[quote=Ivica][quote=Anne Auclair]
I actually think this story was a little shorter than the average. Not complaining, just noting that it felt a little shorter.
edited by Anne Auclair on 5/4/2017[/quote]
In terms of written text, this ES is one of the biggest
The Clay Man’s Arm +Season opening: 24,935 characters - 5,066 words
The Heart, The Devil and the Ze : 27,344 characters - 5,691 words
HOJOTOHO! : 36,202 characters - 7,397 words
[/quote]
If I had to guess, the disparity was caused by the 0-action conversations. There were a good fifteen or so actions saved by that, which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things but fairly substantial for the story.
Plus, the general plot was very structured in the middle: you accomplished a task, then you sat vigil with the Valkyrie and talked about the day, and so on so forth until the end. The action is meant to engage and suck you in, and so the story felt much faster paced, I think.
There is a reference to Eradicators. I’ve not come across them before – does anyone know where they crop up?
Menace eradicators, they hunt a variety of monsters around London.
The Department of Menace Eradication can be found in Watchmaker’s Hill, and is the initial setting for the Dangerous tracker.
Ah, it was the lack of “Menace” before “Eradicators” that threw me off! (How sad is that…)
>>>The Season of Stones: the People Awakening
So… what about stones(Stones?)? And who is awakened?
edited by Waterpls on 5/8/2017
This was the first Exceptional Story I experienced, and I loved every minute of it. The conversations with the Valkyrie, the twist near the end, and the ending I chose were all great. I genuinely got a little case of goosebumps reading the Valkyrie’s final speech. I love the Urchins in general, but this was an extra jolly good time. Thanks for the fun. :)
I loved this so much. I really hope there’s more ways to interact with the ring-breakers if we took that path in the future.
As well as the Airs-dependent option under Literary Ambitions in Veilgarden, which was mentioned upthread, the Urchins card has a lovely action that also gives 1 Favour. I see it as a delightful epilogue to the story. :)
Got rid of my Singular Plant. Decided it was bad news :P
You only decided that now? Eating vicars and coalmen wasn’t enough? :P
You only decided that now? Eating vicars and coalmen wasn’t enough? :P[/quote]
Oh, come! What’s a Coalman or a vicar or two among friends? :-)
That being riposted, that particular story line is a firm reminder that the morality of Fallen London is not really our morality. A person, no matter how menial his job, should not be sacrificed to make a plant more strong, beautiful, imaginative, capable of ingesting secrets, etc.
I loved this story so much. Wonderful cast of characters (well, except for that prankster kid. Can we give him to the Songbird? Nah, on second thought, not even the Songbird deserves that :P ), fun story, feel-good ending, actual in-game consequences…and I DIDN’T have to kill the bad guy with the awesome artwork in order to do the right thing! Thank you writers. You’ve made both Fleshy and his RPer very happy with this story. Bravo!
Also, lol at that old lady paying me a penny for helping her out. Had me in stitches :P
I took my time before starting this story, as I was so disappointed with last month’s ES. I wish I hadn’t. this one was amazing!
one of my favorites, already.
You only decided that now? Eating vicars and coalmen wasn’t enough? :P[/quote]
Oh, come! What’s a Coalman or a vicar or two among friends? :-)
That being riposted, that particular story line is a firm reminder that the morality of Fallen London is not really our morality. A person, no matter how menial his job, should not be sacrificed to make a plant more strong, beautiful, imaginative, capable of ingesting secrets, etc.[/quote]
My plant was stuck between levels 12 or 13 because I didn’t want to feed it my goldfish, bats or weasels. I like my goldfish, bats and weasels, they’re really cute.
You mean later you start feeding the plant people?! Now I’m doubly glad I had it removed!
You only decided that now? Eating vicars and coalmen wasn’t enough? :P[/quote]
Oh, come! What’s a Coalman or a vicar or two among friends? :-)
That being riposted, that particular story line is a firm reminder that the morality of Fallen London is not really our morality. A person, no matter how menial his job, should not be sacrificed to make a plant more strong, beautiful, imaginative, capable of ingesting secrets, etc.[/quote]
My plant was stuck between levels 12 or 13 because I didn’t want to feed it my goldfish, bats or weasels. I like my goldfish, bats and weasels, they’re really cute.
