EXPERIMENTAL CONTENT: A Flash Lay

Fallen London
201

I’ve just played through the lower-level flash lay. I successfully made it to the 75 points needed for ending cards to start showing up, then spent a few hours continuing to play, burning my steadfast on trying to keep my menaces down because there was nothing else I could do, and no ending card was coming. Finally, right as I reached 100 points–necessary to win the flash lay without an ending card–I simultaneously reached scandal of 5, and lost.

I must have refilled my hand at least four or five times after reaching 75 points, and no ending card appeared to me. Still, I feel like that card should appear with more frequency once somebody has reached enough points. It’s absurd that I refilled my hand so many times and no way out appeared–unless the point is to make it next to impossible to end without 100 points. In which case, don’t even bother telling people that they can leave at 75 points, and instead treat it as a surprise offering when they find out they can escape early.

202

Commiserations! Sadly, a complaint that has often been made! Indeed, I’ve made it myself…

203

Well, it was an enjoyable experience while it lasted. The rapid-fire nature of the unlimited draw deck is a good counter to the rest of the game, and I’m glad to see some lesser-used stats/scores like Steadfast coming into play.

Sadly this, the first of my Flash Lay attempts, happened when I already had 4 suspicion (and didn’t realise I should’ve gone out of my way to reduce it before beginning). The illusion didn’t last long.

204

I am a new player, so I guess take my reactions with that in mind. I played this a couple of days ago.

Story-wise it was fun! I enjoyed playing it even though I felt a little confused at times.

I will agree that I would like to see some kind of indicator of my progress. I felt lost at times because of it.

I like the card drawing and the automatic playing as well. I love the “Up your sleeve” ability - for cautious sorts like me it is really nice to have!

I am not sure how to evaluate the rewards. But I will say that I spent a lot of actions and I felt a little underwhelmed. Not disappointed, but not incented to go try it again immediately.

I would really like for there to be a way to add cards to a deck like this - say you had a card in your regular deck and if you succeed there it will add it to the special deck. Kind of a planning thing. I suppose that it could be a side action as well. That would help a little with what felt like the total randomness of the cards.

I hope this helps!

205

As things are now, I -really- dislike this format.

I’m not fond of losing so many actions with zero reward because of an unlucky dice roll. I went into that with a lot of scandal not knowing that just two losses would end the run while more than a dozen successes were required to win. As-is, this is a trap. Make it clear before players begin that hitting 5 menaces means that they will end the caper with zero rewards.

Meanwhile, there was no actual story on the way. At least, up to 30 progress. I got a lot of repeat cards that weren’t that interesting to begin with, and it was still unclear to me what my actual goal was in this fiasco. Either cut the grind required in half, or give me something actually interesting to read during said grind. Right now this is a showcase of the absolute worst aspects of Fallen London.

I will do this again once the weekly menace reset comes to see if the rewards are worth the risk, but first impressions leave me feeling -really- bitter.

206

The storylet either needs to have more stringent requirements for how much menace you can have and still start, or else better warn the player. Entering a Flash Lay with 3 in any of the menaces is basically shooting yourself in the foot, and the game doesn’t communicate that to the player.

If you enter a flash lay with 0 menace and a healthy buffer of second chances, it can be quite fun in my opinion, but one’s odds quickly go from reasonable to terrible the further you get from that.

207

I quite enjoy the Flash Lay for the game play; picking the right card, strategically accumulating “Up your sleeve” for when the really useful/crummy cards turn up, reducing menaces as you go. Sometimes deliberately opting for an obstacle for the points when you overcome it with the “uys” (see above).

Like a few other side events, it does require a little practice and some skill and luck, but I played flash lays constantly during the election and did enjoy them. A wider range with better rewards would be nice.

208

Hello Delicious Friends,

I ended my first session of Flash Lay and I have to say it has got its share of good, bad and unexplained parts.
Having also successfully completed my first (maybe last) round of pickpocketing in the Alleys of Spite two days before, I will enthusiastically compare both.

