James StAnthony
Administrator
Posts: 28
12/27/2019
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The Exceptional Story for January is here!
It's opening night at Dolly's, one of London's most exclusive restaurants. The critics are in, pens sharpened to make mincemeat of the new set menu. Tempers will fray; pots will boil. Can you survive a night in the kitchen? You'll have to wait for the reviews to come in...
Fine Dining is the second story in the Season of Animals and was written by Jack de Quidt. In this season you will experience three stories of the bonds between human and beast, the fauna of the Neath and the divides between London and the animal kingdom.
Begin with the Season of Animals card available throughout London.
Editing and QA: James Chew and Olivia Wood
Art: Tobias Cook
Exceptional Friendship
In addition to a new, substantial, stand-alone story every month, Exceptional Friends enjoy:
- Access to the House of Chimes: an exclusive private members’ 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!
Finishing all three stories in the Season of Animals will make you eligible for an additional opportunity, to follow.
If you want to keep an Exceptional Story beyond its release month, you must complete the related storylet in the current Season’s card. This will save it for you to return to another time.
edited by James StAnthony on 12/27/2019
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+3
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Hattington
Posts: 210
12/27/2019
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I'm going to sound like a sore loser and to a large extent that's what I am but: I had no damn way to figure out how to manage the percentages to maximise the probability of a good meal. I've been so accustomed to twist endings I fully expected the Critic to be trying to sabotage the dinner and completely ignored her. I had no way of discerning whether the black marketeer or the bandaged poisonner was making up the tiger's allergy, and frankly I have no idea why the latter had any sensible reason to offer me ACTUAL HUMAN FLESH without even specifying what it was. And then I went on to have some unlucky rolls because I picked two 56~% options and botched both of them.
This isn't my favourite story for a number of reasons, but mostly because it's central conflict left me to the mercy of the RNG.
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The Dawnburnt Vake-Rider: https://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Hattington
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+8
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Wilhelm Leibniz III
Posts: 63
12/30/2019
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I cannot express my relief that the review ended with this:
"...the Head Chef was not behind the travesty that I experienced. For this reason, the restaurant will not suffer a loss." I normally try to be in character a bit on the forums but my honest, out loud reaction to this was "oh my god. Thank god. I didn't destroy his restaurant."
I wish they'd have tied this to your Attributes. I mean a Paramount Presence should have been KNOWN and you'd think have the knowledge to needed to make a decent meal. High Watchful should have caught the undercooking/overcooking/noticed things weren't spiced, etc. Persuasive should have been able to deal with the chaos through force of personality. Shadowy could've used the cunning aspect to offer alternative solutions that no one thought of that could be easier. Dangerous couldn't have helped much honestly, unless the experience of knowing what bits of things are poisonous for more exotic fare is what we're going with.
If we wanted to get connections involved you'd think me being closest to the Urchins could have let me recruit help with buying everything I'd need. I could see Closest to Docks, Criminals, Urchins could have helped at the market by saving time. Closest to Society, Hell, and the Great Game could've helped with the kitchen by sourcing extra help who won't ask questions. Tomb-Colonies and Rubbery Men (And Hell and the Great Game) could provide more exotic cuisine probably. Constables, Church, Revolutionaries and Bohemians coulda been useful with damage control after the nights over if nothing else.
I just don't like when the entire story is up to RNG. No we don't have any experience with cooking in a restaurant but with as experienced as some characters are and as many connections as we can have, you'd think that we'd have some options here to call in favors and figure some things out.
I wish I had come clean at the end instead of playing coy on how bad things were. Maybe the review would have been forgiving of the poor mans restaurant. I did like how my cab driver parroted my words at the beginning back to me on fine dining being barely food.
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Wilhelm Leibniz III, Glassman, Hearts Desire
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+7
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Alonto
Posts: 2
1/1/2020
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In the beginning I was intrigued by the premise, but very quickly I was left perplexed. There is no real explanation who the characters are and what they want, nor did have much clue at any point what I should do to improve the outcome.
Several times I was asked 'which side do you choose?'. No idea mate, I'm not sure who these people are or what's the difference in that choice.
Most of the story felt like a cut-scene in which I don't know the characters, I don't know what's going on, I don't really have any effect on the outcome nor am I invested in it one way or another.
All in all I feel it was a waste of an exceptional story and the actions I used on it.
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+7
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
1/1/2020
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Perhaps I'm disposed to like this story because I was fortunate enough to have done quite well, but... I did think the RNG dependency was thematically appropriate. We might be superhuman adventurers, but running a restaurant kitchen is one area where no-one's talents mean a jot, and disaster is always a hair's breadth away.
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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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+7
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Ms Rose
Posts: 17
12/30/2019
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This story made me feel the anxious chaos of what it would be like to try and salvage a horrifying situation where you have no idea what the right choices are or if your choices are even effecting anything.
On one hand- brilliant combination of mechanics and story telling to help accomplish a solid emotional state. Very well done.
On the other- that emotional state was Intense Anxiety. Its a very well done story, I think, but it wasn't traditionally fun. If I'd been having a very bad/anxious day it probably could've sent me into an anxiety attack (mainly because 'YOU HAVE NO CONTROL' is something I struggle with a lot in my day day day), which on one hand, is testament to how well it captures 'EVERYTHINGS GOING WRONG AND YOU HAVE NO CONTROL' but on the other, well. Anxiety attacks ain't great.
Overall though, very good story and very intense experience.
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Ivy Rose, a woman of gentle sophistication, brutal violence, and deep despair. Open to all social actions.
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+6
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
12/29/2019
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It's not exactly agency that proved to be the problem.
As many have noted, Por Una Cabeza also set you up against a mastermind that held all the cards. The outcome was in many ways predetermined. However, you weren't hurt in the process. In Fine Dining, you were dragged through the mud until the end. To be taken along for the ride without the opportunity to affect the outcome and have said outcome be destructive not only for you but also for the people you are trying to help, unless luck was four times on your side, was guaranteed to leave many people annoyed.
The story of the Clay Man and the Countess was a good example of how a story might be bitter to the end, and still be loved. The Last Constable instead was not. The difference? Some players got to experience a happy end and some got a tragedy - entirely because of luck. Your character might be a gambler but the player probably isn't. Make the experience of the story a gamble instead of having a clear narrative goal and you are guaranteed to leave many people dissatisfied.
