I know, I know, I can go to unfinished business on watchmaker’s hill. Everything I read keeps saying to do that BUT I don’t want to because the payout is a very wide flat distribution (ie. you spend 5 actions to roll 1 dice with 1000 sides instead of l 5 dice with 200 sides each and therefore it creates extremely swingy outcomes even if you have enough dangerous to make it a 100% chance. If you don’t (and I don’t) it’s even swingier.) and I find flat distributions super frustrating about 1/3 of the time which isn’t fun for me. So what is the SECOND best way to grind rostygold if you don’t want to gamble super hard in Unfinished Business?
Do you have a lot of rats? Alternatively, do you mind becoming a Rat-Catcher for a spell? Trading rats in to the Department of Menace Eradication in Watchmaker’s Hill is a pretty decent return if you’re in the market for Rostygold, and farming them through the same storylet as a Rat-Catcher is a pretty fair way of getting the rats you need (otherwise you’d be using Shadowy for Unfinished Business).
If that doesn’t appeal to you then there are a number of alternatives here. In a pinch the Black Ribbon Society will provide well for those mid-early game players who just want a sure thing.
I can GET a lot of rats probably but this is less of a one time thing and more of a persistent problem I’m having. I keep needing 500 rostygold for Larks with the Stags and various other favour events and cards and just never seem to do anything that gets me rostygold with any regularity and the only persistent option I can find (since I think dueling the black ribbon has a pretty low EPA unless you get the challenge other duelists option every time? I can’t find any good charts for what that works out to)
Yes, Black Ribbon Society has a pretty low EPA. Putting down 500 Rostygold for the Young Stags every time it turns up will definitely drain your supplies pretty quickly, and I’m not entirely sure of a playstyle that will naturally keep up with that without resupplying pretty regularly. Some thoughts below:
How far have you progressed in the Labyrinth of Tigers? If you aren’t beyond the Third Coil then you can combine that with Hunting Dangerous Prey to hunt for Snuffers in Veilgarden until your Dangerous is capped. If you’re interested in Poet-Laureate then you can also write as many Drinking Songs and Zeefaring Epics as you’ll need for that. By the time you’re ready to claim that title you’ll be drowning in enough Rostygold that you won’t have to worry about it for quite some time.
I have my reputation Society up to 20 already so don’t need to keep it up FOREVER… but awhile yet. Especially in the election cycle where getting favours is so easy. That said I am beyond the third coil. I’m kind of annoyed with how that coil played tbh because if I’d known that was a 1 time thing I’d have milked it more. I assumed it was a carousel I could get back on. As for poet lauriette… literally do not know what that is. It sounds empresses court (which i’m currently kicked out of) or veilgarden (where I can’t find any options for it) thing? I’m currently kinda stuck because I have like 4 plot threads I need to go to zee for (Jack of Smiles, Heart’s Desire, University, Empresses Court) but I want to wait until the election is over before I do it since this is my first big time specific event so I’m kinda just puttering around gathering supplies, shoring my stats up and tying loose ends where I find them.
I suppose that given the choices currently available I’ll take the low EPA over the 5 action “click 4 times and then you’re done for the next 2 hours” gamble.
Yes, Poet Laureate is something you do once you get back into the Empress’ Court following your exile. It adds a number of new works to explore, and two of those new ones provide Rostygold as payment. It doesn’t currently do anything, mind, but at least in this case you’d be getting something you need as you go.
Absolute best (it is janky) is to have a weaker alt. Buy them a bunch of tinctures of vigour, repeatedly duel them lethally. You’ll win, get 600 Rosty for 3 actions (plus MW and Dangerous) and they’ll have to drink 5 tinctures or so to go back down to 6 (just make sure to go directly to the myself page instead of letting the game take you to the boatman).
an idea is perhaps hunting rats in Spite (pickpocket in Unfinished business) and turning them (all) in in Watchmaker’s hill for Rostygold (I did that once)
I get my Rostygold through University investigations that I cash in through “More than just messages” in “The Heights of Chicanery” in The Flit. But just like the Third Coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers, those University investigations require that you don’t progress too far with that story.
Flip cards in Spite, and you can get an opportunity to trade 2000 foxfire candle stubs for 2000 rostygold and a church favour (plus a mystery of the elder continent if you can make the shadowy check). If you’re short on foxfire candle stubs, call in church favours at the Shuttered Palace.