I have to say I am rather disappointed that I am unable to finish without missing so many snippets?
While this ‘time limit structure’ helps to convey a better sense of urgency, and- in this case- helps convey a (bit too) clear sense of progress; this limited amount of story makes it hard to put together a cohesive set of events without relying on chance.
This is a massive pain for those who stress the cohesiveness of their mantlepeice to painful degrees.
Those who repeated the trip to flute street 3-4 times, just to make sure that they got all the text they possibly could; all in a way that fits together nicely.
Those who are fairly certain that if they ever end up looking through the first few pages of their journal;
the important storys they did’nt/forgot_to record, or the complete lack of order in said recordings will drive them to reset they’re accounts.
Well, I suppose all I can do now is make my last choice.
Tell me; what do you think will make the wind more obedent:
The Neaths Most Boring Lecture?
Or The Futures Music? edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017
[quote=Trilby ][quote=Pnakotic][quote=Trilby ]Does anyone have echoed the option for going with hell’s confinement method? edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
Why would I not now pick the train?
I mean really?
Hells secret divice is an Avid Cleaner?
A Well Vacuum?
That’s the best hell can do?
I am very disappointed. edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
It is Hell we are talking about, they probably couldn’t wait to reveal their device to some poor fool, either way, I didn’t play the story but from what I see there it seems like you were pretty lucky to have such an amazing piece of the future.
[quote=The Master][quote=Trilby ][quote=Pnakotic][quote=Trilby ]Does anyone have echoed the option for going with hell’s confinement method? edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
Why would I not now pick the train?
I mean really?
Hells secret divice is an Avid Cleaner?
A Well Vacuum?
That’s the best hell can do?
I am very disappointed. edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
It is Hell we are talking about, they probably couldn’t wait to reveal their device to some poor fool, either way, I didn’t play the story but from what I see there it seems like you were pretty lucky to have such an amazing piece of the future.[/quote]
Hm. If vacuum cleaners come from Hell, no wonder cats don’t like them.
[quote=Catherine Raymond][quote=The Master][quote=Trilby ][quote=Pnakotic][quote=Trilby ]Does anyone have echoed the option for going with hell’s confinement method? edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
Why would I not now pick the train?
I mean really?
Hells secret divice is an Avid Cleaner?
A Well Vacuum?
That’s the best hell can do?
I am very disappointed. edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
It is Hell we are talking about, they probably couldn’t wait to reveal their device to some poor fool, either way, I didn’t play the story but from what I see there it seems like you were pretty lucky to have such an amazing piece of the future.[/quote]
Hm. If vacuum cleaners come from Hell, no wonder cats don’t like them. [/quote]
Honestly, cats not liking vacuum cleaners isn’t really related to Hell. Cat/Hell relations are a pretty stable we-both-profit-eachother-in-some-way-so-lets-be-bros kinda deal. (See Labyrinth of Tigers)
[quote=Trilby ][quote=Pnakotic][quote=Trilby ]Does anyone have echoed the option for going with hell’s confinement method? edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
Why would I not now pick the train?
I mean really?
Hells secret divice is an Avid Cleaner?
A Well Vacuum?
That’s the best hell can do?
I am very disappointed. edited by Agent ‘Trilby’ on 1/29/2017[/quote]
It seems to fit Hell’s theme of being slightly chronologically displaced compared to London.
I liked the story quite a bit. True - there were no specific new characters (either protagonists or antagonists), but not all stories necessarily need them, since we have our own character driving the story.
Things I particularly liked:
The text was excellent. Both the actual exhibitions, and the Airs flavour text.[/li][li]I liked the variety of exhibitions and how Airs were recycled. It allowed enough flexibility to explore around while still seeing new things. It didn’t take me long to find and try all options.[/li][li]The humour (e.g. devils playing that "devilish music" on the gramophone, but regretting they are not the ones actually responsible for it)[/li][li]The pacing - excellent pace for the first half (exploring) and excellent pace for the second half (frantic race to stop the Wind).[/li][li]Creepy creepy atmosphere - once the Wind is released. Some of the best writing is here, in the implications on the crowds.[/li][li]Small references to what lies beyond the Avid Horizon, and of the Empress’ interest.
Sure, it wasn’t Epic in scope, but not all Exceptional Stories are (and can be). While not the absolute best ES I’ve played, it was certainly among the top of them, and taken together, this Season of Skies was the most consistent in quality for me, with all 3 stories being excellent. I’m looking forward to the conclusion of the Season, hoping it would be as good as the conclusion to the Season of Wrecks.
