Chris Gardiner
Administrator
Posts: 539
1/30/2020
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London is awash with dreams as a carefree tiger-prince comes to visit. But is there more to his appetites than his guests imagine? Will you capture his attentions? And, more importantly, should you wish to?
Borrowed Glory is the third story in the Season of Animals and was written by Cassandra Khaw. 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 Chris Gardiner on 1/30/2020
edited by h4nchan on 1/30/2020
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babelfishwars
Administrator
Posts: 1152
2/26/2020
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Hello,
Just to let you know that I've heard the complaints re the luck test and impossibility (and what happens if you have bad luck), and agree. The impossible test was a bug in my design. I have fixed that, and also added a branch that means you can stop the Prince, albeit at cost to yourself, if you're very unlucky.
If anyone who got the ending where they were forced to fail wants to reset this, send me a support ticket with your user and character name: support@failbettergames.com - I will reset it as soon as I can. (Be aware that I'm on annual leave next week, so while I'll try to do it before I go, I might not be able to.) I'm officially out of hours now, so I'll start tomorrow morning!
Sorry about this - I feel my design let down Cass's writing, and that sucks.
edited by babelfishwars on 2/26/2020
--
Mars, God of Fish; Leaning Tower of Fish
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Skinnyman
Posts: 2133
2/26/2020
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babelfishwars wrote:
Hello,
Just to let you know that I've heard the complaints re the luck test and impossibility (and what happens if you have bad luck), and agree. The impossible test was a bug in my design. I have fixed that, and also added a branch that means you can stop the Prince, albeit at cost to yourself, if you're very unlucky.
If anyone who got the ending where they were forced to fail wants to reset this, send me a support ticket with your user and character name: support@failbettergames.com - I will reset it as soon as I can. (Be aware that I'm on annual leave next week, so while I'll try to do it before I go, I might not be able to.) I'm officially out of hours now, so I'll start tomorrow morning!
Sorry about this - I feel my design let down Cass's writing, and that sucks.
edited by babelfishwars on 2/26/2020 A dev admitting their mistakes, fixing them and offering compensation to the community is such a rare event.
This is why I love FBG!  Your efforts are the light that guide us in the Neath!
--
ESs items and quality requirements sheet. Please check if there are errors or if something is missing
Achievement list if you're feeling bored!
I am accepting Plant battles, Neath's Mysteries card, Starveling Cats and boxed cats.
No suppers, no second chances gain and no need to cure my menaces!
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the old man
Posts: 381
2/26/2020
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Skinnyman wrote:
]A dev admitting their mistakes, fixing them and offering compensation to the community is such a rare event.
This is why I love FBG! Your efforts are the light that guide us in the Neath!
you can't help but love fbg because when they make mistakes they acknowledge them and try to fix it, to fbg going that extra kilometre.
--
an old irish spy from the colonies, somewhat irrigo impaired but still sharp as a tack. friendly enough just don't mention parabola he gets awfully melancholic. (an honorary cat my life is complete)
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/The%20old%20man
no plant battles please for the love of god
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Pipistrelle
Posts: 4
2/2/2020
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I’d just like to chime in with my own thoughts about RNG and Fallen London.
The 60% luck check when sabotaging the prince’s plans didn’t add anything to this story at all. Okay, so you can help the prince, or you can sabotage his plans at the risk of… well, at the risk of events proceeding exactly as if you’d helped the prince. The Oblique Courtier doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that you tried to rebel.
I passed the luck check, but it seems unfair that 16% of the people who made the exact same choices as me had their choices completely disregarded. Are they meant to gain something from their failure? Am I meant to feel proud of the success I achieved at random? I don’t know.
Fine Dining frustrated me, too. Like a lot of other players, I came down with a serious case of bad luck conga and had the Chef chew me out for something I had no way of preventing. And I mean no way of preventing — I failed the luck checks for the easiest dishes.
This brings us to Family & Law, which I… actually liked. The choice between respecting the Constable’s wishes and ensuring her safety was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in this game. It was an interesting use of RNG — a guaranteed bittersweet ending or the chance of a happier ending counterweighted by a terrible risk.
I didn’t mind the conclusion of Family & Law so much because every ending at least felt in some way earned. Your ally lives but will never forgive you because you rigged the game. Your ally dies because you did the honourable thing. Your ally lives and still respects you because you did the honourable thing.
That being said, I understand why so many players were upset that they got unlucky, and I wouldn’t have enjoyed the story any less had it concluded with a final contest you could actually help your chosen ally win.
