Guest
10/20/2015
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With a little out of pocket spending included with the grind, it's going to take about three to three and a half days total (when I get one of the components as a Midnighter) and only that "fast" due to Exceptional Friendship. So overall, it does take around a week to grind if done without Fate or lucky Fidgeting Author methods.
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
10/21/2015
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If your life lacks purpose after finishing the Yacht or Zubmarine grind, just go plug away at the Affair of the Box! It's a good source of some higher-tier items and one of the most profitable endeavors in the game. And with the Hesperidian Cider and Heptagoat out there, I can promise you'll be occupied for quite a while :P
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Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome.
 Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi!
PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Sestina Valdis
Posts: 210
10/21/2015
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Optimatum wrote:
If your life lacks purpose after finishing the Yacht or Zubmarine grind, just go plug away at the Affair of the Box! It's a good source of some higher-tier items and one of the most profitable endeavors in the game. And with the Hesperidian Cider and Heptagoat out there, I can promise you'll be occupied for quite a while :P
That's a good suggestion! I'm currently training my other stats now-- Dangerous in particular-- and I will get to Affair (again) after I am able to breed beasts. My life did lose purpose, but I found it again very quickly... I did not know Affair was so profitable, but I will take note. I was planning to get my Shadowy up after my Persuasive is maxed for PoSI spec.
Indeed, I am going after the goat... Hopefully this sundry author does not regret tampering with caprine authority.
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Sestina Valdis, the Saccharine Satirist.
Appearance and Misc. Accoutrements
A Past Scattered Across Discarded Stockings
Fei Xue, the Artful Assassin.
Self
Edward de Riere, the Barebones Baron.
Avatar by Daniel Ilinca.
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
10/21/2015
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I believe that the Affair is about 1.66 Echoes Per Action when getting Mourning Candles as the reward. The Fidgeting Writer is also highly profitable but much more luck-based (and in my opinion harder, since it needs so many more storylets and items). The Fate-locked expeditions are possibly the most profitable repeatable actions in the game but of course cost Fate each time. (For example I did the Gallery of Serpents several times and all but one time got two Elemental Secrets, aka 625 echoes for definitely under 100 actions, not counting the Uncanny Incanabula if you keep them.)
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Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome.
Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi!
PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Sara Hysaro
Moderator
Posts: 4514
10/21/2015
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The Affair of the Box is either 1.64 epa or 1.42 epa depending on which side you're on.
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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.
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Grenem
Posts: 2067
10/21/2015
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Optimatum wrote:
I believe that the Affair is about 1.66 Echoes Per Action when getting Mourning Candles as the reward. The Fidgeting Writer is also highly profitable but much more luck-based (and in my opinion harder, since it needs so many more storylets and items). The Fate-locked expeditions are possibly the most profitable repeatable actions in the game but of course cost Fate each time. (For example I did the Gallery of Serpents several times and all but one time got two Elemental Secrets, aka 625 echoes for definitely under 100 actions, not counting the Uncanny Incanabula if you keep them.)
The most profitable non-exploitive, yes. Otherwise, if you don't mind burning through fate like grass, the ray-drenched cinder through fate is the best way to earn money, though that's only availibe partway through the nadir quest.
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Married!:http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/takuza
I will accept all social actions that do not consume free evenings- and i will provide patronage to anyone who requests it, though it will be split between all requesters.
On psudeo-hiatus. Will be inactive and active and fluctuate without warning.
Grinding Favors without cards: http://community.failbettergames.com/topic22266-storylet-favors-grinding.aspx
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Sestina Valdis
Posts: 210
10/21/2015
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I already gained Nadir access, so that's out of the question. But thanks! That's good because my Empire's Kingmaker quality is high enough for candles with Affair. Nice.
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Sestina Valdis, the Saccharine Satirist.
Appearance and Misc. Accoutrements
A Past Scattered Across Discarded Stockings
Fei Xue, the Artful Assassin.
Self
Edward de Riere, the Barebones Baron.
Avatar by Daniel Ilinca.
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Gerald Edgerton
Posts: 127
10/23/2015
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Truthseeker, here is where I stand and how I view the matter:
-People have suggested that 10 attempts gets me up towards 90%, and that 15 attempts gets me even into the mid-nineties.
