1. Land of the Remembered, 2. Land of the Forgotten, 3. ???, 4. Profit.

** Maybe they don't if they're not reaped? Having enjoyed both [[Film TheBookOfLife]] and [[WesternAnimation Southpark]] here's a WMG: 1. Land of the Remembered, 2. Land of the Forgotten, 3. ???, 4. Profit.

* I have a question about Salvador; "What did he do to end up working as a reaper?" He said himself the he use to be a reaper for the D.O.D. Correct me if i' m wrong, but; don't people who work at the D.O.D are the ones who did wrongful deeds in their past lives and decided to make it up by being reapers instead of walking? As the viewer/player can possibly tell how Manny could've ended up working for the D.O.D. He's very competitive, manipulative, dangerously genre savvy, a thief, and quite possible more. In general, hes is a loveable rogue. Salvador seem to have some of same qualities as well as a strong sense of loyalty. But we later found out that he was qualified for a golden ticket on the number nine. Which raises more questions about him, a). how long was he with the D.O.D? b). was his crimes in life was so bad that he needed to work there?

* What are the first seven underworlds and why do souls get to skip them?

** I think he wanted her to cool her down and have her either a). get her head straight and go back being cooperative like she was before or b). leave her in there and ditch the island. Almost as if to say "not a total lost".

** The whole thing is kind of vague, but yes, it seems to be a mix of good deeds and money you were buried with, though the money part is only briefly mentioned, and not at all when Meche is in the office. But you don't have to take the deal that is owed to you, you can chose to convert the ticket to money and use the money to stay in the Land of the Dead, as many has, carving out a sort of (after)life for themselves. And people can pick a cheaper ticket, get the ticket and left-over money, leave the office with some cash on their hands, before they start their journey. Again, kind of vague, but that is how I understand it.

** The ticket's ''aren't'' interchangeable; why do you think Nick went plunging headfirst into hell when he tried to use somebody else's? It's not clear if it's because he doesn't know better or he's just desperate and in denial (the latter seems more likely, since he's smart), but for one reason or another, Hector has convinced himself that he can bribe his way into heaven through sheer quantity of stolen tickets.

* Why in the world are Number 9 tickets interchangeable? For all we know, this system has been in place for millennia; surely Hector [=LeMans=] can't be the first person to try to game the system and get what he doesn't deserve. If agents at the [=DoD=] can determine what the new arrivals deserve and have it waiting, there must be something in place that keys the reward to the person who earned it. If that's the case, it shouldn't work for just anyone holding it. For that matter, WTF was up with Hector expecting to be able to show up with a briefcase of stolen tickets and get in with them. It doesn't seem to be a matter of quantity mattering, but of whether you deserved one or not. Security on the whole thing seems really lax for something so valuable

* Why in the world are Number 9 tickets interchangeable? For all we know, this system has been in place for millennia; surely Hector LeMans can't be the first person to try to game the system and get what he doesn't deserve. If agents at the DoD can determine what the new arrivals deserve and have it waiting, there must be something in place that keys the reward to the person who earned it. If that's the case, it shouldn't work for just anyone holding it. For that matter, WTF was up with Hector expecting to be able to show up with a briefcase of stolen tickets and get in with them. It doesn't seem to be a matter of quantity mattering, but of whether you deserved one or not. Security on the whole thing seems really lax for something so valuable

** Some give up hope of reaching the Ninth Underworld or even stop believing in it. And if you refuse to make the journey, you effectively condemn yourself to the Eight Underworld, with all its dangers. There is no enforcement of any rules other than the gatekeeper, so presumbaly the only real rule is that you can enter the Ninth as long as you don't cheat yourself into it.

** I've always seen it on a different way. Travel agency have 2 works: '''A''' selling you a plan for something valuable '''B''' making sure what you booked in advance happens. If you take as a fact that your deeds in life are '''part A''' of their work (if you were good, you've booked a place in paradise, so to speak), then the travel agency from GrimFandango only have to worry about '''part B''', and make "your booking" happen.

