Hannah Flynn
Administrator
Posts: 491
6/1/2015
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Delicious friends! Our second Exceptional Story is now live!
A new arrival to Fallen London brings with him a pungent cargo - and an opportunity. Seize it, and assist the Duchess in arbitrating the secret Court of Cats! Interrogate witnesses. Travel to the Misermere. Pass judgement.
All players can encounter a certain Liverpudlian visitor on a new storylet, available throughout London. Exceptional Friends can then pursue the story at the House of Chimes.
Please remember to be liberal with your use of spoiler tags when discussing this story. 
In addition to a new, substantial, stand-alone story every month, Exceptional Friends enjoy:
- Access to the House of Chimes: an exclusive private member's club on the Stolen River, packed with content!
- An expanded opportunity deck: of ten cards instead of six!
- A second candle: Twice the actions! 40 at once!
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Wields the news canon, aboard the hype train.
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RandomWalker
Posts: 948
6/1/2015
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I enjoyed the story, and loved looking around Parabola. I'm a mercenary at heart, though, and thought the rewards were a bit hit and miss.
For what it's worth, I took the three different endings with my alts:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/RandomWalker?fromEchoId=5838442 favouring the PB
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Third~Walker?fromEchoId=5838872 favouring the V
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Stroller?fromEchoId=5838681 favouring the O
edited by RandomWalker on 6/1/2015
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
6/1/2015
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RandomWalker wrote:
I enjoyed the story, and loved looking around Parabola. I'm a mercenary at heart, though, and thought the rewards were a bit hit and miss.
For what it's worth, I took the three different endings with my alts:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/RandomWalker?fromEchoId=5838442 favouring the PB
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Third~Walker?fromEchoId=5838872 favouring the V
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Stroller?fromEchoId=5838681 favouring the O
edited by RandomWalker on 6/1/2015
You are a hero. No more requests for ending PMs, look here, everyone!
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
Possibly-Useful Things: Spreadsheets and hints and link collections, oh my.
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Sara Hysaro
Moderator
Posts: 4514
6/16/2015
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I didn't like how random the content was. The previous exceptional story had more content than you could see without failing the first time through, but you were in full control over what you saw. This one had more repetition due to the RNG, and while I liked the story on the whole I feel it could have been better if things weren't so reliant on luck, especially when each action feels like it's progressing the case and you end up rushing through it all. The mechanics hindered the story, in my opinion.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Sara%20Hysaro
Please do not send SMEN, cat boxes, or Affluent Reporter requests. All other social actions are welcome.
Are you a Scarlet Saint? Send a message my way to be added to the list.
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Kaigen
Posts: 530
6/1/2015
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I rather liked the way they parceled out the rewards. Roughly equal in value (aside from the more mercenary option), but running the gamut from the rare but not particularly useful, to the useful but not particularly rare.
I'm keeping a list of mirrors that have been peeked through. Someone poke me if I'm missing any.
Through a misplaced mirror
Through a high mirror
Through a scuffed mirror
Through a forgotten mirror
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Just a simple doctor with a chess habit. Publisher of The Flit Dispatch.
"One must remember that the impossible is, alas, always possible."
-Jacques Derrida
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genesis
Posts: 924
6/1/2015
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Excellent! Look forward to munching on this story, though possibly not for a couple of days as have some deadlines 
Just as a reminder of some discussions that happened regarding the last exceptional story:
1. It's ok to echo different choices in your journal
2. It's ok to edit the title of the journal entry to add a summary of the material rewards associated with that storylet
3. It's ok to link to your journal posts
4. The number of PM requests last time was deemed to be somewhat on the excessive side.
So if people could be so kind as to note the various material rewards of the different paths in the titles of their journal entries then we should be able to have a decent crowdsourced summary in little time without breaching FB Fate discussion rules and swarming the thread with PM requests.
Interestingly, this story already seems to have different rewards rights from the very first storylet.
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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Monogatari
Posts: 19
6/1/2015
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Very much enjoyed this ^^.
Echoed in my profile for the sequence of the Duchess through to the Viscountess. Ending left me a little ??? which was something I quite liked, as my decisions in last months' felt quite concluded. This time, just all the more curious about the Court of Cats et al.
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Monogatari of Fallen London. SMEN. Who Is Salt? /
But all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.
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MadmanAtW
Posts: 231
6/28/2015
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I liked this month, but my main complain could actually be [spoiler]the untelegraphed stat hit when getting the final reward if you chose one of the cats- not a big deal to most players, but a huge, huge hit to someone who happens to lose from a stat they spent notability to increase.[/spoiler]
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Madman~Across~the~Water
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Xoricco
Accepting any social actions except the Affluent Photographer. Would appreciate warning of dupings/betrayals/rats.
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metasynthie
Posts: 645
6/1/2015
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I can't decide which of these snippets makes a better Exceptional advertisement for this story, but I enjoyed them both.
