Hello my kin of the mushroom,[li]
A great many tales about the so-called "Iron Republic" remain unknown to mine ears. Having obtained a safe-conduct, what preparations should be taken?
Signed, Neogeo
Firstly, I would recommend you check your sanity at the door. This will make what comes next much less painful.
The Iron Republic is a place where no rules are fixed. It’s a giant, choose-your-own-adventure laid out like a series of greased, non-Euclidean chutes. I honestly don’t know what I could say to prepare you. Just… prepare for a zee voyage. And try to keep all your organs on the inside.
There are a number of items and qualities you can get outside of the Iron Republic that influence what happens there… but it’s impossible to say if said influence is positive or negative.
And I notice your Ambition isn’t Nemesis, but for the sake of anyone reading this that is: I’d recommend waiting until the Ambition storyline sends you there. When you’re at that point, you get an option that makes navigating the Republic a bit easier.
Might want some extra brass rings, can be handy I wouldn’t bother with more than 3 or 4 though.
Should you happen to see a familiar face be sure to give offense. The Republic will offer you the chance to make this right.
The iron republic flips the gameplay upside down, throws it out the window, proceeds to stab it seven times with knives made out of candles, throws it down a well, flips that well upside down, has it be half devoured by the eater of chains, shows it what the thunder had to say, throws it back and forth between the neath and parabola, puts it on a train to hell, snatches it up and locks it in the royal betlehem for five years, drowns it in the unterzee, Throws it off the roof of the bazaar and THEN spits it back out in your face. Thats really the most accurate description i can think of.[li]
edited by Blackleaf on 12/13/2013
[quote=Blackleaf]The iron republic flips the gameplay upside down, throws it out the window, proceeds to stab it seven times with knives made out of candles, throws it down a well, flips that well upside down, has it be half devoured by the eater of chains, shows it what the thunder had to say, throws it back and forth between the neath and parabola, puts it on a train to hell, snatches it up and locks it in the royal betlehem for five years, drowns it in the unterzee, Throws it off the roof of the bazaar and THEN spits it back out in your face. Thats really the most accurate description i can think of.[li]
edited by Blackleaf on 12/13/2013[/quote]
You forgot [REDACTED]*
Never forget [REDACTED].
*[REDACTED]
[/li]
If you are eager to risk, and willing to “force” a couple of choiches, i would advise you to go to the republic with high Menaces. The Iron republic is definitely not the best place to get rid of one’s own menaces, but you can do it along the way.
Some of the storylets there “fix” the menace number, setting it - for example, at 3, regardless form your previous level of menace.
So you may wish to use this peculiarity in order to get rid of some levels of menace, but you have to be careful about the ramifications of the story you take. (Now i’m sleepy and i do not remember the exact days which do so, but more expert player may certainly help you better).
On the other hand, be careful! Some days just add some CP to your menaces, so there is the possibility for you to find yourself out of the island with Nightmares, Scandal, wounds or suspicion above 8.
(Some of them does not count, at sea. Suspicion >7 will get you in jail only you are in London. Not sure about the others.)
I enjoyed it, I’ve been back 3 times now manic grin such a delight! Freedom from natural law! Freedom from artificial law! SO MUCH FREEDOM eyetwitch
I may go back after Sackmas.
I lust for more morsels of this delightful meringue of knowledge! I shall heed what has been written, and wait till my ambitions lead me yonder Iron Republic. I plead once more with a certain enphasis, what valuable resources be worth taking along? My pockets contain a cornacopia of things. Even some of the most choice items of merit: though these number few.
If your ambition takes you to the Iron Republic you will need a few things. Maybe some one following that ambition can tell you exactly what.
If you just go for pleasure I can’t think of anything except that the Iron Republic is very strange so maybe Brass Rings, a Gang of Hoodlums, a spouse and high quirks might be helpful but don’t worry too much if you haven’t got them. Do not worry about the menaces, they jump all over the place but you won’t die or go mad and there is a way of reducing them before you leave.
Have fun.
Don’t forget to drop by Hunter’s Keep to pick up a Stone-Tentacle Key! You’ll need a Portfolio of Souls too, I think.
