[quote=an_ocelot]Okay, if you’re just mixing and matching their names, that’s one thing, I was trying to imagine an in-universe Jonathan Norrell and, uh, NO.
(OT, but quick: y’all know Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a BBC show, right? Just finished airing in UK, still in progress in US.)[/quote]
I was assuming that reference, but I didn’t know there was a show and am now very excited!
I’m only 3/7 of the way through, and enjoying it with reservations. The actors are great, at least.
Wow, finally got to the (almost) end and what a story! Truly great.
I haven’t made the last choice yet and am thinking I might wait a while. As someone mentioned a few pages ago this is effectively a sixth option with
an effective meaning (you physically keep the mirror);
an effective moral angle (you are both breaking your promise to the mirror-wraith and denying the real July reprieve for the sake of hedging your own bets); and
effective rewards (it’s an investment option; forgoing immediate rewards for flexible payout later. This is similar to not selling the location of Nadir to anyone)
A question on the rewards for the smashing option. an_ocelot’s journal mentioned only a pet, Blake earlier mentioned that apart from the pet there was one 12.5 item and then Ian Hart earlier mentioned two 12.5 items apart from the pet. Which is it?..
And on the Stange&Norrell tangent. I am in the Uk so I’ve seen all of it and I thought it was truly excellent. Invariably a lot of detail and texture is lost in any adaptation but I thought they hit all the essential notes.
Hi!
Probably it’d be better if POSI extended stats were somehow shielded against these minor cut-offs which are unavoidably integrated in the story. It was a big commitment for me to reach 215 watchful, and I grugingly accept that one misstep coluld lead to 214, but this story almost set me to 213. Almost (yes, yes, I did some wrong deeds in between those two). But still, when you have about 4 CP of current stat level, and have no means to restore it other than great deal of resources…
edited by Kharsirr Lynx on 7/4/2015
edited by Kharsirr Lynx on 7/4/2015
The smashing option only gives a pet. I think what was referred to is the fact that any player can get two 12.5 items from July’s memory-wraith while in Parabola.
Incidentally, the payouts in item-echoes for this story, including all the actions that lead up to the end, wind up like this:
[spoiler]43.55 echoes for smashing
47.05 for giving it back
103.05 for selling out to her former comrades
220.41 for selling out to the masters
An additional 0-5 echoes of stuff depending on whether you took the Ruthless or Magnanimous choice at the beginning, whether you spent a while exploring dialogue options and garret-searching actions, and whether you’d played through Mahogany Hall or Court of Cats. You can grind more items (Memories of Light, Inklings of Identity) repeatedly, but it’s a pretty profit-poor use of actions so I didn’t include that.[/spoiler]
Overall, I still think this is a pretty decent spread for a story that can be completed in 30-40 actions, although the last one might be a little high (it could have been set based on the Bazaar-sale price of a Collection of Curiosities, which would be a mistake). I wouldn’t want the two less rewarding options to rise up much, as it would damage the experience and the meaningfulness of the choice.
Come to think of it, this story kind of answers the question "What’s the difference between a Vision of the Surface and a Memory of Light" doesn’t it?
edited by metasynthie on 7/4/2015
Interestingly,
the early termination option is more profitable than the first two that you mention but less profitable than (the thematically identical) third option of selling out to February
Early termination is certainly the most profitable of all in terms of EPA, since you can get there in nine actions and get ~6.94, which looks to me like it’s even better than the last option, although I can’t say for sure since some of the steps in Parabola are 0-action. Thematically they’re not quite the same for February as she gets the location of a dwelling in one, a priceless mirror in the other. This may be an argument for the third ending’s reward going up!
Hehe, I just noticed that my opinion is currently a companion. It’s almost a shame that it’ll disappear, since it’s such a pretty pet.
