I also like Jenny’s as a sort of game play investment, as it changes slightly during some seasonal events and there’s lots of fun to be had with different combinations of students. I think the only content I’ve enjoyed more is The Final Curtain, and maybe Hojotoho.
Since this is in the Gameplay subforum of Bazaar and not the Salons, I’ll stick with best mechanically.
Jenny’s Finishing School is VERY good. Not only a 13 action card refresh, but it gives some profit with it and a 50% chance of earning a lucrative Favor (and with the factions shifting to renown next week being many present in the school, it’ll get more lucrative still).
In a similar manner, some stories seem to provide cheaper options for favors on faction cards, such as Hojotoho.
Next up is, of course, the Soul Trade. It’s monstrously profitable. Generally seen as the best grinding option in the game for echoes, though slightly lessened with the connected/favor change for hell. Now even being a Shepherd has big benefits, in the firm of Favors, though this will be nerfed in the future.
Lastly isssss…An Inconvenient Aunt! With gainful employment she gives a card that has a small chance at a 10 Action refresh! A unique and powerful card, and while it’s an odds strongly against you challenge with some wounds on failure, in general the actions spent on a failure will still be more than made up by successes (the math has been done on here before but I don’t remember it in detail)
[quote=Cthonius]Since this is in the Gameplay subforum of Bazaar and not the Salons, I’ll stick with best mechanically.[/quote]All Things Must End opens the way to Tanah-Chook, a rather nice zailing destination. The carousel there provides up to £1.75pa with no skill or luck challenges, and many of its reward items are Fidgeting Writer components: Tales of Terror, Visions of the Surface, Identities Uncovered, Extraordinary Implications, and Mourning Candles, along with Journals of Infamy and Memories of Distant Shores for conversion to Correspondence Plaques and Brilliant Souls respectively. It’s also the only zailing destination where menaces may be reduced, so a pit-stop in Tanah-Chook can keep an unfortunate captain from dying/etc.
The Fate-locked Labyrinth of Tigers content yields some very useful pets. Owning a Slavering Dream-Hound unlocks the Rare card "A dream of blood", which resets Wounds to zero from any level. The Corresponding Ocelot’s card can provide low-cost Scholar of the Correspondence up to level 10, and you can hire the Ocelot onto your newspaper staff. Let me say that again: you can hire the Corresponding Ocelot onto your newspaper staff. If Flute Street’s also been unlocked, you can create a pet with a total +4 BDR, which is the best of any companion in the game.
Hunter’s Keep is pretty good for Nightmares/Wounds. Technically Mutton Island can also lower those two, but it’s not nearly as effective.
Cut with Moonlight allows you to get infinite mirrorcatch boxes, which will be useful whenever knife-and-candle returns.
Edit: Pressed enter accidently hahahahah
Flute street I’d rate a six honestly. Didn’t understand the hype very much, outside of the ability to make more pokemon.
Labyrinth expansion is a hardcore ten, however. I quite liked the ability to make pokemon, as well as all the mechanical rewards within. More time to hang out with the Bishop of Southwark is always nice, too.
Inconvenienced by your Aunt is decent, if short. Probably around a eight.
Soul trade is another ten. Beyond giving one of two powerful abilities to you, either an A+ currency grind, or a menace nuke, it gave me a long-term goal. Which is to do the most expensive Shepherd option a thousand times, of course, so I can brag about saving a million souls.
The Empress’ Shadow is around a seven. The favour grind is useful, the card reset is useful, the story is useful, but something about it’s mechanics leaves a bad taste in my mouth, for reasons I can’t quite place.
Of note, the miniature menace contract for the department of menace eradication is a neat little story, as well as an extremely fate-efficient way to grind masquing beyond the cap, and a way to gain it by yourself, if you don’t want to involve another person/account. If grinding masquing, a solid nine. If not, a six.
edited by Yeah on 7/31/2017
How would this be useful? (Apart from the fact that these can be stolen by others…)
It may be exuberantly expensive, but there is literally no other Fate-locked content that can match the quality of Flint. I really don’t think anyone on the forum will disagree, but again you have to spend the equivalent of 25$ worth of fate to play it.