Time to update my personal ranking of all Exceptional Stories:
[spoiler] Excellent:
Lost in Reflections[/li][li]Cut with Moonlight[/li][li]The Frequently Deceased[/li][li]The Waltz that Moved the World[/li][li]Flint[/li][li]The Century Exhibition[/li][li]The Twelve-Fifteen From Moloch Street[/li][li]The Persona Engine[/li][li]Where You and I Must Go
Good:
The Pentecost Predicament[/li][li]The Calendar Code[/li][li]The Art of Murder[/li][li]The Chimney Pot Wars[/li][li]The Final Curtain[/li][li]Our Lady of Pyres[/li][li]Five Minutes to Midday[/li][li]Discernment[/li][li]The Haunting at the Marsh House
Meh:
The Last Dog Society[/li][li]The Seven-Day Reign[/li][li]The Court of Cats[/spoiler]
[quote=Anne Auclair]Anyone who only scanned the air descriptions really missed out.
Let me know if I missed any![/quote]
I’ve got one more for "The Wind of Ages":
The Wind howls, far away. You can barely hear the screams of the crowd above it
(Interestingly I got that with an Airs-value above 100 when all the other results were in the [1:90]-range.)
How do I start the Exhibition Story? I’m an Exceptional Friend but when I go to my study it says I have to study ash and honey? Do I have to do the previous stories to get this one to activate?
I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and lighthearted and hilarious. There were some interesting bits of lore, and I feel like it really captured the zeitgeist of the era, the feeling that people were living in a time of progress, the scientific optimism. I just felt like my character got to have a nice break, terrifying space wind notwithstanding.
Some things about the mechanics were fiddly, but I’m sure other people have already covered that. This is one of my favorites.
I can’t seem to find the train to the Century Expedition - I activated it, it said something about going back to the study - the Feast of the Exceptional Rose was on and I forget about it for a while now I can’t find the train.
Innovation, progress, modernity, and perhaps even a pleasant day out. The barker quite concurs, slipping a bill for the Exhibition into your pocket as she passes by. There was some trouble during the Exhibition’s rushed construction. A murder or burglary amidst the rising glass structure. There was something left at the scene, but you’ll have to check your notes in your Lodgings to discover more. [The Century Exhibition promises to dazzle visitors and illuminate the future of London. If you are an Exceptional Friend, you may return to your Lodgings to consider the case.]
Collapse[remove]11 February, 1895 (Ladybones Road)[Permalink]"An Exceptional Story: The Century Exhibition!"
Garish posters have appeared across the city, proclaiming the arrival of the Century Exhibition. A great glass pavilion has been constructed to house it, in the depths of Bugsby’s marshes. Barkers and touts throng the streets hectoring about the coming fair. London’s industries, Summerset College, and representatives of other powers in the Neath will be there showing off marvellous new inventions. One barker accosts you specifically. Will you be going, she demands?
[quote=Andropov]I can’t seem to find the train to the Century Expedition - I activated it, it said something about going back to the study - the Feast of the Exceptional Rose was on and I forget about it for a while now I can’t find the train.
Innovation, progress, modernity, and perhaps even a pleasant day out. The barker quite concurs, slipping a bill for the Exhibition into your pocket as she passes by. There was some trouble during the Exhibition’s rushed construction. A murder or burglary amidst the rising glass structure. There was something left at the scene, but you’ll have to check your notes in your Lodgings to discover more. [The Century Exhibition promises to dazzle visitors and illuminate the future of London. If you are an Exceptional Friend, you may return to your Lodgings to consider the case.]
Collapse[remove]11 February, 1895 (Ladybones Road)[Permalink]"An Exceptional Story: The Century Exhibition!"
Garish posters have appeared across the city, proclaiming the arrival of the Century Exhibition. A great glass pavilion has been constructed to house it, in the depths of Bugsby’s marshes. Barkers and touts throng the streets hectoring about the coming fair. London’s industries, Summerset College, and representatives of other powers in the Neath will be there showing off marvellous new inventions. One barker accosts you specifically. Will you be going, she demands?
edited by Andropov on 2/25/2017[/quote]
I think it was necessary to go to Watchmaker’s Hill to catch the train. If you don’t have a storylet there or at your Lodgings that would allow you to do that, it’s probably a bug–report it.
Something very similar happened to me with The Pyres story. I’d actually failed to activate it properly as an ES and then thought, well, my fault, and subsequently bought it for fate. And left it sitting for a while.
Whereupon I lost access to it. Support was able to recreate what had happened and restore access. They told me “this may be the result of a recent changeover to how this story works from when we put it up on the Fate Page.”
It seems to me the transfer of these seasons / stories from one context to another once the month / season is up isn’t (yet) working properly.