That makes two knock-out stories, so far. This Season is shaping up to be one of the best.
[quote=snugglor]
This is my first exceptional story and I really liked it. Iām at an awkward precipice in the game where Iām not quite a POSI but Iāve completed pretty much everything available to me, so I really welcomed the new content. Despite her creepy portrait, I was quite enamoured with the Undertaker.[/quote]
This is my first season as an exceptional friend as well - the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem drew me in . All the content, especially that of this story, has been quite delightful. Exploring Tanah-Chook was really engaging.
Overall a good story, and it fleshed out a few more bits of Fallen Londonās capricious metaphysics; focusing on the tomb colonists as central characters rather than through hints and allusions also added some needed flesh to their existence. The carousel mechanic was also well done and not cumbersome or very repetitive (and I enjoyed some of the associated storylets quite a bit, particularly the gymnasium). Overall very good, my only complaint was a I wish it had lasted just a bit longerā¦ but if all a story leaves me wishing for is that it hadnāt had to end, thatās hardly faint praise. This season is progressing nicely.
[quote=Isaac Zienfried]Going to the surface can do a lot of things to you, and many of them depend on your time in the Neath. I think if you ever died down here, you just drop dead as soon as sunlight hits you. Right to the deck, dead as a doornail.
Otherwise, it burns you somewhat, but also burns your mind.[/quote]
Out of curiosity, admittedly havenāt played Sunless Sea yet, butā¦ do we know if starlight does the same?
In theory, yes.
I became an Exceptional Friend for this story and so far I feel it is well-worth the investment! So many interesting things about the tomb-colonies, and more tantalizing information of the far countryā¦ Iād want to leave it too!
Though, I did find a small typo in the Afternoon task the Undertaker set: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Aubergion?fromEchoId=12090079
It seems like it should be "a moment", or "moments"
Fantastic story. And it leaves the unsettling question of what happens if the dead finally do build their bridgeā¦
Does anyone have journal entries for these choices I didnāt make?
-Admiring the view from the ship
-Speaking to the customs officer
-Not helping with the emergence
-Recommending sunlight and the sanatorium
[quote=Harlocke]Fantastic story. And it leaves the unsettling question of what happens if the dead finally do build their bridgeā¦
Does anyone have journal entries for these choices I didnāt make?
-Admiring the view from the ship
-Speaking to the customs officer
-Not helping with the emergence
-Recommending sunlight and the sanatorium[/quote]
Not assisting with emergence and Undertakerās reaction
Suggesting sunlight
This is absolutely one of my favourite exceptional stories so far. On the one hand the story felt very personal, the choices my character was making werenāt about London politics or some scheme for personal gain, whatever I did came purely from the heart. On the other hand it touched on many Big Important Things: the Bridge, the nature of the Far Country, maintaining contact with the deadā¦ For me it struck the perfect balance between being personally and lore relevant.
I felt the writing conveyed the atmosphere of Tanah-Chook wonderfully. After the previous story somewhat failed to deliver on the Motherlings this one did an amazing job of fleshing out (pun not intended) the Tomb Colonists (or at least this particular group of them), it really felt like brushing against a culture that is at once familiar and alien. The Undertaker was a deliciously endearing character and it felt as if her and my character actually made a small personal connection. I also love how she uses the character to help her make her final decision. If I didnāt check other people echo the Sunlight choice Iād be sold that the Emergence was her pick all alongā¦
If I were to pick for a fault Iād say that maybe the connection between the prologue and the story proper felt a bit stretched but I am nitpicking at this point and it is absolutely stories like this that make me feel that my Exceptional Friendship is money well spent.
edited by SleepingD on 7/13/2017
Now that the election is over, I finally got around to completing this.
This was a lovely story. A really nice blend of characters, location, and lore. It felt both intimate and personal, while at the same time introducing theological and metaphysical mega-issues (life after death, etc.).
