Feast of the Rose 2015: best masquing storylets!

Fallen London
1

Hello everyone. The feast of the exceptional Rose is indeed very interesting, and a great many things can be done with this masquing quality. However, considering the many options on the opportunity card for the exceptional rose, it is not always easy to find which are the best options to find the so coveted masquing.

In this post I’m going to give you the result of my experiments so far, and the best places to grind:
Depending on the airs of London, you can have 4 sets of options on the opportunity card. (I found 4 so far)
One of these sets contains the Duches’ banquet, where you can meet the Captivating Princess.
For the other 3, here are the three storylets (one each) that lets you have more than 1 masquing:

  • A face from the past - &quotDon’t remind yourself&quot => 2 masquing and 8 romantic notions
  • A lover’s tryst - &quotArrange to meet by the silver fountain&quot => 2 masquing, 1 touching love story, 1 stolen kiss
  • Buy a kiss from Sinning Jenny - &quotNegotiate a little first&quot => 2 masquing, 1 stolen kiss

for when the air of London causes you to have the Duchess’ banquet and associate options, I do not know which one is best. Only thing the banquet should be avoided unless you have 15 masquing and want to get acquainted with the captivating princess (gives you a dreadful surmise), the other options give no masquing and rewards worthy of the poorest options of the &quotnot significant individual&quot.

If you know any more of the good options, you are welcome to post them :)

2

The mysterious envelope from the duchess’s banquet gives 1 or 2 masquing depending on luck that may be the best option for masquing.

Alternatively, spend an action or two rerolling Airs with Unfinished Business and meet by the fountain every time. :P

3

Once Masquing is 20+ it’s more profitable to help Mrs Gebrandt and “Take cold-blooded advantage” than to buy kisses from Sinning Jenny. Not something I thought of last year, when there were always encounters to spend Masquing on while building it up. But this year it’s different.

“A lovers’ tryst” at the silver fountain also gives +10 CP Fascinating… if you already have some, which is quite handy when trying to seduce the Barbed Wit and the Acclaimed Beauty.

4

I love “Arrange to meet by the silver fountain” the most, but it requires Persuasive up to 160 something for it to be straightforward and failure doesn’t grant you any Masquing. Too bad for my non-POSI alt, she could only use the mysterious envelope.

5

A few notes:

  • Singing Jenny has a rare &quotsuccess&quot that is very, very negative for the player. However, the requirements for the storylet are much lower than the silver fountain. (Also, it’s Singing Jenny. She’s super cool.)[/li][li]For newer players: You have to finish the Comtessa storyline (A Finder of Heiresses) in Ladybones Road to access &quotDon’t remind yourself.&quot[/li][li]As far as I know, getting acquainted with the Captivated Princess is the major realistic way to get a Dreadful Surmise without Fate (otherwise you need 500 Spirit at Hallowmas, and that’s extremely hard, or else hit a laughably rare success in a one-time storylet), and it’s a one-time deal. Don’t sell it! It doesn’t have very many uses, but it does have at least one significant mid-/end-game use at Christmas, and you never know if there will be more. (Also, if you’re a newer player, remember to use Confident Smiles to try the check; getting two chances in one go is a significant difference.)[/li][li]You can get to 21 masquing from the Feast alone by having an odd number for the final two points using one of the 2 masquing storylets. (I’m not really sure this is useful at all compared to 20 masquing, but it’s a thing???)
6

Could use second chances on the silver fountain if you’re a bit low.

Does using perhaps not not work there?

Also you can get gifts of adoration once your masquing is maxed which can be converted to masquing later once Lilac starts appearing.’
edited by WormApotheote on 2/18/2015

7

[quote=WormApotheote]Could use second chances on the silver fountain if you’re a bit low.
Does using perhaps not not work there?
[/quote]

I assume it doesn’t because of the nature of the storylet – it seems to work like Implausible Penance and similar cards. If you Perhaps Not, I would assume the storylet vanishes. But I haven’t tired it.

I am totally uncertain as to how those work! Do tell? Are they any more useful than just using the Feast of the Rose card?

edit: small typo.
edited by thedeadlymoose on 2/18/2015

8

[quote=thedeadlymoose][quote=WormApotheote]Could use second chances on the silver fountain if you’re a bit low.
Does using perhaps not not work there?
[/quote]

I assume it doesn’t because of the nature of the storylet – it seems to work like Implausible Penance and similar cards. If you Perhaps Not, I would assume the storylet vanishes. But I haven’t tired it.

I am totally uncertain as to how those work! Do tell? Are they any more useful than just using the Feast of the Rose card?

edit: small typo.
edited by thedeadlymoose on 2/18/2015[/quote]

Okay that would make sense.

And the wiki says giving them to lilac caps at 27 masquing instead of 20. Plus you could collect them even when you’re at 20 masquing already and spend them after your masquing has gone down from buying companions.

9

Though Jenny might indeed sing, one should note that she is called &quotSinning Jenny&quot, so singing is not what she is most known for :-)

10

[quote=WormApotheote]And the wiki says giving them to lilac caps at 27 masquing instead of 20. Plus you could collect them even when you’re at 20 masquing already and spend them after your masquing has gone down from buying companions.[/quote]Do note that the wiki is basing this on last year’s Feast. There’s no telling (yet) if this has changed.

11

Well all the free rose gifts are still stated go up to 30 so there’s not much of a reason to assume it’ll change. But yes that is why I mentioned the wiki because it’s not GUARANETEED to work the same way, just probable.

And even if it does cap at 20 it’s still points you can get once you’re capped and trade in later. (though I mean, if you’re carrying around a mountain of teeth it probably doesn’t matter much.)
edited by WormApotheote on 2/18/2015

12

there is also the success to the luck roll when you try to book a table at Dante’s grill.
It increases hedonist (up to 9), Fascinating if you are grinding it, decreases peckish and nightmares, and gives 3 romantic notions [random number?] and 2 Masquing. It decreases austere though.

13

Is it me or is it getting more difficult to earn masquing compared to previous years?

14

I’d guess that the answer is No. but, i might be wrong on the lower rank items- the stuff for <21 masqueing. but for high level items: you can get more masqueing from non-fate gifts than previous years, there are plenty of chances on the feast card for it, and if you’re willing to sacrifice a mere 3 points of making waves, you get access to an area where you can grind gifts of scorn, so that you can sacrifice them to liliac for the first 5 masqueing each time you hit 0 (on some of the cheap items, that’s halfway there on its own, the pirate poet even costs less than that)- which may not be that common, but if you don’t have anything better to do with her card, it’s an option.
edited by Grenem on 2/26/2015

15

My non-POSI alt has, for the past week or so, been continuously collecting Inklings of Identity from &quotWatch passers-by&quot and converting them to delicious Buttered Chess-Pieces for me. It has really added up.