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11/13/2018
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So, this in a nutshell is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to FBG (and by extension its fandoms) nazi-esque no spoiler policy when it comes to fatelocked content: it means I have no idea whether or not a given expenditure of fate will be worthwhile outside of any mechanical benefits it might bring me.
As it presently stands I've done *most* of the fatelocked content in the game, with a handful of exceptions. Annnd given the holidays are incoming I planned to finish up what I missed as a gift to myself. Thing is, I have a cap on how much money I'm willing to sink into the endeavor and won't be able to do *everything* I've missed, and I'm unsure what to go for given how little information I have to go on. So, here's what I'm missing, and I'd be very much obliged if someone could give me the broad strokes of what it is I'd have to look forward to:
1) A Majestic Pleasure Yacht
I *had* intended to trade up my sea skimmer for a zub, but if I'm going to be spending fate I might as well get myself a blinged out party boat. Only issue is that I'm unsure exactly how much fate it'll run me to bypass the grind.
2) The Empress' Shadow
I did "The Gift" and enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm given to understand this story is about The Empress' only non-eldritch abomination (meaning dull) child. (Chose not to look because unlike my seeker my main doesn't go out of his way to tempt fate.)
3) A Trade in Faces
I've been in & out of the foreign office already, and I'm pretty sure I've already guessed what the punchline to this story is, beyond that is it worth doing?
4) The Blemmigan Affair
The fact that I'm already poet laureate and within shooting distance of being a paramount presence tells me that a storylet intended for new characters & aspiring poets *probably* isn't worth my time at this point, but I could be wrong.
5) Lost in Reflections
This one's pretty much a certainly, ever since I got my fancy backstage destiny I've done everything in my power to get behind mirrors- but I still wouldn't mind a little more info about what's involved. (Wouldn't hurt to curry a few favors with another member of the calendar council given that I just burned November & passed over the Contrarian for the Injurious Princess on Hallowmas.)
6) Haunting at the Marsh-House
Am I right to assume this one involves the same gentleman I met in the process of becoming a bishop during "The Sinking Synod"?
7) The Court of Cats
Always liked The Duchess but never really got too involved with her, always wound up closer to The Gracious Widow- doesn't help that I'm generally not big on cats. Still, wouldn't hurt to be able to call in a few more favors with the other side of the War of Illusions.
8) The Last Dog Society
This is one of those stories with a description that did absolutely nothing to arouse my interest.
9) Cut With Moonlight
See #8 for details.
10) Discernment
Being a spirifer, this one does make me a little curious. Buuut "The Heart, the Devil & the Zee" already gave me a peek behind the curtain of the soul trade so it seems a little redundant at this point.
11) Correcting a Misapprehension at the House of Chimes
Last and least, I wouldn't mind trading up my "Not to be Crossed" quality for "A Wanderer of Parabola" (again, anything to get behind mirrors)- but only if I have literally nothing better to spend 30 fate on by that point.
edited by Isaac Gates on 11/14/2018
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
11/14/2018
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Isaac Gates wrote:
If I wanna describe someone as a spoiler nazi, I will. My advice to you is this:
Get over it.
Comparing "no spoilers" policies to genocide was of questionable taste, but doubling down in this manner is just outright rude - and thus in violation of Forum Rule #1. I advise you to reconsider your attitude.
Regarding your questions... I will say that the Empress' Shadow might not be a monstrosity, but that doesn't mean she's not involved in grand political intrigues of, above and below the Earth.
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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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babelfishwars
Administrator
Posts: 1152
11/14/2018
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Isaac Gates wrote:
Eh, I might give it a look.
(And the difference is I'm not trying to passive aggressively micro manage their speech or citing vaguely worded rules of etiquette to try and shut them up. I'm just flatly stating I don't care if they take issue with that terminology.)
edited by Isaac Gates on 11/14/2018
Sir Frederick is a forum moderator; they are enforcing forum policies. Please re-read the forum rules, here: http://community.failbettergames.com/topic5-forum-rules-please-read.aspx
Sassing the moderator is not acceptable.
