I’m starting a new thread for this, since the lead post in the last one hasn’t been updated in a year. I’ve tried to identify the best repeatable methods in London for experienced denizens of the Neath (main stats 100+) who’re not necessarily at the content boundary. I’ve included opportunity cards where they’re more effective than the available storylets.
If I’ve missed something, or you spot a mistake, please let me know and I’ll update the post. Also, I haven’t covered options at the University or creating works at Court, but I have the numbers for both written down somewhere. If people are interested in those I’ll add them.
This is my (almost) first post, so… hi everyone, I’m fairly new to the Neath but look forward to stabbing you all with grace and refinement, just as soon as I’ve settled in.
General ways to raise connections
The Carnival
If your connected is less than 10, you can spend two actions and a carnival ticket to gain 10-30 change points (hereafter ‘cp’), depending on the faction. This works for all factions other than Benthic and Summerset.
Factions I’ve checked:
- Constables: 30cp[/li][li]Criminals: 10cp (not capped at 10)[/li][li]Duchess: 20cp[/li][li]Hell: 30cp[/li][li]Orient: 30cp[/li][li]Revolutionaries: 20cp (takes three actions)[/li][li]Rubbery Men: 12cp
Connection items
Connection items can be bought at the Bazaar and used when you have connected 10-19 with a faction. This takes three actions and most (or all?) give 75cp in exchange for 150p worth of items.
They can be sold for 250/500p less than their purchase price, so may be worth buying one even if you only plan to use them a few times.
Exceptions:
- The Criminals connection item can only be used with connected less than 15;[/li][li]The Benthic/Summerset item can be used with connected 1; [/li][li]The Bohemians, Rubbery Men and Benthic/Summerset items all sell for 30 to 50 echoes less than their purchase prices.
Conflict cards
Ten conflict cards unlock when you have connected 5 with each of two factions. These let you trade 15cp with one faction for 30cp with the other. Many options also give 30-100p worth of items and affect quirks. The combinations are:
[ul][li]Bohemians - Church[/li][li]Church - Great Game (Church gives second chances)[/li][li]Church - Hell (Hell gives 1cp scandal; Church gives -3cp scandal)[/li][li]Docks - Urchins[/li][li]Hell - Urchins (Urchins gives 3cp wounds)[/li][li]Orient - Urchins (Urchins gives -3cp nightmares)[/li][/ul][ul][li]Constables - Rubbery Men[/li][li]Revolutionaries - Rubbery Men (Rubbery Men gives 1cp scandal)[/li][li]Rubbery Men - Tomb-Colonies (both options give 1cp wounds and 5 carnival tickets)[/li][li]Society - Tomb-Colonies[/li][/ul]You can use these to increase connections with all factions other than Benthic, Criminals, the Duchess, and Summerset, for a net benefit of 15cp per action (along with other detriments/benefits).
This is usually more efficient on a per action basis than using storylets (the exceptions are Bohemians, Revolutionaries and Society), although it takes longer in real time since you actually have to draw the cards.
One good use of these cards is to transfer cps from easily grindable factions to others – for instance, from Bohemians to the Great Game via the Church. This is possible only if the factions are on the same side of the blank line in the list above: you can use your Society connections to indirectly boost your relationship with the Rubbery Men, but not with the Orient.
Two more cards become available with Docks/Orient 30 and Constables/Criminals 50. These give some items and 30cp connections with the favoured faction at the cost of massive penalties – at least 465cp – to the other.
Raising specific connections
Bohemians
[ul][li]Publishing poetry in praise of the Duchess at the Palace gives 22cp Bohemians and 10cp Duchess.[/li][li]Giving a public lecture in the Forgotten Quarter gives 15cp Bohemians, Revolutionaries and Society and 1cp suspicion.[/li][/ul]The Church
[ul][li]There are no good storylets for this if you’ve finished your business at the Court and University. Giving the Bishop a Hound of Heaven provides some cp (50?) and a cellar of wine, but this requires a lengthy trip to Zee which will probably cause you to miss more than 50 potential cp from opportunity cards. It might be worthwhile if you have a spare Plated Seal. If the Airs of London are right, you may also be able to gain 5cp and 22 glim for three actions by undertaking the Dauntless Temperance Campaigner’s quick commission in Veilgarden.[/li][li]Cards: Attending a fete on the Church connection card gives 10cp Church and -1cp nightmares; working diligently for God’s Editors gives 5cp Church, -1cp scandal and nightmares, and 1cp austere.[/li][/ul]Constables
[ul][li]Selling information in the Flit gives 30cp for 6cp casing. If using a Gang of Hoodlums with a 100% success rate, that’s 11.25cp per action.[/li][li]Providing training in Watchmaker’s Hill gives 5cp and 47 rostygold.[/li][/ul]Criminals
[ul][li]Selling information in the Flit now gives 10cp Criminals and 10cp Shadowy for 10cp casing. That gives 2.65cp of each if using a Gang of Hoodlums, but it appears to be capped at Connected 50.[/li][li]If you have 5 casing and 2 suspicion, you can also watch those watching you in the Flit for 30 cryptic clues and 2cp Hell, Constables and Criminals.[/li][li]Meeting criminals at the Carnival isn’t capped at 10. This is probably a bug. If that doesn’t bother you it’s currently the best way to grind this connection. It gives 4.66cp per action, or 5cp if you have a surfeit of carnival tickets.[/li][li]Cards: you can remind your hoodlums who’s boss for 10cp Criminals and 1cp suspicion; frustrating Jack-of-Smiles on the Tower of Knives gives 10cp Criminals and Revolutionaries (but only if you are an annoyance and he’s still around). If your Shadowy is less than 119 you can get 5cp and 80 moon-pearls from a normal success on the little people card. Choosing a bare-knuckle prize fight as your penance gives 5cp Criminals and either 100 rostygold and -5cp Constables or 60 rostygold, depending on whether or not you decide to fight the policeman. Stealing a dirigible on the merry sort of crime card gives 15cp Criminals.