To add to that, it made no sense for a character with high abilities, money etc to be unable to find other means of rescuing the operation. The game was rigged to fail. Now, if the end result was a revelation, some lore, a secret, I would mind less, because the epicenter of the story wouldn't be the success of the dinner, but what you learned. But no: your success or failure was the story. So letting some of us get a complete and utter thrashing, was in my opinion ill-advised.
I don't mind FB experimenting at all, even though I stayed away from the game for a whole day after (so sour was the taste). At the same time, I can label some experiments disastrous and unenjoyable. Much like my four course dinner, of course.
edited by Jolanda Swan on 12/29/2019
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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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+6
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phryne
Posts: 1348
12/28/2019
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I had a lot of fun with this one even though everything went horribly wrong.
No, let me rephrase that: I had a lot of fun with this one because everything went horribly wrong.
Maybe my memory isn't the best, but I don't recall a single Exceptional Story where everything I did ended in absolute calamity. This never happened before. And I've played them all.
It wasn't just the RNG playing a big role: from every decision that was put to me, I chose the wrong path. I bought the wrong ingredients. I trusted the wrong people. It was an incredibly sobering experience. I waltzed into this with the typical end-game player's confidence that I'll be able to figure everything out and have the restaurant critics bow to me at the end of the story. Because that's how it usually goes, isn't it? After all, only a few months ago I learned how to be a perfect barber during the course of an ES. Cooking can't be that much harder, can it?---In the end, my only saving grace was owning up to the disaster and thereby (hopefully) saving a few shreds of the Chef's reputation.
I'm glad to see from the echoes The Curious Watcher posted on page 1 that success was actually possible. This is definitely a story, then, that I will replay on a different account in a few months, just to try out different paths and see what happens.
I know a lot of players will think differently about this, but I absolutely love it when an ES offers the full range from total success to utter failure, especially when it doesn't affect our characters in any lasting, meaningful way. In role-play aspects especially, I think it's great for our overpowered PCs to have a few memories of embarassing failures to keep 'em somewhat grounded. 
And once again this story taught me a couple of new words, and a completely new expression, which is one of those things I love about Fallen London. 
edited by phryne on 12/28/2019
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Accounts: Bag a Legend • Light Fingers • Heart's Desire • Nemesis • no ambition
Exceptional Stories, sorted by Season and by writer ― Favours & Renown Guide
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Jules Asimov
Posts: 95
12/29/2019
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Cross-posted to reddit. Both accounts are mine, I did not steal this.
Good Writing. Horrible Story.
It's actually quite impressive how they did both.
It would have been a great Exceptional Story, if they had just. Let. Our. Stats. Have. An. Impact.
As it was, it was all up to the random number god, and I'm sorry, but a yearly tithe of devilbone dice does not excuse the appallingly terrible rolls I got during this tale.
Seriously, part of the point of the game as a whole is that you start from nothing, and build your way up. You begin as a beggar in the gutters, fresh out of New Newgate, and by the end, you are a Paramount Presence, one of the greatest movers and shakers in the neath. The climb is important, as is the progress, because you climb and you progress through the game. Fallen London, ultimately, is a power fantasy style browser game. You climb the ladder and become a powerful force to be reckoned with by end-game time.
But all of that is lost when everything is left up to chance. I mean, for god's sake, I can learn a star language, become a Poet-Luarate, and gain a legendary reputation with every last faction in London, but I can't cook a fricking four-course meal? I had a room full of cooks all ready to work, my two-hundred plus stated character should have been able to do something besides fail miserably. This is that [spoiler]cheery-man-last constable[/spoiler] story all over again. I should have been able to talk someone out of it or affect the outcome but not get caught, but I couldn't since 'it wasn't my story' and ' I'm just an observer' and then the whole thing wound up randomly decided.
The game is my story. You can't build up a power fantasy, then take it away, leave something completely to the whims of fate and chance, and then not expect me to dislike the fact that you did, especially if I've spent years upon years and a small monthly amount of real world money ON said power fantasy.
Overall, I leave just as disappointed as my probably food-poisoned customers. This may have not been as bad as the above example, but the fact that my end-game character didn't have the slightest advantage whatso ever, despite all the time and money I've put into him, and the fact there was no way to grind up any kind of stat to affect the outcome meant that this story is going solidly in my 'worst ones' category.
Seriously, 'leave agency in the hands of the player' is practically part of the ten video game commandments. Taking it away is bad and should only be done when you absolutely know it will work. Taking it away and leaving to purely to chance is just...dumb.
edited by Jules Asimov on 12/29/2019
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Jules%20Asimov
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+6
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
12/27/2019
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I found no way to actually do right. No skills mattered; luck was reasonably on my side yet still a disaster; the slightest 'wrong' choice (no way to tell wrong from right either) was simply ruinous. I loved the Closed Market but other than that a clever, fun setup ended up being... Decidedly unfun and annoying to say the least.
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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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thepetitecouturier
Posts: 2
12/27/2019
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As far as the actual narrative goes, I was ecstatic. Thematically, it was both the culinary and epicurean content I had been sorely waiting for and the depictions of each location were both delightful and immersive.
The mechanics of this ES were frustrating. The ending was far too weighted on repeated gambling and felt like an illusion of choice. If the risks and high rate of failure were supposed to impart some sort of message or cautionary tale to the reader, I can't say I was able to pick up on those ideas from the writing. Only because this is paid content, I feel players should be warned either by narrative suggestion or mechanical disclaimer if they are going to be set up for ultimate failure (or cannibalism), as previous ES's have been good about this in the past.
I really appreciated the new characters in many ways. They were all compelling personalities with engaging and organically constructed motivations. The added element of mystery was very elegantly conveyed. Not being quite sure whether I could trust these new characters and being presented conflicting but flexible evidence of motive made for a POV that felt surprisingly natural and not like I had suddenly entered a crime drama. I did not get an awkward impression from the writing that any of the characters were fighting for the reader's attention, despite handling a broad ensemble cast. In regards to the inclusivity, it was great to see women and people of color having respected roles in the culinary industry.
