Toby

Toby tending bar at The Irene Adler

Toby is an NPC character at the party. He is not a member of the cast, so the spy cannot play as him or select him for any role. Both the spy and the sniper can easily recognize him due to his distinct appearance and the grey triangle over his head. On most maps, he is a waiter, and walks around to players to offer them drinks from his tray. In the Pub map, he is a bartender, and guests must walk to him to get a drink. Toby always appears in old art style, even in new art parties, because no new art has yet been created for him.

As Waiter

Toby looks for guests who are not currently holding anything in their left hand, then goes up behind them and offers them a drink. A spy whose left hand is empty can summon Toby, or can wait for Toby to come to them spontaneously. Once Toby is offering them a drink, the spy can choose to take or refuse it. Refusing a drink causes Toby to immediately seek out another guest to visit. If the spy ignores Toby for 10 seconds, he will give up and find someone else to serve. NPCs never ignore Toby so long that he gives up, although they may walk away while he is offering a drink.

While being offered a drink, the spy can choose to purloin the guest list from his tray.

As Bartender

Toby remains behind the bar. A guest whose left hand is empty can go up to the bar and request a drink. Toby will serve patrons in the order in which they requested their drinks. On rare occasions, NPC guests will reject the drink that was prepared for them, or become impatient and leave before Toby can serve them.

Toby puts the guest list on the bar while the drink is prepared; the spy can choose to purloin it at this time. If the list is not stolen, Toby will take it back once the drink is taken.

The spy can choose to delegate purloining the guest list to another guest. To do so, the spy must first go to the bar and choose to delegate. The spy then has 60 seconds to get a delegate to purloin the list. They do this by standing next to another guest in a conversation circle and selecting the command to delegate the purloin to them. The delegate will then go to the bar and request a drink. They will then take the guest list if the 60 second timer hasn't already run out.

Drinks

Guests always hold drinks in the left hand. While holding a drink, the spy can choose to sip or gulp it. A drink takes three sips to finish, while a gulp will drain whatever is left in the glass. Once the drink is finished, the glass disappears, and the spy's left hand becomes empty again. Sometimes a partygoer will start the game with a drink already in hand; in that case, the drink always has only one sip left in it. NPCs very rarely gulp drinks.

Holding a drink affects the spy's ability to accomplish missions (because their left hand is occupied):

• Can't perform: Transfer Microfilm, Swap Statue, Inspect Statues, Purloin Guest List
• Options limited: Bug Ambassador (can only bug with the right hand), Fingerprint Ambassador (can't lift prints from books or statues)
• Unaffected: Contact Double Agent, Seduce Target

Spy Strategy

You typically don't want to be holding a drink because it prevents you from accomplishing some missions. But NPCs accept drinks, so never taking one makes you look suspicious.

After accomplishing the Purloin Guest List mission with a white or red action test, you will have a drink in your hand. A sniper who quickly notices that the guest list is missing might find you suspicious for holding a drink.

Sniper Strategy

You can safely shoot anybody who accepts a drink from Toby and finishes it in less than three sips. It's also safe to shoot anyone who ignores Toby offering them a drink for 10 seconds without leaving, or who accepts a drink as Toby is retracting it. Holding a drink shortly after the guest list has been purloined is suspicious, particularly when the character is known to have been near Toby at the time. Some snipers highlight Toby when the Purloin Guest List mission is active in order to keep track of him more easily.

Background

Originally, the waiter was unnamed. Beta tester zerotka posted a poem in the SpyParty forums in which the waiter was given the name Toby. Chris Hecker later reproduced the poem on the SpyParty blog, and in build 1970 the name was added to the game as an undocumented change.