I loved the atmosphere and writing style of the last two Exceptional Stories, but I really hope RNG won’t play such a pivotal role in determining the outcomes of future stories. When you feel completely powerless to change the way a story ends, is there much point in that story having multiple endings at all?
edited by Pipistrelle on 2/2/2020
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Pipistrelle%20Carter
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silurica
Posts: 210
2/3/2020
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After Por Una Cabeza and Fine Dining, I've been speculating the real theme of Season of Animals is "you don't have control over everything". In Por Una Cabeza you're introduced to the embodiment of Crazy-Prepared trope and the outcome at the end will never change no matter what you do or think. In Fine Dining you're thrown into an uncertain situation where you have little information (of how to impress the tiger or just about cooking haute cuisine in general for some) and the people working with you are either panicking or hostile to each other. In both stories, your lack of control is at the heart of the story or justified by the narrative.
Borrowed Glory follows that trend... but it's also the weakest one by far. The only reason I can think of for the luck check to exist is to create tension, but this implementation feels half-hearted and at odds with what was previously presented in the story. Everything else that came before it were regular stat checks, and there was no indication there would be an outcome-defining luck check at the end. An alternate option to go against the Prince after failing twice, even it was a Bad Idea in bold and italic, would've made it more palatable, but here our only option is to follow the Prince meekly, as if he was the scariest thing the PC has ever encountered in the Neath (he is not). How the Oblique Courtier doesn't recognize our failed effort despite a quality for it existing only rubs more salt on the wound.
And the meat? The meat was just very poorly signposted. It only said using the cheaper meat would make betrayal easier. It didn't say using the pricier meat would make betrayal literally impossible. This is simply bad. I can't believe FBG overlooked something as vital as this.
I want to like this story. I really do. I was elated to hear Cassandra Khaw wrote another story for FL, and when it shone, the writing didn't disappoint. But between the shortness and clunky mechanics, Borrowed Glory would find it hard to enter my recommendation list.
edited by silurica on 2/3/2020
--
 Meika Osborne, the Reckless Researcher
 Leonard West, the Scarlet Informant
 Chizuru Nishiooji, the Rueful Ex-Diplomat
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PSGarak
Posts: 834
2/1/2020
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I am now officially a fan of Cassandra Khaw's writing, and hope she does more Fallen London work in the future. This wasn't amazing like The Ceremony, but it was great, and her writing really fits the mood of Fallen London: slightly unreal, macabre, the horror parts stuff feels transgressive, and the characters tend to have this feeling of yearning that I believe completes everything else. The mechanical issues detracted from the story, but I'm still left with my overall positive impression because of the writing (granted, I got a good ending: the "right" choice, and a lucky success after 1 failure).
The story felt briefer than average but not overly so. Trial Error felt tiny. This one just felt like I was missing a few cases where I should have been able to explore. There are also some things that feel like open threads, that should have had callbacks or resolutions that were more explicit. Like the kitchen scenes--the oddness of the first was emphasized, and the contrast with the second was apparent. But I guess that was just the point. I was expecting another interaction, or some follow-up afterwards, that would close that thread. It's fine as it is, I guess... I just sometimes see things like this in stories that feel a little short, and wonder if something had to get cut during editing.
The concept reminded me a little of Daylight, especially in the particulars of things around the edges being half-finished. I don't mean this as a criticism. I kind of like that we've encountered Fingerkings enough that there's a pattern to some of their plots.
Now, the mechanics...
Maybe this is Cass not being familiar enough with Fallen London, or maybe this was the editing again and there was originally a different vision, but for better or worse there are certain expectations about how story elements in Fallen London translate to mechanics and this story did not follows those expectations. If you tell me a choice might affect my ability to do something later, we expect that means I have more opportunities to affect that thing later. Usually two more opportunities, but anywhere between one and four. A couple different ways it could shake out in the end, but generally one "wrong" decision isn't a complete lock-out.
That's not written in stone, it's not written at all, but it's an expectation. That's how Fallen London works, based on the fact that it always works that way. I get that you can, and should, break the mold sometimes. But expectations are powerful things, which really affect how you experience a game. So, yes, there should have been more than just the one cut of meat.
If Cass writes for Fallen London again, I hope it's in the context of Devils, because I think her writing would be ideally suited to explore the seduction of Abstraction and their addiction to souls. And also because I like Devils.
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/PSGarak
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elderfleur
Posts: 77
1/31/2020
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I loved the writing ("the dusty timbre of his voice gilded abruptly with an unexpected richness" is both ridiculous and delicious).
I appreciated the sprinkling of little items throughout the story for flavour, especially the intangibles which always make me smile: why yes, that Tale was one of Terror, that description did evoke a Vision of the Surface, those Secrets could be Appaling, oh I hope that last letter wasn't the Touching Love Story, etc. Obviously I don't play Exceptional Stories for EPA, but with Enigmas and Night Whispers less tricky to acquire these days, padding their value with some trinkets is always nice.
I found the story rather short (my imprecise log shows 49 Actions), and while I enjoyed it, there's definitely one big structural issue I found that others have touched on: [spoiler] The story strongly feels as if the treacherous among us should have applied An Alien Unguent during the preparation of the New Skin, rather than during the Presentation. This would make the only other decision point (whether to buy Cheap or Expensive Charnel) more obviously a decision point, but more importantly it just feels like the decision was supposed to be there and got shifted at some point.