-I'm rolling with 20+ Favours, and that's in spite of that I usually use at least one per week after Time the Healer knocks down my Waves.
-I have 15 Comprehensive Bribes, largely the fruit of spending an awful lot of time with the Hollow Eyed Hedonist. I eventually got annoyed with how fast my Persuasive was growing, and geared up for a 100% chance. The absolute avoidance of failures and Scandal does fatten up my effective profit margins in needed Romantic currency; once I have around, say, 3500, that's usually enough raw value to offset another Bribe. That usually takes around 70 turns, or the better part of a busy day.
-Favours have come easily, though only because of our shared career path; Bribes have come the hardest. I play cards in Veilgarden, though just enough to grow my Amber stakes to match my supply of Bribes.
-I need a little amber to reach 15 full stakes, allowing 10 attempts, (five stakes being needed to sit down), while I'd like to be prepared to lose 15 times. Time the Healer will push my Favours even further beyond my needs this Saturday. I've grown bored of mining honey, although 15 Comprehensive Bribes is a fairly worthy grind - that's a one-turn action with OK profit margin for a PoSI of decent ability.
Broadly speaking, I would recommend 20 stakes because it sounds like the RNG doesn't like either of us. Who knows? We could realistically win our first hand and be left holding hundreds of Echoes worth of unneeded capital.
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Guest
10/24/2015
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After I almost hit myself because I had a 98% persuasive chance and succeeded the luck check but failed the persuasive check (I made sure I always had 100% from then on in both stat checks) and three failed luck attempts, I succeeded in my fifth attempt when I ran out of the rest of the resources if I wanted to continue. It looked life five was the right number for me.
To save days of additional grinding, I did buy a lot of honey with Echoes but it was worth it to learn what I needed to know. Since I have a Hedonist Alt who must have the yacht one day, I know the amounts I have to stock up and how long in a very similar fashion (she's currently a Writer, so she has the Cellars of Wine like I had the Favours in High places with my main.) While I realize it could take over a week to a week and a half to make sure I have enough resources for a likely success with pure grinding and no spending, I now know what is expected.
Thanks to all for their assistance!
Any anybody who is interested in the success results (besides viewing the text on truthseeker's journal,) I've spoilered it below:
[spoiler]
Yours!
You sit around the little baize table. The other players welcome you with guarded hunger. Their stakes, like yours, are stacked behind their chairs, transforming the cellar into a treasure-trove from a fairy tale.
You shuffle the tiles. They're made of ancient horse bone, smooth and long yellowed. You build the wall and begin. Play isn't just brisk, it's fiercely fast. It's no more than two minutes before Mr Apples declares 'Imperial Jade' and you lose a pile of amber the size of a dog.
The tiger racks up the most wins. Quick, dirty victories that annoy the former priest and don't actually contribute much to the tiger's fortunes. The night turns into morning, and night again. You play hand after hand.
You've lost track of time. You've been playing for days. Your world is a blur of tiles. Mr Apples has been doing badly. He keeps fishing for the moon at the bottom of the sea, and that's a fool's bet. Your stake is almost gone, too. You suggest a final hand. New stakes. You each stake your service for a year. Mr Apples stakes its ship. You pick your tiles and... Heaven's Bounty. Even Mr Apples can't believe it. It departs without a word. That's it. You have the finest ship afloat. And as it happens, a de-frocked priest and a tiger to add to the crew.
Persuasive is increasing...
You succeeded in a Persuasive challenge! (Simple challenges mean you don't learn so much.) [?]The higher the Quality, the higher the chance of success.
Watchful is increasing...
You succeeded in a Watchful challenge! (Simple challenges mean you don't learn so much.) [?]The higher the Quality, the higher the chance of success.
You were fortunate!
 Zailing the zeven zees.
An occurrence! Your 'An Explorer of the Unterzee' Quality is now The Captain!
 The journey is always better than the destination.
You now have 1 of this: 'Majestic Pleasure Yacht'
 On the lookout for a seaworthy vessel
Your 'Acquiring a Ship' Quality has gone!
You've lost 5 x Cellar of Wine (new total 1).
You've lost 5 x Favour in High Places (new total 13).
You've lost 5 x Comprehensive Bribe (new total 0).
