Advice on Managing Menace

Fallen London
1

(Note that there is some spoiler information for the Menace areas here; if you want to discover them on your own, you should probably avoid this thread!)

My most important piece of advice is: Don’t worry too much about it. It’s actually oftentimes more efficient to let the Menace hit 8 and reduce it in the Menace area, since you’re lucky to even get a guaranteed 1-point reduction outside of them. However, if you aren’t very Watchful, it is probably a good idea to avoid dying. (From the wiki, it seems like you can’t play chess with Death until level 70? Correct me if I’m wrong.)

Wounds is simple. If you aren’t sufficiently Watchful, you can just use the rest storylet to reduce it (it’ll reduce Nightmares on a rare success, too). If you are, ignore that and just play chess with the Boatman when you do keel over.

For Suspicion, I would also recommend just ignoring it, since Suspicion is fairly difficult to reduce cheaply. The one free storylet in New Newgate only reduces Suspicion by 1 change point, though many of the cards are quite efficient. Some will even give you items! Experiment and see which ones work best. If you’re feeling lucky, you can wait to get a Prison Shiv, Notes on the Dirigible Schedule, and a Rope of Knotted Rags, which will allow you to escape scot-free. Don’t rely on it though, the cards can take a very long time to show up.

Scandal is more problematic, in my opinion. The Tomb-Colonies are difficult to get out of compared to the other areas (there’s no free, repeatable storylet that reliably reduces Scandal). However, Scandal is the easiest Menace to get rid of; if you are sufficiently Admired, you can reduce it to 0 even if it’s at 7. And you will be swimming in Admired points after a while on the Persuasive path. (It’s not used for much else, so don’t worry about using it up.)

Nightmares is complicated. The Royal Beth isn’t that difficult to escape, but the problem arises from the fact that your dream progress is heavily damaged upon doing so. If you aren’t pursuing those stories, then you needn’t worry, but if you do, avoid it at all costs. You have three main options: ignoring the Cheery Gentleman when Nightmares hits 5, drinking Carnival wine, or laudanum. (Whatever you do, though, don’t share your dreams with another player – it gives them Nightmares too and costs both of you an action. In other words, it’s grossly inefficient.) The first two are unreliable, since they are dependent on luck, and the third is expensive. One solution that worked for me is to buy a Winsome Depressed Orphan; he unlocks an opportunity card that will give you tons of laudanum for free.

As for Unaccountably Peckish – don’t worry about it. It isn’t actually harmful, and is actually important in a certain storyline.

I hope this helps people. Feel free to discuss your own strategies for managing Menace!
edited by Little The on 12/21/2011
edited by Little The on 12/21/2011

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Tons of free laudanum? I am now officially saving up for a Winsome Depressed Orphan.

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In relation to nightmares, if you are worried about forgetting your dreams, I recommend making sure that you always have a “memory of light” on hand. This way you will find yourself in the mirror marches when the nightmares become too much, instead of just being confused. This way only “is someone there” is decreased. While generally not easy to come by I have found that once it reaches a certain size, drinking the sticky yellow sap from your sprouting companion is a fairly reliable source, though it will stunt your plants growth. However, if anyone knows more, erm, dignified ways to obtain these I’d be very interested to know.

Also those who have yet to undergo much training in the art of persuasion should not fear exile to the tomb-colonies, as writing a letter to a trusted friend will reduce your scandal while provide much needed etiquette training at the same time. counterintuitively though, the object here is to fail the challenge as this will lover your scandal, up to a certain level of persuasion (about 70) you will be able to keep your charm in check and make the challenge almost impossible, this way you will fail the challenge almost everytime and should you win you will earn 5 points to persuasion (as well as increasing scandal 1 point), so basicly it’s a win-win.
I have yet to hit the point where this method is no longer useful, but it seems to me that connections to Society and The Duchess are easily cultured in the palace, and you should therefore be able to decrease your scandal relatively fast if you trade in some favors (connections to The Duchess are not directly cashable to my knowlege, so this might be a good place to use it)

As a last thing it may be worth considering the perchause of clothing that actually increases scandal, in order to be spared the being in the colonies for too long at once, personally I favor spreading it around, goint to the colonies when I reach outrageous scandal levels (5) instead of unthinkable levels (8), having to redeem myself for only 15 points of scandal rather than 36 (which to me is an awefull long wait to get back to more juicy content).