~20 Actions into the story the Courtier arrives and offers us "An Alien Unguent", which was a wild enough name to be instantly memorable to me (although this might not be a universal reaction). We're told to use this "on whatever he tries to take next". We spend ~10 Actions at the Dinner, and then we make The Prince's New Skin, with three steps, the third titled "Give the Seneschal his unguents".
This, again, might not be a universal experience, but the word "Unguent" is eccentric enough that its occurring a second time within 10 Actions is, to me, an intentional pattern. The icon is even a stoppered glass jar to mirror my Alien Unguents (the colour is different, but so are the Unguents). The description in the storylet header reads: "A knot of esoteric unguents that have little to do with one another." The Seneschal assures me just before this that "The Prince never bothered to learn the details." All of this together made me think "It's time for the Unguent and using it shouldn't be immediately obvious", and thought I had done something incorrectly when the option didn't come up.
If we take the first step in the list we enjoy a 3-Action detour with an option which suggests of itself, "might make any ambitions of treachery later that much easier" and reinforces the idea that this is the time to make treacherous preparations.
About 10 Actions later we are even afforded a chance to warn the Prince about the Unguent, which would make sense if this decision was made back in the Preparation. But as it stands the Unguent gets applied literally 1 Action before we're allowed to warn the Prince of what we have just done. It is, if you'll pardon the language, bananas!
[/spoiler]
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—Elderfleur
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Indigo Clardmond
Posts: 60
2/1/2020
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In my opinion, the varying probability challenges in Fine Dining worked because they were woven in very thematically with the narrative and theme of ambition vs practicality and there was enough variety and flow that it was at least interesting whether you succeeded or failed. With the Last Constable v Cheery Man finale controversy, the RNG odds helped create the sense of the deadly final game, driving home that if they really cannot just reconcile or reason with one another, they may as well just leave it to chance as to who has to go. They become irate if they find you've tried to fix the odds as well, which helps justify it too. The Luck challenge, or lack of a 100% success challenge, is part of the narrative in both stories.
Here, however, it very much just feels thrown in or tacked on, either to create tension or give the impression that the Rapacious Prince is somehow more horrifying/dangerous/powerful than any number of the eldritch abominations and individuals you come across otherwise in this universe. I, like many others, failed two consecutive 60% chance checks in a row, which just left a very bad taste in my mouth about the whole experience and killed any sense of dread or tension with simple frustration and disinterest. It was a stumbling block in the story, it interrupted the flow with an arbitrary and inappropriate challenge where previously there had been nothing but largely linear story. I agree with previous posters, had it been something like a Shadowy challenge, it would have made more sense. Perhaps further efforts could've been made in the procurement of the ingredients for the ritual to make the odds of sabotage even greater, if you absolutely must have that Luck challenge involved.
I do hope this isn't becoming a trend in Exceptional Stories to try and force players to use more Fate to reset them for a more favourable outcome. I hate being cynical like that, but I do feel I need to stress, there are so many other, more worthwhile and less underhanded ways to encourage Fate purchase, at least from my perspective. Tactics like that, intentional or not, really make me draw back in fear that Fallen London will start on the slippery slope towards typical freemium game model.
Putting all that aside, I do agree the writing is top notch, unsettling and vivid. Characters were all believable and interesting. I do kind of wish this story featured another animal besides Tiger, given we had Tiger last ES, and it was my impression each story this season would feature a different kind of animal, but that's just another peeve of mine. I'll see how the seasonal tie in goes.
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Indigo Clardmond - A kind-hearted Notary that is also a member of the C.V.R. And good friend to the Rubberies. And close to the Urchins. A gentleman of many talents. He is most definitely not secretly an imp of an existential nature. That would just be silly.
Vazio Solus - A broken, bitter Correspondent with a sick relationship to the Truth. Defiant to all, even in the end, as the Gate was opened.
The Luminous Orphan - A dazzling young Doctor of legendary charisma, weaving powerful Celestial imagery while she studies the form...'a star' would certainly be an appropriate way to describe her.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
2/2/2020
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Knowing that FB tends to be responsive to feedback, I would love to hear from them and know why the consecutive RNG-dependent stories. Along with the Bat with Attitude, this was an entire month of putting your fate at the hands of the RNG in frustrating ways.
Since some people are gamblers, all three stories could very well give you the option either to gamble, or to grind your way to a better result. That way every player would get what they wanted. Instead, Borrowed Glory, unlike the Last Constable or Fine Dining, didn't even support the idea of gambling narratively - I honestly thought it was a bug or a mistake on my end. It reminds me of when suddenly, Notability was required for everything - an easy fix that supposedly made a task "challenging" (only it made everything a bore). If RNG is meant to create tension... sure, but give me other consequences for failing, nor the failure of the entire story in which you made sure I am emotionally invested.