-Warning: Huge text wall. Please read slowly, carefully and without stress. Thank you-

I must say foremost that there about never was any sense of danger in my Flash Lay, since I have tried the tier 1 one really late. I had completed many storylets and grinded like a nutty during my first month here in Fallen London.
…And so, my base stats were already high… nearing, if not slightly over 80 (about 100 with equipment).
I had also zero menaces, thanks to the ones describing their experience here.
~Thank you fellow Fallen Londoners, your sacrifice will not be in vain~

The Flash Lay is really like the pickpocketing instance, but it does rely on stats for certain actions.
The trickier ones left me with a very modest challenge still, while the safe options were totally straightforward. It was just a matter of me being not too greedy, or quite lucky, with two gambles which always ended in my favor (I wish I was as fortunate as this on the dream/companion gamble cards in the regular deck).

Was I overpowered? This is to know. I still don’t know if the Flash Lay system adapts to one’s level, it would be great if it was.
There is also no need to think about destination or unseen stats… yet it can drag for a while.
I had easy cards, some were repeated. I liked that you can draw cards without waiting…
But again, the draws were synchronized with the action-getting, so it was not so much a change for me.
Not being able to discard them is fair to avoid abuse, but then again, I didn’t need to calculate so much on which were useless cards or not (I about used them all).
I didn’t use second chances.

I was truly lucky there, I drew a Make Your Move: a Confessional Evening card in the middle of my session, I held dear to it.
I got an Importunate Constable card at 67, I gladly had almost all of the Up Your Sleeve cards I needed. I only was stuck for a round then.

Got rid of the extra menace the next turn (even if I took the easiest one to get rid of in normal ways), claimed the reward the one after.
No prize packages to choose from (shrugs). No need to use actions to return to the main game (happily nods).
I’ll keep the items as curiosity until I will need them. Someday.
Edit: Got flooded with opportunity cards upon exiting the Flash Lay. No actions left. How affectionate of the program. skims through them

-In summary (a.k.a. tl;dr… but, but, I tried my best to be entertaining! QQ):-
What I experienced:

  • Was already overpowered, I would have so much troubles if I tried it earlier;
  • I am grateful I read this part of the forums beforehand. Stabbing blindly (in the dark too) is so inconvenient while being in such special instances;
  • I prefer it over the pickpocketing one, less stressful, yet much longer if unlucky;

My questions:

  • Why are there no consolation prizes for those failing it? Pickpocketing would be normal if you’re arrested (unseen at zero), but here?
  • Do people failing on the Flash Lay get sent back to the usual Fallen London with menace levels unchanged?
  • Does the Flash Lay system adapt to the level of entry ?

Thanks for reading, leave me feedback if needed, Delicious Friends!
Waves goodbye for now! Take care all!
edited by Lestaroth on 11/14/2016

209

Dearest Fifth City Londoners,

I am writing to you while trapped in the Flash Lay. I may never get out. Somewhere in the Neath I have my weekly wages waiting for me, and cherished messages from friends. If I don’t make it out, I’d like to leave my Haunted Dog to the player who convinces them to change the format of this game so that it feels more like an exciting heist and less like a cage.

I’m at progress 45, after several hours of life I won’t get back. Should I continue or click that &quotabandon&quot button at the end? Oh, nevermind, I’m trapped in a menace card without an action…so all I can do is whinge here for the next ten minutes…

So, how has the weather been in the dearest Fifth City? Damp? Putrid? Fungal? Sounds delightful. Murderous rats have moved into your lodgings, you say? Ah, what I wouldn’t give to fight a rat right now. Oh yes, sure, I’d also love to take care of that unwanted admirer of yours who keeps following you around. Don’t forget about me, London. I’ll be back soon, I hope.

210

I had forgotten to mention a few other things. Wall of text II, the Return.

The Flash Lay felt very mechanical to me, as you follow a non-linear, much random path.
I didn’t get any major stat boost in the end, unlike cases and make your name instances. That made me a bit sad.

It is a bit like gathering puzzle pieces, while not being asked to assemble them (I do not think that the latter could work though, given the format of FL…)
I would rather go solve another Ladybones Road case then. I am still waiting for the The Other Waxwork one to be available.

