[quote=Jeremiah Oathes]I’m somewhat interested in a second run of the Princess. Or at least some adequate story content. She’s just… fascinating with her little inherent dichotomy.
My second proposal is the Soft-hearted Widow.[/quote]
Great suggestions and arguments! But this isn’t the 1897 nominations thread…
[quote=Anne Auclair]Great suggestions and arguments! But this isn’t the 1897 nominations thread…[/quote] Yeah, I got carried away. I’ll move it over there after I slept.
I agree that Feducci’s term was a disappointment; I expected much more from him, frankly. Ah, well.[/quote]
He kinda has unfinished business. It wouldn’t be like Feducci to just give up after one defeat. For all his innumerable faults, he’s not a quitter.
No, but he’s not an idiot either. Most of what Feducci did during his term was get frustrated that being Mayor was apparently useless to whatever he did. This was probably good for London, but it would hardly incline him to run again. The celebratory fireworks at the end of his term were an eloquent statement of his opinion of London politics.
Even if he hasn’t given up on London politics, that doesn’t mean London hasn’t given up on him, thus Phryne’s original statement. Returning Feducci to the stand is mostly a matter of asking how many of his supporters have not 1) learned better, 2) wandered off in disgust or 3) wandered off in boredom. Who is going to come back and vote for a candidate whose first term was marked with failure?
I could see Sinning Jenny returning; most people see her term positively, and if she accomplished nothing (but she will! within weeks!) she still probably had the most successful term, barring any final actions on the Contrarian’s part. I might see the Contrarian returning. I don’t see Feducci returning, and frankly I think an all-former mayor slate would be less interesting storytelling than it might at first seem.
But permanently walking away means acknowledging a permanent defeat. This was something he wouldn’t want to do! It’s not usually in Feducci’s character to acknowledge limits to his abilities, unless said limits pertain to his relationship with a perceived equal (such as the Princess). He has a clear motive: wanting to avenge himself on those that defeated him. Round two, in other words. If Jenny & the Contrarian run again, there’d also be an element of one-upping them.
Feducci’s failure is ultimately a matter of political opinion. Some supporters considered his term a success on entertainment value alone.
Who said anything about limited abilities? The mayoralty was clearly a tool, and equally clearly an ineffective one. If a hammer breaks, you don’t keep hitting the nail with the bits; you go get yourself a new one. Whatever Feducci may be doing next, I don’t see cause for him to seek out another term to do it with.
And this would be who?
Was the Blythenhale blast that spectacular, then? I’m sorry I missed it.
Well, there is this:
https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Join_her_for_a_stack_of_chops_'torment-broiled'
Precisely what I was thinking.
Who said anything about limited abilities? The mayoralty was clearly a tool, and equally clearly an ineffective one. If a hammer breaks, you don’t keep hitting the nail with the bits; you go get yourself a new one. Whatever Feducci may be doing next, I don’t see cause for him to seek out another term to do it with.[/quote]
Depending on your choices during the Wedding, the mayoralty did work for him or almost worked for him, despite his humiliation in the actual government. There is probably no shortage of other schemes he could try.
And this would be who?[/quote]
Society, various Reformers, the Palace bureaucracy…
Was the Blythenhale blast that spectacular, then? I’m sorry I missed it.[/quote][/quote]
Some people rather liked it.
Ah, Anne. I missed how, once you decide upon a point, you never let go no matter what. Elections can’t come soon enough!
I just hope they don’t mirror real life politics again. Too much aggression.
edited by Jolanda Swan on 3/10/2019
But the Marriage is Fate-locked and was also available again this year (meaning that for some people–an increasing proportion if the story continues to be offered each winter–it happens after Feducci’s term, and thus that his having attained the mayoralty is more important to the story than his actually being the mayor). I don’t think it’s fair to color Feducci’s term too much with a story that only a portion of players ever saw.
Oh, it was a delightful touch. My point is that one explosion in a year does not make for an entertaining term. It makes, at most, for an entertaining ending.