I know that after both ES, I stopped playing for a couple of days. So I would love to know if there is an explanation for that. When reading the AMA about Fallen London, and noticing that the designers regretted creating a "split universe" with the Last Constable, I felt at least reassured that this was not going to be a trend. So, what about the RNG stories - are they here to stay?
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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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loredeluxe
Posts: 106
1/30/2020
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The poor cut gives you a 60% chance of sabotaging the ritual and I failed both. I do so hate it when RNG screws me out of a satisfactory ending. It's not as bad as fine dining, but it's still frustrating. In the end, the Courtier treated me with disdain for "staying loyal" to the Prince who took everything from him and for "being a coward" for not daring to even try. I would have at least liked it to register I tried, but now I'm left pissed of and with a bitter taste in my mouth from this Exceptional Story.
edited by loredeluxe on 1/30/2020
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Xorph
Posts: 7
1/30/2020
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loredeluxe wrote:
The poor cut gives you a 60% chance of sabotaging the ritual and I failed both. I do so hate it when RNG screws me out of a satisfactory ending. It's not as bad as fine dining, but it's still frustrating. In the end, the Courtier treated me with disdain for "staying loyal" to the Prince who took everything from him and for "being a coward" for not daring to even try. I would have at least liked it to register I tried, but now I'm left pissed of and with a bitter taste in my mouth from this Exceptional Story.
edited by loredeluxe on 1/30/2020
The way the Courtier ignores if you tried & failed to sabotage the Prince has honestly landed this Story the position of being the worst I've played over 1.5 years of membership. It seems like a massive oversight to not have them recognize your attempt (especially given there's literally a quality for it), and makes the already underwhelming ending of being screwed over by unavoidable RNG even more sour, not to mention feeling disconnected to the point that it wouldn't surprise me if it's some kind of glitch.
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Pixiekatt
Posts: 1
1/31/2020
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I honestly made a forum account just to respond to this. This is my first two months finally wanting to support the game I've been playing for over a year, and this has just been a crushingly disappointing quality of material. This month in particular, I was shocked when I saw the note this will end the story, because it was done so quickly I honestly in disbelief. Admittedly, I must have missed something clearly, cause I saw no opportunity to raise my success rate despite thinking I explored the options. I just had a 0% choice at the end, and it was done. People complaining about rng, but I felt almost insulted and stupid that I couldn't find the opportunities to succeed and then was called a traitor for still going to the 0% chance. I was frustrated with last month's story too, but at least that one gave some semblance of a chance. And the story seems to just end without any good sense of resolution as well. I'm honestly just very frustrated right now.
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Sanguinifex
Posts: 18
1/31/2020
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I'm also confused by why this was so short. Like everyone else, the RNG failed me twice at 60%. Even then, I was surprised that there wasn't another chance to sabotage him later, after he got into the thing. Unless the story that concludes the season trio provides some further resolution (and it might, because this is the last story of the season), I'm going to be disappointed with this month. It looked really great, and then it just...ended. I can accept it being an RNG (this is FL, after all), I can accept *me* failing an RNG twice, but it looks like everyone's failing it twice, and that looks like a bug. (However, the title of the result for if you help the prince unwillingly, AKA "you tried," suggests that the game does make a distinction whether you meant to help or not, even if the Courtier can't tell.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Sanguinifex
Any non-harmful social actions except plant battles and affluent photographers!
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James Sinclair
Posts: 253
2/5/2020
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Wren wrote:
In both stories the player wasn't given enough information to make and informed decision. What's worse, the final outcome was dependent on pure chance (with bad odds). Cumulatively this robs the player of a sense of agency and immersion.
A certain degree of risk is fine, if the failure is amusing, or provides lore, or a unique reward, or if the stakes are low - these did none of this.
Jolanda Swan wrote:
Seriously? A single choice that wasn't signposted enough was your only chance?
And it would still be RNG dependent even if you had made the "right" choice (which was morally repugnant)?
I don't get it. The reaction to Fine Dining showed clearly that a great portion of the playerbase (probably the majority) is frustrated by this type of gameplay. The Last Constable was also an indication of the same frustration. Not diminishing the experience of those who enjoy it, but why repeat what clearly was an unpleasant experience for many two times in a row?
I agree completely with both points. I finished this ES just a few minutes ago, and my reaction on seeing the 0% success rate near the end was "Seriously? That's complete BS." When choosing whom to buy the meat from, the text for the cheaper cut implies not that it will make the actual process of using the poison easier, but that it will make betraying the Prince more palatable to your character (because you didn't have to pay too much for a fine cut for someone you don't intend to help). I fully intended to betray the Prince and aid the Oblique Courier, but I had no way whatsoever of knowing that my 'choice' was being made right then and there. Buying a fine cut, I assumed, would make the Prince less suspicious of my involvement and make it all the easier to poison the offering. Judging from the other posts here, I was hardly alone in my bewilderment at the surprise pointless RNG check.