Thank you for this story. I would love to visit the market again, or have another opportunity for my character to collect ingredients. That was very fun and I hope it can be incorporated into future/regular content.
edited by thepetitecouturier on 12/27/2019
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+5
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Shadowcthuhlu
Posts: 1557
12/27/2019
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Oh god, everything has gone wrong. Please let me know if there is a way for everything not to go horribly wrong.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Dirae%20Erinyes. Closed to calling cards, but open for all other social action. I also love to roleplay.
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+5
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Phèdre Delaunay
Posts: 25
12/29/2019
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As an avid foodie, and somewhat of a cooking aficionado myself, I knew I couldn't skip this story. I had my Exceptional Friendship on hold for economic reasons, and I re-subscribed just to play through it - this is how much I loved the idea, no joke.
So I tried to keep the staff from falling apart, trusted my good old acquaintance the Bandaged Poissonier a tad too much, bought expensive ingredients for both the Critic and the Pastry Chef, yet they managed to botch the last two courses (the first half of the dinner was fine as far as I can tell.)
The Tiger was not impressed, the restaurant lost all its stars, the Chef's reputation is in tatters - yet I loved every moment of it.
With the possible exception of serving human flesh (but, come on, can you really live in Fallen London and still be shocked about it?), I don't feel my choices were particularly bad, yet I utterly, miserably failed.
Do I blame it on the dice? Yep - but for once in a while, that was FUN. I don't buy into the idea that because I have the stats, I should be able to do anything (actually that's been a pet peeve of mine in previous stories.)
My character's no cook, yet she tried to fool a super jaded tiger gourmet... How could she _not_ fail?
In the end, I enjoyed the story immensely. I won't re-play it (I never do that, as I feel it detracts from the "actions have consequences" concept) and will remember fondly that time I destroyed a famous establishment in a single evening.
I mean - some times we want soul-wrenching dilemmas in our Exceptional Stories, or bits of lore, or character development. But I feel like we don't need to get a spider-infested eye or swallow a dream snake every month - after a while, it all just becomes routine. It was nice to just fail for once, especially because unlike other stories, no tragedy occurred (look, everyone will probably need to find a new job - but that's hardly the worst thing that can happen in this town, right?)
I tried my best, and I failed - utterly, grotesquely failed. I find it weirdly exhilarating!
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Phèdre%20Delaunay
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+5
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jennnjennjen
Posts: 3
1/1/2020
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Optimatum wrote:
Edit: I think an ideal path would involve:
To add to this, in case someone decides they want to replay it:
[spoiler]
Give the line cooks more power. Ask the sous chef about the spice rack, try to calm his nerves, and leave him alone with the diners. Get the other cut of meat, and try to do the almost impossible dish—it's the only combination I've seen that leads to that part of the review being positive.
If the dinner is a mess, and you blame the chef --> you lose all stars. (worst outcome)
If the dinner is a mess, and you blame yourself --> stars remain the same. (medium outcome)
If the dinner is good and you attribute it to yourself --> I don't know what happens
If the dinner is good and you attribute it to the chef --> I assume this is the best outcome.[/spoiler]
This is one of those situations where I really feel like it shouldn't be so costly to replay a story. There could be an in-game cost (costing echoes or items, etc.) maybe if you're determined to get a better result, but if it was like 5-10 fate for me to replay, then I would consider it, but seems not worth it at 25 fate.
edited by jennnjennjen on 1/1/2020
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Scienceandponies
Posts: 247
1/10/2020
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I think one of the most jarring points is that the final review seems so disconnected from what actually happened and sense you have of how well things are going at the time. I passed the first two dicey dishes, which were apparently well received. Failed the second two challenging dishes. Seemed to make all the right choices otherwise, but the review acts like it was total disaster start to finish. I went with "alternative" meat (just botching the chert apple to go with it) and the assess damge bit towards the end mentioned everyone licking that plate clean, but the review mentions an unforgivably bad cut of meat, the taste of which he had to wash out with whiskey. When addressing the crowd, they seemed to go from dissatisfied to thinking it was excellent, but the review goes back to calling awful.
The feedback is just all over the place and disjointed from your actual performance. It'd be one thing if I failed big, but there's no reflection of a moderate "meh" performance. We got multiple pages of the review, could they not be adjusted to reflect individual choices so it feels like anything we did mattered?
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silurica
Posts: 210
1/3/2020
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I've been slowly reading playthrough recorded in journals and I can't help but be fascinated by the amount of layers in this ES. So many bits and pieces that vary throughout the ES depending on your choices and success/failure, it's truly a delight. It really makes me wish that this story was made in a format that's more easily repeatable to discover all the variations and results. (Yes, we can reset stories with Fate, but that's a tad expensive, and even more so if we keep resetting it over and over.)
I also have to give praise to the characters. The Maitre D' is a dear and my favorite, but everyone got their endearing moments too, and with each new snippet I read I'm charmed again. And of course, it was also a delight to read about the cuisine of the Neath. Definitely one of my favorite ES from 2019.
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 Meika Osborne, the Reckless Researcher
 Leonard West, the Scarlet Informant
 Chizuru Nishiooji, the Rueful Ex-Diplomat
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Babtest
Posts: 5
1/19/2020
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Well, this did really take me back to being a waitress at a fancy hotel. The chaos, the politics, wanting to help but being unqualified to do so, that feeling when you look at a professional kitchen and just wonder how no one has murdered each other yet, the gang is all here.
It did trigger my flight or fight response, so on the one hand Great Job at flavor, but it also meant i couldn't exactly enjoy it. I just decided early on not to engage with it too deeply, and if everything went wrong, oh well lets burn the place down.
Usually I'm deep in the camp of "lets all just be nice and work together". Which is why I could not work in a kitchen. Still haven't read the review, I'm hoping that taking responsibility for the disaster I send out will at least shift the blame to me, person who shouldn't have been in the ktichen in the first place.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
1/18/2020
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I must say I enjoy the breakdowns of why this story didn't work for so many people: it's like a crash course on game design do's and don'ts. It's also fun to see why others liked the story.
Fallen London always had a limited agency compared to a TRPG, but I think the player is likely to forgive the lack of agency if they enjoy the story... and are more likely to enjoy the story if their characters are not made fools/responsible for someone's misery. I liked chiche's suggestion that depending on your means, you could bribe/bring your chef/inspire people to work together. Since you weren't given a chance, you automatically assumed the game would give you a way to make it work on your own, and that's where the fun would be. So I guess it is a lot about expectations not been met, which is very different from upturning/subverting expectations (generally a good thing).
