okay, I'm completely baffled by this:

I'm using the same quest version 540, that I've always been using, with no changes at all.

my 'travel code' works fine:

<asl version="540">
  <include ref="English.aslx" />
  <include ref="Core.aslx" />
  <game name="Testing Game Stuff">
    <gameid>eef801a1-4e6b-4b0a-bdbf-8f3ecfa8389c</gameid>
    <version>1.0</version>
    <firstpublished>2013</firstpublished>
    <turns type="int">0</turns>
    <statusattributes type="simplestringdictionary">turns=</statusattributes>
   <start type="script">
     msg ("Important Note:")
     msg ("Type in: help")
   </start>
  </game>
  <object name="homeland">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
    <object name="player">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <inherit name="editor_player" />
    </object>
  </object>
  <object name="grassland">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="plains">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="desert">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="tundra">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="swampland">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="mountains">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="forest">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="wasteland">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="coastland">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <object name="hills">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
  </object>
  <command name="help_command">
    <pattern>help</pattern>
   <script>
     help_function
   </script>
  </command>
  <command name="explore_command">
    <pattern>explore</pattern>
    <script>
      explore_function
    </script>
  </command>
  <command name="travel_command">
    <pattern>travel</pattern>
   <script>
     travel_function
   </script>
  </command>
  <object name="data_object">
    <inherit name="editor_object" />
   <travel_string_list type="simplestringlist">homeland</travel_string_list>
    <homeland_events_string_list type="simplestringlist">grassland_discovery;plains_discovery;desert_discovery;tundra_discovery;swampland_discovery;forest_discovery;mountains_discovery;hills_discovery;wasteland_discovery;coastland_discovery</homeland_events_string_list>
    <homeland_events_script_dictionary type="scriptdictionary">
     <item key="grassland_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "grassland")
      msg ("You've discovered the grassland! Now, you can travel to the grassland and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="plains_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "plains")
      msg ("You've discovered the plains! Now, you can travel to the plains and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="desert_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "desert")
      msg ("You've discovered the desert! Now, you can travel to the desert and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="tundra_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "tundra")
      msg ("You've discovered the tundra! Now, you can travel to the tundra and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="swampland_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "swampland")
      msg ("You've discovered the swampland! Now, you can travel to the swampland and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="forest_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "forest")
      msg ("You've discovered the forest! Now, you can travel to the forest and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="mountains_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "mountains")
      msg ("You've discovered the mountains! Now, you can travel to the mountains and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="hills_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "hills")
      msg ("You've discovered the hills! Now, you can travel to the hills and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="wasteland_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "wasteland")
      msg ("You've discovered the wasteland! Now, you can travel to the wasteland and explore it!")
     </item>
     <item key="coastland_discovery">
       list add (data_object.travel_string_list, "coastland")
      msg ("You've discovered the coastland! Now, you can travel to the coastland and explore it!")
     </item>
   </homeland_events_script_dictionary>
  </object>
  <turnscript name="global_turnscript">
    <enabled />
    <script>
      game.turns = game.turns + 1
    </script>
  </turnscript>
  <function name="help_function">
    msg ("Type 'explore' to explore your area.")
   msg ("Type 'travel' to travel to different areas.")
  </function>
  <function name="explore_function"><![CDATA[
    switch (game.pov.parent) {
     case (homeland) {
      result_1 = ListCount (data_object.homeland_events_string_list) - 1
      if (result_1 >= 0) {
          result_2 = StringListItem (data_object.homeland_events_string_list,GetRandomInt(0,result_1))
          invoke (ScriptDictionaryItem (data_object.homeland_events_script_dictionary,result_2))
        on ready {
          foreach (item_x, split ("grassland_discovery;plains_discovery;desert_discovery;tundra_discovery;swampland_discovery;forest_discovery;mountains_discovery;hills_discovery;wasteland_discovery;coastland_discovery",";")) {
            if (result_2 = item_x) {
             list remove (data_object.homeland_events_string_list, result_2)
           }
         }
        }
      } else {
        msg ("There seemingly is nothing left to explore in this area.")
      }
     }
    }
  ]]></function>
  <function name="travel_function">
    show menu ("Where do you wish to travel?",data_object.travel_string_list,false) {
     if (not game.pov.parent = GetObject (result)) {
       game.pov.parent = GetObject (result)
     } else {
       msg ("You are already at this area.")
      ask ("Try again?") {
        if (result=true) {
          travel_function
        } else {
          msg ("You realize that you need to discover a new area to travel to first, before you can travel to that place.")
        }
      }
     }
   }
  </function>
</asl>

so, why does this work fine, but not this (I've tried EVERYTHING, finally pulling my hair out and trying this most simplified code as possible, and still I can't get it to work), I keep being unable to get the Script Dictionary to work at all, I've tried creating a few totally new game code files even:

<asl version="540">
  <include ref="English.aslx" />
  <include ref="Core.aslx" />
  <game name="blah">
    // blah code lines
    <start type="script">
      invoke (game.test, trial)
    </start>
    <test type="scriptdictionary">
      <item key="trial">
        msg ("hi")
      </item>
    </test>
  </game>
  <object name="room">
    <inherit name="editor_room" />
    <object name="player">
      <inherit name="editor_object" />
      <inherit name="editor_player" />
    </object>
  </object>
</asl>

with this simplified code, I get the error (but in my exhausting troubleshooting of trying EVERYTHING, I've gotten other strange errors as well, that I've never seen before, and these seem to be bugged as well, as the code I've used for them, should work):

(I'd rather not go back through my attempts at trouble shooting, to document all the different various strange error messages that I've gotten, when it should have worked fine, as that'd be a bit of a pain...)

Error running script: Error compiling expression 'game.test": RootExpressionElement: Cannot convert type 'QuestDictionary `1' to expression result of 'IScript'

I'm baffled as my 'explore and travel code' works fine, and it's no different from this simplified code (and I've exhaustedly trouble shooted this to the fulliest... I've tried EVERY SINGLE coding combination possible...)

-------

HK Edit: I just remembered one of the other error messages: says I need a parameter for scriptdictionary item function, but since I don't have one, it's thus null, and thus doesn't work ~ why I get the error message, yet my 'explore and travel code' uses no such parameter, and it works fine. Also, just remembered that with the ScriptDictionaryItem's Value, I get it to say some other weird errors too... I'm totally baffled as to why my quest won't work with any new code using script dictionary stuff, arg!

I think you want:

invoke (ScriptDictionaryItem(game.test, "trial"))

okay... I forgot to put in the 'ScriptDictionaryItem' (another typo ~ forgetfulness), thank you, now at least I got this simplified code to work, laughs...

problem is... I deleted my old full code... I'm sure I had it entirely right though... all the 'DictionaryItem's' in where needed...

I guess I have to go back to more testing... again... trying to build up my code again... to see if it was just a minor stupid mistake by me somewhere in the code, or if there is some kind of problem with my quest...

------

THANK YOU JAY for the help!

... I'll assume I must somehow missed some various stupid mistakes by me, despite meticulously troubleshooting and trying every combination of coding... along with having made sure to put in the 'DictionaryItem' (this was part of my meticulous trouble shooting and trying different code combinations, argh, but maybe I had other mistakes when I had not forgotten to include the 'DictionaryItem' and then when I fixed the other mistakes, I then forgot to include the 'DictionaryItem', I wish I kept records of every change, versions of, I made as I trouble shooted laughs...oh wll), so back to crafting my code over again... and seeing if I can get it to work or not this time around... sighs.