...and what's worse, from reading other posts here it seems that even if I had chosen the poorer cut, I would still be completely at the mercy of the dreaded RNG. The chaos of Fine Dining was somewhat enjoyable, but the RNG-dependent ending in that one and in Borrowed Glory was frustrating and mildly enraging. Which is sad, because I enjoyed the writing in Borrowed Glory so much. The Prince, Seneschal, and Courier were such great characters, and I loved exploring the Court near the end. But the final choice, over which I discovered I suddenly had no control, was depressing and left a sour taste in my mouth. This could have been one of the great Exceptional Stories for me, but alas, it is not to be.
[Idea: A better way of handling this might have been to have the choice of cut affect the initial outcome; say, 60% success if bad cut, 40% if fine cut, but to allow expenditure of resources (such as Tales of Terror and other items obtained while exploring the Court) to affect the outcome. For example storylets to "Distract the Prince by asking him about what you found in the kitchen/heard in the halls/saw in the garden", etc, success based on a fairly low Persuasive/Shadowy check, success increases chance of successfully poisoning the homunculus by 10%, failure decreases by 10%, can be repeated. Allow player to back off and explore the Court further to replenish resources if necessary, e.g., "Beg the Prince's pardon for a moment." That way, players that truly want to affect the outcome and lack the necessary items will have to sacrifice additional actions to obtain them, but can still do so.]
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James Sinclair
Curator of the Sanguine Ribbon Society 🗡
 A fully-fledged rêveur of The Night Circus.
Wines is red
Spices is yellow
But old Jack-of-Smiles
Is a murderous fellow
☠
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BillyCosmos!
Posts: 30
2/7/2020
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I want to add my voice to the Chorus of The Terribly Upset.
I wanted to stop the Prince. I detest the fingerkings, and the idea of working with a traitorous feline is simply appalling. As fascinating as obscene experiments may be, my allegiance to the cats and shroud overwhelms the curiosity.
I’d have smashed the urgent on his face and hoped the opportunity to escape presented itself.
60/60 be damned!
I blew fine dining too, but this is worse. It’ll take way more than dice for the RNG to make good on this run of screwage.
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Overjoyed to finally have a decent secretary to take dictation. Even if it is a somewhat more mushroomy sort of secretary than one might be used to.
Dictated, thuroughly read.
William, "Billy" Cosmos, the !
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Winthropx
Posts: 166
2/27/2020
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Oh, that’s awesome!
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Bishop Winthrop, a kind-hearted soul
A Paramount Presence
I accept all social actions
His Appearance
http://community.failbettergames.com/topic9363-your-characters-appearances.aspx?messageid=229809&Page=10#post#post229809
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Tsar Koschei
Posts: 202
2/28/2020
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I have to say, the central choice of this story didn't really feel like much of a choice at all, given how thoroughly unsympathetic the prince was, and how obviously dangerous his ambitions. The only reason you'd ever want to help him is macabre curiosity.
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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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phryne
Posts: 1348
2/9/2020
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It's been two hours since I played the conclusion of this story, and I still feel like I got slapped in the face.
This has got to be the most badly constructed ES of all time.
Por una Cabeza and Fine Dining were light-hearted stories. I didn't mind about being an unwitting part in Doña Villar's plans and applauded her for her gumption. I laughed about the chaos I caused in the Illustrious Chef's kitchen and owned up to it.
This time round, the subject of the story was far more serious. And then I learn that an innocuous mid-story decision, which wasn't signposted as particularly important in any way, completely screwed me up, with no way out. Tee-hee, ha-ha, you lose. Slap in the face. To add insult to injury, I do not even get the chance to explain myself to the Oblique Courtier. This is far worse than failing a luck-check, or missing an oblique hint. These things happen in games. This was more like being lured into a trap and being laughed at for falling into it.
I need to restrain myself from writing more now, when I'm still very emotional about it all, to avoid saying things I might later regret.
I'm massively disappointed.
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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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Amalgamate
Posts: 435
1/31/2020
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Hah! I successfully !$#@$d up the Prince.
I always oppose anyone fingerking-related.
I agree that it's a little weird that whether you could oppose him at all or not was entirely determined by what cut of corpsemeat you chose... especially since given the ritual, I totally didn't get what made one cut better than the other for the ritual/better for sabotage. Felt pretty arbitrary. And it gave only a 60% chance of success at best? (Though apparently you got two tries, so 84% chance of success overall?)
Shouldn't sabotaging the ritual be easy if you want to do it? You should be able to substitute as many of the ingredients as you want for fakes, since you're supplying them all...
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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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Blaine Davidson
Posts: 388
1/31/2020
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Everyone's complaining about the RNG in this one but my biggest issue was how short it felt.
Usually it takes me about a day and a half to complete an Exceptional Story. This one was solidly completely under a day.