Huh. We do sound like the greatly dissapointed tiger, don't we?
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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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+4
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Blaine Davidson
Posts: 388
12/29/2019
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If this story was an attempt to recreate the anxiety and chaos of a kitchen then it succeeded wonderfully. I've always found it annoying how a newcomer can suddenly burst into an arbitrary arena with no prior training or education and expect to not only succeed, but excel.
The cockades are references to Michelin Stars, where chefs have committed suicide in fear of losing one. And they expect me, a character who spent years goat grinding to have learned to cook at some point? Please, that's what servants are for. I'm about a good a chef as the tiger is.
The experience to fail was novel, even if I disliked it. I haven't failed this hard at anything since I first started Fallen London. It's a good reminder that no matter how powerful and educated you are, there are always things where you'll look a fool.
edited by Blaine Davidson on 12/31/2019
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Blaine Davidson, a reserved and sensible woman with a fondness of collecting rarities.
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chiche
Posts: 50
12/28/2019
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I don't like this kind of uncertainty very much. I hope I can enjoy the same experience as all players when I pay the same amount of money. On this basis, I will consider playing probability games and get some less important extra prizes. So this story makes me feel unhappy, especially the frustration of four failures.
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-->Kacher, a headstrong, arbitrary lady
She life is spent in the pursuit of pleasure
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/kacher
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Shadowcthuhlu
Posts: 1557
12/27/2019
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Dirae Erinyes reports that this is the worst date that they have ever taken their wife on. It was supposed to be a relaxing dinner at Dollys Instead, Dirae Erinyes plundered through cooking (to be fair, they only really know how to make treat candles) while Evensong had flashbacks to the Parisian incident. Not romantic at all.
Okay, roleplaying aside, I did not like this one. This has nothing to do with the quality or that great situational humor others might find. This has everything to do with the fact I found it deeply stressful because it recreated on my most common and terrifying nightmares. Literarily. Cannibalism? Cool. Being chased in a boobytrapped labyrinth by a monster? Great Fun. But this? True horror.
But if there is a bright side, I will make a thread in Slowcakes about everyone sharing terrible neathy recipes. I loved the look of the food culture this gave us and I think it would be fun to see what other dishes people would come up with after getting a taste here.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Dirae%20Erinyes. Closed to calling cards, but open for all other social action. I also love to roleplay.
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The Curious Watcher
Posts: 263
12/27/2019
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Here is the echo for the extremely-difficult *special* meat & cheese board.
I tried this story with both Den Blackwell and the Lethal Nightmare, both to apparent successes. Luck is definitely a part of it, but certain risks must be taken. Den Blackwell failed dessert (mainly because I was overambitious and was wondering if the high chance for failure for the extremely-difficult option was for show), but aced it with two difficult courses and 1 extremely-difficult course.
The Lethal Nightmare played it safer since I wanted to see what would happen if I could get all four courses successfully. With three fairly-dicey courses and 1 difficult course completed successfully, it also seems to be a hit.
It's strange for a Paramount Presence to be completely at the mercy at arbitrary RNG once again, but then again, no Profession actually involves cooking. Good luck to the mad lads.
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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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The Curious Watcher
Posts: 263
12/27/2019
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[spoiler] P.S: In case anyone in the future is wondering, the Tiger is indeed 100%, absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt allergic to the regular meat that would be assigned to you by the critic (I even have a a totally-authentic-and-not-taken-out-of-context Echo to prove so). This is definitely not a malicious ploy to persuade gullible cooks to select the genuinely-fishy-and-not-at-all-strange meat recommended by the Butcher. Not at all. [/spoiler]
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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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Azothi
Posts: 586
12/27/2019
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There are going to be a few rare and hard-to-obtain echoes in this story thanks to some of the challenges; you'll know it when you see them. If you're lucky (or unlucky) enough to get one of these, it would be greatly appreciated if you recorded it and shared here!
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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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Verrain
Posts: 5
12/27/2019
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Hattington wrote:
This isn't my favourite story for a number of reasons, but mostly because it's central conflict left me to the mercy of the RNG.
Oddly, that is why I liked this story. Having everything RNG based really brought home that you were thrown into a situation about which you knew nothing and only a miracle was going to bring anything good at the end.
It did hit one of my major squicks though. I could have done without that.
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Meradine Heidenreich
Posts: 468
12/28/2019
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Shadowcthuhlu wrote:
Maybe we are supposed to suspect anyone connected to the zee is a cannibal?
Based on Sunless Sea, absolutely. It was almost impossible, especially in the early voyages, not to "eat your crew". It's even in the blurb. And at least one island offered dodgy dinners, too. Besides, anyone who has been governor and faced rescuing/not rescuing the fugitive who desperately knocks on the gate knows darn well what tigers eat (not just honeyed gazelle).
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Meradine%20Heidenreich
The Starveling kit
Gobbled up the bit
of cheese on my tray ..
"O Weh!"
No plant battles, please.
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Urthdigger
Posts: 939
12/28/2019
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Gonna chime in that the huge amount of RNG kinda put me off a bit. Near as I can tell my actions didn't increase my tested quality any, and even the easiest options were distressingly easy to fail given one only has one shot without spending fate. I was also a bit annoyed to find that, while I was told purchasing ingredients was a way of saying who's side I was on and thus picked all the pastry chef's stuff, in the end one course only has options for the critic and one only has options for the pastry chef. I could have picked ingredients that'd work for both of them.
In the end I got a colossal failure. I didn't fail any of the options, but the odds did make me wind up picking two easy and two second easiest options.
--
Looking for second chances to maximize your loot output from those troublesome storylets? Check out our handy gang of volunteers in this thread, or even volunteer yourself!
@Urthdigger on twitter
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Gul al-Ahlaam
Posts: 225
1/30/2020
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Just played this one, and I loved it. The chaos! The drama of it all! I literally grabbed my face and went "OH NOOOOO!" like three times throughout the story, and I laughed out loud! Everything kept going wrong so quickly and catastrophically! It was amazing.
