If their help isn’t helpful, they would probably appreciate a feedback email, especially if you can tell them what they could have said to be more understandable
puts on museum guide hat 
In 2014 - before Exceptional Friendship even existed - Failbetter started releasing a special Fate-locked story per in-game festival (which at the time consisted of Hallowmas, Neathmas and FotER - the others were introduced later). Thus, Hallowmas 2014 had A Trade in Faces, Neathmas had The Gift, and the FotER 2015 had The Blemmigan Affair.
In May 2015 they introduced Exceptional Friendship, and thereby monthly Exceptional Stories. This seemed to spell the end for “special” Festival stories, but November/December 2015 then saw the introduction of Exceptional Seasons, and the release of the two-part-super-ES Flint (which therefore may also count as Festive Story 2015).
From 2016 on, a special “premium” Fate-locked story would be released shortly before Christmas:
2016 - The Empress’ Shadow
2017 - The Marriage of Feducci
2018 - The Ceremony
2019 - The Brass Grail
Since 2020 the Festive Stories seem to be tied to particular locations in (or even outside) Fallen London. They have also become smaller in size compared to those from earlier years:
2020 - Upwards (Bone Market)
2021 - The Poisoner’s Library (Jericho Locks)
2022 - The Mushroom’s Dream (Mangrove College)
6 Likes
Thanks for that - I either missed it when looking or it hadn’t yet been created. I’ve now managed to complete it and will read the wiki if I ever return for more psychedelic experiences.
I need more than they probably want to include - this is why the wiki is essential to me. My brain simply can’t take a few sentences of description and apply it, something to do with the card/story mechanic means I lose track of the process while trying to follow the story or vice versa. The tables and paragraphs of explanation in the wiki are so important.
I feel I’ll be mixing concoctions for months to build up supplies - Titus Ban
Also very useful for anybody who hasn’t been thru Jericho locks - Titus Ban
Does anyone have any idea if the Storm-Threnody EPA of 4.54 beats NW → Rat → Maniac → upconvert?
Found some time and with the perfect Tribute grind (1 AP/favour and no other costs) is 6.53 EPA. This only translates to 3.96 EPA when upconverting all the way the Threnodies.
The AP goes like this: 1.82 for Maniac, 0.44 for Plaques, 0.5 Aeolian, 0.2 for Urchin favour and another 0.2 for 1 Threnody.
So if anyone needs Storm cries, best head to the Mushroom port!
I must say I find it rather disheartening to find another of these stories that is centred around a carousel of some sort, with what feels like just a bit of flavour text in between rides on it. That’s two in a row like that. Seems like a nice way to pad out a tale, and skimp on actual story. 'Let’s keep sending ‘em back to that process we just built, guys, and maybe they won’t notice there isn’t actually much content here.’ Really hope this is the last one like this.
Still, it was nice to have somewhere new to sail to, I guess…
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I loved this! It took me more actions than I’d like to work out the carousel and I’m still figuring out how not to waste actions. But I liked making mushroomy concoctions and then tripping on them with the Cynic and various other ways of getting at The Truth including licking someone. 
But the main thing I love, as usual with FBG writing, is the concise way they skewer a current topic, in this case social media platforms and their tendency to create “echo chambers” where people’s beliefs are reinforced instead of questioned and new thought isn’t nurtured, leading to intellectual or philosophical stagnation.
Anyway good job FBG: my character will be visiting the Mangrove Colleges in the future.
2 Likes
One small complaint. That this story does not recognise my character’s association with the blemmigans from “the Blemmigan Affair” is understandable; of course they don’t all know each other. But I have the Blemmigan Hat from that story. Not even Diogenes (though he’s a very nice equippable reward that I was delighted to receive) notices my little lavender associate. And now I have two blemmigan hats…
2 Likes