I really enjoyed the maze chase, and not knowing how long it would last was actually quite appropriate.
I think it would be best to say that what was there, was very good. I enjoyed it while it lasted.
That said, I truly expected something… more. My final reaction was to feel vaguely unsatisfied. Knowing that Exceptional Stories out of season go for 45 Fate, I was shocked. For that price, I assumed they must all be large and detailed stories.
Art of Murder felt on-par with Blemmigan Affair (which I adored), but which was rather less expensive. It didn’t feel on-par with Flint, or even half of Flint. Certainly it isn’t as satisfying as the second half of Flint (which I only just finished before diving in to Art of Murder).
Flint was the first Exceptional Story I’ve played, and it set my expectations high. I thought Art of Murder would be more like it, especially they’re being billed as parts of a larger arc. I certainly didn’t expect to knock AoM over in a day, once I focused on it.
I find myself agreeing with Spooky on this one, which is sad, because Court of Cats seemed intriguing.
On an unrelated, general feedback note, my friend wished to buy me a year’s Exceptional Friendship for Christmas. The easiest way we found was for him to transfer money to me, and then I set up the Friendship on my own PayPal, which seemed to disappoint him. Failbetter, would you consider some kind of virtual gift card?
Something like: "This code may be redeemed for x months Exceptional Friendship or y Fate."
But they are not for that price. The price they go for is 5 quid a month (which includes access to the House of Chimes, larger deck and an extra candle). 45 Fate purchase is an additional favour that FBG have made the many of us who clamoured against time-locked content (me among the loudest). Originally Fate purchases were not even envisaged/intended.
Keeping the comment above in mind, Blemmigan Affair is, in fact, more expensive. A Blemmigan Affair replay costs 30 Fate (and the initial purchase also costs 30 Fate). The Art of Murder replay for subscribers costs 25 Fate (and the initial purchase is wrapped up inside the 5 quid subscription).
It doesn’t and it’s not intended to. Both halves of Flint were explicitly advertised as being larger than any individual standalone ES. This should be seen as the extra content provided in Flint, not lack of content elsewhere.
If you’re not a fan of the shorter stories, you can always skip Exceptional Friendship and make a late purchase of any stories that get a good community response. Or you could pay slightly more for a monthly subscription, get those same stories on time, get a larger action pool, get a couple normal House of Chimes stories, and get many additional monthly vignettes (if that’s how you see them). Exceptional Friendship is a great deal for any frequent player, even if you only fall in love with every fourth or fifth story. edited by TheThirdPolice on 1/13/2016
I think it’s a little unfair to knock AoM for being short. First, it wasn’t short so much as really fast. Second, there’s a lot going on right now. Last month there was Flint, Christmas, and Mr. Sacks. This month we have Penstock’s Wicket. Next month is the Feast of the Exceptional Rose. Third, leading up to Christmas and New Year’s everyone’s life becomes really busy. It seems to me that Failbetter taking the necessary time to produce a good quality story for January is worth some praise, especially when said story is part of a larger cycle (Heart’s Blood).