Good initiative to create a thread on managing menaces so that people can share strategies. If anyone has any good advise on getting rid of suspicion I’m rather keen the hear it. It always seems to be the most troublesome for me, since I seem to gain it relatively quickly and the storylet in Newgate only grants 1 point reduction together with 1 point of watchful (rather than the 3 points persuasive per scandal point in the colonies), which seems rather ineffective. Maybe someone knows a quick way of getting to connected criminals 20?

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Ah, good point about the Memories of Light, I forgot about that. The Mirror-Marches are a fascinating place, are they not? I suspect they will have more involvement in the dream storylines in the future.

Anyway, the only other source of Memories I can remember is at high levels of “Is Someone There?” I think it’s at level 10 or something like that.

As for Suspicion, New Newgate can theoretically be escaped in 2 actions, as I’ve said previously. All three items are gotten through auto-fire opportunity cards, and the Notes and Rope require the Prison Shiv first. The Notes and Rope are lost if you escape through normal means, though the Shiv is not. The cards can be fickle, however, so if you want to escape through normal means, I’d recommend relying on the cards. “The Governor” and the one that requires a Dangerous challenge (I forget the name) give good reductions. There may be others that slip my mind at the moment.

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There’s a lovely action (Enjoying the Pace of Academic Life) for those who are Watchful enough to access the University and also not barred from it that lowers Nightmares, trains Watchful, and gives a few Primordial Shrieks. So getting there is pretty valuable.

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Indeed. Alas, it is too good to last; advancing the story to the next stage bars you from it.

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Starting at Shadowy 41, if you have Suspicion and are in Spite, you can Confound the Constable and if you make a visit to The Man With A Past successfully, you drop your suspicion and gain a proscribed material, 2 infernal contracts, and Shadowy skill. With some combination of the use of a Ridiculous Hat, a Talkative Rattus Faber, and, either, Myriad Keys or Bottled Oblivion, you can utilize this opportunity for some time. 'Tis not the most efficient way necessarily but does decrease dependence upon Nikolas & Sons Instant Ablution Absolution (removes the most stubborn, savage & suspicious of stains! Warranted by the Topsy King hisself!)

For wounds, there are a wide variety of cards as well as resting up in bed that I have found useful. A quiet meal from the surface, for example. Cherries from playing with the Relicker. And, if you have some luck and Shadowy skill of 55 - 65 with connections in the Orient greater than 15, help bring in the Peach Brandy and sneak a sip. At most, you’ll spend another day in bed. The Heart’s Mirror at Mrs. Plenty’s Carnival is also quite fun, especially if your wounds are climbing high enough that just resting is still painful.

For scandal, well at my current range of exploration and connections, I find I attend church on a frequent basis; if this is true for you as well, do remember to remove your stockings first!

~MF
A Lady still learning the means and ways!

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Alas, that wonderful storylet also disappears eventually. It does last longer than the University one, however, so it’s good to make use of it while it lasts.

Oh, and also, do note that the “meal from the surface” card, though useful, also decreases Unaccountably Peckish. Those who are seeking a certain name, take care.

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Of the 19 cards available in New Newgate:
5 can be locked - ‘university of crime’ be keeping Connected: Criminals >2, “The Repentant Forger” by increasing your Acquaintance to maximum, “A Note in the Gruel” is once-off, “Promises of revenge” is locked until you complete the storylet (and you don’t have to),
and “The Troubled Undertaker” doesn’t appear once you have a Shiv.
Once you’ve acquire Notes or Rope, that locks the respective card as well for the duration of your stay.
Then, depending on your Logings, an additional 1-3 cards won’t turn up because you alreay have them in hand.