* I have another question; it's about the people in the two cities. So in the beginning of the game you can see several people (including the clown and and counting the D.O.D workers as well) at the Day of the Dead festival and in Ruba Carbra. So are those people refusing to walk or are they working to pay of their debt or get some funds for there journey? and if the last are the case, so do they do that every year? And what happen if you refuse to walk the four or three years?

* I have a question about Salvador; "What did he do to end up working as a reaper?" He said himself the he use to be a reaper for the D.O.D. Correct me if i' m wrong, but; don't people who work at the D.O.D are the ones who did wrongful deeds in their past lives and decided to make it up by being reapers instead of walking? As the viewer/player can possibly tell how Manny could've ended up working for the D.O.D. He's very competitive, manipulative, dangerously genre savvy, a thief, and quite possible more. In general, hes is a loveable rogue. Salvador seem to have some of same qualities as well as a strong sense of loyalty. But we later found out that he was qualified for a golden ticket on the number nine. Which raises more questions about him, a). how long was he with the D.O.D? b). was his crimes in life was so bad that he needed to work there?

* I have a question about Salvador; "What did he do to end up working as a reaper?" He said himself the he use to be a reaper for the D.O.D. Correct me if i' m wrong; don't people who work at the D.O.D are the ones who did wrongful deeds in their past lives and decided to make it up by being reapers instead of walking? As the viewer/player can possibly tell how Manny could've ended up working for the D.O.D. He's very competitive, manipulative, dangerously genre savvy, a thief, and quite possible more. In general, hes is a loveable rogue. Salvador seem to have some of same qualities as well as a strong sense of loyalty. But we later found out that he was qualified for a golden ticket on the number nine. Which raises more questions about him, a). how long was he with the D.O.D? b). was his crimes in life was so bad that he needed to work there?

* Domino's whole idea of depriving Meche of oxygen doesn't make sense. She's a skeleton, what lungs would she be using? It's even more conspicuous when you consider that Manny can walk around underwater, not to mention Chepito. How is this supposed to work?

** The whole thing is kind of vague, but yes, it seems to be a mix of good deeds and money you were buried with, though the money part is only briefly mentioned, and not at all when Meche is in the office. But you don't have to take the deal that is owed to you, you can chose to convert the ticket to money and use the money to stay in the Land of the Dead, as many has, carving out a sort of (after)life for themselves. And people can pick a cheaper ticket, get the ticket and left-over money, leave the office with some cash on their hands, before they start their journey. Again, kind of vague, but that is how I understand it.

** The package you get is not necessarily the best package you qualify for. It's pointed out that to get on the No.9 you need to both have lived a ''very'' good life and to have been buried with lots of money. As such, one could qualify for the No.9 without having enough money to afford it. As an extension of that, people could conceivably choose to go for lesser packages in order to keep some of their money. The job of the sales agents is to try to get people to pony up for the best package they qualify for, and to maybe add on some extras (such as a walking stick).

** I've always seen it on a different way. Travel agency have 2 works: '''A''' selling you a plan for something valuable '''B''' making sure what you booked in advance happens. If you take as a fact that your deeds in life are '''part A''' of their work (if you were good, you've booked a place in paradise, so to speak), then the travel agency from GrimFandango only have to worry about '''part B''', and make "your booking" happen.

** The currency they spend is money they're buried with - part of the tradition that the game is based on (Mexican and Aztec, I think). As for what Manny "sells", perhaps they're things that might make the journey safer? Client goes for a walk, they get a walking stick. Client catches a boat, he books them quick tickets. The crate full of foam might suck, but it's better than getting eaten by demon beavers walking in the Petrified Forest and takes the same amount of time. The more they qualify for, the more money they spend, the better the sale, the better Manny does. ...Possibly. That's my theory, anyway.