[POLL] The Best Exceptional Season?

Fallen London
1

Almost a year since we did this the first time. I’m afraid the decision hasn’t become easier - for me Skies is still slightly ahead of the rest, but with many others coming pretty close.

The Heart’s Blood season comprised:
Flint, The Art of Murder, The Waltz That Moved the World
and the bonus story An Offer from the Procurer General

The Family Ties season comprised:
The Frequently Deceased, The Seven-Day Reign, The Pentecost Predicament
and the bonus story about the Boatman and the Lands of the Dead

The Season of Revolutions comprised:
Five Minutes to Midday, The Chimney Pot Wars, The Calendar Code
and the bonus story An Invitation to the Museum of Injustice

The Season of Wrecks comprised:
Where You and I Must Go, Our Lady of Pyres, The Final Curtain
and the bonus story about The Last Emissary

The Season of Skies comprised:
The Persona Engine, The 12:15 from Moloch Street, The Century Exhibition
and the bonus story of the Lighthearted Polymath and the Blue Kingdom

The Season of Stones comprised:
The Clay Man’s Arm; The Heart, the Devil and the Zee; HOJOTOHO!
and the bonus story The Subcommittee for the Betterment of Our Beloved London

The Season of Ruins comprised:
Web of the Motherlings, All Things Must End, The Attendants
and the bonus story about Dreaming with the Manager of the Royal Beth

The Season of Sceptres comprised:
Trial and Error, The Stone Guest, The Sinking Synod
and the bonus story The Princess of Vesture

(If you need to jog your memory further about some of these stories, this post might help.)
edited by phryne on 11/25/2017

2

Wrecks is still my favorite, simply because of my emotional investment in the first two stories. Skies is a close second, because all three stories were very fun, creative, and memorable.

3

I only played one of the three stories in Seasons of Revolutions, but I watched my spouse play the other two, and together all three were the most compelling package of the Seasons in the poll. I played most of the stories in the other Seasons.
edited by cathyr19355 on 11/21/2017

4

Wrecks tied together so well, it’s a sure victor for me

5

Ultimately I gave it to Wrecks, but I loved Ruins. Had the best epilogue and All Things Must End was wonderful, but while I enjoyed them neither Web of the Motherlings or, in the end, the Attendants quite lived up to the high bar that I felt the season could offer.

(Edit: I should mention I have not yet played Heart’s Blood at all as this was before I played FL, and only completed one each from Family Ties and Revolution. I didn’t recall the Polymath epilogue at all until I looked it up, which is damning, but I do remember that eye open trip it took in Skies, which was more literally damning.)
edited by Amsfield on 11/20/2017

6

I have played Skies, Ruins, and Sceptres in their entirety. I can’t pick one as having the best Exceptional Stories.

The Season of Skies conclusion is a very good chunk of story and world-background content in itself, and it’s even better as a bridge between the season’s three stories. In the other two seasons I’ve played, the season-story’s premise is some powerful figure asking for things which each of the season’s ESes happen to provide (a relic from each of three cities; a tale about power). The Season of Skies establishes stronger, more intrinsic ties between its stories such that any other story about technology wouldn’t fit into the same season conclusion.

The Season of Ruins was not quite so unified in terms of story or themes. Although each story was in some way connected to one of the fourth, third, and second cities, only The Attendants felt like it was really about its specific city. All Things Must End is very much more about death, and how it is seen by people who are considered already dead by just about everyone else. Web of the Motherlings is about archaeology, and how cultures look at their own pasts. The season conclusion had rather little to do with the season’s ESes and rather more to do with dreams and memories and snakes and the interactions between.

The Injurious Princess’s visit to London stands on its own as a piece of brilliant, beautiful content. I was swept off my feet and into an epic campaign to the heart of the elder continent. It is a spectacular and enchanting story, and I played it three times. Although monumental on its own, it felt even less tied to the season’s exceptional stories than the Ruins conclusion. That doesn’t make it any less of a triumph than it is, but it does mean that Skies got my vote.

