Professions

Good news! But it seems there’s nothing like “Poet à la mode”, or “Professional spy” ^^

[b]SPOILER!!!

…Assuming I got my text coding correct, there should be a large spoiler warning here. The Loathsome Imp from becoming a Trickster for the Urchins is a +2 Shadowy, +2 Persuasive Pet.
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edited by AshGaidin on 1/11/2013

This seem to be a very interesting addition, though my personal dilemma is that I had already envisioned my character’s profession(s, a main one and some collateral/hobbistic ones). I’ll take my time to decide^^

EDIT: I wonder, does “revolting disguise” mean “double face disguise”, or really “revolting”, like a reeking hobo outfit? XD
edited by streetfelineblue on 1/12/2013

Maybe it’s a disguise plotting the downfall of the Masters in its free time?

Such a thin would be well worth the decrease in Connections^^ Though I wonder, will the profession open up storylets/opportunity cards granting Connection boosts and/or the chance to raise up in the profession ranks? It would be cool!

I was also thinking: Tomb-Colonists pay very well informations (8 Mourning Candles aren’t an opinion), so I think the Watcher could be a viable option for them as a profession to offer.

Well, I’m piecing together all the Professional information I can find…

Trickster - Urchins or Hell - Loathsome Imp - +2s +2p
Campaigner - Revolutionaries or Church - Feckless Supporters - +2p +2d
Journalist - Bohemians - Little Red Notebook - +2p +2w
Enforcer - Revolutionaries or Criminals - Burly Assistant
Watcher - Constables or Great Game - Revolting Disguise
Rat-Catcher - Docks - Ratting Piece

I haven’t seen a Society card, but I’d be surprised if they don’t offer Journalist. Rat-Catcher doesn’t seem to have a second Connection. Orient and Tomb-Colonists both seem Professionless - either would fit Rat-Catching, though given that the Orient seems to be being phased out of the regular London connections - no Pet, no letter-writing option, and I’ve not seen a skill card from them in a while - it’s probably not them.

If every reward item follows the pattern demonstrated here, then I’d guess the Burly Assistant would be Dangerous and Shadowy. The Disguise… Shadowy and Watchful? And that would leave the Ratting Piece to be Dangerous and Watchful.

I’ve had two different professions tonight.

Revolutionaries–I chose to be a Campaigner. The item is Feckless Supporters: +2 Persuasive, +2 Dangerous.
Urchins–I chose to be a Trickster. The item is a Loathesome Imp: +2 Persuasive, +2 Shadowy.

I don’t know if there are any other benefits to a profession yet.

I am now a journalist, and very much looking forward to seeing how these professions will be handled. In the meantime, I shall enjoy the free equipment.

Edit: Ah, this adds a new category to the quality list. Major Lateral.
edited by Delmar Tramontane on 1/12/2013

This is deeply exciting! Imagine the possibilities! We could have promotions or even combine this with items to unlock higher level promotions! Maybe the “rumourmonger’s network” on one of the scraps cards will be unlocked, and lead to an ultra rare profession!? Oh I’m practically giddy. I want to be a Great Game network controller. So. Bad.

Now, now: Ambition-wise my choice should be the Journalist (Watchful and Persuasive); but it would mean to change all my characters sheets and relinquishing his current career of pragmatic poet for hire. Story-wise I’d like more the Watcher career: he’s already a part-time spy, nothing bad in making a secondary profession out of it ^^ But sure the Revolting Disguise is much less appealing than the elegant Little Red Notebook. I’m curious to know if the profession might help you raise the relative Connections: I’ve got plenty of Bohemian and Society, but I could definitely use some Great Game, epsecially considering the initial loss.

I’ve had two different professions tonight.

Revolutionaries–I chose to be a Campaigner. The item is Feckless Supporters: +2 Persuasive, +2 Dangerous.
Urchins–I chose to be a Trickster. The item is a Loathesome Imp: +2 Persuasive, +2 Shadowy.