You've had plenty of answers, so I'm closing this thread.
edited by babelfishwars on 11/14/2018
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Mars, God of Fish; Leaning Tower of Fish
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Azothi
Posts: 586
11/14/2018
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Isaac Gates wrote:
Jolanda Swan wrote:
Just a thought, but maybe removing "Nazi-esque" from the description would help you get more answers.
Anyway, there is a "Fate-locked content" thread that might help you more.
Firstly, I already got what I needed within an hour. Secondly, the colloquialism dictionary includes: grammar nazi, etiquette nazi and (thanks to Seinfeld) *soup* nazi. If I wanna describe someone as a spoiler nazi, I will. My advice to you is this:
Get over it. The point still stands that "Nazi-esque no spoiler policy" is, in my opinion, inaccurate and not useful to the conversation, and the "Fate-locked content" thread (which I know you can find because you're the most recent post there) can be a useful resource.
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Azoth I, the Emissary of Cardinals - A Paramount Presence (not currently accepting new Proteges)
Away to where the Chain cannot bind us.
 Hesperidean.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1789
11/14/2018
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Just a thought, but maybe removing "Nazi-esque" from the description would help you get more answers.
Anyway, there is a "Fate-locked content" thread that might help you more.
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Lover of all things beautiful, secret admirer of ugly truths, fond of the Parabola Sun... and always delighted to role play.
http://fallenlondon.com/profile/Jolanda%20Swan
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Azothi
Posts: 586
11/14/2018
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Isaac Gates wrote:
So, this in a nutshell is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to FBG (and by extension its fandoms) nazi-esque no spoiler policy when it comes to fatelocked content: it means I have no idea whether or not a given expenditure of fate will be worthwhile outside of any mechanical benefits it might bring me. First, don't worry - answers to the questions will be found below. I just wanted to respond to the idea that FBG and the fandom has a "Nazi-esque" no-spoiler policy. Failbetter has, in my opinion, has remarkably lax of a policy regarding Fate-locked content considering just how easy it is to find. The highest-quality Fate-locked content (Exceptional Stories) is the easiest to find, while what the fandom deems worse (like Rubbery Murders or Daughter in the Shadows) is much harder, albeit not impossible to find.
Their policy when it comes to Fate-locked content is that it not be recorded in the fan wikis and that vast quantities of the story not be shared on the public forums. These are reasonable, in my opinion, since this is paid content that they're producing as a business. Each Fate-locked story has a description and a brief free-to-play introductory storyline, and the fandom holds polls and rankings for Fate-locked stories.
The parts of the game that are surrounded most in secrecy are the ending of Seeking and that one other [REDACTED], but both only politely ask that they not be spoiled. The ending of Seeking explicitly states that Failbetter will not enforce secrecy about the ending - it's entirely up to the community whether they want to share or not. The secret has been fairly well-kept among the community, and that's a testament to the power of the story. The ending is not as meaningful without the journey to accompany it. If anything, it's just as easy to find the "secret" ending of Seeking as it is to find any Exceptional Story, which is to say, not very difficult. This is problematic to an extent, but I use it as an example to highlight my disagreements with this idea of a "Nazi-esque" no-spoiler policy.
Isaac Gates wrote:
As it presently stands I'd done *most* of the fatelocked content in the game, with a handful of exceptions. Annnd given the holidays are incoming I planned to finish up what I missed as a gift to myself. Thing is, I have a cap on how much money I'm willing to sink into the endeavor and won't be able to do *everything* I've missed, and I'm unsure what to go for given how little information I have to go on. So, here's what I'm missing, and I'd be very much obliged if someone could give me the broad strokes of what it is I'd have to look forward to: This is the most recent fan survey (April 2018) on Fate-locked content.