[/spoiler]
edited by the truthseeker on 10/24/2015
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Dr Cop
Posts: 38
10/25/2015
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One small recommendation:
If you convert all of your comprehensive bribes upfront, you're going to be burning through a lot of extra echoes if you get lucky and win early. And there aren't *that* many uses for comphrensive bribes in the late game; if you end up with 10-15 spares, you certainly won't be using them.
So grind up the raw materials, and then convert them at the sidestreets before each new attempt.
(Or you could try to invoke Murphy's law by converting a bunch at a time. After ~15 losses doing it the 'right' way, overstocking on comprehensive bribes worked for me!)
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fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/hawkinsssable
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Guest
10/25/2015
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uli wrote:
One small recommendation:
If you convert all of your comprehensive bribes upfront, you're going to be burning through a lot of extra echoes if you get lucky and win early. And there aren't *that* many uses for comphrensive bribes in the late game; if you end up with 10-15 spares, you certainly won't be using them.
So grind up the raw materials, and then convert them at the sidestreets before each new attempt.
(Or you could try to invoke Murphy's law by converting a bunch at a time. After ~15 losses doing it the 'right' way, overstocking on comprehensive bribes worked for me!)
I'd convert them 5-7 at a time at most.
When you win the hand, you use 5 bribes (the only thing not consumed is the Amber, as noted earlier.) Assuming you somehow have spare bribes still, you can then use/grind the remainder of them to purchase the Landau and/or upgrade your Shadowy-based to Unscrupulous Raven Advisor (and besides the Diary and Bazaar permits, this also requires a Living Story delay for the final form. I just did this with the remainder of my materials and spent money for the Diaries of the Dead gained from selling most of my Amber back into Echoes.)
And that's just the more complicated of multi-turn end-cycle items. Bribes actually (from certain Ambitions to Doubt Street to Courting non-player spouses and player spouses alike and lots more) have many uses as linked here. But yeah, if you have 15 total Bribes on hand, you went a little nuts here. Detox from your Moon-laced box of Sunlight post haste! 
edited by the truthseeker on 10/25/2015
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metasynthie
Posts: 645
10/26/2015
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When it comes to things like Bribes which don't sell for nearly the cost of grinding them -- I'm really curious why you'd spend the time to grind more than 5 at a time, considering you might get lucky and end up wasting a lot of actions that you could have spent more profitably on other goals or on making 1.64 echoes per action in Spite. This is really a question about personal preferences and psychology more than anything: is it the horrifying prospect of having only five bribes/cellars/favours, losing five times in a row, and realizing you'll have to go back to grind out five more of each? Is it that much more satisfying to grind ten *beforehand* and be more likely to win when you sidle up to the table, rather than having to "leave the game" and grind more in the middle of your sequence of card games with Mr. Apples? Is it about feeling really prepared and secure?
There's a similar psychology at work, I think, in the fact that a lot of players raise their chances for challenges involving "Running Battle..." and "Investigating..." and so forth up to 100%, which is pretty much always a waste of actions in the long run if you do the math. How much is it worth to you to avoid the agony and frustration of random defeat?
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Positively antique
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/metasynthie
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Dr Cop
Posts: 38
10/26/2015
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There's a bunch of research suggesting that people are extremely risk averse; we consistently prioritise avoiding losses over potential gains. (1 bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush, etc.) It's why it's psychologically so difficult to see the Fidgeting Writer all the way through, even though - with enough iterations - that's pretty reliably going to be the best strategy. (Unless you fool your brain by mass-converting one stage at a time, which makes each stage feel like much less of a gamble.)
When you fail a yacht-gamble and lose materials it cost you a day to grind, it stings. If you do this once per day, each day is going to feel like a defeat. If you play through a bunch at once (and if you're lucky enough to win one of those times), it feels like a victory rather than a loss.
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fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/hawkinsssable
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Gerald Edgerton
Posts: 127
11/11/2015
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I thought this might amuse some of you.
Stakes required to play: 5 (Favours, thousands of Amber, cellars of wine...)
Stakes ground: 20 (Midnighter payment, Ladybones gathering of the Great Game, that same unrelenting addict in Veilgarden and that same damnably easy card game)
Hands played when I got tired of waiting: 1
Stakes needed: 5
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