astranox you don’t need to buy the route to any area, except Mahogany Hall, as they all open as you go through the making your name trackers.
Take your time and these things will happen at their own pace.
And do use the Wiki page! People put effort in it so we can at least try and use it.
I was drawn again to the Fidgeting Writer roulette for some reason. It took about 60 actions but I got one Coruscating Soul in the end (poor guy). Is there any complelling reason to think of the whole story as a bad investment, save its nerve-wracking mechanics?
I’ve never gotten around to it, myself, but I hear that if you’re lucky, it has quite a good EPA. If you aren’t, then you could stand to lose a fortune. Besides, a Coruscating Soul for 60 actions is about 5 EPA, minus whatever it cost you to get.
[quote=Jolanda Swan]I was drawn again to the Fidgeting Writer roulette for some reason. It took about 60 actions but I got one Coruscating Soul in the end (poor guy). Is there any complelling reason to think of the whole story as a bad investment, save its nerve-wracking mechanics?[/quote]It’s a case of investing resources to get resources, and it’s not as easily repeatable as alternative grinds nowadays. Taking into account the need to grind for Tales of Terror, it averages out at around 1.57 epa (versus ~1.92 epa without resources grinding), which is less than Affair of the Box (1.64 epa), which is easily repeatable and still has access to London’s opportunity cards.
This is additionally contrasted with the current "best" echo grind, the tiger-orphan adoption service, which asymptotically approaches 2.22 epa as initial investment increases, and it is easily repeatable by selling the obtained items to buy more orphans. This does not have access to London’s opportunity cards, but it’s better for fast play.
In other words, Fidgeting Writer is a great story and by no means a bad investment; it’s a nice way to make money if you have a pile of Tales of Terror. It’s just not the absolute optimal grind.
Is there any permanent quality at all to selling your soul? And on a related note, what’s the best/easiest way to sell it, and how long does it tend to take to get back?
I’m asking because I would normally never even consider selling it, but I just realised that for London’s Blood the Luxuries choice (unlocked by owning all 5-card lodgings) is the one that makes the most sense for my character. But it requires the upgraded Embassy lodgings, and those require a soul contract for their Penstock’s Wicket option, or a bit over three thousand scraps. And for London’s Marrow I’m definitely grinding for the Treasure’s option (~13000 scraps) so having to pay full price for the Sanctum would kill me, nor do I want to sell the Nadir location. So, in view of all these circumstances, I end up in the situation where I’d be willing to sell and regain my soul just to make the game mechanically easier, and forget about this juncture from a roleplay perspective - which is only possible if doing so leaves no permanent mark.
EDIT: Disregard all this, my soul is already stained and the logistics of working around that and timing Flint correctly (Flint is the one that removes stains, right?) while accomplishing my other goals (which is to trim my deck by wiping houses first, then reset SMEN, then wipe renown) is just too much hassle. I guess a spymaster will be learning of the Nadir after all.
Thanks for the info anyway, interesting to know.
edited by Dudebro Pyro on 7/16/2018
[quote=Dudebro Pyro]Is there any permanent quality at all to selling your soul? And on a related note, what’s the best/easiest way to sell it, and how long does it tend to take to get back?[/quote]Only if you use Fate to purchase it back. Most profitable way to sell it if you’ve played the Soul Trade is to sell it on the City Vices: What profit? card, which gives a 312.5 echo item (a Coruscating Soul, I believe EDIT: Nope, just checked. It’s a Fabulous Diamond). I’m not sure what it is if not.
To recover your soul afterward, it’s probably best to wait. You can regain your soul through a Bundle of Oddities. Dispersing the crowd in One’s public and engaging in piracy on the high seas are the options most likely to regain your soul. You can exchange surprise packages, but each package only gives you a 1/1000 chance.
edited by Azothi on 7/16/2018
I made the exact Fodgeting Writer calculations - up to the point you can be exact, given that you could very well end up with nothing. Subtracting the cost of the materials, the EPA was 4,16 both times.
Less boring than the tiger grind, double the EPA, you get to stay in London… but infinitely more dangerous.