Exceptional Stories Archive

Fallen London
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For years, this archive was hidden in an obscure thread few would ever look at. Still I regularly received positive feedback about how much these posts were valued. So I thought the new forums deserved to have them in a more prominent position! :smiley:

Do tell if you find any links in need of fixing!

— Standalone Stories —

2024 ‒ A Newt By Any Other Name (Jan) • The Tale of Old Fritz (Feb) • Slobgollion (Mar) • There Is the Richest Juice in Poison-Flowers (Apr) • The Sunken River (May) • Déjà Vu (Jun) • The Laws of the Game (Jul) • Arcana (Aug) • A Nest in the Eaves (Sep) • Death and Tax Evasion (Oct) • Aces High (Nov) •

2023 ‒ Stolen Stanzas (Jan) • The Hollow Triptych (Feb) • A Bright Future (Mar) • The Deadly Dapperlings (Apr) • The Mudlark’s Lament (May) • Flame, Lead, Clay, Glass (Jun) • The Stolen Song (Jul) • The Bloody Wallpaper (Aug) • The Path of Blood and Smoke (Sep) • The Children of the Glow (Oct) • The Stripes of Wrath (Nov) • The Green King (Dec)

2022 ‒ Adornment (Jan) • Mistress of the Skies (Feb) • A Stretch in the Sky (Mar) • Totentanz (Apr) • The Queen of the Elephants (May) • Codename: Sugarplum (Jun) • Dernier Cri (Jul) • Inheritance (Aug) • A Columbidaean Commotion (Sep) • The Exile’s Chalice (Oct) • A Devil’s Due (Nov) • SALON SCANDAL! (Dec)

2021 ‒ Caveat Emptor (Jan) • The Fair Unknown (Feb) • The Thing That Came in from the Fog (Mar) • For a Dream of Innocence (Apr) • Leviathan (May) • Reunion (Jun) • We Absolutely Meant to Go to Zee (Jul) • The Tempest (Aug) • Damp Martyrs (Sep) • A Crown of Thorns (Oct) • The Crocodile Who Would Be King (Nov) • The House of Silk and Flame (Dec)

2020 ‒ The Dilettante’s Debut (Jun) • Paisley (Jul) • Unto Dust (Aug) • Homecoming (Sep) • Fading to a Coda (Oct) • Older, Not Wiser (Nov) • The Icarian Cup (Dec)

2015 ‒ The Haunting at the Marsh-House (May) • The Court of Cats (Jun) • Lost in Reflections (Jul) • The Last Dog Society (Aug) • Cut with Moonlight (Sep) • Discernment (Oct)

— Exceptional Seasons —

From November 2015 to May 2020, Exceptional Stories were grouped into Exceptional Seasons: playing all three stories of a Season unlocked a bonus story. This system has now been retired, but all bonus stories will continue to be available to anyone completing an Exceptional Season:

I. Season of Heart’s Blood (Nov 2015‒Feb 2016):
Flint Part 1 • Flint Part 2 • The Art of Murder • The Waltz that Moved the World • Season’s end

II. Season of Family Ties (Mar‒May 2016):
The Frequently Deceased • The Seven-Day Reign • The Pentecost Predicament • Season’s end

III. Season of Revolutions (Jun‒Aug 2016):
Five Minutes to Midday • The Chimney Pot Wars • The Calendar Code • Season’s end

IV. Season of Wrecks (Sep‒Nov 2016):
Where You and I Must Go • Our Lady of Pyres • The Final Curtain • Season’s end

V. Season of Skies (Dec 2016‒Feb 2017):
The Persona Engine • The 12:15 from Moloch Street • The Century Exhibition • Season’s end