I'll be honest though, if the Prince hadn't made subtle threats to eat me if I didn't help him I'd be much less likely to have betrayed him.
I'm petty like that.
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Blaine Davidson, a reserved and sensible woman with a fondness of collecting rarities.
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Tom Davidson
Posts: 107
1/30/2020
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Damn it. I had two 60% chances of success, and failed both. I also still don't have a Bat with Attitude. Can we please get a plotline that doesn't depend on the RNG some time in the near future?
(In general, BTW, I loved the writing on this. But let's face it: being forced to help the Prince when I would rather have died than help him -- when I had been dedicated to sabotaging him, consistently, from the very beginning -- just because I failed two RNG checks was very, very upsetting.)
edited by Tom Davidson on 1/30/2020
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http://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Black%20Tom
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Frederick
Posts: 27
1/30/2020
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I was not aware of what I was doing, and I was pretty shocked, dimwitted man that I am, to see that I had no chance at all to rectify what I had done to after having chosen a cut of too high quality.
I feel sick.
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Madizee
Posts: 9
2/1/2020
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I suppose my intense sense of disquiet is a tribute to the quality of the writing, but I feel extraordinarily disappointed in my character's inability to do what I wanted (sabotage).
I didn't mind the probability in Fine Dining. One can't succeed at everything! Still, this story provided no out whatsoever, which feels unfair.
I'm also presently involved in trap/neuter/release in my neighborhood and spending a lot of time with scraggly down on their luck feral mogs and the Seneschal hit a little too close to home! Again, definitely a mark of quality writing, but I would've liked a better shot at sabotage.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Madizee
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
2/3/2020
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Another difference probably is that in Por Una Cabeza, you had no control but you weren't hurt either: in the end, you get what you wanted. In Fine Dining and Borrowed Glory you both fail spectacularly, and dissapoint people who counted on you. On top of that, while Fine Dining gave you the half-excuse that you are not a gourmet chef, Borrowed Glory simply made no sense at all.
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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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chiche
Posts: 50
2/1/2020
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I like this sad, handsome, seductive tiger on the cover, so that I don't care too much about what the prince wants to do, and what people who want to stop him do. I only know that I want to kill anyone who threatens my handsome tiger, and I am very happy that I succeeded.
Story Rating: 8/10
Handsome tiger 7
Story 6
RNG -10
I am lucky 5
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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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Evariste S. Crumbledon
Posts: 138
1/30/2020
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That's the second time in the last few months I feel a pit in my stomach after finishing an Exceptional Story.
In 'Fine Dining', I failed miserably and felt quite upset for having let down the Chef, but I was in way over my head and just hoped for the best. Here, I felt I understood the stakes and tried to help the Courtier but had not a single clue on how to achieve that. It was a shock to realize that I had totally missed my chance. Which, after all, is what makes the story that engaging: just like IRL, one can do the wrong thing while trying one's best and only realize afterwards it was the wrong thing to do...
Still, that's the second time this week I spent some time in the Parabola. Should I prep for a basecamp?
edited by Evariste S. Crumbledon on 1/30/2020
edited by Evariste S. Crumbledon on 1/30/2020
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Evariste S. Crumbledon
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Tom Davidson
Posts: 107
1/31/2020
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erudelle wrote:
I made the same mistake as almost everyone else here by choosing the highest quality bag of organs as a moral choice.
Heh. I even got that part RIGHT, in that I intentionally bought a cheap cut to, if not outright sabotage, at least enrage and offend the Prince, and STILL failed the two 60% checks necessary to do so.
I don't mind the RNG, actually. But I DO mind being forced to placidly continue the ritual after I failed both checks. I'm a stubborn asshole (AND in the game), and it's hard to imagine a scenario where, having entered into something specifically to end someone, my character would meekly allow that ritual to complete successfully without intervening. I mean, canonically, I've thumbed my nose at the Red Queen; the Prince is not the scariest thing I'd ever face.
edited by Tom Davidson on 1/31/2020
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http://www.fallenlondon.com/Profile/Black%20Tom
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Gul al-Ahlaam
Posts: 225
2/1/2020
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Cassandra Khaw's writing is fantastic as always, and it hits the right notes of melancholy, beautiful, and disturbing. Mechanically it felt a little disjointed, with some decisions (not being able to warn the prince until after you poison him, the poisoning itself being a check without much way to influence it rather than a decision point, exploring the dream causing you to wake up automatically, etc) feeling perhaps left over from a different story shape or context that was changed in later edits.
I would also like to say that the image of a tiger getting folded up into a little parcel and carried away is very, very funny, and I really enjoyed it.
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The Uncanny Hierophant.
The Jewel-Eyed Prince.