Adding on to the chorus of yays for this story. I’ve played through most of the fate locked stories and this one was absorbing and satisfying. I especially liked being able to cycle through the various dreams and futures, and am perfectly fine using up my stats to do so. The ending was quite a tough one to figure out. I ended up being pragmatic and shady like my character rather than wanting to do the right thing like what my real self is. Reading the forums bent my mind a little re the bits on no option really is the right option. Mind blown. You lot are really serious about this game!
Kudos to the FL team!
I’m quite taken by the incipit, now I’m standing before the mirror in the Carnival; I understand that interacting with it will lead me in a special location. Since I imagine I can’t come freely back and forth, I was wondering if some could tell me if there are contents, items or stats required to enjoy the second part of the story, and if there is something i should watch out for. Oh, and anyone knows if favoring the Masters at the end makes a Conscience of the Empire a Turncoat?
There’s one extra reward, worth 2.5 Echoes, that you can get if you’ve previously completed the Court of Cats. I think having finished the Mahogany Hal storyline gives you the same reward. Other than that, I don’t believe any items, qualities, or high stats are required.
I really hope so, since I bought the first subscription July 1st…
I have been incredibly busy so I delayed this story until I had more time to enjoy it. Wow, I am glad I did!
This was probably my favorite sorry in all of Fallen London so far. I loved the mechanics - waiting for a single opportunity card, then traveling around London, felt like much more of an adventure and took advantage of the map (especially the Carnival, which is typically peripheral). And the fact that you could view the other outcomes was fantastic! I wish I had viewed the other futures as well, but my first decision was very satisfying.
The writing was absolutely wonderful. I love the typically dark, humorous writing in Fallen London, but this vision of the Surface and things to come was truly a breath of fresh air. The dreams transported me to a different world, one where my character saw a future beyond grinding notability and drinking excessive quantities of laudanum. I absolutely loved it.
I think the ethical dilemma at the end really brought this story together. In the past two exceptional stories, I haven’t felt very invested in the parties involved and didn’t care too much who kept the house, etc. But July was painted as a far more interesting and sympathetic character (I absolutely love the idea of smuggling light from the surface!) and the decision carried real weight from a role playing perspective. I assumed I would simply comply with July’s wishes, but here I found that the obvious answer wasn’t necessarily ideal. Although I might save July from suffering, what if that suffering is what leads to her role in bringing about a different future? As a revolutionary and performer who has been smuggling light, could there be any more ideal future for July? It presents a truly difficult dilemma where we do not know if we can believe any sources and whether the outcome will be devastating or redeeming.
Please make more stories this enthralling and connected to the lore! And if you want to add even nicer rewards, I certainly will not complain. :)
It doesn’t.
I have been playing via phone while I was on travel, and have completely lost where I need to go to finish this story. I think I did the card, then HoC, then unsure. Can someone PM me the first few steps, so I can resume?
Depending on where you are, it’s likely that you either need to wait for a gold-bordered cards with a picture of February (it comes up with quite a high frequency and is non-discardable) or you might need to explore the Carnival a bit.
Thank you, I was afraid I had misclicked something.
If you have played the opportunity card it might be worth looking in your lodgings.
> D__n it, why can nobody ever get your nose right?
This one line alone I think was enough to justify this month’s subscription. I so love it.
On an unrelated noted, I wish I could pay with Fate again. Much more convenient to pay once for a large stock and then spend it on stories you like instead of fishing for your credit card every time you feel you are interested in a new story.
My first post, other than to the welcome thread, because… I so enjoyed this month’s exceptional story. It captivated me and held me to the end. I even chose to lose stats to backtrack and not miss anything. The ending posed a dilemma - and my character (Fihr) didn’t choose as she’d expected. She wanted to do the right thing by July, but in the end wanted a particular future more. How wonderful! Thank you, FB, a real treat.[li]
(Re the Strange/Norrell tangent, here on the other side of the world from London, I’m still looking forward to the show. I loved the book, especially the atmosphere, and hope the show does it justice. Also, though some of my friends were less thrilled by it, I loved "The Ladies of Grace Adieu & other stories" set in the same world.)[/li][li]
edited by Felinderie on 7/11/2015