Things I particularly liked:
- New permanently-available location[/li][li]Undertaker - great character[/li][li]Lovely lore about the Tomb-Colonists: their day-to-day life, their philosophies, and metaphysical implications.[/li][li]Nice time-of-day mechanic - provides variety, yet easy to follow
What I would have liked to see added:
- When asked by the Undertaker what path Iād choose for myself, it was unfortunate not to have an option based on having Cider (though I understand not wasting dev time on content which will only benefit a handful of players). Some of the Destinies could also have been used here (e.g. not planning to die, since I aim to become a Master / move to Parabola / etc.).
Overall I rate this pretty high among the Exceptional Stories. Full (subjective) relative ranking below:
Excellent:
- Lost in Reflections[/li][li]Cut with Moonlight[/li][li]Hojotoho![/li][li]The Frequently Deceased[/li][li]The Waltz that Moved the World[/li][li]Flint[/li][li]All Things Must End[/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[/li][li]The Web of the Motherlings
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]The Heart, the Devil and the Zee[/li][li]Our Lady of Pyres[/li][li]The Clay Manās Arm[/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
There was kind of one, if you say āI plan on never dyingā or something to that effect.
To which the Undertaker replies āsure, okay, whatever, but what would you do if you were me?ā
edited by Isaac Zienfried on 7/13/2017
There was kind of one, if you say āI plan on never dyingā or something to that effect.
To which the Undertaker replies āsure, okay, whatever, but what would you do if you were me?ā
Yeah, I know (and took this option :-)).
But this was generic. I would have like to see a specific option based on character possessions (i.e. Cider) or qualities (i.e. Destiny)
Or even how about an option for Seekers saying: "I wonāt have to deal with getting old, since Iāll be going NORTH". There are many possibilities.
edited by dov on 7/13/2017
One small question : usualy, when going to zee, we lose many attributes (for exemple, casing is set to 0).
Is it also the case in this exceptional story ? (I am not ready to lose 200+ of casing (so more than 20 000 CP of casing ā¦))
[quote=Richard Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart]One small question : usualy, when going to zee, we lose many attributes (for exemple, casing is set to 0).
Is it also the case in this exceptional story ? (I am not ready to lose 200+ of casing (so more than 20 000 CP of casing ā¦))[/quote]
If you mean the first time visit where you donāt go by your own ship, you donāt actually set sail like a normal trip - you get teleported.
(And no, you cannot go by your own ship until you finish the story.)
Can anyone inform me as to the results if you choose to purge the notes and the undertakers response?
Just a headās up. The epilogue of the story is not, strictly speaking, the end of the story.
On a lark, I deliberately raised my scandal rank to levels unacceptable to London Society. One random result was that I learned something of goings-on in Tanah-Chook after my departure from its shores.
edited by slickriptide on 7/16/2017
Do you mean the information from her mentor? If so, it says:
She leafs through the pile of notes from the Porter, lingering on one page ā you cannot see which. "Ah. This is a little more succinct than usual." She doesnāt look up. "I thank you for the thought, but not the act. She deserves that I know."
Do you mean the information from her mentor? If so, it says:
She leafs through the pile of notes from the Porter, lingering on one page ā you cannot see which. "Ah. This is a little more succinct than usual." She doesnāt look up. "I thank you for the thought, but not the act. She deserves that I know."
And any interesting information while blotting out the notes?
Just finished this ES a couple of days ago, and found it delightful. I really enjoyed exploring Tanah-Chook at my own pace, and the Ebullient Undertaker was charming. There was also a lot of intriguing hints about the Far Shore and the Third City. Best of all, like Flint this ES unlocked an entirely new area to explore again at my leisure.
(Also, I just got back from the Tomb-Colonies to check out the new opportunity card thatās been added to the deck there. Itās quite useful.)
I just finished this ES tonight. It struck me as very beautiful, but very sad, in how it probes what one can do if one is dying, very, very slowly. I also love the idea of having added Tanah Chook to the places on the Zee that I can visit (my major reason for buying ES at this time, really).
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