Forgive me for putting on my meta tiara for a second, but a lot of role-playing games forget that life isn't about choices and consequences. IRL consequences are mostly unknowable. Trying to predict the future is a straight shot to getting flanked by the unexpected! Life is chaos and tragedy and laughter at the same. That's kind of what's beautiful about it. And this is like... the perfect low-stakes story to invoke those ideas. ^_^
edited by Gul al-Ahlaam on 1/30/2020
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The Uncanny Hierophant.
The Jewel-Eyed Prince.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
1/3/2020
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I do wish we could get access to the Closed Market as an area once we finished the ES.
Another idea would be to grant access to the restaurant to Paramount Presences, perhaps as a social action (invite someone to...). As it stands now, Paramount doesn't change anything in terms of gameplay, so perhaps that would be a nice little extra to signal your achievement - narratively grand, but not game-breaking.
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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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MrBreaksIt
Posts: 20
1/4/2020
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I successfully prepared every dish, but still got an awful review, so I'm really not sure what happened there.
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Eliza O'Claire, a Disguised Debutante.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Eliza%20O'Claire
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Amalgamate
Posts: 435
12/30/2019
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The allergies were true, not just a rumor!
I enjoyed the story, even though my meal was a disaster. If success and failure were based on stats, then nobody level capped would fail, but nobody new would succeed.
Anyone know what the choices were that would maximize the chance of the good meal endings?
--
http://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/amalgamate
Social invitations of all kinds welcome, especially games of chess and deadly sparring!
Also happy to help with nightmares, send sips of Cider, and plant battle.
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chiche
Posts: 50
1/16/2020
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I can understand that cooking food that meets the tastes of food critics is indeed a miracle that needs to happen continuously for beginners. However, I still can't understand why my character is willing to cook.
Even from the perspective of role-playing, a wise, sly, or powerful character played by the player, when facing the sudden death or coma of the restaurant owner, would not say: "Oh, let me do it Let ’s do it! Although I have never done it before. ”Or“ irresponsible people like you to let me be an assistant chef, I refuse ”, this story is fragile in terms of story. Even if this is a story about food, the author must ask me to experience the "wonderful randomness" of cooking. He should also add more dialogue options, emphasizing to the player that the situation is very urgent, and it is too late to use the player's connections or detective investigation You have the ability to make your own dishes. Otherwise, the story will appear to have nothing to do with the characters we have previously shaped.
This makes me feel incredible. I am an important person who owns my own yacht and holds luxury dinners on the yacht every day. In this case, I couldn't send someone to bring the yacht chef to help me make a dinner, or let my chef guide me how to cook. Or through my reputation in the artist or society, to hint, persuade or directly bribe food critics. The author can even make the role played by the player more cunning and crazy. After the restaurant was criticized and the customer was lost, it only cost a few hundred echos to acquire the restaurant at a low price, unlocking a new place for us, of course. It can also be considered as a new "Affiliation" device (it may be a bit dreamy, but if I were given the opportunity to acquire this restaurant, I would like to pause the story and make money, even if it needs thousands of echoes)
Yes, it ’s really challenging for beginners to try cooking. Our characters are beginners in cooking, but even for a “fallenlondon” beginner role, they wo n’t In situations, join a kitchen team without a leader. After all, they have escaped from unjust captivity, and by virtue of their ability to excel in one aspect, they succeed in the tenacious survival in London. They are not beginners in life experience.
edited by chiche on 1/16/2020
--
-->Kacher, a headstrong, arbitrary lady
She life is spent in the pursuit of pleasure
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/kacher
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PJ
Posts: 210
1/11/2020
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Was it because I took the wrong hat at the beginning?
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Peter%20James
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Lord Garuda
Posts: 102
12/29/2019
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One thing I think would have worked better with this material would be to make it an optional Fate-locked story like Theological Husbandry, The Spinning of the Wheels, etc. The writers would have had to pare down the material into a smaller story, but that way players would have had a choice to buy the story, face off with the RNG and likely fail miserably. Instead, everyone who's an Exceptional Friend got this story as their monthly content, so the whole thing feels more mandatory. I don't know how well this story would have worked as purchasable Fate content, but the story removed player choice in a lot of ways and that marred the rest of the story, which I quite liked.
--
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Cora%20Seacoale - A Correspondent working towards her Heart's Desire.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Ronald%20Valente - A Rat-Catcher hunting the most dangerous prey.
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Jean Gulberg
Posts: 4
1/6/2020
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I loved this story, even though I thoroughly botched the dinner (although my character had the decency to take responsability and save the Chef's reputation). In my opinion, the problem with the story wasn't the reliance on RNG, but rather its, let's say, lack of clarity. I had the luck of succeeding at the challenges on all four courses, I went with some moderately difficult dishes, yet at the end I am told that nobody touched their plates. And so I am sitting here and asking myself "What did I do wrong?". Was it the fact that I bought that secret meat from the Poissonnier? Or that I let the Sous-Chef show me the Sorbet Maker?
I kind of understand what this story was going for: at various times, you were asked to make certain decisions, and you'd get to see the consequences of those choices at the end. This is a very fine idea, but it was poorly executed, because
a) you are not always given all the information you need. One example is when you go to the Bandaged Boucher and have to decide whether to believe him about the Tiger's allergies.
b) all the decisions seem to have a decidedly "good" and "bad" option, and the one you'll pick counts towards a positive or negative outcome overall.
Now, both of these things can be fun by themselves (or made to be fun...), but it's their combination that leaves me with this sour taste in my mouth. And with that jarring sensation you get when you are constantly told that things are going well, your meals are a success, only to discover in the end that it was all, in fact, a culinary disaster. (No, seriously, was it the Sorbet Maker? How could that possibly affect the Tiger's review?)
It all felt, well, like a recipe - these are all the steps that you need to follow in order to make a good dish. Mess something up, and the quality of the food will suffer, only that, instead of food, it was the outcome of the story. If this was the writer's intention, then I congratulate them for making the story reflect that, but I think they forgot that tastes do vary.
Despite all that, I still love the story: it had great writing, fun and memorable characters, it was accesible to players of all levels, and, at the end of the day, it was fun to see my high-stats character get dragged into this importunate adventure, without any sort of high-stakes or mysterious implications. (Not to mention that it was an accurate portrayal of what would happen if I was ever left alone in a kitchen, especially the kitchen of a prestigious restaurant)
edited by Jean Gulberg on 1/6/2020
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Daedalus_Falk
Posts: 234
3/9/2020
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I just finished the story, and apparently the fact that I never ended up using that Culinary Mirrorcatch Box means I get to keep it. Forever.
