How many second chances do you keep around? I seem to use them rarely, and only for the longer stories or when I particularly want an item. (My stats are all around 100, and right now I have about 50 Confident Smiles, 40 Sudden Insights, 20 Hastily Scrawled Warning Notes, and 20 Hard Earned Lessons.) Is it useful to keep that many, or would I be better served to spend them to increase stats?[li]
[/li][li]I’d keep them/use when going for something interesting you really want to succeed at. I found stats were relatively easy to get to ~150, but you may need them after that …
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I usually keep them within the 5-20 range since I can’t receive more from chess and bouts if I have a bigger pile. They’re mostly spent buffing stats or for challenges that I couldn’t afford losing. The only exception is Confident Smiles. I somehow managed to save around 50 of them.
I think it depends from the level in which you are and how much it is easy for you to have access to the second chances.
If you do not have yet a given characteristic at 200, a good rule of thumb is to keep its relative second chanches between 10 and 15, so that you will not “waste” any opportunity to get them.
If you plan to go to the Cave of Nadir, you may wish to have Smiles (and the others) a little bit higher, since there is a remunerative (but really difficult) Persuasive challenge.
If you are to go in an expedition, you may wish to use sudden insights along with whatever “approach” you wish (i advice 60-70% chance)- in this way your enemies will accrue less advantage, and you will NOT lose your precious supplies.
In general, i would advice you to use second chances on a challenge if:
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The challenge is on a card, and the card is not really common (or you need the result NOW!)
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There is some really bad negative effect (i.e. losing Supplies, for the expeditions) if you lose (in general, menaces are not so bad).
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Both, as for the big burglary with the jewel thief.
Remember that NOT all the second chanches have the same value. Some of them are more difficult (or less profitable) to get.
In my opinion, Confident Smiles are the easiest, followed by Sudden Insights (in particular, if you are investigating in the university, this ones are even easier), then Hard Lessons, and, most difficult, the Notes.
Thanks for the advice!
It sounds like it is always good to have a few around, but I could also be affording to spend them a bit more often.