As I've dug into this Twine experience I'm building (tentatively titled The Neighborhood, by the way), I've realized there's an entire world of people focused on interactive fiction (IF).  

Of course there is, in retrospect.  Every internet rabbit-hole is fully populated. 

I kept bumping into some jargon, and specifically discussions of parser vs. choice-based games.  Time to research!

Parser games are the types of games where you type commands and the game attempts to, well, parse the input: “Examine lamprey”. “Go north.” 

Choice-based games are more like a choose-your-own-adventure, with options you choose between to go down a certain path. 

To my beginner's eye, they don't seem all that different. I found this article about parser vs. choice games helpful if also way way beyond my level.