But the Marriage is Fate-locked and was also available again this year (meaning that for some people–an increasing proportion if the story continues to be offered each winter–it happens after Feducci’s term, and thus that his having attained the mayoralty is more important to the story than his actually being the mayor). I don’t think it’s fair to color Feducci’s term too much with a story that only a portion of players ever saw.[/quote]
One could argue that, as the story chronologically comes about after Feducci’s term, that his time as Mayor was still necessary for the fulfillment of this particular scheme.
Oh, it was a delightful touch. My point is that one explosion in a year does not make for an entertaining term. It makes, at most, for an entertaining ending.[/quote]
Some people also liked his transformation of the mayoral residence into a gambling den as well. While Feducci failed to work many actual accomplishments, ultimately the entertainment value of his performance as mayor is a wholly subjective one. One could want a second term entirely on the last ending alone, for example.
[quote=Jolanda Swan]Ah, Anne. I missed how, once you decide upon a point, you never let go no matter what. Elections can’t come soon enough!
I just hope they don’t mirror real life politics again. Too much aggression.[/quote]
I think the aggression was largely the result of how the elections were mechanically structured. When the game mechanics changed, the tone changed and became a lot less intense ^_^
.
edited by Anne Auclair on 3/10/2019
[quote=Jolanda Swan]I just hope they don’t mirror real life politics again. Too much aggression.[/quote]I found Election 1896 really interesting in the way that it actually could mirror aspects of real-life politics without creating the same level of tribal aggression, to which I’m inclined to agree with Anne on the value of the mechanical restructures (especially having a week in-game to learn about candidates as opposed to three days outside).
Mr Slowcake reflected a fear of hostile foreign interference and constructed identities that only serve the interests of a party or other such conglomerate. The Jovial Contrarian reflected a fear of flip-flopping politicians and a fear of politicians with secret hidden agendas trying to bring down existing systems. The Captivating Princess reflected a fear of aristocrats (in our society, plutocrats) dominating the political process and sweeping the poor and downtrodden under the rug. These are all fears that influence the modern voting population, and the Election offered an interesting commentary on that.
I am of two minds. On the one hand, I would love to see the Contrarian run yet again, preferably on an entirely different platform. On the other, variety is nice, and I’m sure there are plenty of characters to scrape for hilarious mayorships. Could you imagine a speech by Pages?
The past few mayors have had their time to shine. It’s only fair we give other characters the opportunity to develop more as well.
[quote=Elias Pembleton III]On the other, variety is nice, and I’m sure there are plenty of characters to scrape for hilarious mayorships. Could you imagine a speech by Pages?
The past few mayors have had their time to shine. It’s only fair we give other characters the opportunity to develop more as well.[/quote]
Character variety should be prioritised overall! (Mayor Pages, omg.) But I think Anne’s idea is a unique, one-off thing, making the most of these specific characters and the dynamic they could have. The thread title suggests 2020/1898, so this year would still have entirely new people.
1898’s election will be the fifth. By then, the ‘standard’ election might be getting stale for older players. And there will be players who’ve left, who might be enticed back by the general story or the reappearance of a past Mayor - some people returned when they learned about the Contrarian’s second campaign. There would also be newer players curious about older Mayors; I already see this happening with Jenny and Feducci. I don’t think there’s any harm in experimenting with this configuration, then returning to the usual format the next year.
Also, returning Mayors wouldn’t necessarily shut out development for other NPC’s. People liked it when Council members appeared during the Contrarian’s first campaign. This would be a good opportunity to showcase characters who have a political stake but can’t run for office, themselves, for mechanical or narrative reasons. There probably wouldn’t be complaints about them stealing the spotlight from the ‘real’ candidate, because the real candidates would already be well-established characters. Jenny is compatible with people from several different factions; Feducci could neglect Hell this time, in favour of characters related to the Elder Continent; and we could see the Contrarian’s relationship with months besides the ones we’ve (barely) seen with him.