In short, you can ensure that the odds of getting the needed cards starts at 2-in-11, and then when you have one of them the odds of getting the 2nd is 1-in-10. Leaving by escape is the best way to go.

EDIT: An new card has turned up New Newgate! For the first time in at least a year! :o Sadly it’s just a ‘invite a player’ card. Still, odds have just changed to 2-in-12 and and 1-in-11.
edited by whitelaughter on 12/22/2011
edited by whitelaughter on 12/22/2011
edited by whitelaughter on 12/22/2011

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For Wounds there’s another way that’s open as one of Spite’s last stories - Drinking the brandy that the Widow is smuggling/importing will heal you and it’s generally straightforward after about 45-50 shadowy, I believe?

Edit: Ah, I missed this having already been said in the thread already. Whoops.
edited by pinstripeowl on 12/22/2011

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[quote=pinstripeowl]For Wounds there’s another way that’s open as one of Spite’s last stories - Drinking the brandy that the Widow is smuggling/importing will heal you and it’s generally straightforward after about 45-50 shadowy, I believe?

Edit: Ah, I missed this having already been said in the thread already. Whoops.
edited by pinstripeowl on 12/22/2011[/quote]
It’s a luck challenge now anyway. It was far too easy for high-level players to take advantage of the Widow to recover from Wounds quickly. She is no longer so tolerant.

At least the Rubbery Lump stands in the Labyrinth of Tigers are still a decent place to recuperate for those who still dream of returning to the surface.
edited by Patrick Reding on 12/22/2011

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If one is Watchful enough, playing chess against the Boatman is a fantastic way to rid oneself of Wounds as well as gain possession of a singular quality.
It may not be the best bang for your buck in terms of menace decrease per action, but there is something thrilling about the idea of becoming “A Chequerboard Warrior”

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it’s also worth noting that "The Repentant Forger in New Newgate also reduces Wounds and Nightmares, making the card well worth playing.

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Wait, it isn’t? I thought it was, thus my advice to not worry about Wounds until you die. Maybe the decrease increases as your Watchful does, but right now for me it’s decreasing at least 5 change points per action, possibly even 6, I’m not entirely certain.
edited by Little The on 12/23/2011

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I did discover another, slightly costly, way to reduce Nightmares. If you’re desperate, and have the wine, a sip of the delicious Greyfields 1868 First Sporing will reduce them. (Went from 3 to 2 in my experiment).

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Ah yes. I think it’s about as effective as laudanum, just without the Wounds increase. I usually keep at least 3 on me at all times; 1 for Mr Sacks, 1 for if it comes up in a story, and 1 as an emergency ration for dealing with Nightmares. (The last isn’t as useful to me anymore, though, since I have over 100 bottles of laudanum…)

Speaking of which, is there any other place to get a bottle of '68 than the “Mr Wines is having a sale” card? Because I do not enjoy having 500 Jade wasted half the time.

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[quote=Little The]Ah yes. I think it’s about as effective as laudanum, just without the Wounds increase. I usually keep at least 3 on me at all times; 1 for Mr Sacks, 1 for if it comes up in a story, and 1 as an emergency ration for dealing with Nightmares. (The last isn’t as useful to me anymore, though, since I have over 100 bottles of laudanum…)

Speaking of which, is there any other place to get a bottle of '68 than the “Mr Wines is having a sale” card? Because I do not enjoy having 500 Jade wasted half the time.[/quote]

The only other way I know of is to agree to speak with F.F. Gebrandt as part of the Mr. Wines revels path.

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Thanks for the advice! I bookmarked this page and I use it now and then as a reference ^^
edited by streetfelineblue on 12/27/2011

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…Which, of course, also disappears after advancing to the next stage of the story, and stays lost forever even if you manage to regain access to the University.

Argh. Those storylines were incredibly profitable, too.

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Speaking of managing menace and the University, it seems that Enjoying the Pace of Academic Life is no longer reducing my Nightmares.