Nothing of any real note; when she shows up and the urchin is still around, she huffs and refuses to work, and you have to pay the extra urchin fee anyway.
This story was decidedly lackluster. The premise is interesting but the reality just feels… bad.
Obviously, the key issue is the action sinks. Very little of the story feels like my actions are actually generating progress. Dealing with bats, talking with an urchin, and juggling water and gas leaks were just wasted time. None of those options helped repairs. Few of the options had compelling text. More options consumed resources than gave rewards. Hiring craftspeople was more interesting, but giving them extra money had no visible effect.
Then came the chase section. The text gave no sense of urgency, nor of progress locating my target. The worst part was the hidden progress quality—there was absolutely no indication of which options gave progress, how many confrontations were needed, or how long the whole process took. Now that I’m done, it just feels like I spent 20 actions wandering around the sewers catching snippets of conversation and coincidentally bumping into the one named character.
The preponderance of luck challenges and fake stat challenges was also very frustrating. Continually failing checks eats up even more actions. I spent ten actions failing to use fire against bats, before even getting the option to consult a plasterer. Then I failed every luck check during the water/gas crisis, so I can’t even tell if some better outcome was possible.
As for the locked-difficulty stat checks? They’re just glorified luck checks that break immersion outright. As an almost-Paramount Presence, I should not be failing basic stealth. I should not be unable to persuade a Council representative to pay for repairs. (I especially should not then lose random items instead of being told to try a different option.) It’s just silly. I get that this is supposedly a flashback, but my stats have been at 200 for years—and if we’re using some ancient version of my character, why are there quirk challenges? Why does my recent Daring gain guarantee successes when my Legendary Charisma doesn’t exist?
This story just feels disjointed. First you dump actions into failing to solve problems, then wander aimlessly until the plot progresses. The actual plot is interesting, but most of the story feels entirely unrelated.
[quote=HarperMargrave]
Also, did anyone contact Mr Inch?
edited by HarperMargrave on 7/26/2018[/quote]
I have. I shall message you
I’ve seen the echo of that choice, but would you be willing to share what reward(s) you receive?[li]
edited by Doc Webb on 7/27/2018
I’ve seen the echo of that choice, but would you be willing to share what reward(s) you receive?
edited by Doc Webb on 7/27/2018[/quote]
That would be 3000 x Primordial Shrieks
And 1 x Aeolian Scream
THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER THE SPIDER
There are lots of weird, insane revelations to have come from this story. The sorrow spiders have managed to infest a Judgment? And they plan to summon said spider-Judgment to "liberate" Fallen London from the Neath? And they’re remaking the sewers into an eighth-legged labyrinth that can be felt across space? Strange. Well I hope that my Courier’s Footprint eye doesn’t go to waste…
I don’t think that there were any consequences from picking the "option." Is that reserved for the item trade-in? Or is it due to the implication?
The start of it was funny, the middle bit somewhat dull (for the amount of emphasis put on the Council Ties quality it really only tracked the answers to two questions), and the ending was delightful. I’m a huge sorrow spider fan, and more stories about them are always welcome. ^_^
EDIT: Also the tone reminded me enormously but nonspecifically of Neighbourhood Necromancer, which makes sense now that I’ve learned Gavin Inglis wrote it.
edited by Gul al-Ahlaam on 7/27/2018
Slight Wounds and the implication, I think.
I kinda enjoyed this story. The beginning was a lot of just because I could imagine how exasperated I’d be with it and how comical it all seemed. The chase section did take a bit, but I mostly stuck with the quirk challenges and nonstat options, so it seemed like an actual chase to me.
I’m torn with how to end this story. I never really interacted with spider counsels before, and the last time I had the option to help them, with the 4th city artifacts and the spider weaver lady, I chose to give most of the artifacts back to their original owners. Though, I did tutor the lady in the house of Chimes in the Correspondence. It seems like it might come full circle now .Still, knowing my destiny, I like the idea of being a one-eyed master, or a master with a sorrow spider in my eye. The other masters would probably think even less of me then!
edited by Winthropx on 7/27/2018
On one hand I want to learn more about the whole business with the spiders, on the other if there’s an option to contact Mr. Inch then I’m most definitely doing that. What should I do with my Council Ties? Does the amount of information you learn vary depending on which path you pick, and/or does the Mr. Inch option lock if you, presumably, raise them too high?
Basically, getting your Council Ties high enough gives you an extra option for helping the Council, and keeping it at minimum gives you an extra option for opposing them. All the other options are always available.
Does anyone have an Echo for the choice to become one of the Elect? It seems like the most interesting ending, but seeing “This is a very bad idea. Do not do this.” is somewhat off-putting.
I thought this story was pretty fun, although I agree somewhat with the other comments about the slightly dreary padding of the chase. Conceptually, I’m in love, and the bits of the story that deliver plot progression are fabulous, it’s just a little bit of a shame it didn’t have a slightly more engaging frame/structure. I obviously had to do the bad thing on my main (which was awesome) but honestly I was more flabbergasted by the rewards for Assisting the Borough (one of the normal, no-requirements endings).
[spoiler]You’ve gained 4x Puzzle-Damask Scrap. You now have 1x Ratty Reliquary.
This is the first time that the Ratty Reliquary has been available outside of its ridiculously low drop rate from Sacks’ Sack at Christmas! Which could be big news, if you’re the kind of person who cares very deeply about rats (read: a normal FL player).[/spoiler]
edited by Barse on 7/27/2018
Here you go. It’s mostly a bad idea narratively; mechanically it just gives you a slight amount of Wounds.
That sounds about right for Fallen London, actually…
Here you go. It’s mostly a bad idea narratively; mechanically it just gives you a slight amount of Wounds.[/quote]
Thank you. Since the choice didn’t seem to have much of an narrative effect, I chose to help the Council with their excavation work in the end, which sadly didn’t change much either. I know that permanent upheaval in Fallen London isn’t much of a thing due to obvious reasons, but I feel like it would’ve been great to hear about how the whole thing with the spider-judgment monstrosity went down instead of being left in the dark about it in seemingly all endings. So while I personally didn’t mind the adrenaline lacking chase sequence, I think the ending is just a tad disappointing.
edited by TheManicMan on 7/27/2018
Oohh, could you post the link to the Echo? I’ve been curious about that choice, and haven’t seen it in anyone’s journal yet.
Many thanks!