I would have gone for the Parabola-Ham but still, an obvious affair is a slap in the whiskers:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/metasynthie?fromEchoId=5835293
!!:
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/metasynthie?fromEchoId=5835419
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Positively antique
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/metasynthie
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genesis
Posts: 924
6/1/2015
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Cecil Palmer wrote:
Reading back through this thread, it's not entirely obvious what's happening. I'm seeing conflicting information, that it'll be available again for a fate cost, that it'll be available for a 3 month window, and I thought I read somewhere that content unlocked would stay unlocked (that might have been on the irc? I can't find where I thought I read that anyways), but I could be mistaken.
My understanding from that thread is that:
1. Exceptional stories cease being available at the end of their designated month.
2. For 3 months they remain *un*available (that''s the 3 month window that I think you are referring to).
3. At the end of the 3 month window they will become available again subject to an increased Fate cost.
4. The three points above are on the assumption that you do not start the exceptional story *at all*. If however, you go through the first two storylets (the free universal one and the next one in the House of Chimes that awards you the relevant quality) then that quality will unlock the story for you until you complete it and will allow you to disregard the one month original duration, the three month unavailability window and everything else. So provided you play the initial two storylets you can then let the rest of the story "hang" as long as you want to with no fear of it disappearing.
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
6/4/2015
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an_ocelot wrote:
And so it begins. The start of my echoes is here; where a choice is presented, the one I took is noted in the title of the results echo; where a material reward is obtained, it is also noted.
I'm done now except for (edit: ) the second branch of the resulting opportunity card; despite strenuous efforts, I was unable to obtain the testimony of a scarred baroness, but I believe this should otherwise be complete.
edited by an_ocelot on 6/4/2015
edited by an_ocelot on 6/5/2015
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
Possibly-Useful Things: Spreadsheets and hints and link collections, oh my.
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metasynthie
Posts: 645
10/7/2015
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There's an opportunity card that appears afterwards but only if you have Nightmares 5+, I believe.
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Positively antique
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/metasynthie
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Skinnyman
Posts: 2133
10/9/2019
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Jolanda Swan wrote:
Knowing what I know now, I prefer to imagine they realized they had more in common tham they initially thought in that year.
Having said that, the reconciliation option gives neither the interesting and chilling twist which the Viscountess' option gives in the end, nor an extra card like the Bishop does - though story-wise, it could very well give you both, especially given that it was the most troublesome path to take. I wouldn't agree with them realizing anything; the text implies something else.
But I agree that the Viscountesses option on the card is more interesting than the Bishop's.
--
ESs items and quality requirements sheet. Please check if there are errors or if something is missing
Achievement list if you're feeling bored!
I am accepting Plant battles, Neath's Mysteries card, Starveling Cats and boxed cats.
No suppers, no second chances gain and no need to cure my menaces!
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genesis
Posts: 924
6/8/2015
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I am slightly confused as I think I missed a chunk of content and I am not entirely sure if I misclicked or if I was lacking necessary qualities or something..
After the first Development, a break was called and I was expected to see two individuals. But I don't think that happened to me. I was just returned to the main storylet where I was given the usual options to:
[spoiler]
Undermine each party, stall for time or take an air-related choice.
[/spoiler]
Seeing there appeared to be nothing new I proceeded with the next Development, which has now opened up an option to travel to a special place. But I never got to interview the two individuals (and looking at other peoples' journals) there definitely were things those individuals had to say.
Did I click too fast? Where were those choices?....
edited by genesis on 6/8/2015
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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Rackenhammer
Posts: 354
6/8/2015
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OK, Feedback Time!
FB staff may note that I put a 3 out of 5 when asked by the Urchin what I thought of the story. Overall, I liked the writing and the rewards were decent, but my issue was with the structure.
As far as I can tell, the storylets were set up so that, based on how the luck/quirk checks worked out, the player would receive an overall impression from the testimonials that leaned one way or the other, both in the Quality numbers and in the impression given by the writing itself. Thing is, since I went out of my way to seek out all of what was there, it muddled my sympathies and left me with a rather confused impression of the real picture. Naturally, of course, the case was supposed to be difficult and the sides ambiguous, but... I don't know, I just didn't like it as much as the Haunting. Didn't hook me, I suppose.
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"DO NOT TRUST HAPPY ENDINGS. DO NOT FEAR SAD ENDINGS... NEITHER ARE ENDINGS."
~
Mathieu Psmith: The Bard of Lost Children, loving husband, and a fixture of the artistic set. Can never resist making a show of things...
Irene Psmith: Adopted Daughter of Mathieu. Specializes in Information, Acquisitions, and the Acquisition of Information.
Vaughan Montblanc: Once a frontiersman of Western Canada, he now practices medicine in London. His discretion may be absolutely trusted.
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vitamancy
Posts: 43
6/15/2015
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I'm in the middle of the story right now.
The header art in Misermere with "Fallen London" written backwards is a nice subtle touch.
Vitamancy.
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genesis
Posts: 924
6/16/2015
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As I recently got another Enquiring Urchin card, where I gave this three stars so I thought I'd also share my thoughts.