You also want to know what fate locked content isn’t worth it? Don’t pay 100 fate to get a tentacle attached to your face.
How would this be useful? (Apart from the fact that these can be stolen by others…)[/quote]
They give a knife-and-candle stat. If you’re doing a Baroque! setup, it’s best in slot. And being able to get an infinite amount means it being stolen doesn’t mean too much.
Every story I’ve played? This is going to be very long, so here goes. (It’s been a while since I played some of these so this may contain mistakes or be out of date. That includes story opinions.)
Normal stories
- Rubbery Murders: Haven’t played this one and I’m putting it up front to warn you not to either. Very mediocre story and no interesting rewards.[/li][li]Long-Lost Daughter: Mediocre story, good rewards. Gives a unique companion that unlocks a Nadir option for 1 CP Dramatic Tension (and for only one Irrigo, unlike Woods in Winter). Only one ending actually gives you the companion though, so be careful![/li][li]Soul Trade: Mediocre story, excellent rewards. Becoming a Spirifer gives access to a 1.75 EPA grind that, unlike AotB, doesn’t punish misclicks with A Turncoat. Becoming a Shepherd gives access to a card that can wipe menaces and will give large numbers of Favours very soon. Each choice unlocks occasional options around the game but nothing mechanically noteworthy. Unlocks a City Vices card while you have your soul that is the most profitable way to sell it.[/li][li]Trade in Faces: Good story and lore, good rewards. Side with the Face-Tailor and choose the Curt Relicker if you care about mechanics. You’ll get an option that gives scraps and reduces Suspicion on the Relicker’s card, while every other ending gives options on faction cards that aren’t much better than the normal Favour options.[/li][li]Blemmigan Affair: Good story, great rewards. Siding with the Bohemians gives a unique hat and a highly-profitable option on their card scaling with Persuasive. Siding with the Ministry gives an option on the Constables card that similarly scales with Watchful. Siding with the Drownies gives an option on the Docks card that isn’t much better than the normal Favour option.[/li][li]The Gift: Excellent story and lore, great rewards. Both endings give a statless Affiliation, each of which adds a card to your deck. One can give a Docks Favour, the other will probably give a Society Favour after conversion. Each also unlocks an option in the Finishing School (see below).[/li][li]An Inconvenient Aunt: Mediocre story, great rewards. Getting your Aunt a job with Mr Wines unlocks a card that has a 30% chance to restore 10 actions and a 70% chance to give Wounds. The other endings aren’t worth it.[/li][li]Flute Street: Not really a story per se, but great lore and rewards. Unlocks a new location accessible from London with its own carousel. Lets you grind Rubbery Favours and needed to obtain their 40 Renown item. Lets you get the Rubbery Hound and, when combined with Theological Husbandry, two other companions. Lets you remove Weeping Scars for Fate. Lets you obtain a Peculiar Personal Enhancement for 100 Fate, which among things lets you marry the +3 BDR Rubbery Consort.[/li][li]Empyrean Redolence: Good story and interesting lore, great rewards. Unlock Flute Street as well for access to the Rubbery Hound for best results. Lets you breed the four base beasts into four new beasts which each have their own decent cards. (The Slavering Dream-Hound also unlocks a Rare card that wipes Wounds.) At the cost of the four new beasts plus the Hound of Heaven, lets you create the Bifurcated Owl. The Owl has +4 BDR and its own card that lets you raise SotC up to 10. All beasts can be sold if you want the cards to stop appearing. Having the Obdurate Stallion also unlocks the short Bound in Diocesan Intrigue story, some endings of which allow access to The Instrument, a unique Destiny.[/li][li]Velocipede Squad extension: Mediocre story, great rewards. Purchasing this gives the Ratwork Velocipede, a +4 BDR Transport. One ending locks the Velocipede Squad carousel permanently. The other unlocks a new carousel ending and a card that gives Nightmares reduction or 250 Jade plus Nightmares and Suspicion.