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Monara
Posts: 162
2/2/2020
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So I messed up the cut choice earlier in the story too, which forced me into an ending I didn't want. I'm not a fan of the recent RNG gating and obscure choices which we have to make uninformed ending up being so decisive. Things like this make me want to go to the forums and read the disappointed reactions so I can avoid their mistakes instead of just playing the story blind. I think the writing on this story is great again as expected from this author but the mechanics were a disappointment again.
The worst part, in my opinion, is that after failing to sabotage twice (yeah, 0% chance, but what else am I supposed to do?) I was completely stuck with the only action available being to just continue helping with the ritual. I would have even preferred a refusal option that was extremely damaging in some way than getting forced into something I would never do if it wasn't the only way to get my character out of this story.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Miranah
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
1/30/2020
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What Cut... I have no idea what the Cut even is.
The writing was superb, but if this is not a glitch, I don't know what it is.
As for other flows (though I suspect I only played half the story somehow, for no reason I can think of) it is so much better when the story acknowledges who you are - I have duelled Feducci before, for example. After all these times praising stories who do that, I was hoping it would eventually be included in all stories.
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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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Ixc
Posts: 365
1/30/2020
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[spoiler]
I had a similar experience to loredeluxe, and failed both times. I think there should be an option to complete the sabotage of the ritual at the cost of the Prince's wrath (considering his oneironic prowess, he could banish the player into a completely unfinished part of his palace, with all the appropriate mental damage that would cause), but still giving the player a chance to do the right thing at a cost, as with what happened in the Magician's Dream. I was really going for sabotage through the whole story because I thought it would save the Seneschal, but it seems that it was impossible to save the Seneschal regardless. I also have to note it seems that the Oblique Courier, their desire for justice aside, seemed fine with letting the Seneschal be consumed for their own revenge. On the topic of character interpretation, it seems the Seneschal is aware that he hates the Prince; he beats Feducci when he imagines it's the Prince, and yet, he still goes to his fate. Maybe this, in the end, is what the Prince unexpectedly consumes: he doesn't see that spark of hatred and clarity in what seems to be a defeated and love-lost tiger.
[/spoiler]
Honestly, I enjoyed the story, and even the ability to fail at the end (something that is rare for an endgame player), as well as the sense of pervading horror and tragedy throughout the story.
edited by Ixc on 1/30/2020
--
Pleased to meet you. Ixc, spy and detective. Inventor of the Correspondence Cannon.
Are you a Paramount Presence? Record your name here. For posterity, of course.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
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Rozlyn Price
Posts: 11
1/30/2020
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Jolanda Swan wrote:
I must have done something very wrong. What is the Cut thing? I got to the choice with zero chance of success, and have no idea what happened. Should I ask for a reset?
Same, same. I had no idea that it would make it impossible , I just assumed it.. would make it harder,
edited by Rozlyn Price on 1/30/2020
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Rozlyn Price
Sera Wynn, preparing to go North... someday.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
1/31/2020
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PSGarak wrote:
Jolanda Swan wrote:
What Cut... I have no idea what the Cut even is.
[spoiler]At the gallows in Ladybones Road, when you were acquiring parts for the thing. Did you take the expensive meat or the cheap meat?
It was signposted that the cheap meat was pro-sabotage. I feel it did not adequately signpost the stakes. I was expecting other opportunities, with a cumulative effect, not a single quality that varied so greatly.[/soiler]
Seriously? A single choice that wasn't signposted enough was your only chance?
And it would still be RNG dependent even if you had made the "right" choice (which was morally repugnant)?
I don't get it. The reaction to Fine Dining showed clearly that a great portion of the playerbase (probably the majority) is frustrated by this type of gameplay. The Last Constable was also an indication of the same frustration. Not diminishing the experience of those who enjoy it, but why repeat what clearly was an unpleasant experience for many two times in a row?
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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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Jules Asimov
Posts: 95
2/8/2020
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I actually won the 60/60 coin toss, but that doesn't make me much happier, especially since I know of all the people who got screwed by the random number god.
Also I feel like the prince was a wonderful idea that had tons of potential, all of which was wasted by having him appear in this story.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Jules%20Asimov
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ClearFavourite
Posts: 50
2/5/2020
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This story made me unhappy, but in a bad way. I didn't even read the last few storylets because I just lost all my taste for it, for the reasons described everywhere else on this thread.
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The Boisterous Bounty-Hunter
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Kaigen
Posts: 530
2/5/2020
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Put me down as another person disappointed by the lack of effective signposting, the all-or-nothing, RNG-dependent approach to the final choice, and the failure to recognize the player's efforts. A story reset would be nice to at least get around the first problem, now that I know what the story failed to communicate, but it would do nothing for the other two.
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Just a simple doctor with a chess habit. Publisher of The Flit Dispatch.
"One must remember that the impossible is, alas, always possible."
-Jacques Derrida
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The Curious Watcher
Posts: 263
2/27/2020
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I think I reached this story's climax right after this announcement was made. After accepting the Courtier's task and getting the cheaper cut, the success rate for sabotaging the Rapacious Prince's ritual was 100%, which confused me for a bit since I heard that the success rate was 60% for everyone else. I guess the success rate was increased based on the feedback from players.
