An in-depth look at money options

Fallen London
121

Call in favors in the flit is a standard occurrence card which trades 150 cp of connected: revolutionaries for a whopping 28.8 echoes of proscribed material.

This makes turning cards in the flit (while you are using the war of assassins to take Collection of curiosities, or fidgeting writering, or just going back and forth) pretty lucrative.

You can give out public lectures on the correspondence for 15 cp of revolutionaries, bohemians, society (and 1 point of suspect.)
This makes 10 actions for 150 cp revolutionaries and 10 cp of suspect of which you want to get rid of.

Moral: if you manage to get rid of your 10cp suspicion in 3-4 actions (or less), you have a net gain of 2.06 / 1.92 echo / action, plus the added benefit of 150 points of both bohemians and society.

122

^ imo, terrible idea.

  • removing menances is action wasting. i value actions and IRL time more than echos if that makes any sense :P

-revolutionaries is one of the harder to grind connections in the game. and it opens up quite a number of masters-related storylets. don’t want to give up that just for echos.

-you can’t reliably call that 2.06 echos/action, because you’ll need spend many many actions(or just discard) clicking on other cards before the &quotCall in favors in the flit&quot card appears. i’ve spent a week/++ in flit without ever seeing the card!

  • finally, call me a fascist but wrong usuage of word &quotmoral&quot.
    edited by DamWei on 5/7/2014
123

[quote=&quotMany&quot Chin]^ imo, terrible idea.

  • removing menances is action wasting. i value actions and IRL time more than echos if that makes any sense :P

-revolutionaries is one of the harder to grind connections in the game. and it opens up quite a number of masters-related storylets. don’t want to give up that just for echos.

-you can’t reliably call that 2.06 echos/action, because you’ll need spend many many actions(or just discard) clicking on other cards before the &quotCall in favors in the flit&quot card appears. i’ve spent a week/++ in flit without ever seeing the card!

  • finally, call me a fascist but wrong usuage of word &quotmoral&quot.
    edited by DamWei on 5/7/2014[/quote]

I think the total revenue calculated by Andrea factored both the actions needed to increase Connected: Revolutionaries and the actions to decrease the menace. Turning cards doesn’t waste any actions, unless you actually PLAY them, and you should only play them if they’re beneficial at all. But personally I prefer to just leave the Revos be, and always keep a mini-stash of about 3x Collection of Curiosities to exchange with Tomb-Colonists instead ^^

P.S. I don’t find much wrong with the usage of the word &quotmoral&quot, in Italy it’s often used as a synonimous for &quotIn the end, when all it’s said and done&quot.

124

OK, let’s analyze it more in detail:

10 actions are used to gain 150 cp of connection of revolutionaries, bohemiand and society.
…and, of course 10cp suspicion.

1 action is used to cash in the 28.8 echoes through &quotCalling favours&quot.

Total, 11 actions, and +10 cp suspicion (plus the connection in bohemians and society!!!)

Now, you need to get rid of the suspicion as fast as possible. There are multiple ways to do so, and i have to say thatthey have all different pro and cons.

I try to write down a table, but i’m not sure if it work!

You get rid of suspicion in…___Total actions___Echo / action

2_______________________________13_____________2.22
3_______________________________14_____________2.06
4_______________________________15_____________1.92
5_______________________________16_____________1.8

Note that this echo / action result does not consider the gain in connections - and it is better than the affair of the box.
If you want to factor in also the gain in connection, you need approximatively 6 actions (or a little more) to gain as much as 150 cp in both bohemians and society.

I hope this analysis was a little bit more clear.

About &quotcalling favors in the flit&quot being a card, you’re right, you can go for a long time without seeing it. On my own, i just cash in the connection till to level 35 (as i do with 1-3 the collections of curiosities) and i diligently wait in the Flit for &quotCalling Favors&quot (or the tomb colonist) for cashing in all my work.
(Flipping cards does not cost actions, but you’re right on the fact that you have to log in more often. This said, you can log in each hour, flip the cards, and then move to the forgotten quarter (or do other stuff) and use the actions once you have many of them)

It is not &quotreliable&quot as in - you can grind only this - but the frequency is &quotstandard&quot (for both calling favors and tomb colonist), and it makes your game more variate in the grind.