[/li][li]Foreign Office extension: Good story and lore, good rewards. Unlocks additional options in the Foreign Office carousel. Lets you choose between various unique Spouses or Home Comforts; which you can get depends on whether you side with the Face or Teeth.[/li][li]Empress’ Shadow: Excellent story and rewards. Permanently unlocks Sinning Jenny’s Finishing School, an area with a lot of content (including some for each seasonal event) that lets you grind various Favours and use actions to refresh your deck. Each ending of The Gift unlocks an option, one Lost in Reflections ending does too, and having played The Frequently Deceased unlocks a student. The primary story has many endings, some of which give rare and hard-to-find items.[/li][li]Investigating the Twelve Days of Mr Sacks: This covers several different small stories so no general pronouncement. Each gives a 312.5 echo item and varying amounts of Taste of Lacre. I’m mostly mentioning this because helping the Duchess gives Cantigaster Venom, a +12 Dangerous weapon.[/li][li]Uncovering Secrets Framed in Gold: Excellent story and lore, minimal rewards. This one is worth it even though there’s little mechanical benefit. Going all the way removes your acquaintance with the Repentant Forger (and getting it back afterwards costs Fate) but unlocks an option on the Rare card in the Bazaar Sidestreets, The Skin of the Bazaar. This option unlocks Passion, a unique Destiny.
Exceptional Stories
(Some of these give hard-to-find items but for the most part I don’t remember which. Stories typically give 62.5 echoes worth of item(s) if not otherwise stated. All seasonal conclusions give a 312.5 echo item.)
No season:
- Haunting at the Marsh-House (May 2015): Good story, one ending gives a unique Lodgings instead of an item. It’s a Remote Address that reduces Nightmares when moving in.[/li][li]Court of Cats (June 2015): Mediocre story, no special rewards.[/li][li]Lost in Reflections (July 2015): Excellent story, one ending unlocks an option in the Finishing School.[/li][li]Last Dog Society (August 2015): Didn’t play through this myself but read the whole thing in someone’s journal. Mediocre story IMO.[/li][li]Cut with Moonlight (September 2015): Great story, unlocks an infinite card-based source of Mirrorcatch Boxes.[/li][li]Discernment (October 2015): Good story, atypical rewards. Allows purchasing a Coruscating Soul at a discount.
Heart’s Blood:
- Flint (November and December 2015): Excellent story and lore, atypical rewards. Permanently unlocks a new port, Apis Meet. Gives up to three unique pieces of equipment depending on choices. Gives a 62.5 echo item partway through and a choice between a Dreadful Surmise, Elemental Secret, or Searing Enigma at the end. Final reward also allows one major quirk adjustment or removal of Stains on your Soul. Has a hard mode.[/li][li]Art of Murder (January 2016): Good story, atypical rewards. Some rewards scale up to 62.5 echoes depending on choices.[/li][li]Waltz That Moved the World (February 2016): Great story. One ending gives a Fragment of the Tragedy Procedures.[/li][li]Season conclusion: Good story and lore. Gives an Elemental Secret or Dreadful Surmise.
Family Ties:
- The Frequently Deceased (March 2016): Great story, no special rewards. Many flavor options unlocked by many different items, including obscure ones.[/li][li]Seven-Day Reign (April 2016): Good story, no special rewards. Has a hard mode.[/li][li]Pentecost Predicament (May 2016): Great story, no special rewards.[/li][li]Season conclusion: Great story and lore. Gives a Coruscating Soul or Starstone Demark.
Revolutions:
- Five Minutes to Midday (June 2016): Good story, no special rewards. Confusing mechanics can limit your final choice based on earlier decisions![/li][li]Chimney Pot Wars (July 2016): Great story. One ending lets Seekers gain a level of SMEN instead of an item.[/li][li]Calendar Code (August 2016): Excellent story and lore, no special rewards.[/li][li]Season conclusion: Great story and lore. Gives an Intriguer’s Compendium or Starstone Demark.