--
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Daedalus_Falk
----
For I was hungry, and you gave me rats. I was thirsty, and you gave me rats. I was naked, and you gave me rats. The rodents were gathered together, the cats slept in the Sun’s blindness, and the rats rose like the Moon, in the light at the edge of the cheese.
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phryne
Posts: 1348
12/29/2019
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@Jules: Some people might like 'just being observers' though. And I wouldn't assume that every player wants to have agency over everything all the time.
Also, what's the definition of 'agency'? It wasn't all purely random. I had at least two different choices at each branch of the story, four choices with different success chances for each course. It was up to me to choose which one I'd want to risk. Sure, they could add a "success here is guaranteed" path to make everyone happy. But I'm not sure having such a path is the point of playing a game.
Remember that these stories have to work for players of all levels. If you make them stat-based, 90 % of the low-level players are going to fail, while 90 % of the high-level players are going to succeed. And once you are an end-game player, this would mean you're going to have one success-story after the other, month after month. Always winning does get boring at some point (for me at least, maybe not for everyone).
For me, this story had a good balance of luck and agency. I love how different FL's Exceptional Stories are, in many ways, including mechanics and success chances. I think this one will stand out for many players, very positively for some, very negatively for others. So it goes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
About your comparison with the Last Constable story: I don't think that comparison fits. Like I said in my post above: "I absolutely love it when an ES offers the full range from total success to utter failure, especially when it doesn't affect our characters in any lasting, meaningful way." The Last Constable ending absolutely has lasting and meaningful effects on our character's story, which is why I'm not happy with it. But this ES - like most - has no effects beside a quality hidden somewhere in the long list of your Myself page. You can safely forget you ever played it.
I know, I know, you spent real-world money on it. But does that mean you want a guarantee that all will go well for you? I don't. I pay that monthly sum to experience a story, and that includes being surprised and/or challenged by said story in unexpected ways. If there was a box somewhere that you could tick to make sure "All we be well", I wouldn't tick it. But maybe such a box should be there for those who'd want it.
In the end, we shouldn't forget that it's impossible to make everyone happy all the time. I admire FBG for having the guts to risk doing something completely different now and again, and not always go the safest route.
edited by phryne on 12/29/2019
--
Accounts: Bag a Legend • Light Fingers • Heart's Desire • Nemesis • no ambition
Exceptional Stories, sorted by Season and by writer ― Favours & Renown Guide
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naraoia
Posts: 66
12/28/2019
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This was probably my favorite ES in a long time. No big but uselessly vague lore to obsess over, just a fun, light-hearted RNG throw. Yeah, it was too arbitrary. But I swung for the fences every time with the impossible choices and failed all four of them and still had fun. I get what people are saying about anxiety induction, and I can understand how that could ruin this one. But FL has so many dice-rolls in it already... I guess I'm used to them. Honestly, judging by the reaction here, it's becoming clear that what I like about FL is diametrically opposed to what the vast majority of players like about FL. Glad that I can still find some fun in the game.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/naraoia
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Aiza Moor
Posts: 11
12/30/2019
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I have to say I really loved the story/characters, and the detailed dive into this tiny piece of everyday London life. It was a refreshing change since lately the storylines I've been playing have all felt so heavy and significant and existential.
While initially I was frustrated to be at the mercy of the RNG for important choices, at some point I let go of trying so hard to get it right, since the gameplay seems designed to result in a comedy of errors. How else do you explain [spoiler]Buying the mystery meat based on the butcher's expert knowledge of the Tiger's allergy, and immediately turning around to find that's all just a rumor[/spoiler] It was sort of fun to really FEEL (as the player) the same chaos and confusion my character felt in this ridiculous situation. It was as if I had been dropped into a runaway horse-cart careening through the streets-- the only thing to do was hold tight and try to enjoy it.
Aiza failed spectacularly on all fronts, it was hilarious, and I'm quite satisfied.
edited by Aiza Moor on 12/30/2019
edited by Aiza Moor on 12/30/2019
--
Professor Aiza Moor - Correspondent. Poet-Laureate. Essentially, a writer.
Belvedere Grimke
Accepting social actions (no plant battles or starveling cats please!)
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Pnakotic
Posts: 266
12/27/2019
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I actually enjoyed the purely dice-roll nature of this one. Particulalry given it's a story where I was more or less thrust into the midst of a collection of eccentric people where I had to choose sides without getting to know their motivations. There are few things I like less than having to utterly guess at the intentions of my companions and make SERIOUS CHOICES WITH CONSEQUENCES. Just leads to wanting to watch otehr people's outcomes and game the result. Here, no deep angst or agonizing, I'm just along for the ride. I gambled and... pretty much everyone else lost while I fumbled through preparing their ill-conceived avant-garde gustatory monstrosities. The restaurant review, echoed here, was a smoking crater of epic scale which I'm actually rather proud of.
And honestly, if you call yourself a chef and can't tell when your bloody produce has gone off it's nothing less than what you deserve. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I think something is burning in my EZ-Bake Mirrorcatch Box...
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J. Ward Dunn, Glassman
Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Monara
Posts: 162
12/28/2019
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The choices that didn't depend on RNG all seemed to go well for me judging by their immediate results, but I got the complete disaster ending anyway because I failed two courses, one of which was even the easiest choice available which I took because I didn't want to risk failing another. I don't really mind getting the bad ending, but I don't think these mechanics present any interesting choices and consequences to the reader. The subject wasn't my favorite in the first place so maybe I'm being too harsh, the writing itself was fine.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Miranah
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Shadowcthuhlu
Posts: 1557
12/27/2019
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Hattington wrote:
I'm going to sound like a sore loser and to a large extent that's what I am but: I had no damn way to figure out how to manage the percentages to maximise the probability of a good meal. I've been so accustomed to twist endings I fully expected the Critic to be trying to sabotage the dinner and completely ignored her. I had no way of discerning whether the black marketeer or the bandaged poisonner was making up the tiger's allergy, and frankly I have no idea why the latter had any sensible reason to offer me ACTUAL HUMAN FLESH without even specifying what it was. And then I went on to have some unlucky rolls because I picked two 56~% options and botched both of them.