7

I would say, rather, that the Season of Ruins is about the Fourth, Third, Second, and First Cities as they are now.

  • The Fourth City still exists as a living culture, one that still has claims on the ancient relics which the Fifth City claims by proximity.
  • The Third City no longer exists, but its legacy is preserved as a living(ish) culture in Tanah Chook, a place that bridges the gap between the living(ish) and the Dead.
  • The Second City now exists only as one industrious soul hiding where isn’t is.
  • The First City now exists only in the dreams of him who sold it–and even that is in danger.

Given what we know of these four cities, I think that the information we are given and the conclusions each story arrives at are poignant and significant. I will grant that the device of these randomly-acquired relics being just the things needed in the end story is not the most compelling scenario Failbetter has ever written. I will also grant that the end of The Attendants failed (by general consensus) to deliver on the promise of its first half. Even those granted, however, the Season as a whole is an intricate and tightly-constructed piece of art.

Permanent access to Tanah Chook, I might add, is a nice little cherry on top.

(I cannot, however, compare it to other seasons, as I have not played the others. Everything I’ve heard about the end of Scepters has made me wish I had, but it’s not really a possibility for me right now.)
edited by Siankan on 11/21/2017
edited by Siankan on 11/21/2017

8

Wow, not a single vote for Sceptres? I thought the three stories were quite interesting, and the bonus was extraordinary!

9

It seems to be consistently a second-favorite. The perpetual bridesmaid, as it were. I wonder what a certain Princess would say about that label.

10

It seems to be consistently a second-favorite. The perpetual bridesmaid, as it were. I wonder what a certain Princess would say about that label.[/quote]

Agreed. And I am with Anchovies on this one, I absolutely loved the bonus story for Sceptres - with the Injurious Princess being one of my new favourite characters - and if it had just been a question of which tie-in story was best that one would have easily taken the win in my book. But for the Exceptional Stories the Skies season has to get my vote as the three stories were not only wonderful individually but were easily the best tied together season, in my opinion.
And while I liked the first story in Sceptres I found the two others merely decent and/or irrelevant for my character. Skies is the only one where I have loved all three stories, even if I found the conclusion something of a let down.
-

edited by Akernis on 11/25/2017

11

Went with Skies, but Heart’s Blood (Flint may be the best ever) and Family Ties were close contenders.
I felt that Skies had four great stories, and even though other seasons may have contained one or two better stories, Skies scored best overall.

As for its finale, well there’s more than enough time to redistribute Italians so as to avoid tragedy.

EDIT: I have played all seasons in their entirety.
edited by BillyCosmos! on 11/25/2017
edited by BillyCosmos! on 11/25/2017

12

I have never played that season and this line has made me want to buy all three stories.

13

[quote=BillyCosmos!]Went with Skies, but Heart’s Blood (Flint may be the best ever) and Family Ties were close contenders.
I felt that Skies had four great stories, and even though other seasons may have contained one or two better stories, Skies scored best overall.

As for its finale, well there’s more than enough time to redistribute Italians so as to avoid tragedy.

EDIT: I have played all seasons in their entirety.
edited by BillyCosmos! on 11/25/2017
edited by BillyCosmos! on 11/25/2017[/quote]

I agree that Flint is the best single story overall, but I think Revolutions is a better season of stories, taken as a whole.

14

Semi-unpopular opinion: Flint isn’t that good a story. It’s an excellent Exceptional Story, it’s got excellent writing and mechanics, the rewards are unusual, but there’s very little overarching plot. There’s sideplots like your deputy and the Patroness, but overall it’s an Adventure, not a Story.

Which makes sense, I guess. Alexis was able to write something as large as Flint specifically because parts of it could be reused for other content, like the Elder Continent expedition for the Dilmun Club. An ongoing narrative would hinder that.