For &quotmoral&quot, it has the same meaning of &quotmaxim&quot also in english, but not being a native speaker i have no idea of how much frequently it is used. And, no, you don’t sound to be a fascist, don’t worry! :)

[li][/li][li]
edited by Mizr. Edlaine Saphburgh on 5/8/2014

125

[quote=Andrea Serafini]About &quotcalling favors in the flit&quot being a card, you’re right, you can go for a long time without seeing it. On my own, i just cash in the connection till to level 35 (as i do with 1-3 the collections of curiosities) and i diligently wait in the Flit for &quotCalling Favors&quot (or the tomb colonist) for cashing in all my work.
(Flipping cards does not cost actions, but you’re right on the fact that you have to log in more often. This said, you can log in each hour, flip the cards, and then move to the forgotten quarter (or do other stuff) and use the actions once you have many of them)[/quote][li]

I appreciated this guide. The public lecture also trains Watchful, and the additional Bohemian and Society are good for my Salon. This, and the Tomb Colonists map trade, are nice diversions in between Affair of the Box runs.

126

Cards that are mad cash money.

-A Visit: I make 10.00 echoes chatting with the forger. If your shadowy isn’t capped it won’t be quite that good, but you only need Shadowy 82 to beat AotB
-The High Castle: 3.00 echoes in Wines items for your action at Acquaintance: Repentant Forger 6+, which it should be because of the previously mentioned A Visit card.
-Call in Favours in the Flit: Andrea’s analysis is spot on.
-The Paranomastic Newshound: Advising him on a headline gives 1.90 echoes in secrets and clues, or talk about the tomb colonies for a 2.50 echo extraordinary implication
-Bandages and Dust: At 100% success you’ll make 62.5 echoes over 35 actions, which is about 1.79 epa
-One’s Public: The rewards for the Put on a Fine Show for Them option add up to 2.3 echoes in various goods and 2 confident smiles. The challenge is rather difficult, but since you get smiles on success you can always afford to spend a smile trying it. Even if your base odds are 50%, with two attempts you’re making on average 0.75*2.3 = 1.725 echoes (and half a smile)
-The Lofty Tower: Very good if your persuasive is very high, at a straight 2.00 echoes in cash, but losing two echoes on failure means you don’t beat AotB on average until the challenge is straightforward.
-Grubby Kitten: 20 rats and 3 tales of terror is 1.70 echoes, unlike most connected pets that are only worth 1.50. Getting 10 dreaded for 100% success is a bit of a chore, though.
-The Mechanics of Progress: Gives a random number of cryptic clues between 1 and your Watchful, so it beats AotB on average at Watchful 163.
edited by Sackville on 5/10/2014

127

I’ll add to that

The other option on the Paranomastic Newshound gives an Extraordinary Implication 2.50 echoes

The Sardonic Music-Hall Singer (with high persuasive) Ask for an Audience with His Amused Lordahip gives a Presbyterate Passphrase 2.50 echoes plus some Making Waves this uses acquainted Music Hall Singer but if you use your Acquainted Forger on her other card to raise the connection you get 2.2 echoes. Edit to add this ties in to using A Visit card to raise your Forger.[li]
edited by reveurciel on 5/9/2014

128

I would like to add too the “once upon a time in a carriage” Offer her a lift option.

It gives out 165 cent of mysteries and 5 cp of society connection.

129

A day out in your Clay Sedan Chair: Choosing &quotFor a little sport&quot gives 2 echoes worth of foxfire candle stubs (if you don’t mind the drop to your Magnanimous quirk).

130

Also:
The Swap Incendiary Gossip card has a &quotpretty good odds&quot for:

  • Failure: A net loss of 0.5 echoes and a point of MW[/li][li]Success: An Identity Uncovered - a net gain of 2 echoes[/li][li]Rare success: Blackmail material - a net gain of 12 echoes

I’m not sure what are the numbers behind &quotpretty good odds&quot, or what is the probability of the rare success.