You are supposed to gather information on a target, but you’re not given any summary about him/her, I felt I didn’t learn much from it all, like Vexpont mentioned… Pickpocketing is different, you just loot shinies from various people, no need for character development then, right?

I do not think that the unique characters and places mentioned in the Flash Lay could be &quotunlocked&quot in the main part of FL after finishing it.
It could be interesting though, since this could represent a real incentive to try and complete it (a bit like for cases).

In summary: Interesting concept but not compelling enough, due to a lingering feeling that something is lacking.
Went through it for the sake of completion, but I’m not ecstatic about it. Sorry.

I have nothing else in mind right now.

To Monique Deja: Patience is a virtue. You will eventually reach the light. Do not despair. All shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.

-Resumes gathering prisoner’s honey at the Empress’s Court. Hmmmm, honeyyy~. Sorry. poof-
edited by Lestaroth on 11/19/2016

211

The concept is interesting, but all the little mechanisms feel quite detached from the story, similar to grinding the same fascinating options for romance again and again. I don’t really learn much about the characters, and the premise of the story isn’t that interesting to begin with.

Furthermore I think the rewards are pretty meh for the actions put in. Haven’t done the higher levelled flash lay though.

212

[li]I was not a fan of the format of this content. It felt like being stuck in the State of Confusion; a mechanic designed to burn actions without any real progression. It takes 40+ actions just to play through one storylet that doesn’t even contain much story. But SoC is a punishment for not managing your nightmares, where A Flash Lay seems to punish you just for playing. I can’t even return to the main game without risking raising my Menaces? What?

213

I largely agree with CoolHandNuke. I’m not a huge fan of this content. It all seems a bit too random without any real story line and just a way to bump up your menaces. (I played the lower level one). Although the reward at the end was nice, that’s the only reason why I’d play it again. I also dislike having to wait for the right card to exit once you’re over 75 points. It already seems too long.

214

Played the Spirifer branch, had to use one of my First Sporing bottles and buy a Goldfish to get in.
Instructions prior to entry were not clear enough, and as such all relevant Menaces were only brought down to three so I could unlock it. Only after, in the instruction manual inside the story, did I discover that having 3s in those stats is bad as it impedes progress.
This could’ve been made more clear. Otherwise, seems like an interesting challenge. I particularly enjoy the lack of draw limit.

215

I recently played through the Successful Spirifer option over the past two days, and I have to say that I’m terribly disappointed. During the course of the Lay, my Nightmares reached 4 from occasional failed challenges. At that point, I drew an auto-played card which told me that my Nightmares had gotten too high. The only option I was able to choose was to exit the lay in failure, because the only other option on the card required more Up Your Sleeve than I happened to have. My concerns with what happened are as follows.

  • At no point during the Lay was I presented an option which could reduce my Nightmares. This is the big one. Entry requires Menaces less than 4, cards within the Lay increase Menaces, reaching Menaces 4 can force a loss, and normal Opportunity cards and story options are inaccessible during the Lay. [/li][li]The Lay instructions and entry requirements indicated that keeping Menaces below 3 was a good idea, but never gave the impression that reaching 4 in one Menace could force a total loss.[/li][li]If Up Your Sleeve is necessary to avoid random forced losses, then Up Your Sleeve is best hoarded for those occasions, rather than spent to remove Obstacles or advance Progress.[/li][li]Over the course of the Lay, I gained zero benefits other than the basic core-quality change points from attempting challenges. No items, no progress in secondary qualities.

I’m rather annoyed by this, since I put a few dozen actions into the Lay and got kicked from it through what seems to be no fault of my own. I won’t be touching the Lays again in their current state.

On a more general level, I’m not a fan of the total replacement of normal options by the Lay. I quite like stories that involve building gradual progress through nonlinear options, like Black Ribbon fights at Wolfstack Docks or creative works at the Empress’s Court. However, I can take breaks from those if I so desire, which allows me to reduce Menaces increased by the long-term work and refresh resources exhausted in pursuit of the goal (usually commodity items, Favours, or Connected).