[/li][/ul]The Docks
[ul][li]If your Dangerous is 90 or less you can take a break from duelling in Wolfstack Docks for 5cp Docks, 15 cryptic clues and 3 morelways. Since you can reduce your Dangerous by at most 22 using equipment, this won’t be possible if your Dangerous is greater than 112.[/li][li]Cards: you can exchange 10 rostygold for 10cp Docks and 2cp Dangerous on the Docks card; and an oddly effective option may also be available to those who seek a certain name.[/li][/ul]The Duchess
[ul][li]Publishing poetry in praise of the Duchess at the Palace gives 10cp Duchess and 22cp Bohemians.[/li][/ul]The Great Game
[ul][li]No storylets available to high-level characters increase this.
[/li][li]Cards: failing the parliament of bats luck check (for which you must have a sulky bat) gives 8cp Great Game; you can also gain 70 cryptic clues and some cp (5?; capped at 15) while riding your velocipede. Visiting the Wry Functionary gives 20 cryptic clues, 2cp Society and 2cp Great Game.[/li][/ul]Hell
[ul][li]Selling information in the Flit gives 30cp and -6cp casing, for up to 11.25cp per action.[/li][/ul]The Masters
[ul][li]The only reliable, repeatable way to increase this seems to be by giving Mr Pages outrageous amounts of swag on the libraryette card (which you can draw if you have at least 100 proscribed materials). You can trade 10000 proscribed material and 50 jade for 1cp Masters and 10 appalling secrets, or an assortment of other stuff – 20 collated research, 80 touching love stories, 5 blackmail material and 5 uncanny incunabula – for 3cp. The proscribed material is worth 400 echoes whereas the assorted items are worth 375, so the latter option is much more efficient. The card can no longer be drawn once connected reaches 11. It can also be raised up to the same cap less efficiently by those who possess an Invitation to the Temple Club and a great many Romantic Notions.
[/li][/ul]The Orient
[ul][li]You can gain 10cp Orient and 36 jade through an audience with the Widow in Spite (requires connected 10) or 6cp and 42 jade by helping to bring in peach brandy (requires connected 5).[/li][/ul]Revolutionaries
[ul][li]Public lectures in the Forgotten Quarter provide 15cp Revolutionaries, Bohemians and Society for 1cp suspicion. This is vastly more efficient than blowing up statues or bankers in the Flit.[/li][/ul]Rubbery Men
[ul][li]Watching the rubbery specimen at the Carnival gives 20 amber, 2cp persuasive and 1cp Rubbery Men on a normal success. Grinding in Flute Street (Fate-locked) is significantly more efficient. Otherwise, this is best raised with conflict cards.[/li][/ul]Society
[ul][li]Being erudite at the Palace gives 33cp Society.[/li][li]If you have access to court, you can help with someone else’s scandal for 30cp Society and 20 greyfields 1882, or take afternoon tea for 10cp Society and 84 whispered secrets.[/li][li]Cards: giving someone a lift on the respectable landau card gives 150 whispered secrets, 1 appalling secret and 20cp Society.[/li][/ul]The Tomb-Colonies
[ul][li]Depending on the airs of London, you may be able to increase this by a modest amount when meeting the Cheery Man (if indeed you favour him). Many storylets and cards in the Tomb Colonies give 1cp and scandal reduction, but little else. This is best increased by spending Society connections through the conflict card.[/li][/ul]University
[ul][li]Helping a colleague with a problem gives 40 cryptic clues and 5cp Benthic and Summerset.[/li][/ul]Urchins
[ul][li]Speaking softly to the Fisher-Kings in the Flit gives 3cp.[/li][li]Cards: A lucky weasel can be exchanged for 10cp Urchins and 2cp Shadowy on the Urchins connection card.[/li][/ul]Edit: updated to accommodate the changes to visiting Acquaintances. This is now done via opportunities cards rather than storylets.
edited by Flyte on 5/21/2013
edited by Flyte on 6/20/2013
edited by Flyte on 7/22/2013