Wrecks:
- Where You and I Must Go (September 2016): Great story, no special rewards. Chance partway through for Seekers to gain a level of SMEN. Has a hidden story path.[/li][li]Our Lady of Pyres (October 2016): Good story, no special rewards. Slightly confusing mechanics for deciding final outcome.[/li][li]The Final Curtain (November 2016): Excellent story, no special rewards.[/li][li]Season conclusion: Great story and lore. I forget what the possible rewards were; at this point the season conclusions began to have a lot more ending options so I can’t keep track of what they all gave.
Skies:
- Persona Engine (December 2016): Great story, no special rewards.[/li][li]Twelve-Fifteen from Moloch Street (January 2017): Excellent story and lore, no special rewards. You can visit Hell though.[/li][li]Century Exhibition (February 2017): Good story, no special rewards.[/li][li]Season conclusion: Excellent story and lore.
Stones:
- Clay Man’s Arm (March 2017): Good story, no special rewards. Gives a unique quality tracking whether or not you now have a clay arm.[/li][li]The Heart, the Devil and the Zee (April 2017): Good story, no special rewards.[/li][li]HOJOTOHO! (May 2017): Excellent story. One ending unlocks an option on the Urchins card giving a Favour and reducing Nightmares; the other unlocks a great ending option for the Foreign Office carousel. (Too bad the carousel is pretty bad in general.)[/li][li]Season conclusion: Excellent story and lore.
Ruins:
- Web of the Motherlings (June 2017): Good story, no special rewards.[/li][li]All Things Must End (July 2017): Great story. Permanently unlocks a new port, Tanah-Chook. This location has a 1.75 EPA carousel when fully optimized but doesn’t allow access to cards.[/li][li]The Attendants (August 2017): Great story, no special rewards.[/li][li]Season conclusion: Not out yet!
Even trying to be succinct, that took AGES to write. Wow.
I will, in fact, disagree. Lore-wise Flint is excellent. Likewise for the writing. But story-wise? Flint really doesn’t have all that much in terms of story. The whole thing is a Quest but there’s little overarching plot. Most of the text exists to give life to the unusual locations you’re exploring, not to tie them in to your larger journey. Sure, there are individual plot arcs - your Deputy, for example - but most of Flint is focused squarely on being an Adventure, not a Story.
Flint is a fantasitc piece of writing all right, but if someone’s looking for story specifically they’d be much better off buying multiple cheaper stories instead.
edited by Optimatum on 7/31/2017
I will, in fact, disagree. Lore-wise Flint is excellent. Likewise for the writing. But story-wise? Flint really doesn’t have all that much in terms of story. The whole thing is a Quest but there’s little overarching plot. Most of the text exists to give life to the unusual locations you’re exploring, not to tie them in to your larger journey. Sure, there are individual plot arcs - your Deputy, for example - but most of Flint is focused squarely on being an Adventure, not a Story.
Flint is a fantasitc piece of writing all right, but if someone’s looking for story specifically they’d be much better off buying multiple cheaper stories instead.[/quote]
I also definitely agree with this.
Flint has great writing and great locations. But the story is very poor.
Trade of souls 6: forgettable story, but you get a nice grind (if you don’t mind raise heartless a lot). It’s connected to other stuff, but I got it too late.
Trade of Faces 8: Good story, useful reward (tbh with renown conversion three of them are less useful) and a possibly very good lore reward.
Flute street 8: No story (unless you consider the first travel a story, I don’t) but a lot of interesting lore, an interesting item and a nice companion.
Theological Husbandry 8: Well, good breeadable companions and transport, and even more with Flute Street, but very disappointing ending since it could change your A Power in Waiting quality.
Contract: a Miniature Menace 6: Well, very forgettable story but you get a nice companion, i s’pose…
edited by Chronos on 7/31/2017
edited by Chronos on 7/31/2017
Our Lady of Pyres does in fact have a special reward. Siding with the Visionary, advising them to stay at the Wreck, and sending them the bequeathment is the only possible source for an Element of Dawn.
You can also get Elements of Dawn from the Last Dog Society, from Flint if you keep the Knapt during the first half, or from the lucky dip at Sacksmas (2% chance).