Perhaps expanding the Flash Lay to allow access to story options in at least Lodgings and the location of the Lay (e.g. Veilgarden for the existing Lays) could be a good compromise between the current Lay system and the less restrictive Expeditions, duel preparations, and so forth. Had that been the case, I’d have been able to actively reduce my Menaces rather than relying on the luck of the draw.

216

Indeed, that would be my complaint too. Despite my preparations, e.g. loading up on Second Chances and reducing menaces before starting a Flash Lay, there had been instances where really bad luck screwed my player character over.

Chief of these examples of really bad luck is drawing obstacle cards over and over, building up menaces, and then drawing the Menace-triggered cards which just make things worse and/or sap away precious Up Your Sleeve.

I would have preferred if there are some storylets which allow the reduction of Menaces with the expenditure of resources.

217

I must say I’m not really enjoying this. The Obstacle cards pop up without warning. I don’t feel like I have enough of a chance to prepare by building Up Your Sleeve before I hit another Obstacle. The Flash Lays seem like a souped-up version of the Pickpocket Promenade. In both, there’s a chance you might get kicked out early. But the Flash Lay is so much bigger, and if you lose a Pickpocket Promenade you at least get to spend the trophies you did collect. Maybe if there were some way to spend progress for a lesser award if your Menaces get too high? So that if you fail you still get something out of it besides the experience.

218

I enjoy them, but you have to get a feel for risk management and which cards to use. They also have extremely high skill challenges, such that even a max-stat character like mine has difficulties with the Avid Auditor. That still didn’t stop me from grinding Uncanny Incunabula with it, efficiency be damned.[li]

My main advice:

  • Hoard Menace reduction cards until you can fully benefit from them, then use them immediately[/li][li]Always try to get more Up Your Sleeve when given the option[/li][li]Try to distribute your Menace gains across Scandal, Suspicion, and Nightmares, the latter of which is often a safe choice since it rarely comes up[/li][li]If you feel you need it, go ahead and spend Up Your Sleeve on Menace reduction. If the current stat is less than 3, you definitely don’t need it. Beyond that, make a judgement call.[/li][li]Don’t be afraid to remove Obstacles instead of turning them into Openings, but always do the latter when able[/li][li]Avoid multi-action options when feasible, since they are very inefficient.[/li][li]Do not underestimate the difficulty. In many ways, the fun part is the panic of trying to recover from near-failure. It isn’t pure luck, but it isn’t a walk in the park either. There’s a moderate learning curve here.
219

Think twice about this: consider the amount of progress that is still needed, versus the progress that can be gained from spending Up Your Sleeve on clearing Obstacles. Any Up Your Sleeve that is not spent at the end of a Flash Lay is completely wasted, so don’t overstock.

I used to do this, until I figured out that the Openings don’t give benefits which are worth the Actions and additional Up Your Sleeve spent to get them. I would suggest removing Obstacles instead so that other cards can come up, and regaining Obstacles when enough Up Your Sleeve has been accumulated to absorb the appearance of one.

220

Gooday,

I’ve attempted the easier of the two lays, and from a gameplay point of view it is eminently acceptable. It’s pretty much a variant on the Heist story in the Shadowy path, but what I really like is that it’s rewarding someone for advancing multiple Stats, as if saying “You took the time to explore thoroughly? Then here’s something for you to try out…”
Obstacles, Up sleeve et all could definitely do with some fine tuning -but when one is dealing with random chances, there is always the chance of a streak of obstacles or whatnot. Perhaps such chances could be actively reduced during the lay, so that if one has a plethora of obstacles/menaces already, cards that give more are less frequent? Or if you’re down, you’re prone to being kicked? While that is true in real life, to ensure higher player satisfaction I’d suggest less kicking.
My main complaint is story-wise; I had no idea what I was doing in my lay until the ending, and found that opportunities/my actions did not reflect in any way what I was doing. Similarly with the heist since the opportunities are covering a multitude of stories, there is a disconnect between them and the story itself. I’d much rather have opportunities that are story/detail tailored to the story I am attempting.