This isn't my favourite story for a number of reasons, but mostly because it's central conflict left me to the mercy of the RNG.
Maybe we are supposed to suspect anyone connected to the zee is a cannibal?
--
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Dirae%20Erinyes. Closed to calling cards, but open for all other social action. I also love to roleplay.
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The Ambivalent Dynamo
Posts: 41
12/27/2019
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I am still in progress with the story, but from what I'm seeing so far I love seeing something i normally don't get to see in Fallen London: a focus on the cuisine, the people, and how to get key ingredients. I love the worldbuilding elements that were introduced that help broaden the underground city into a wider environment.
While it's not as epic in scale to say, last month's story, it was a pleasant tale to play through.
--
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20Ambivalent%20Dynamo Happy to take most social actions except plant-related ones. Don't hesitate to send one.
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Pnakotic
Posts: 266
12/27/2019
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Cutting choux pastry? Isn't it more typically piped into shape?
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J. Ward Dunn, Glassman
Book of All Hours 9:99: Journey's end in lover's meeting. Progress is ascendancy.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
12/27/2019
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But is it the one with the weasels?
Just joking. It's fun so far.
--
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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Pryno Belle
Posts: 23
12/27/2019
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Oh dear. I am at the point where I have to decide which one will obtain the toque. The comments scare me.
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A sweet smile for urchins. A deceitful grin for everyone else.
A forensic doctor, gone to the Neath to pursue a relationship with a zailor. He has gone East, but she remains, the heart full of ambition.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Pryno
Available for social interactions of any kind. Except plant-related actions.
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Passionario
Posts: 777
12/30/2019
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Just play Fidgeting Writer instead. Same taste, fewer calories.
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Passionario: Profile, Story, Ending
Passion: Profile, Appearance
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Meradine Heidenreich
Posts: 468
12/30/2019
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Well, usually I let new stories sit and ripen for a while (given that I have EF mainly for the extra turns and cards*), but you've all made me feel I need to play this now! So I can share in the common -- erm -- emotion. Frustration.
* I wonder if FB have ever considered an intermediate, extra turns/cards only membership?
--
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Meradine%20Heidenreich
The Starveling kit
Gobbled up the bit
of cheese on my tray ..
"O Weh!"
No plant battles, please.
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Jules Asimov
Posts: 95
12/29/2019
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Jolanda Swan wrote:
It's not exactly agency that proved to be the problem.
As many have noted, Por Una Cabeza also set you up against a mastermind that held all the cards. The outcome was in many ways predetermined. However, you weren't hurt in the process. In Fine Dining, you were dragged through the mud until the end. To be taken along for the ride without the opportunity to affect the outcome and have said outcome be destructive not only for you but also for the people you are trying to help, unless luck was four times on your side, was guaranteed to leave many people annoyed.
The story of the Clay Man and the Countess was a good example of how a story might be bitter to the end, and still be loved. The Last Constable instead was not. The difference? Some players got to experience a happy end and some got a tragedy - entirely because of luck. Your character might be a gambler but the player probably isn't. Make the experience of the story a gamble instead of having a clear narrative goal and you are guaranteed to leave many people dissatisfied.
To add to that, it made no sense for a character with high abilities, money etc to be unable to find other means of rescuing the operation. The game was rigged to fail. Now, if the end result was a revelation, some lore, a secret, I would mind less, because the epicenter of the story wouldn't be the success of the dinner, but what you learned. But no: your success or failure was the story. So letting some of us get a complete and utter thrashing, was in my opinion ill-advised.
This. All of this.
It left it all to chance, and then made the success or failure of the gambles the biggest part of the story. I couldn't increase my chances with the dishes, only unlock options for new ones. If I could have grinded up some quality like in the barber story, or passed some skill/item/renown/favor check to increase some quality that got me help or made cooking things easier then I wouldn't be so upset. That would have reduced the gamble and give me more agency.
If the success or failure of the restaurant was incidental to the story, like there was something bigger going on or it w as much more of a character piece, then I wouldn't have been so mad. Probably not happy they left it purely to chance, but not mad. Especially if it was well written.
But the gamble was all that was. The cooking for the critic was all there was. And my character, that I have built up for years, floundered due to circumstances completely and one-hundred percent outside my control. I couldn't really change or affect anything, and it was centered around, and up to, luck. And that is something I really don't like.
As you could probably tell from my rambling, poorly penned, kinda long internet screeds.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Jules%20Asimov
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Catherine Raymond
Posts: 2518
12/28/2019
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I think I see what's gone wrong for me, at least.
On Friday morning, I saw a beginning storylet for an ES called "The Set Menu." So I did it. However, there is now no trace of a continuation storylet for me under the Season of Animals banner or anywhere else in FL. Apparently, they made a change in the title (and maybe other changes?) after I did the storylet, so the tags that would have resulted from my doing the storylet are now meaningless.
I could contact the Help desk, but I don't have the money to buy ES status right now, so there's no point in taking up FB's time.
edited by cathyr19355 on 12/28/2019
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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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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
12/29/2019
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Oh. That post sums it up perfectly. I felt some guilt for being a bad loser, but given my PhD is partly in game design... I should have seen what you describe here myself. Thanks.
--
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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ChangelingChilde
Posts: 231
1/22/2020
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If real restaurants are anything like that, it's no wonder that chefs are stereotyped as neurotic psychopaths.
Also I strongly suspect that the Critic secretly hates the Tiger for some reason.
edited by The Elfin Cannibal on 1/22/2020
--
DO you recall how the Hunger began?
I'm sorry, my darling, I don't think I can!
OUT past the High Wilderness and beyond
I fear I've gone Seeking, for of Him I'm fond.
--The Elfin Cannibal
Seven scars, seven chains, a soul too stained for Hell, and seven sainted candles burning at the well.
Gone to Grieve on the 17th day of the 7th month, 1897. Will be Vake-hunting next.
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Viola
Posts: 4
1/26/2020
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Actually this is only my second exceptional story. But I really liked it! It's lighthearted so I didn't dislike the chance-based gameplay. And I do feel it's fitting given that the player doesn't know how to cook (presumably.) But I also don't have a character in mind when I play.
