I’m wondering right now what the optimal use is for stats and using secrets. Does it ever make sense to spend secrets on just on stats through officers, or does it only make sense to make the aux items for stat increases?
Also in terms of stats, is it best to focus on one or two stats or get everything up around 75? It seems really hard to get enough secrets for that anyway without lots of play-throughs. I haven’t tried writing the Zong of the Zee either, but I figure it would take 75 secrets in all. That seems like an extraordinary amount.
It depends on your ambition, and the stat in question. Plenty of early playthroughs, yes, you should be raising stats with secrets through officers.
Most of the time there’s little difference between the aux item and the stat. They have different limitations and requirements, and I think one of the aux items has to be thrown overboard to be repeated.
My advice - first concentrate on the one or two stats you intend to pass on to your next captain. As long as you can use your officers I would do so. Once the stat can no longer be raised by speaking to your officers then start using the option in your study. All the items can now be sold somewhere (though there was a short period when one of them had to be thrown overboard).
Of course if your ambition is the Zong of the Zea you don’t sell them unless you can easily replace the items needed to create them.