Edit: 5 of them.
edited by Sara Hysaro on 12/15/2013
[quote=Sara Hysaro]Don’t forget to drop by Hunter’s Keep to pick up a Stone-Tentacle Key! You’ll need a Portfolio of Souls too, I think.
Edit: 5 of them.
edited by Sara Hysaro on 12/15/2013[/quote]
Yep. I made that mistake of not bringing the portfolios.
Also, Is *REDACTED really supposed to just *REDACTED and *REDACTED
[li]
I’m going to try and add a more… logical response to this, laying out the goals and gameplay of the Iron Republic.
First and foremost. Nothing is required. Research pending, I cannot even say what will help you.
Now, that said, the Iron Republic is best thought of as an area you’re walking around, with each storylet essentially being a choice between various paths. I made a map a while back even. As you go from node to node, you’ll get a “changed by the iron republic” quality. Some other things may be modified as well, but these are largely irrelevant or minor, like more loose change. It should be noted that the challenges can be considered less “success and failure” and more that having X makes you more likely to take path Y. I’ve been meaning to go back there and do more research, but paths seem more or less equal for the most part. If you find a route you’d like to walk though, you may wish to modify qualities to try and reach it.
Once you are done, you can spend Changed CP on things. The main reward is the Iron Republic Journal, which can be used for bizarre and dreaded bonuses, or sold. You can also reduce menaces, or alter your quirks. Once you’ve reached the end and bought what you can, you’ll be put back out to zee and must do a voyage to return.
Has anyone looked into the math of grinding for journals at 15 echoes each? The basic idea is to use the loop from day 42 back to day 8 to build up Changed CP to spend on journals without having to go through the usual sea voyage. The sheer number of possible paths and their associated probabilities does make finding the most efficient route daunting, though.
Offhand it seems like the main drawback is 1) having to get there and back in the first place and 2) very few skill checks.
You can spend fate to go straight into another go of the place, if you’re so-inclined.
[quote=empirimancer]Has anyone looked into the math of grinding for journals at 15 echoes each? The basic idea is to use the loop from day 42 back to day 8 to build up Changed CP to spend on journals without having to go through the usual sea voyage. The sheer number of possible paths and their associated probabilities does make finding the most efficient route daunting, though.
Offhand it seems like the main drawback is 1) having to get there and back in the first place and 2) very few skill checks.[/quote]
Last time I ran the numbers it only worked out to a max of 1.67 Echoes per action(by no means a certainty). Still some paths I wasn’t able to get the CP for though.
Probably not the best spot to grind, though trip is interesting. Some parts are either very meta or very random. I am honestly not sure which.
sorry for bumping again. but i just went through the ironrepublic twice and never saw the day 42 loop… oh nevermind, looks like i forgot to snub the dear ambitious lady.
endy> so what quirks/qualities do you need to get 1.67 echos/action in iron republic, if i use day 42? or rather how do i reliably get to day 40 and then day 42? can’t seem to google up a guide for it. or is IR really only good for getting the journal once, and then maybe spending fate to pump up your quirks???
edited by rebelanarch-82 on 8/26/2014
Day 40 is a fixed point. You can’t miss it. You get to 42 by choosing “Express your disapproval” in day 40.
[quote]or is IR really only good for getting the journal once, and then maybe spending fate to pump up your quirks???
[/quote]
I use it after two weeks of zee voyages to get rid of ~20 suspicion before returning to London for two nadirs.
excuse me again, but i’ve found something very odd in the bazaar tab when i’m grinding my "changed by the iron republic" quality. in the BAZAAR tab > Harbour Provisions , we can now buy fuel and supplies at a very high cost of 20 echos each??? but aren’t those items for use in the sunless sea only? or is there a future connection to sunless sea and zailing in fallenlondon, that isn’t implemented yet??? puzzling.
It’s the generic store from Sunless Sea, "Echoes" isn’t even the currency in Fallen London, it’s pence, so you can’t buy them. (I had more than 20 echoes when I went through recently)
Which means either it’s a very strange bug or "Freedom from laws" includes the fourth wall. I really can’t tell.
edited by WormApotheote on 8/27/2014