What worked for me:
* The Duchess and Parabola; interesting parts of the world and I am glad we got to see them
* Good rewards, especially with the Opportunity cards
* The jolt of excitement at seeing the *Gold* border on the reward Opportunity
What did not work for me:
* Structurally it was less well crafted than the Haunted Mansion story. As I mentioned above (or in a related thread) I missed a chunk of the story accidentally and the qualities did nothing to either prevent that from happening or, at least, acknowledging that it *did* happen (I was told that I have to interview two individuals, which I never got a chance to do and the story just progressed, very discontinuously)
* The main conflict did not seem fully fleshed out. I didn't really feel that I had enough information about either side
* Several aspects seemed... arbitrary. I am sure there is a reason for them but those reasons weren't conveyed clearly to me. Why was the PB's award what it was? It suggests an affiliation with a certain faction that was entirely absent in the story. What were the motivations of the third party to the adjudication? That request came slightly out of left field.
* The story wasn't very tied in to my character's development. For example,
[spoiler]
while out of character I am aware of what Parabola is and who Fingerkings are in the game I have not reached that information yet. So it was very strange for my character to be totally nonplussed at all the blaze reference to the Fingerkings and not attempt to seek further clarification.
[/spoiler]
edited by genesis on 6/16/2015
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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Flyte
Administrator
Posts: 671
6/1/2015
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genesis wrote:
My understanding from that thread is that:
1. Exceptional stories cease being available at the end of their designated month.
2. For 3 months they remain *un*available (that''s the 3 month window that I think you are referring to).
3. At the end of the 3 month window they will become available again subject to an increased Fate cost.
4. The three points above are on the assumption that you do not start the exceptional story *at all*. If however, you go through the first two storylets (the free universal one and the next one in the House of Chimes that awards you the relevant quality) then that quality will unlock the story for you until you complete it and will allow you to disregard the one month original duration, the three month unavailability window and everything else. So provided you play the initial two storylets you can then let the rest of the story "hang" as long as you want to with no fear of it disappearing. This is exactly right – thanks for providing a summary.
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MadCookieQueen
Posts: 6
6/30/2015
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I loved this story line (also a big cat person myself). It was very engaging, with great dialogue and difficult decisions to be made. I tried to keep them together; but alas. . . cats.
If the Exceptional Friends exclusive story lines continue along this path of amazing, I will be a friend from now until the zombie apocalypse.
--
A Perfectly Mad Profile
"we are all mad here" - Cheshire Cat
Feel free to send helpful social actions (I will ignore anything considered harmful, such as Loitering) and the like, I enjoy having new friends.
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Kaigen
Posts: 530
6/1/2015
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I also echoed the result of siding with the Viscountess, along with a couple of...fascinating dreams I saw through the mirrors in Parabola.
[spoiler]I'm not sure what to make of the one, but unless I've missed my guess, the other implies that someone in the government is toying with the notion of attacking the Presbyterate...[/spoiler]
Anyone curious about the material rewards for siding with the Viscountess can feel free to PM me.
edited by Kaigen on 6/1/2015
--
Just a simple doctor with a chess habit. Publisher of The Flit Dispatch.
"One must remember that the impossible is, alas, always possible."
-Jacques Derrida
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Brad O'Connell
Posts: 72
6/1/2015
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Well, I liked this one better than the first, but not as much the end choice. My character felt obligated not to screw over one of the parties involved at the marsh-house, but would have been absolutely fine doing so in this case, but was not given the option.
PS. If anyone would like to know the reward of having them stay together PM me. I'd love to know the rewards of the other two when someone chooses them.
Ah, I see the issue with the PMs. Fortunately i did exactly what genesis suggested for my own benefit, so feel free to just look at my journal as well.
edited by Teleri13 on 6/1/2015
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Teleri
Up for all social actions except suspicious loitering and trailing the affluent photographer, unless you go with the a selfishness option, in which case go for it. May space out requests for menace reduction.
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
6/2/2015
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What a delightful story! I oversaw a fair trial and let the evidence fall where it would, and I think justice was done in the end.
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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Catherine Raymond
Posts: 2518
6/2/2015
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Sir Frederick Tanah-Chook wrote:
What a delightful story! I oversaw a fair trial and let the evidence fall where it would, and I think justice was done in the end.
I saw to it that they settled (i.e., remained together) which was a greater justice than what the outcome of the proceedings would have been for me (favoring the Prince-Bishop).
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Cathy Raymond
http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/cathyr19355
Catherine Raymond aka Mrs. Rykar Malkus http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Catherine%20Raymond (Gone NORTH)
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Kade Carrion (an_ocelot)
Posts: 1372
6/2/2015
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Has anyone tracked Airs of London WRT the witnesses? I'm cycling through trying to get all of them, and either my notes are wrong or the witness you get is random within a range of Airs (that is, witnesses are not tied to a particular Air).
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Social Actions: send them to Kade Carrion (she/her; no Tournament of Lilies, please). an_ocelot has gone NORTH and cannot benefit from social actions!
Possibly-Useful Things: Spreadsheets and hints and link collections, oh my.
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