Did you get Tomb Colony connections from that really early story where there was a tomb colony ambassador and you had to chaperone her? For the life of me I can’t remember which branch it was. but I remember doing it a lot because I enjoyed it. Tomb Colonies is an odd one, like @Wieland I too can’t remember how I got the connection, but I built it up with the tomb colonist vs society card (and can I just say how bored I am of dismissing those allegiance cards?).
Yeah, that’s it! The only allegiance card I ever really used, and just because my Connected: Society was so ridiculously high all the time… I didn’t remember because nowadays I just dismiss ALL allegiance cards without so much as a second glance…
Prisoner’s Honey is the hardest to find, in my opinion. There are several places to grind for Glim; and an advanced player can find Cryptic Clues almost anywhere.
While I remember - we needed 2 x Cellar of Wine to get a Ship. The only Story that gives Cellar of Wine is breeding monsters for the Bishop: and this story requires a Ship!
So a Cellar of Wine story that doesn’t require a ship would have been good. (On that subject, it would have been good if the 3 steps in getting a ship had been jointly available/doable in any order - I know several people who rage quit after grinding through 1 or 2 steps only to find the next waiting for them. If they’d had fair warning…)
I also wanted to co-sign something someone said above: there’s a habit of stuff being there to epic degrees - like the silk in Wolfstack in the Spider stories (60-70 dangerous?) But after that, it disappeared. Similarly other things - there’s a wealth of it and you go, “ah, that’s ok, I’ve squillions of this, so I can squander it for what I need” and then BANG - GONE. It does make players wonder whether to start hoarding for sieges later.
Hoarding is ALWAYS a good idea. I learned that lesson early on in the game when Whispered Secrets suddenly just weren’t there anymore.
I’m at that stage now. Need 1000 whispered secrets for one storylet, and 80,000 whispered secrets for a new lodging… granted, I don’t think I’d have 80,000 if I had kept every single one from way back when instead of turning them into cryptic secrets, but it sure didn’t help!
Ouch, you turned them into Cryptic Clues? That was not the best of ideas, no. Not only are Whispered Secrets used more often, you’ll be swimming in clues during the late game, especially if you’re a dreamer.
…I know. At the time I was a new player and thought “Huh, well, it says it’s cheaper than selling these and buying whispered secrets, that means profit! It must be a good idea!”
The sad part is that you don’t even break even – you actually lose about 1 echo’s worth of value in the conversion. Perhaps this will be changed since all the other crafting storylets are a 1:1 ratio, but…
Please note that, since it costs an action to transform the items, you’re effectively down by the value of whatever you could have gotten if you’d used the action elsewhere. A Person of Some Importance, for example, is guaranteed to be able to get an Echo or better per action. So, each transformation of items loses you that Echo (if you’re unlucky), or simply most of it, (if you’re lucky). Their 1:1 ratio is actually pretty meaningless unless we can also convert them for no action cost.
Actually, yes, that’s a very good point. I believe I’ve made a suggestion on the suggestion board to that effect.
I am between 75 and 85 (not counting items) on all of our main stats and I find that I’m constantly on the hunt for souls, honey, whispered secrets, proscribed materials, and greyfield 1882. I’ve been introduced to the three most expensive lodgings and the tip of the iceberg for the ~100 storylines and, while I don’t mind at all putting the time into gaining the necessary materials, I’m certainly not seeing many options.
And, to be quite honest, I detest spending connections in order to get items. It feels rather wasteful, given all of the things opportunities and storylines that you need a base connection amount in order to start, to then spend 2-5 ranks on a set amount of items.
I know items are also available via the Bazaar, I find myself rather stingy with my echoes as I have very boom-or-bust profit cycle.
~MF
A Lady attempting to be shrewd
Compromising Documents and Intriuguing gossip are extremely hard to find. Especially since you need such items to get into the foriegn office. It’s rather annoying. Can you change it back to crytic clues?
I think that’s due to their value, though. Unfinished Business in Watchmaker’s Hill gives five per action, which is perfectly fine for Shepherds of Souls like myself.[/quote]
Another way, much earlier on, is the storylet in spite, that lowers your suspicion by blackmailing an inspector. I do believe you get either 2 or 3 infernal contracts for that(likely 2, not 3), but still, between 40-55 Shadowy, there is no other option to get Infernal contracts, so you could possibly grind quite a few of them out early on by constantly raising your suspicion and using that option, then lowering your shadowy with items to keep repeating the process. Hell, I can still access the option now, even though my shadowy is 77, I can bring it down to 53 with items which is still within range.
Phosphorus Scarabs. By a lot.
I’d also like to add that Connected: Tomb Colonies is exceptionally difficult to acquire. I finally broke down and bought a Book of the Dead and spent the 2 Fate needed to bump myself up to 3 just so I can get better acquainted at the Carnival. Other than Master there is no more difficult Connection to acquire.
[quote=Nigel Overstreet]Phosphorus Scarabs. By a lot.
I’d also like to add that Connected: Tomb Colonies is exceptionally difficult to acquire. I finally broke down and bought a Book of the Dead and spent the 2 Fate needed to bump myself up to 3 just so I can get better acquainted at the Carnival. Other than Master there is no more difficult Connection to acquire.[/quote]
There is Persuasive storylet in Veilgarden early on (mid-20s, I think) where you’re asked to show a Tomb-colonist around town. I did that excessively at the time. Most of the Connected: Tomb Colonies I have now still is left from that storylet. So yes, after that option disappears it’s really hard to find another way.
Something I should point out regarding connecting with Tomb Colonists, is that unless the option locks in the end-game you can raise it at Mrs. Pleanty’s Carnival (the big top, I believe) at the cost of a ticket (and an action). I believe it caps out fairly quickly (at ten?) but it sounds like that should be more than sufficient for your purposes.
Yes, but one needs Connected: Tomb Colonists 3 before that option becomes available. As it is, if you didn’t get enough C: TC /VERY/ early in the game or lost some of it in later storylet, it is no longer obtainable except through buying “Book of the Dead” and spending Fate until it is at 3, at which point one may use the Carnival to bump it up to ten and then use Foxfire Candles to bump it to 20 with the Book.
That is, by far and away, the most difficult Connection outside of The Masters; especially now that it is a pre-req for the Elder item conversions.
Actually, the you-must-be-level-3-already limitation was lifted from the Carnival storylets. You can now grind for connections even if you don’t have any.