VI. Season of Stones (Mar‒May 2017):
The Clay Man’s Arm • The Heart, the Devil, and the Zee • HOJOTOHO! • Season’s end

VII. Season of Ruins (Jun‒Aug 2017):
Web of the Motherlings • All Things Must End • The Attendants • Season’s end

VIII. Season of Sceptres (Sep‒Nov 2017):
Trial and Error • The Stone Guest • The Sinking Synod • Season’s end

IX. Season of Silver (Dec 2017‒Feb 2018):
Steeped in Honey • Lamentation Lock • Factory of Favours • Season’s end

X. Season of Adorations (Mar‒May 2018):
The Pursuit of Moths • The Murgatroyd Formula • The Rat-Catcher • Season’s end

XI. Season of Embers (Jun‒Aug 2018):
The Bones of London • Written in the Glim • Required Repairs • Season’s end

XII. Season of Celebrations (Sep‒Nov 2018):
For All the Saints • The Magician’s Dream • A Little Pandemonium • Season’s end

XIII. Season of Hobbies (Dec 2018‒Feb 2019):
Daylight • The Price of Loss • Cricket, Anyone? • Season’s end

XIV. Season of Explorations (Mar‒May 2019):
Noises from Upstairs • Tauroktonos • The Stag and the Shark • Season’s end

XV. Season of Bargains (Jun‒Aug 2019):
The Garden Embassy • My Kingdom for a Pig • The Shallows • Season’s end

XVI. Season of Propinquity (Sep‒Nov 2019):
The Heretic of Hollow Street • Say It with Flowers • The Committee • Season’s end

XVII. Season of Animals (Dec 2019‒Feb 2020):
Por Una Cabeza • Fine Dining • Borrowed Glory • Season’s end

XVIII. Season of Endeavour (Mar‒May 2020):
Shades of Yesterday • Go Tell the King of Cats • The Ballad of Johnny Croak • Season’s end

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The writers of Fallen London’s Exceptional Stories
(a replacement for this discontinued thread)

A little note: this post lists the main writer(s) of each ES, but everything in FL is very collaborative. See Chris Gardiner’s very informative post for more on that!

James Chew
Our Lady of Pyres (Oct 2016)
The Twelve-Fifteen from Moloch Street (Jan 2017)
The Century Exhibition (Feb 2017, w/ Cash De Cuir & Fred Zeleny)
The Heart, the Devil and the Zee (Apr 2017, w/ Olivia Wood)
The Attendants (Aug 2017)
For All the Saints Who from Their Labours Rest (Sep 2018)
Go Tell the King of Cats (Apr 2020)
Unto Dust (Aug 2020)
Upwards (Nov 2020 - Premium Festive Tale)
The Fair Unknown (Feb 2021)
Reunion (Jun 2021)
The House of Silk and Flame (Dec 2021)
The Poisoner’s Library (Dec 2021 - Premium Festive Tale)
The Green King (Dec 2023)

Richard Cobbett
The Blemmigan Affair (Feb 2015 - Premium Story for the Feast of the Rose)
Lost in Reflections (Jul 2015, w/ Alexis Kennedy)
The Pentecost Predicament (May 2016)

Cash De Cuir
The Waltz that Moved the World (Feb 2016)
Five Minutes to Midday (Jun 2016)
Where You and I Must Go (Sep 2016)
The Persona Engine (Dec 2016)
The Century Exhibition (Feb 2017, w/ James Chew & Fred Zeleny)
HOJOTOHO! (May 2017)
The Stone Guest (Oct 2017)
The Marriage of Feducci (Dec 2017 - Premium Festive Tale)

Jack de Quidt
A Little Pandemonium (Nov 2018)
Fine Dining (Jan 2020)

Bruno Dias
A Devil’s Due (Nov 2022)
The Sunken River (May 2024)

Matt Diaz
Totentanz (Apr 2022)

Adam Dixon
The Laws of the Game (Jul 2024)

Nigel Evans
The Brass Grail (Dec 2019 - Premium Festive Tale)
Fading to a Coda (Oct 2020)
For a Dream of Innocence (Apr 2021)

