Trying to find a happy medium

So I COULD play the game randomly–just click on any action that looks interesting and see what happens. But I’m developing kind of an idea about my character and what he wants to do, so I want to try some specific action. That’s where it gets complicated.[li]

I want to do The Pianist and the Spirifer. But that requires Getting to Know Cobblestone Rogues and Back-Alley Saints. How do you get that? Well, it makes a reference to Gossip in my lodgings, but I don’t have any actions available with the gossip that can raise that requirement. I’ll occasionally see quests like hunting rats that will raise it, but very slowly. The wiki lists quite a few quests in that category, but it includes quests that REQUIRE the quality as well as GIVE it. By the time I backtrack through links to figure out what I need for the quest to get the quest to get the quest for Getting to Know Cobblestone Rogues and Back-Alley Saints I’m thoroughly lost.

I love the feel of the game, but I don’t want to spend half an hour scratching my head and poking through the wiki every time I want to do something. Should I just follow stories randomly or is there some easier way to figure out where the heck to start when I see a questline I want to pursue?

You can just feel things out and try whatever looks interesting in Spite (Try the alleys) to get in the direction you’re going, or you can put it off indefinitely. The option at your lodgings comes after you’re too high level for most of the content and want to go back because you didn’t realize you missed it.

It’s worth mentioning you’ll always be getting the quality if you grind what lies in the shadows every week or so. That way you shouldn’t need to spend much gossip.

If you’re looking for a happy medium, try looking about Mrs. Plenty’s Carnival. You might catch Madame Shoshana in a good mood.

/rimshot

Generally, I’d say clicking randomly is the way to go. There are a FEW ways to lock yourself out of certain storylets, but they essentially involve grinding a stat outside of the normal manner, and as such are unlikely to happen if you’re going about randomly.

As far as the Rogues and Saints storyline goes, that content was intended to be something done over a long period of time. It’s assumed that you’re going about your business in London and every so often the Last Constable, Cheery Man, Pianist, or Spirifer have something for you to do.

Most storylines in the game have a rather direct way to progress: You come across a storylet or card that starts it, then keep an eye out for any storylets or cards which require the story’s quality in order to get more of that quality and progress. The two storylines involved with Rogues and Saints is the only case I know of where grinding unrelated storylines is required (Barring the usual raising of core stats and acquiring various goods you may need).

The Cheery Man and Last Constable don’t progress with the Rogues and Saints quality anymore. They’re living stories now.
edited by Sara Hysaro on 5/23/2013

[quote=litlfrog][li]
I want to do The Pianist and the Spirifer. But that requires Getting to Know Cobblestone Rogues and Back-Alley Saints. How do you get that? Well, it makes a reference to Gossip in my lodgings, but I don’t have any actions available with the gossip that can raise that requirement. [/quote]
It’s the Trading gossip option - you need free of surface ties and some incendiary gossip[/li][li]