Nudraxon
Posts: 22
7/27/2018
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I've played a few Exceptional Stories that have interesting premises and slowly draw me in with interesting characters and hints of lore, only to let me down with unsatisfying endings (i.e. The Bones of London). This one is kind of the opposite: I wasn't very interested in the premise initially, the characters weren't very interesting (except for the urchin, but it would take considerable effort to create an urchin whom I don't immediately like), but the story is redeemed somewhat by late lore revelations, and a final choice that felt quite meaningful, for me at least.
I can never resist taking the "bad" endings. However, I feel that the whole "This is a very bad idea. Do not do this" warning is becoming a bit overused. When it is used for options that are only bad from a narrative standpoint, it lessens the effect for truly bad choices which will permanently damage your character (i.e. Seeking).
[spoiler] Of course, there's the possibility the my eye will eventually "hatch", and it will be revealed that it was actually a really bad idea after all. [/spoiler]
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incerteza
Posts: 103
7/27/2018
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The Curious Watcher wrote:
There are lots of weird, insane revelations to have come from this story. [snipped because the forum does not allow two spoiler tags in one message]
I guess it might explain [spoiler]that map of London with a web-like pattern in the Calendar Council's library.[/spoiler]
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Tintinnabulum
Posts: 61
7/27/2018
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What item(s) should one end up with after the story's over? (That is, what's the item that'll be the trade-in after the season is concluded.) I've seen a few mentioned here so far, none of which I have, and no one mentioned the one I did pick up early-ish in the story (see spoiler for that 'un).
[spoiler]a Used Eyepatch - and not a wearable one, either, a Curiosity[/spoiler]
edited by Tintinnabulum on 7/27/2018
edited by Tintinnabulum on 7/27/2018
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Tintinnabulum
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datarama
Posts: 18
7/27/2018
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Did anyone choose to wall them up and walk away?
(my character is a mad scientist with revolutionary leanings who means to bring down the judgments, but he hasn't yet seen an insane scheme he didn't want to be part of.)
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Professor Anton Moebius, the Antidisciplinary Scientist
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Josiah Thimblerig
Posts: 52
7/28/2018
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TheManicMan wrote:
<snip>
Thank you. Since the choice didn’t seem to have much of an narrative effect, I chose to help the Council with their excavation work in the end, which sadly didn’t change much either. I know that permanent upheaval in Fallen London isn’t much of a thing due to obvious reasons, but I feel like it would’ve been great to hear about how the whole thing with the spider-judgment monstrosity went down instead of being left in the dark about it in seemingly all endings. So while I personally didn’t mind the adrenaline lacking chase sequence, I think the ending is just a tad disappointing.
edited by TheManicMan on 7/27/2018
I picked this option, hoping to have a choice to sabotage the work or at least exploit my knowledge of what was going on. No such luck.
Is this the only choice that doesn't give an item?
edited by Josiah Thimblerig on 7/28/2018
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Josiah%20Thimblerig
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The Curious Watcher
Posts: 263
7/28/2018
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datarama wrote:
Did anyone choose to wall them up and walk away?
(my character is a mad scientist with revolutionary leanings who means to bring down the judgments, but he hasn't yet seen an insane scheme he didn't want to be part of.)
Here is the echo.
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The Thirteenth Master of the Bazaar:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Thirteenth%20Master%20of%20the%20Bazaar
The Silent Vake Hunter: GONE NORTH
The Ravenous Wanderer:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Ravenous%20Wanderer
The Melancholic End-Bringer:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Melancholic%20End-Bringer
The Lethal Nightmare:
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Lethal%20Nightmare
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annalibertas
Posts: 161
7/28/2018
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Really enjoyed this one! The first half especially was great, with me frantically trying to fix my house as it falls down around my ears and then the body horror of the council/council reveal was really well done.
But, I accidentally reloaded the page and lost the results to my final choice (burn it down). Would anyone mind sending me an echo of the text/what the rewards were?
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Anna%20Libertas
Accepting all social actions & boxed cats
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Julliah%20Randolph
Alt, will accept all social actions whenever I log on
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
7/28/2018
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Check out the most recent entry in my journal, for the text, at least!
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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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0bsidian Fire
Posts: 117
7/28/2018
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Echo of you burning out the Spider Council: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Kharagal%20Mierqid?fromEchoId=14500602
The reward is (fittingly) a Searing Enigma.
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Kharagal Mierqid - Bohemian Correspondent who is obsessed with the Language of Stars...
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a Nice Friend
Posts: 127
7/28/2018
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Wow, an exciting new way to heck up your body!
You can now get yourself a nasty spider eye, a clay arm, a rubbery who-knows-what, you can lose your organs, remove your head and fill yourself with wax... who's going to go for the full Neathy makeover?
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Definitely a nice friend - http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/a%20nice%20friend
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TheManicMan
Posts: 3
7/28/2018
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Josiah Thimblerig wrote:
TheManicMan wrote:
<snip>
Thank you. Since the choice didn’t seem to have much of an narrative effect, I chose to help the Council with their excavation work in the end, which sadly didn’t change much either. I know that permanent upheaval in Fallen London isn’t much of a thing due to obvious reasons, but I feel like it would’ve been great to hear about how the whole thing with the spider-judgment monstrosity went down instead of being left in the dark about it in seemingly all endings. So while I personally didn’t mind the adrenaline lacking chase sequence, I think the ending is just a tad disappointing.
edited by TheManicMan on 7/27/2018
I picked this option, hoping to have a choice to sabotage the work or at least exploit my knowledge of what was going on. No such luck.