Chris Gardiner
A Trade in Faces (Oct 2014 - Premium Story for Hallowmas)
The Gift (Dec 2014 - Premium Festive Tale)
The Haunting at the Marsh-House (May 2015)
The Court of Cats (Jun 2015)
Cut with Moonlight (Sep 2015)
The Seven-Day Reign (Apr 2016)
The Chimney Pot Wars (Jul 2016)

Mary Goodden
Steeped in Honey (Dec 2017)
The Murgatroyd Formula (Apr 2018)
Written in the Glim (Jul 2018)
The Magician’s Dream (Oct 2018)
The Stag and the Shark (May 2019)
Homecoming (Sep 2020)
Leviathan (May 2021)
The Tempest (Aug 2021)
A Crown of Thorns (Oct 2021)
Mistress of the Skies (Feb 2022)
Inheritance (Aug 2022)
There Is the Richest Juice in Poison-Flowers (Apr 2024)
A Nest in the Eaves (Sep 2024)

Chandler Groover
The Rat-Catcher (May 2018)
Cricket, Anyone? (Feb 2019)
My Kingdom for a Pig (Jul 2019)
Por Una Cabeza (Dec 2019)
Paisley (Jul 2020)
Caveat Emptor (Jan 2021)
The Crocodile Who Would Be King (Nov 2021)
Codename: Sugarplum (Jun 2022)
SALON SCANDAL! (Dec 2022)
The Bloody Wallpaper (Aug 2023)
A Newt By Any Other Name (Jan 2024)
Slobgollion (Mar 2024)
Arcana (Aug 2024)

Gavin Inglis
The Art of Murder (Jan 2016)
The Calendar Code (Aug 2016)
The Sinking Synod (Nov 2017)
Lamentation Lock (Jan 2018)
The Bones of London (Jun 2018)
Required Repairs (Aug 2018)
Noises from Upstairs (Mar 2019)
The Shallows (Aug 2019)
The Committee (Nov 2019)
Shades of Yesterday (Mar 2020)
Damp Martyrs (Sep 2021)
Dernier Cri (Jul 2022)
Stolen Stanzas (Jan 2023)
The Stripes of Wrath (Nov 2023)
DĂŠjĂ  Vu (Jun 2024)
Aces High (Nov 2024)

Alexis Kennedy
Lost in Reflections (Jul 2015, w/ Richard Cobbett)
Flint, Part I (Nov 2015)
Flint, Part II (Dec 2015)

Cassandra Khaw
The Ceremony (Dec 2018 - Premium Festive Tale)
Borrowed Glory (Feb 2020)

George Lockett
A Columbidaean Commotion (Sep 2022)
The Mushroom’s Dream (Nov 2022 - Premium Festive Tale)
A Bright Future (Mar 2023)
Flame, Lead, Clay, Glass (Jun 2023)

Ash McAllan
Daylight (Dec 2018)
The Garden Embassy (Jun 2019)

Rob Morgan
The Last Dog Society (Aug 2015)

Katharine Neil
The Stolen Song (Jul 2023)
The Children of the Glow (Oct 2023)

Camille Nohra
The Deadly Dapperlings (Apr 2023)

Hannah Powell-Smith
The Dilettante’s Debut (Jun 2020)

Graham Robertson
The Clay Man’s Arm (Mar 2017)
Web of the Motherlings (Jun 2017)
Trial and Error (Sep 2017)
Factory of Favours (Feb 2018)

Ben Sabin
The Tale of Old Fritz (Feb 2024)

Emily Short
Discernment (Oct 2015)
The Frequently Deceased (Mar 2016)
The Empress’ Shadow (Dec 2016 - Premium Festive Tale)

Kevin Snow
The Price of Loss (Jan 2019)

Harry Tuffs
The Pursuit of Moths (Mar 2018)
Tauroktonos (Apr 2019)
The Heretic of Hollow Street (Sep 2019)
The Ballad of Johnny Croak (May 2020)
The Icarian Cup (Dec 2020)
The Thing That Came in from the Fog (Mar 2021)
Adornment (Jan 2022)
The Queen of the Elephants (May 2022)
Death and Tax Evasion (Oct 2024)

