This is the place to discuss playing the game. Find tips, debate the best places to find certain items and share advice.
Mechanical benefits of allying/kiling Big Rat?
Harlocke
Posts: 506
6/19/2016
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I understand that both options unlock a bunch of different storylets. Mechanically, are the rewards for one side considered superior?
Story-wise I'm conflicted between helping my rat allies and learning his secrets.
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I welcome social actions, and can visit your salon as an author.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Harlocke
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Bertrand Leonidas Poole
Posts: 335
6/20/2016
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CALLNXW wrote:
Sparing Big Rat gives you the best Casing grind option as long as you only want the items, and not care about echoes.
On the other hand, you have to leave a subhuman abomination alive, and who wants to do this?
Excuse me, some such abominations are nice people.
Not going to argue that the Big Rat is a terrible horrible person who is a neurotic paranoid tyrannical criminal though.
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Wiwo
Posts: 365
6/20/2016
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CALLNXW wrote:
Sparing Big Rat gives you the best Casing grind option as long as you only want the items, and not care about echoes.
On the other hand, you have to leave a subhuman abomination alive, and who wants to do this?
Actually, it's often the best casing option in general, since it trades 2.4 E of goods (3 TRF) for 9 CP of casing.
Compare to the POSI Hoodlum option, which is 5 actions for 18 casing.
So for 18 casing either way it takes us:
Big Rat - 2 Actions and 4.8E
Hoodlum - 5 Actions and 0E
As long as you can make 1.6E/A or better, it's a better option. Apart from the fact that, in my experience, if you don't keep a large stock of TRF around, you'll run out without realizing it and click the Running Battle assistance option instead. 
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Wiwo. Almost certainly not a squid in a cunningly tailored suit. Surely.
 Care for some cider? Here's how to ask me for some. Strange pranks strongly preferred.
Care to pet a Heptagoat? Too bad. It doesn't do anything (probably).
I'm a Correspondent and would be delighted to lecture at your orphanage.
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MrBurnside
Posts: 188
6/20/2016
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Wiwo wrote:
CALLNXW wrote:
Sparing Big Rat gives you the best Casing grind option as long as you only want the items, and not care about echoes.
On the other hand, you have to leave a subhuman abomination alive, and who wants to do this?
Actually, it's often the best casing option in general, since it trades 2.4 E of goods (3 TRF) for 9 CP of casing.
Compare to the POSI Hoodlum option, which is 5 actions for 18 casing.
So for 18 casing either way it takes us:
Big Rat - 2 Actions and 4.8E
Hoodlum - 5 Actions and 0E
As long as you can make 1.6E/A or better, it's a better option. Apart from the fact that, in my experience, if you don't keep a large stock of TRF around, you'll run out without realizing it and click the Running Battle assistance option instead.
Wish I'd thought of that while getting Masters to 11. It took me forever to get all those TLS. Even cutting it down by a few percentage points would have been welcome.
Edit: There's something else here worth noting too: This is a reasonably efficient way to reinvest Echoes into the item economy. Unless grinding for a heptagoat of Cider, there reaches a point where Echoes are about the least useful reward an action can provide (in an ironically EPA balanced analysis at least).
Heists are at least reasonably profitable. If you use Echoes to subsidize them, then you are efficiently turning a less useful resource into a more useful one.
edited by MrBurnside on 6/21/2016
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Wiwo
Posts: 365
6/19/2016
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I was conflicted as well, but since Heists of various kinds are very useful and in many cases are a profitable grind, I allied with him. The option to spend TRF for casing is great and there are some other situationally useful options as well.
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Wiwo. Almost certainly not a squid in a cunningly tailored suit. Surely.
Care for some cider? Here's how to ask me for some. Strange pranks strongly preferred.
Care to pet a Heptagoat? Too bad. It doesn't do anything (probably).
I'm a Correspondent and would be delighted to lecture at your orphanage.
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