Isaac Gates wrote:
1) A Majestic Pleasure Yacht
I *had* intended to trade up my sea skimmer for a zub, but if I'm going to be spending fate I might as well get myself a blinged out party boat. Only issue is that I'm unsure exactly how much fate it'll run me to bypass the grind. 20 Fate [1] , unless you want to spent more to expedite the process in earlier steps. The grind for a zub is still an arduous and long one; it's just that the yacht has an element of luck to it.
Isaac Gates wrote:
2) The Empress' Shadow
I did "The Gift" and enjoyed it quite a bit, but I'm given to understand this story is about The Empress' only non-eldritch abomination (meaning dull) child. (Chose not to look because unlike my seeker my main doesn't go out of his way to tempt fate.) Calling Victoria, Princess Royal, Empress Dowager of Germany (still Prussia in Fallen London lore), mother of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany (yes, that Wilhelm II from World War I) a "dull" child is doing her character a disservice. The Empress' Shadow is a surprisingly touching story about family, and the Finishing School that it permanently unlocks is one of the most useful tools in the game (unless one has the Cider), which offers a small award, a 50% chance of a Favour, and a hand refill for 12 actions. It's also written by Emily Short, an interactive fiction luminary known for developing interesting NPCs (who also previously wrote The Frequently Deceased for Fallen London).
Isaac Gates wrote:
3) A Trade in Faces
I've been in & out of the foreign office already, and I'm pretty sure I've already guessed what the punchline to this story is, beyond that is it worth doing? Haven't played it, but from what I've heard, it's probably not worth it. Mechanically, the rewards have been made obsolete by the Renown items and player marriage, and knowledge of the Face and Teeth is fairly widespread nowadays, I think.
Isaac Gates wrote:
4) The Blemmigan Affair
The fact that I'm already poet laureate and within shooting distance of being a paramount presence tells me that a storylet intended for new characters & aspiring poets *probably* isn't worth my time at this point, but I could be wrong. Again, I haven't played this, but you can always twist the words to fit your character if need be.
Isaac Gates wrote:
5) Lost in Reflections
This one's pretty much a certainly, ever since I got my fancy backstage destiny I've done everything in my power to get behind mirrors- but I still wouldn't mind a little more info about what's involved. (Wouldn't hurt to curry a few favors with another member of the calendar council given that I just burned November & passed over the Contrarian for the Injurious Princess on Hallowmas.) Please, no matter what you do, play this before you go for Paramount Presence. You will experience stat loss if you want to experience the whole story, and it's a good story.
Isaac Gates wrote:
6) Haunting at the Marsh-House
Am I right to assume this one involves the same gentleman I met in the process of becoming a bishop during "The Sinking Synod"? Nope. I'm not sure how long that gentleman has been around in lore, but I know The Sinking Synod was the first time I ever saw him (his appearance at the Feast is new too). This is the very first Exceptional Story, if that's worth anything to you, though.
Isaac Gates wrote:
7) The Court of Cats
Always liked The Duchess but never really got too involved with her, always wound up closer to The Gracious Widow- doesn't help that I'm generally not big on cats. Still, wouldn't hurt to be able to call in a few more favors with the other side of the War of Illusions. To be honest, this story is probably the most explicit depiction of the War of Illusions available (which isn't saying much, in all fairness). I think it's better than people tend to give it credit for, but that's just personal opinion.
Isaac Gates wrote:
8) The Last Dog Society
This is one of those stories with a description that did absolutely nothing to arouse my interest. Then literally don't play it. It ranks very low on popularity polls as well; from the April 2018 poll, only Discernment, Factory of Favours, and A Court of Cats ranking lower. It primarily existed as a tie-in for Sunless Sea. In fact, every one of the pre-Season Exceptional Stories with the exception of Lost in Reflections are Sunless Sea tie-ins.
Isaac Gates wrote:
9) Cut With Moonlight
See #8 for details. See #8 for details, though this is much more well-liked among the fandom, ranking 11th out of 51 Fate-locked stories included in the April 2018 survey.