Luke van den Barselaar
The Exile’s Chalice (Oct 2022)
The Hollow Triptych (Feb 2023)
The Mudlark’s Lament (May 2023)
The Path of Blood and Smoke (Sep 2023)

Olivia Wood
The Final Curtain (Nov 2016)
The Heart, the Devil and the Zee (Apr 2017, w/ James Chew)
All Things Must End (Jul 2017)
Say It with Flowers (Oct 2019)
Older, Not Wiser (Nov 2020)
We Absolutely Meant to Go to Zee (Jul 2021)
A Stretch in the Sky (Mar 2022)

Fred Zeleny
The Century Exhibition (Feb 2017, w/ James Chew & Cash De Cuir)

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Thanks, this is so useful for those like me who sometimes buy old exceptional stories. I prefer to plunge in without spoilers so I only read the discussions afterwards. But I often have real dilemmas over what to do duing stories and it’s good to find out the other outcomes later.

I tend to buy exceptional stories as a gift to myself on holidays - I did Cricket, Anyone? at Christmas - and on this occasion I’m going to tackle Flint.

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Wonderful, thank you. It’s a post I refer to regularly.

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Thank you for porting this over! So glad this finally got pinned.

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Since the Season conclusions don’t have titles, it’s sometimes hard to remember which was which and what they were about. Below is a short summary for each, both as a reminder for those of us who’ve played them long ago, and as a possible decision helper for those pondering which stories to buy:

  1. Season of Heart’s Blood: A special dinner with Mrs Plenty
    Can you resist the pièce de rÊsistance? Do you want to?
  2. Season of Family Ties: A private talk with the Boatman
    Do you dare take a closer look upon the Far Shore?
  3. Season of Revolutions: A visit to the Museum of Injustices
    The Masked Curator will take you an a tour.
  4. Season of Wrecks: Fulfill a final duty for the Severe Bluejacket
    Uncover the Navy’s Shame and decide the fate of the Last Emissary.
  5. Season of Skies: Confront the Lighthearted Polymath
    She gave everything for the Red Science, and the Red Science took everything from her.
  6. Season of Stones: Attend a council meeting with the Masters
    What will the Subcommittee for the Betterment of Our Beloved London achieve?
  7. Season of Ruins: Investigate the Manager’s nightmares
    A serpent has slipped into his dreams.
  8. Season of Sceptres: Devise a strategy for retaking the Injurious Princess’ kingdom
    Decide the fate of Vesture - though only on a chessboard, for now.
  9. Season of Silver: A meeting with an enigmatic agent of the Great Game
    Who has stolen the Numismatrix’ coins, and why?
  10. Season of Adorations: Accompany the Convivial Charlady to the heart of the Bazaar
    Only love keeps a heart beating. Literally, in this case.
  11. Season of Embers: Tell Mr Fires what you think of life in the Fifth City
    A Master asks you for your honest opinion!
  12. Season of Celebrations: Plan a special celebration for Her Enduring Majesty
    Her Diamond Jubilee, to be precise.
  13. Season of Hobbies: Help the Unsettling Toymaker build a very special toy
    No one has ever made a teddy bear like this!
  14. Season of Explorations: Go on an expedition looking for a drowned city of legend
    The Persistent Traveller insists it’s still there, somewhere deep under the waves.
  15. Season of Bargains: Help the Nervous Lawyer make her case to Judge ‘Ironclad’ Wickes
    Her career is in your hands.
  16. Season of Propinquity: Learn of the Vivacious Marchioness’ scandalous life
    Help her decide how to spend her last days in London before retiring to the Tomb-Colonies.
  17. Season of Animals: A Wings-of-Thunder batling is roosting in St Swithun’s church
    Coax it out and fly over London on its back!
  18. Season of Endeavour: If you were an Urchin, which gang would you belong in?
    Can you imagine a more important evaluation of your character?
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Any chance the release dates on the season conclusions are recoverable? Sometimes they were rather later than the stories they accompanied.