Is this the only choice that doesn't give an item?
edited by Josiah Thimblerig on 7/28/2018
It does give an item though, namely the Ratty Reliquary in addition to three 12.5 Echo items I forgot.
edited by TheManicMan on 7/28/2018
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Honeyaddict
Posts: 501
7/28/2018
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While I did like the story, it got a laugh out of me how attacking the man wasn't a dangerous test.
And I'm unsure how the options of burning the council and walling them in would be different. Of course, one leads to death by suffocation and the other to death by burning.
Overall a nice story, but the chase lost it's interest after one or two runs through the sewer.
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Honeyaddict, Scarlet Saint, Paramount Presence
pleasure to meet you.
Has some ideas the Masters won't approve of like some items and establishing a Colony in Parabola.
I will accept most social interactions (not duping). I do enjoy role playing as well.
Have some possibly still active codes!
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Honeyaddict
Posts: 501
7/28/2018
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Optimatum wrote:
-Snip-
The preponderance of luck challenges and fake stat challenges was also very frustrating. Continually failing checks eats up even more actions. I spent ten actions failing to use fire against bats, before even getting the option to consult a plasterer. Then I failed every luck check during the water/gas crisis, so I can't even tell if some better outcome was possible.
-Snip-
I've succeeded most luck challenges multiple times in a row and the issue was that each time water got to 0 gas would rise, which you had to stop, causing water to rise to 2 again, so essentially the best thing to do in that "loop" is simply let the water or gas destroy your house.
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Honeyaddict, Scarlet Saint, Paramount Presence
pleasure to meet you.
Has some ideas the Masters won't approve of like some items and establishing a Colony in Parabola.
I will accept most social interactions (not duping). I do enjoy role playing as well.
Have some possibly still active codes!
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Siegron
Posts: 65
7/28/2018
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Even though I keep to my decision about informing Mr Inch, because that is exactly what my character would've done in the situation, the fact that I will basically not be able to ever find out the other absurd endings kind of really gnaws on me, very very badly, especially because I was able to do that destructive one which was said to not be done. Could anyone please let me know, whether openly or privately, about the two endings and what the rewards were; the one where you keep making the symbol, and the one where you have become close to them and are offered to do something ''that you shouldn't''? Any answers are very much appreciated!
--
 Kid Nullman, the winsome and cheerful arch-agent of the Game. Forget. Them. Not.
 Victor Waxwail, hiding under an irrigo-stained wing of family intrigue.
Always welcoming of roleplay invites!
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Reginald Cooper
Posts: 5
7/28/2018
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This was only my third exceptional story, but it was the most disappointing so far.
It seems to me the story would benefit greatly from communicating a sense of positive progress -- that your decisions are improving or affecting the situation. In your residence, and in the sewers therafter, the story frequently does not convey that you're improving the situation; in the first case, because you're *not*, and in the second, while apparently there was a variable measuring progress, it was carefully hidden from the player most of the time. These storylets created a feeling called "learned helplessness" this is not a feeling conducive to enjoyment.
Then, at the final decision, none of the choices -- and some of the choices seemed quite dangerous -- held any element of risk. While this makes sense in the larger context of an exceptional story, it does further emphasize the feeling of "whatever you choose it doesn't really matter; everything will come out (roughly) the same, anyway." The lack of negative consequence -- or rather, risk of negative consequence -- just accentuates the feelings that the lack of (communicating) positive consequence created earlier; the sense that you are not the hero of the story, just a piece being moved around by it (sometimes, in circles).
That said, the pieces of conversation with the man from the Burrough Council were very nicely creepy and entertaining, and I suppose the first part is a fair simulation of what needing house repairs is like; although why anyone would simulate that for fun, I don't know.
edited by Reginald Cooper on 7/28/2018
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Josiah Thimblerig
Posts: 52
7/29/2018
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TheManicMan wrote:
It does give an item though, namely the Ratty Reliquary in addition to three 12.5 Echo items I forgot.
edited by TheManicMan on 7/28/2018
I meant to say, a wearable item. The Reliquary does have collector's value.
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Josiah%20Thimblerig
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
7/29/2018
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Siegron wrote:
Even though I keep to my decision about informing Mr Inch, because that is exactly what my character would've done in the situation, the fact that I will basically not be able to ever find out the other absurd endings kind of really gnaws on me, very very badly, especially because I was able to do that destructive one which was said to not be done. Could anyone please let me know, whether openly or privately, about the two endings and what the rewards were; the one where you keep making the symbol, and the one where you have become close to them and are offered to do something ''that you shouldn't''? Any answers are very much appreciated!
[spoiler]
The bad idea ending gives a Primaeval Hint, slight Wounds, and a new Companion: a Spider-Infested Eyeball, with +1 Dreaded and Bizarre.
[/spoiler]
Josiah Thimblerig wrote:
I meant to say, a wearable item. The Reliquary does have collector's value.
As far as I'm aware, only the Bad Idea Ending gave a wearable item.
--
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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TeaFiend5
Posts: 21
7/29/2018
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Oh gosh, I'm really torn about what to do for the final decision. I'm very tempted by the bad end choice, mostly because I personally like collecting as many companions as possible with my character, but I'm worried about consequences down the road, as I don't want this to be my character's undoing. Has anyone ever chosen things that are officially "bad ideas" before (outside of Seeking, that is)? If so, have they ever had particularly negative consequences down the road?
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
7/29/2018
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Of the non-Seeking bad ideas I've seen, none of them had later consequences. It was all just immediate stat damage or menaces.
--
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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LordVanBeetlebrow
Posts: 4
7/29/2018
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I stuck to the middle ground, and was not particularly impressed with the story, nor the ending. Guess I should have been more adventurous.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Lord%20Van%20Beetlebrow
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