Cut with Moonlight does permanently unlock some new content, though, which is nice, in a way. I'd focus more on the "lunacy, ambition and addiction" part of the description, though - it's primarily a character-driven story.
Isaac Gates wrote:
10) Discernment
Being a spirifer, this one does make me a little curious. Buuut "The Heart, the Devil & the Zee" already gave me a peek behind the curtain of the soul trade so it seems a little redundant at this point. Discernment is not about the Soul Trade; rather, it's about a deviless and a poet. And, of course, a Sunless Sea tie-in.
Isaac Gates wrote:
11) Correcting a Misapprehension at the House of Chimes
Last and least, I wouldn't mind trading up my "Not to be Crossed" quality for "A Wanderer of Parabola" (again, anything to get behind mirrors)- but only if I have literally nothing better to spend 30 fate on by that point. You can save the 30 Fate for the holiday story about the Jovial Contrarian and the royal family (unless Failbetter spices the formula up this year) coming up.
--
Azoth I, the Emissary of Cardinals - A Paramount Presence (not currently accepting new Proteges)
Away to where the Chain cannot bind us.
Hesperidean.
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Azothi
Posts: 586
11/14/2018
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(No problem. Feel free to ask more or PM if you have any further questions.)
--
Azoth I, the Emissary of Cardinals - A Paramount Presence (not currently accepting new Proteges)
Away to where the Chain cannot bind us.
Hesperidean.
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Tyrconnell
Posts: 271
11/14/2018
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There's something poetic about your being irritated by the words people have written to you... specifically about being irritated by your choice of language.
Anyway, I'll put in a plug for the Blemmigan Affair. Stats-wise, it's going to be a cakewalk for any but the newest characters. I think it's a fun and funny story, though, and you can get a number of nice permanent rewards from it.
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Tyrconnell, a gentleman and doctor of diverse interests and multifarious proclivities
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
11/14/2018
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1) If you have limited Fate, don't bother spending it on a ship. The grind can be frustrating, but time is a much less limited resource than money.
2) Excellent story, good mechanical rewards, ties in with various other Fate-locked stories. (Including Lost in Reflections, which is also on your list.) Well worth it.
3) Trade in Faces has some very special lore and text, with reasonable mechanical rewards. The "punchline" you mention is revealed early and not the focus of the plot, exactly. Pretty good.
4) The Blemmigan Affair is a fun but not particularly substantial storyline. However, completing it unlocks some of the most profitable card options in the game. Specifically, options that give rewards scaling with stats.
5) Incredible story about July of the Calendar Council, Parabola, and a potential sixth city. Does involve some stat loss.
6) Gives you a unique remote address lodgings, but otherwise mediocre.
7) You're presiding over a bunch of snobbish cats having a legal dispute. Whether this seems interesting is up to you. It's not awful, just not great.
8) This one, however, I would describe as bad. Don't bother.
9) Glimpses of an alternate London, madness, intrigue, disorganized crime, permanent rewards... It's a fun time and one of the better stories. Like you said, may or may not be your cup of tea though.
10) Discernment is underwhelming. It does give a glimpse of devil society, but not much else.
11) It's literally just paying Fate to change an entirely cosmetic quality. Don't bother unless you've run out of other things to do.
Azothi wrote:
...and the Finishing School that it permanently unlocks is one of the most useful tools in the game (unless one has the Cider), which offers a small award, a 50% chance of a Favour, and a hand refill for 12 actions.
Slight nitpick: Both the Finishing School and Cider card refreshes are outclassed by Flash Lays. With the Renown: Bohemians 10 item, you can enter a flash lay and be immediately kicked out without consequence. Full deck refresh for only two actions! Granted, there's no semi-guaranteed, but still very effective.
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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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Guest
11/14/2018
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Annnd thank you, helps to have a second opinion- especially given that you've played through content Azothi hasn't.
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