Assuming some numbers (30% failure, 65% success, 5% rare success), you get a mean net gain of 1.75 echoes.

131

[quote=dov]I’m not sure what are the numbers behind &quotpretty good odds&quot, or what is the probability of the rare success.

Assuming some numbers (30% failure, 65% success, 5% rare success), you get a mean net gain of 1.75 echoes.[/quote]So far I have 105 regular successes, 50 failures and a single rare success. I don’t like that card. And yet I keep playing it, hoping to at least hit the statistical average, and a second, final rare success.

132

[quote=Gillsing][quote=dov]I’m not sure what are the numbers behind &quotpretty good odds&quot, or what is the probability of the rare success.

Assuming some numbers (30% failure, 65% success, 5% rare success), you get a mean net gain of 1.75 echoes.[/quote]So far I have 105 regular successes, 50 failures and a single rare success. I don’t like that card. And yet I keep playing it, hoping to at least hit the statistical average, and a second, final rare success.[/quote]
Yeah, I don’t have nearly enough data to try and assess the real probabilities here. I’ve avoided this card for a long time, but recently decided to try playing it again and see where it leads.

133

Can anyone suggest a good method for grinding watchful and getting a semi-decent return at the same time?

I’m toying with the idea of going down fluke street, to take advantage of the challenges that don’t have any menace associated with them that I dimly remember finding down there, but the cash return of fluke street is abysmal.

I also toyed with the idea of doing the war of assassins, but I don’t get anywhere near enough tomb colonist cards to make cashing in curiosities a viable option, and I don’t think any of the other valuables that can be farmed from there are worth anything.

Last option is, of course, to do expeditions, but the cash from them isn’t THAT great and failures are so expensive that the only sensible option are white/straightforward.

Can anyone suggest anything better?

134

I’d just say Seek Curios and Secrets in the Forgotten Quarter can be profitable as long as you manage the nightmares. I know the results can be very variable but at least the Rare successes are very valuable (Skulls/Pulsating Amber/Brass Ring). Also you actually raise all the stats depending on which options turn up. You also get lots of whispered secrets to trade for expedition supplies.

135

Thanks, lady ciel, I’ll give that a try.

136

[quote=RandomWalker]Can anyone suggest a good method for grinding watchful and getting a semi-decent return at the same time?
[…]

I also toyed with the idea of doing the war of assassins, but I don’t get anywhere near enough tomb colonist cards to make cashing in curiosities a viable option, and I don’t think any of the other valuables that can be farmed from there are worth anything.

[…][/quote]

If you don’t need the money immediately, i would suggest you to continue the war of assassins.
It’s true, you will not have the money NOW, but later (for example, when you will grind some affair of the box, or Searing Enigmas for a Impossible theorem, or Wine for Master’s blood, or… well, whatever), the Tomb colonist card will continue to appear.

And, then, you’ll gain your sweet, sweet echoes.

[li]

137

[quote=lady ciel ]…but if you use your Acquainted Forger on her other card to raise the connection you get 2.2 echoes…
[/quote]

But it’s only 8 appaling secrets and 10 cryptic clues? Which is only 815+102=140p. Which still means alternating helping her and heving her help you (hi, I am Gnomey, help me help you help me!) is a (140p+250p)/2a=195ppa thing (you don’t count cp of forger as worth anything, because you are getting loads of them from A Visit, assuming that you are actually spending them [it’s capped at 9 or something like that]) (not counting the 2 cp mw you also get).
But I choose to use just &quothelp her negotiate&quot, because that gives intriguing gossip, which are used to make nights on the town, for long-term MW storage.

138

Oops … sorry got my maths wrong there.
Even with getting the maths wrong it is still a reasonably profitable cycle.

139

Does anyone have thoughts on the highest ppa actions that also train Watchful at a high level? How about Dangerous?

140

For Dangerous, it would be the Velocipede Squad to the best of my recollection.

For high level Watchful, I’m grinding Shrines of the Deep Blue Heaven in the Forgotten Quarter, but I have no idea for the optimal choice on that. I’m just hoping for Airags to get me closer to another vial of M______ B____