The perils of the Unterzee care nothing for age or success. Playing in hardcore mode, only one thing is certain - you WILL die, and your choices are irreversible.
So far, I’ve avoided "Merciful" mode just because the game is so clearly intended to be played with death always following on your coattails.
Does "winning" with your Invictus Token in your hold make any difference compared to having lost it?
There’s a Steam achievement… otherwise, no. It’s pure bragging rights. Personally, I play on Merciful mode all the time, 'cause I enjoy experimenting and building up a character more than I enjoy the thrill of barely cheating permadeath!
[color=#009900]We had a long serious conversation just before launch about whether we should keep permadeath as the default, or switch to Merciful Mode as the default.[/color]
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[color=#009900]We left is as it was because this was the way the game was originally designed, and last-minute changes usually affect more than is intended; but no-one will judge you if you play Merciful, least of all the dev team![/color]
At the moment I’m finding it more interesting to let succeeding captains make different choices than their predecessors, rather than use save-files as safe way to make a mistake. In a setting as dangerous as the Unterzee, I’m finding it more fun when the danger has teeth. ;-)
I’m playing it as being more about the Legacy than about individual captains. Of course, that does mean that sometimes the captain dies without learning what happens when Pigmote Isle declares for Liberty with a Might value of 1, heh.
If I’ve learned one thing from playing this way, it’s that knowledge is the most valuable asset one captain can pass on to the next.
I’ve been considering starting over with a brand new Legacy, due to having acquired the Puzzle Box in Fallen London and its apparently only appearing on new games, as opposed to new captains. I think it would be fun to keep a running narrative of the Legacy, following the passing of the Invictus Token from captain to captain, in the voice of each individual captain. The only problem is that now I have some experience as a player and I would not make the same mistakes that a brand new player would make.
edited by slickriptide on 4/4/2016
The Whisper-Locked Puzzlebox should appear for new captains if you’ve synced with your FL account since getting it, just as with the bonus Parabolan Kitten or Panther, Advice for the Navigator, and Long-Box.