I don’t know if there are any other benefits to a profession yet.[/quote]

Does anyone know if there are any ill effects from abandoning a Profession?

I now posess a Revolting Disguise, which appears to be a subject of fascination for spies and entomolgists alike. At any rate, it gives +2 Watchful and +2 Shadowy, and reduced my Connected: The Great Game from 101 to 95. That is between 200 and 250 change points.

Well, get the odd poem about current events published in a weekly, and, boom, you’re a journalist!

Well, get the odd poem about current events published in a weekly, and, boom, you’re a journalist![/quote]

I thought about that, but it would kinda like damage my reputation of a reserved individual, safe to be entrusted with secrets T.T That’s why he would be more the type of a Watcher :)

Society doesn’t give a Profession.

Well, if you’re in Society, it would be positively gauche to have a profession, surely? :) One’s profession is person of leisure!

Well, get the odd poem about current events published in a weekly, and, boom, you’re a journalist![/quote]

Come to think of it, a current journalist ought to have some extra advantage when actually publishing their own newspaper. In what form, I dunno…

That’s the line of thought of the exquisite gentleman Nigel Overstreet. My personal take is that having an occupation will be all the rage at Court in 1891 ^^

I wonder if professions will have any tie to the faction whose offer you initially accepted, or if it will be irrelevant for your Trickster career, for example, to have been recruited by Devils or by Urchins.

I have been leaning towards the revolutionaries of late, and to get more actively involved through actual campaigning is tempting, but I think my prefered route is to be a journalist. I like the idea of being that lone researcher / reporter that seeks the truth above all things. I just don’t see myself (or my character) on the front lines of any struggle. While I was happy to aid the dock workers in their fight against the masters, that always had the feel of my part not being significant but critical. I was the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. My comrades had done most of the hammering beforehand.

But on a related note I suppose… I wish there was a more left-wing option, if you will, with regards to Doubt Street. To metaphorize (pages’s word, not mine, honest) from our UK press, we certainly have Telegraph in Meritorious, Daily Mail in Salacious and (For want of a better comparison) the Indy for Outlandish. I suppose it would be fun to branch out to a more challenging, revolutionary paper. Less Guardian, more Morning Star. Using say Seditious copy to craft such a paper: it could be even a fusion of Meritorious and Outlandish. It would take less copy to publish, but the lower tier is a mere pamphlet while the upper tier is a full length Treatise. It could have a luck challenge on publication: Unlucky packs you off to New Newgate for a pamphlet, while a treatise would be an enforced exile to Corpsecage. After all, that is where Karl ended up as far as Fallen London is concerned.

I get creative when I don’t like to choose an option, and I craft a thrid way. In my dreams at any rate.

Personally, I maintain a left-leaning paper by publishing Meritoriously while avoiding those options while avoiding those options which rely on disingenuous criticism of immigration policy. Poverty and corruption, yes - Rubbery Men stealing our jobs, no. And, what the hey - throw in that Outlandish copy which I personally know happens to be true.

[quote=streetfelineblue]That’s the line of thought of the exquisite gentleman Nigel Overstreet. My personal take is that having an occupation will be all the rage at Court in 1891 ^^
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Indeed. I maintain that having a profession is not respectable in certain circles, so, as none of the give items seems to be unique in their rewards and none of the proffered options truly fit my personality, I shall remain professionless. A dilettante until the end!
I really like the idea of offering professions. There have been quite a few folks who felt, because the storylets of Fallen London were so varied, that their only options for a profession was to call their characters a Jack-of-all-Trades of sorts. Now they have a titled profession so they are not Contables, Ring Fighters and Zailors all at once, but rather a Journalist who occasionally fights crimes, boxes and zails. I very much like it.
I do hope that if these professions open new storylets that a lack of a profession will also open a storylet for those of us who will not debase ourselves with such indignities as “work.”