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If you check their corresponding threads (linked in the OP), their OP should more or less coincide with their release (usually no more than a day or two later).

And yes, I remember we had to wait quite a bit for some of the early season conclusions. There was at least one that was released only after the following season had already come and gone. FB built up quite a backlog back then, but it was due to almost all their resources being poured into the development of Sunless Sea.

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Wow - I started with Lost in Reflections. No wonder I only was able to find a few to purchase instead of reset with Fate. I was hooked after that one. It’s still one of my favorites, although I am partial to the Hell related ones.

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After a while we’ll start wondering whether a particular story has already made its appearance as part of the rolling selection for Enhanced subscribers. So, here’s an archive of these selections:

October 2023 only:

  • HOJOTOHO!
  • Written in the Glim
  • The House of Silk and Flame

October/November 2023:

  • Cricket, Anyone?
  • The Seven-Day Reign
  • The Crocodile Who Would Be King

November/December 2023:

  • Paisley
  • The Haunting at the Marsh-House
  • The Heretic of Hollow Street

December 2023/January 2024:

  • Por Una Cabeza
  • The Waltz that Moved the World
  • Totentanz

January/February 2024:

  • The Persona Engine
  • Daylight
  • Borrowed Glory

February/March 2024:

  • For All the Saints Who From Their Labours Rest
  • The Court of Cats
  • The Tempest

March/April 2024:

  • The Sinking Synod
  • Tauroktonos
  • Dernier Cri

April/May 2024:

  • The 12:15 from Moloch Street
  • The Century Exhibition
  • The Last Dog Society

May/June 2024:

  • The Pentecost Predicament
  • Inheritance
  • The Icarian Cup

June/July 2024:

  • Where You and I Must Go
  • Required Repairs
  • Say It With Flowers

July/August 2024:

  • Discernment
  • The Clay Man’s Arm
  • The Dilettante’s Debut

August/September 2024:

  • Caveat Emptor
  • Our Lady of Pyres
  • Lamentation Lock

September/October 2024:

  • The Attendants
  • The Frequently Deceased
  • The Thing That Came in from the Fog

October/November 2024:

  • Codename: Sugarplum
  • Damp Martyrs
  • A Stretch in the Sky

November/December 2024:

  • Cut with Moonlight
  • The Committee
  • Fading to a Coda
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April/May 2024 is:

  • The Twelve-Fifteen From Moloch Street
  • The Century Exhibition
  • The Last Dog Society
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This is great, thank you!

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May/June 2024 is:

  • The Pentecost Predicament
  • Inheritance
  • The Icarian Cup
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Any suggestions for whether to go with The Icarian Cup or Inheritance?

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I’ve not played Inheritance, but I can confidently say that the Icarian Cup is great! It delves into a very interesting element of FL universe that isn’t explored in Fallen London very much, and is a great “tournament arc” kind of thing besides! I just read Inheritance’s blurb, and it seems pretty neat, but as I said I couldn’t tell you anything of its quality.

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July/August is:

  • The Clay Man’s Arm
  • The Dilettante’s Debut
  • Discernment

All three are ranked pretty lowly in the annual survey, but hey, my money is on Clay Man’s Arm for the Underclay shortcut it unlocks.

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I chose Discernment because I absolutely cannot resist an Emily Short creation.

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The new stories added are:

I didn’t play Caveat Emptor, but I did the other two: Pyres wasn’t great at all, but Lamentation Lock was really interesting!

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Three particularly delicious stories were added to the cycle today:

  • The Attendants focuses on the history of the Second City and especially, what happened to the Duchess’ sisters.
  • The Frequently Deceased is an absolute classic written by Em Short. Do I need to say more?
  • A warning about The Thing That Came in from the Fog: you need to die during this story. (But you do get to be consensually murdered by the Captivating Princess, so that’s something.) In any case, this story about chess, secret orders, horticulture and a particularly noxious Presbyterate kingdom is screaming-out-loud funny at times and one of my all-time favourites.
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