SEPTEMBER'S EXCEPTIONAL STORY: Cut with Moonlight

[quote=Chris Gardiner][color=#ff9900]We’ve added options to buy Sun-Stamped Mirrorcatch Boxes for those people who have completed Cut with Moonlight. [/color]
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[color=#ff9900]Depending on your final choice in the story, you’ll find the new option either on the Park and Palace: Society opportunity card, or the Alleys of London: the Criminals card.[/color][/quote]

I really don’t want to sound ungreatful. I really don’t, especaily since I fear the option will be taken out if I do say this, but that still makes me not want to complete it so much, because the odds of me getting one of the two cards I need to buy one is less likely then it is for me to keep it as it is, and get as many as I want for (probably) a lower cost. To me it seens like competing the story gets you a worse deal on them whereas keeping it about gets you a major supply.

Depending on one’s available grinds, the post-conclusion cost is actually (probably) slightly lower. Also, completing the story gets you the story’s conclusions and rewards. If you’d rather have convenient sunlight than completed stories, well, that’s your prerogative.

I’m curious about the payouts for the endings involving betrayal of the graduate, either towards the Criminals or the Constables. Do these involve Favours and/or Connections? Are Masters Connections involved? If anyone has linked, or remembers and can PM me, I’d love to know.

I feel kind of conflicted about this month’s story. The writing was top-notch, as ever, and I enjoyed the chance to delve deeper into London’s seamy under-underbelly as a morally ambiguous/ambiguously moral character myself. It felt nicely balanced to play through, too, with the centralised location as the focus and the odd jaunts elsewhere (out and about, and Upstairs).

However, Spoilered for story details

having gone through everything required to reach the end point - ingratiating myself into the blithe fellow’s company; carrying out his scut-work; earning his trust; saving his business, etc. I was disappointed to find that upon successfully negotiating the path of peace, cooperation, and (purely coincidentally) grotesquely lucrative criminal enterprise between my new best friends, they saw fit to reward my pivotal role in the founding of this new entrepreneurial empire with… a moderate amount of cash-money.

This was, for me, the crime equivalent of getting an unexpected Valentine’s gift from your one true love, only to find that it’s a gift voucher, &quotBut you can spend it in ALL the high-street shops.&quot
I’m not complaining, mind, but I’d much prefer receiving kinda/not-really rare items or something mechnically-useless-but-colourful as a final reward, to give the sense of having done something uncommon.

[quote=Kylestien]
I really don’t want to sound ungreatful. I really don’t, especaily since I fear the option will be taken out if I do say this, but that still makes me not want to complete it so much, because the odds of me getting one of the two cards I need to buy one is less likely then it is for me to keep it as it is, and get as many as I want for (probably) a lower cost. To me it seens like competing the story gets you a worse deal on them whereas keeping it about gets you a major supply.[/quote]

I’m still in a holding pattern but with the change I suspect I’ll end up completing the story once I’ve checked out all the Upstairs content. I like having the option to buy sunlight but being able to do it on a whim versus on a card isn’t really a big deal. There isn’t an efficient echo grind or hidden content to find here and it sounds like mirror catch boxes are a lot safer now so they’re really just there for kicks.

Great story! Top-notch writing. But, I think I’ll be re-purchasing and -playing at some point down the line, if that becomes available - I wasn’t entirely happy with some of my final choices. I liked the variety of choices - I just ended up re-thinking what was character-appropriate after reaching the end.

I’m having a peculiar problem. After I open a Sun-Stamped Mirrorcatch Box, the storylet tells me that I have a Mirrorcatch Box (which I’d expect, since the box remains even if the light has been used). But I’ve opened several Sun-Stamped Mirrorcatch Boxes now, and can’t find any plain old Mirrorcatch Boxes in my inventory! What category should they be in? Does anybody know what gives, or should I file a bug report?

Mirrorcatch Boxes are weapons.

It is a weapon, Catherine.

So, I finished this month story. What do I have to say ? It’s GREAT ! Nice characters, all interesting, very pleasant story, the lore is delicious, and all these Upstairs are very enjoyable. It was simply delightful ! Thank you very much Failbetter Games, your work is wonderful !

[quote=Chris Gardiner][color=#ff9900]We’ve added options to buy Sun-Stamped Mirrorcatch Boxes for those people who have completed Cut with Moonlight. [/color]
[color=#ff9900]
[/color]
[color=#ff9900]Depending on your final choice in the story, you’ll find the new option either on the Park and Palace: Society opportunity card, or the Alleys of London: the Criminals card.[/color][/quote]
Just out of curiosity, which of the end options allow you the option to further purchase Sun-Stamped Mirrorcatch Boxes?

Probably all of them. It doesn’t sound like it’s exclusive to any particular ending, just that the ending you pick determines which card your option will be on.

[color=#ff9900]That’s right - we didn’t want to create the impression that there’s &quotright&quot and &quotwrong&quot endings, so all grant you an option to buy more boxes. Which ending you chose determines which card the branch is on, though.[/color]

Oh my. This was delicious indeed.
Now I am filled with a queer maudlin for times that never were, for what could have been, ought have been?
Thank you, Mr. Failbetter, dearest Si-, er, Mad-, er, yes, for your exceptional friendship.

Oh dear, is it possible to earn more “Blithe Graduate’s Confidence”, or will I need to hunt around in other people’s journals to get the whole story there?

You can eventually get his entire story, unless, presumably, you choose to cash it in instead.

I enjoyed the story, but I would have preferred a bit more on character motivation. The money/adventure/mystery/rebellion choice felt rather generic, and came a bit late in the story. Adjusting the intro to get a request from the Constables / Blind Bruiser / Young Stags / your own curiosity would have slotted into the story nicely.

Do you agree, or did you enjoy the more open ended interpretation?

Why are people so interested in buying the Sun-Stamped Mirrorcatch Boxes? Do they have a use outside of the upstairs stories and Knife & Candle?

No, but people probably want them just for the sake of collection. That’s my reasoning behind buying a small stock of them just to hang onto.

Thank you - I was a bit confused by an earlier mention of catching snakes in them. I don’t know all of the lore so I want to make sure I’m not missing something significant.

More relevant: I really like this month’s story! I love when we have the chance to explore all the storylets, and I enjoy when we need to use the map. I didn’t know anything about these boxes and liked the plot. And I was able to see some of my fellow Young Stags, which was delightful.

I did think it was a bit confusing to have two numbered qualities to manage (for upstairs/confidence). It can be harder to keep track of that when you pick up the game a few hours later.

Would someone be so kind as to PM me the rewards for the options please?