You mean later you start feeding the plant people?! Now I’m doubly glad I had it removed![/quote]
They are NPCs, but yes, they are people. I originally was going to demur at that point, but this is a game, after all. Lines of text in a browser. In my opinion, demurring would have been akin to refusing to read the murder scene in a murder mystery because a character is being killed. However, I respect your feelings; you have a right to spurn such decisions. I myself regretted the one time I sacrificed furry creatures to get free of the Boatman, and I do not do so anymore.
And if you had/were willing to spend enough Fate, you might be able to develop a St. John’s Lily sufficiently by buying doses of Verdant Stimulator (at 5 Fate each).
This story was fantastic, easily one of my favourites since the Exceptional Stories began (…good lord, has it been almost two years now?! I know time is strange in the Neath, but damn…).
I particularly liked the experience of getting to know each member of the Nobodies, both during the missions and by discussing them with the Valkyrie. The conclusion of the story brought a genuine tear to my eye.
I also like how this ES worked mechanically: although it did not have skill checks, it nonetheless rewarded more experienced/endgame players who, having progressed farther in Fallen London, will likely know more about the Foreign Office, the Face, and the Choir. This information, found outside of the ES, can potentially influence the way one approaches the final choice. Additionally and as others have said, zero-action storylets in extended conversations are always appreciated.
Another fantastic piece of work by Failbetter, and a fitting final story in the Season of Stones.
edited by James Sinclair on 5/11/2017
You only decided that now? Eating vicars and coalmen wasn’t enough? :P[/quote]
Oh, come! What’s a Coalman or a vicar or two among friends? :-)
That being riposted, that particular story line is a firm reminder that the morality of Fallen London is not really our morality. A person, no matter how menial his job, should not be sacrificed to make a plant more strong, beautiful, imaginative, capable of ingesting secrets, etc.[/quote]
My plant was stuck between levels 12 or 13 because I didn’t want to feed it my goldfish, bats or weasels. I like my goldfish, bats and weasels, they’re really cute.
You mean later you start feeding the plant people?! Now I’m doubly glad I had it removed![/quote]
They are NPCs, but yes, they are people. I originally was going to demur at that point, but this is a game, after all. Lines of text in a browser. In my opinion, demurring would have been akin to refusing to read the murder scene in a murder mystery because a character is being killed. However, I respect your feelings; you have a right to spurn such decisions.[/quote]
Like a lot of players, I roleplay my character.
edited by Anne Auclair on 5/11/2017
You only decided that now? Eating vicars and coalmen wasn’t enough? :P[/quote]
Oh, come! What’s a Coalman or a vicar or two among friends? :-)
That being riposted, that particular story line is a firm reminder that the morality of Fallen London is not really our morality. A person, no matter how menial his job, should not be sacrificed to make a plant more strong, beautiful, imaginative, capable of ingesting secrets, etc.[/quote]
My plant was stuck between levels 12 or 13 because I didn’t want to feed it my goldfish, bats or weasels. I like my goldfish, bats and weasels, they’re really cute.
You mean later you start feeding the plant people?! Now I’m doubly glad I had it removed![/quote]
They are NPCs, but yes, they are people. I originally was going to demur at that point, but this is a game, after all. Lines of text in a browser. In my opinion, demurring would have been akin to refusing to read the murder scene in a murder mystery because a character is being killed. However, I respect your feelings; you have a right to spurn such decisions.[/quote]
Like a lot of players, I roleplay my character.
edited by Anne Auclair on 5/11/2017[/quote]
And like a lot of players, I roleplay my character/s inconsistently. :-)
Enjoy your roleplay as you see fit; I meant no offense. I was simply setting forth my own approach and views.
edited by cathyr19355 on 5/11/2017
You can actually get your plant fully grown without feeding it people or spending fate. Yeah, you’ll have to sacrifice some cute critters, but I always just bought extra ones and assured my own pets that these were just “feeder weasels” :P