I know a lot of people tried to succeed, but failing every success check and then claiming it was the Illustrious Chef? Would be fantastic. And really liked the Critic, and the Tiger. Still, in the Covered Black Market the shopkeep says that the Tiger probably lies about his allergies. Which wasn't true.
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SimeSublime
Posts: 1
1/16/2020
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I too came away from this feeling terrible at the abject failure on my characters part (not helped by the fact I played the story as a reward at the end of a bad day), but I'm not sure the forum has really worked out why it failed. I don't think the random nature of the dishes should be improved, rather it should have been removed - but how it to remove it would depend on what the author intended for the audience.
I felt that the story could have been written with two possible motivations:
1) You, hero of so many other battles in London, are placed in charge of a restaurant. Due to your many successes you assume you can manage anything, but instead everything you try backfires and you end in a smoldering wreck.
2) You are thrown unexpectedly into a managerial role which usually requires a large amount of talent and training. Using your wits and instincts you need to walk a fine line of leadership to put your talented but disruptive staff's skills to good use to save the day.
In the first case, the chance of succeeding on dishes should be removed - everything should either fail by default unless it is dead simple, in which case it should succeed but be so looked down on by the reviewer that it counts as a negative (what fancy restaurant serves plain toast as a main?) The methods of failure should be surprising and/or mildly comedic to replace the sting of ineptitude with a sense of amusement. Think the pen and paper RPG Paranoia for example.
The second case is more tricky, but I assumed that this is what the author was aiming for. In this case, you are not a chef. You have no cooking knowledge. But everybody else does. The problem is none of them agree upon what to do and they all hate each other. Your job is to convince them to do their job - and if you can do that then and only then should things work out well. Let's take the first course as an example. From memory, this was prepared by the line cooks. At this stage we'd had (from memory) three decisions. What do do with the hat, what to do with the chef and how much freedom to give the line cooks. I don't think the hat decision effected the line cooks (or at least it didn't seem to in my game) so we'll skip that. How to treat the line cooks is obviously a matter of freedom/trust vs control/centralised command. What to do with the chef can be seen in the same light - before the poisoning the chef treated the line cooks with disdain so it can be assumed that leaving the chef watching in the corner would cause them to feel under observation and hence controlled, whereas stuffing him in the closet would put him out of sight/out of mind. In this case the line cooks would be more inclined to experiment. Then when you select the dish to prepare, the descriptions should have some leading information. Some of the dishes are easier - you'll probably succeed in making them regardless but the tiger won't like them much. Of the harder two one should say it requires careful precision, the other intuition to balance the flavours. The precision dish will only be completed successfully if both the head chef is watching and the line cooks were disciplined. The intuition dish will only be completed successfully if the head chef is removed and they line cooks were given free reign. The success or failure descrpitions should also make it clear why you failed. Perhaps if the line cooks weren't given any freedom to try their own ideas they wouldn't have made that creative substitution that messed up the precise balance of flavours. Of course, your decision on the line cooks freedom will also effect the pastry chef and the critic with the later courses so each decision will ripple throughout the story. Something done to help you now may (and should) come back to bite you later. In this way the ending still depends on the skills of others - you're job is just to guide them to a way they can work together.
This removal of the chance based succeed/fail and replacement by a system that can be worked out beforehand (with difficulty) and should be obvious in hindsight should remove the feeling of arbitrariness that pervaded the story. Success would feel very well earned, and failure would be understandable. After the first course, the player can say 'Oh, I failed that course because ..., next time I'll make sure to avoid that mistake'. This would allow the player to possibly course correct through the story if they're clever enough.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
1/18/2020
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Do not worry. Go with honesty. It is the only way to feel a bit better in the end.
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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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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
12/30/2019
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I very much enjoyed this story, despite it being highly frustrating at times. As others have said, from an out-of-character perspective, watching such a complete trainwreck was very amusing and quite novel for Fallen London. The writing was excellent and the characters intriguing. Few stories focus on the cuisine, so this was a new experience there as well. And comparing with others' journals, I'm very impressed by how many details in te text change with your choices!
However, the way in which the RNG was implemented was, as said, extremely frustrating. There were a number of ways to influence the probabilities, but as far as I can tell, the effects were relatively minor. This was especially egregious for the most difficult dishes—the most textually intriguing options were almost guaranteed to fail, even if you spent the entire story working towards just one! So while I appreciate the range of possible outcomes, it stings that—even with all the "right" choices—failure was still almost certain.
Still, the writing was engaging and held my interest throughout. Were this story (much) cheaper, I'd play through a couple more times, trying to figure out the ideal path and pull off those improbable dishes. But as it is, success is too unlikely to bother and I don't seem to have even received a reward.
Edit: I think an ideal path would involve:
[spoiler]Give the line cooks more power. Ask the sous chef about the spice rack, try to calm his nerves, and leave him alone with the diners. Get the other cut of meat, and try to do the almost impossible dish—it's the only combination I've seen that leads to that part of the review being positive.
[/spoiler]
edited by Optimatum on 12/30/2019
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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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Aiza Moor
Posts: 11
12/31/2019
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Amalgamate wrote:
The allergies were true, not just a rumor!
Ah! Well nice to know I did at least one thing right.
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Professor Aiza Moor - Correspondent. Poet-Laureate. Essentially, a writer.
Belvedere Grimke
Accepting social actions (no plant battles or starveling cats please!)
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Lord Chillingsworth
Posts: 8
12/31/2019
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I must say this story left me woefully despondent. I tried hard and managed to succeed at several of my dishes, yet I failed... I failed. I have left the Illustrious Chef without a cockade, without a restaurant, and without a living. I seemed to have chosen poorly at every turn! What could I have done right?
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Tsar Koschei
Posts: 202
1/6/2020
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Apparently it's possible to get a good review for the meal, but given our relative lack of opportunity to influence the outcome, the bar seems to be set unreasonably high. I had a failure on the first course, followed by successes, each time on the second most difficult options, for the remaining three. All things considered, I thought that was rather good. And yet, the diners were apparently displeased, and we got hammered in the press. Hardly seems right.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Tsar%20Koschei
Sanguine Ribbon Society tournament champion.
No chess, loitering, friendly sparring, coffee at Caligula's or Affluent Photographer, please.
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