After a little scrying in my crystal wiki (and some suspicion founded on the shaded ‘unlocked with’ options in certain storylets), I’ve come to suspect that becoming a Person of Some Importance might be a Faustian pact. Surely, I’ll gain access to a lot of new potential content, but it seems that it will become significantly more arduous and expensive to excise nightmares, wounds, suspicion and perhaps also scandal.
Given that much of one’s daily grind is already given over to keeping such maladies in check, increasingly so as I find myself exploring new areas of London, I’m wondering if I should put it off as long as I still have sensible other things to do with my time?
Or are the reduced benefits of the bottled remedies I’d usually use for these problems offset by other, more efficient ways of keeping myself trim?
One particular worry – I have been stockpiling half-bottles of Tincture of Vigour in anticipation, since unlike their complete counterparts their storylet doesn’t bear the warning that becoming a PSI will reduce their potency, but it now occurs to me that this is but weak assurance. Perhaps it implies that on attaining this dubious notoriety, rather than retaining their full value, they’ll be of no use at all, fit only to be sold to the bazaar for the pittance they’ll offer for saliva-tainted mouthwash. Which fate can I expect for them? edited by Arepo on 12/6/2013
It’s true that those of Some Importance find the old remedies less effective, but they also gain access to some rather nice new remedies. Off the top of my head, the Library, God’s Editors, the Velocipede Squad, the Obdurate Stallion, the Parthenaeum and the Jewel-Thief all offer menace-reducing cards (though admittedly, some of those are luck-based.)
For some strange reason Half Bottles of Tincture of Vigour work for POSIs. There are other things that POSIs can get that reduce menaces, but some of them are Fate-locked.
But to be honest Menace area are not too bad, apart from the Slow Boat if you play K&C.
I just went POSI last week after putting off the jump for a long while and it was very much worth it in my opinion. I would do as much of the pre-POSI content as you possibly can before going POSI.
You can still use half-bottles after turning POSI (I just did yesterday!)
Otherwise, general tips I’d give:
You can do Cave of the Nadir before going POSI and it’s very much worthwhile to do so. Though a bit of a grind, the extra regular cash from Nadir makes getting the post-POSI items much easier.
More generally, I would suggest doing everything you possibly can pre-POSI, pre-posi, with one exception. Go ahead and complete the university, look at Mahogany Hall and the Labyrinth of Tigers, etc.
That one exception: do not get yourself permanently expelled from the Empress’s Court! The "Making Waves" options there are just too valuable!
Anyway, that’s how I did things and I’m very happy with the result. I got POSI last Friday and I already have an Orphanage, a Respectable Landau, and have progressed from Watcher to Agent. Partly that’s because of the extra December actions we have right now, but it’s also because I’d already done Nadir, etc., so I had a lot of cash to dump into my Orphanage, lots of Connections built up to burn on post-POSI stuff, etc.[li]
On menaces generally though – for the most part it seems the easiest way to deal with Menaces is just to dive right in and get yourself sent to the tomb-colonies, mirror marches, etc. (There’s even a way to consistently make decent bank with each trip to the Mirror Marches, though it costs an implacable detective’s business card each time). So far at least I haven’t noticed that changing as POSI, but I’ve only made a couple trips to the Tomb-Colonies. edited by Dr. Hieronymous Alloy on 12/6/2013
Presumably if these are cards, they’ll only be sporadic though, as opposed to the various potions which are available instantaneously and without limit if I bribe the right people?
I recommend finding a contact with whom to exchange Menace-reducing social actions. One friend and I have been doing this for months, and I’ve still never died, gone mad or been back to jail. Exiled a few times though, but it’s not so bad.
I’ve received a large number of tinctures and laudanum from F.F. Gebrandt and my plan was to drink it all before becoming a PoSI. But I rarely need any of it, as I can always keep my menaces down with a moment’s peace, a restorative, law’s long arm, an elaborate strategy with a cat in a box, siding with the Church vs Hell, or siding with Urchins vs the Widow. And some of the more advanced dreams have luck-based reduction of nightmares, and investigating Dr Schlomo is a very effective option with very high Watchful. I’d have to put in a deliberate effort to wreck myself nowadays. And I’m not even PoSI yet.
So I wouldn’t worry. Then again, I may be more cautious than most. I’ll probably try to consume all the laudanum before becoming a PoSI, just for the Hedonist in me who would want more gifts.