--
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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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
2/27/2020
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So if you take the other route, and buy the non-murdery meat, what is your success rate?
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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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Kharsirr Lynx
Posts: 318
3/1/2020
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Jolanda Swan wrote:
and most importantly the lack of alternatives in case you failed the luck test, is not something I wish to go through again in an ES. Making it more likely to succeed was a positive change, but statistically someone will fail and have the story ruined for them.
But there is red-post above?
> and also added a branch that means you can stop the Prince, albeit at cost to yourself, if you're very unlucky.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Kharsirr%20Lynx
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Lord Garuda
Posts: 102
1/31/2020
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This was my least favorite story of the Season. I don't understand exactly what the Prince was doing, other than that he was working against the Parabolan Tigers, and since I chose to side with him and the Seneschal I think I missed out on a lot of exposition. The story had good imagery in regards to the Prince's court and his creations, but it never gelled for me as a whole.
One thing I thought was that
[spoiler]Hell had something to do with the Prince's ambitions, since that's the only thing that connected the Regretful Soldier, Virginia and Feducci. I guess it was obvious that the Fingerkings were involved, though.[/spoiler]
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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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ChangelingChilde
Posts: 231
1/30/2020
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I enjoyed it, although I do wish the chance had been higher. That was a bit nerve-wracking, even though I made it.
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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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PSGarak
Posts: 834
1/30/2020
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I'm about four actions into it, and thoroughly engrossed.
I just feel at this point I should link to one of Jorge Luis Borges' stories. One in particular, "The Circular Ruins." As many of you are aware, the prominence of tigers, and mirrors, in the Neath is in no small part an influence from Borges.
http://markandrewholmes.com/thecircularruins.html
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/PSGarak
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1783
1/30/2020
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I must have done something very wrong. What is the Cut thing? I got to the choice with zero chance of success, and have no idea what happened. Should I ask for a reset?
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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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Chris Gardiner
Administrator
Posts: 539
1/30/2020
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Er, no, I used the wrong art. Please enjoy your sneak peak, and I will hastily change it.
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
2/2/2020
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I also bought from the wrong corpse merchant and failed twice at the 0% check. Oh well.
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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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silurica
Posts: 210
2/3/2020
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Jolanda Swan wrote:
Another difference probably is that in Por Una Cabeza, you had no control but you weren't hurt either: in the end, you get what you wanted.
Yes, if what you want is to see the lady succeed, but if you want to see her fail or to see Hell succeed, you will never get that from the story despite having the chance to make her lose the final gamble by suggesting the wrong slug to her. This is what I mean by what you do or think not mattering at all.
By having multiple endings, Fine Dining and Borrowed Glory communicate you could have "won" this, you could have gotten something better if only you did it differently*. And there are bound people wishing they had gotten a different ending than what luck gave them. Por Una Cabeza (which ironically is the only story of the season that includes actual gambling) did away with this completely by saying you had no chance at all for a different ending. It effectively only has one ending, which can have issue of its own (see first paragraph), but might explain why the reception toward it was so different compared to other Season of Animals stories.
*) Here I speak in vague terms because I don't want to assume what each player wants from a story. Except... Fine Dining and Borrowed Glory still have a notable difference in how each implemented luck check. Fine Dining still makes you face RNG even if your goal is to cause chaos. Borrowed Glory doesn't make pro-Prince players face RNG at all. It makes sense in each story, but put side by side like this they're... different.
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Meika Osborne, the Reckless Researcher
Leonard West, the Scarlet Informant
Chizuru Nishiooji, the Rueful Ex-Diplomat
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Wren
Posts: 30
2/1/2020
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This story and the one from last month were both uncharacteristically bad. For the first time I find myself questioning the value of my exceptional friendship.
I know that nonconstructive criticism isn't helpful, so let me try to be more specific.
In both stories the player wasn't given enough information to make and informed decision. What's worse, the final outcome was dependent on pure chance (with bad odds). Cumulatively this robs the player of a sense of agency and immersion.
A certain degree of risk is fine, if the failure is amusing, or provides lore, or a unique reward, or if the stakes are low - these did none of this.
Honestly I expected a lot more from the Season of Animals. Insight into slug racing was great - but the other two were huge disappointments. I'd love to have seen more about weasels, bats, or ravens, (or moles, hounds etc).
Let's hope for better next month.
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Thaddeus~Wren
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Josiah Thimblerig
Posts: 52
2/1/2020
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Loved the writing, hated the structure, like many I thought it was too short.
For much of the story we have storylets of a structure we're very used to, where there are a number of options to explore, the order doesn't matter, and we need to explore them all to succeed. Then at the market we again have three options but if you take the one to buy a cut of meat and you already have certain other resources in inventory, you never get a chance to take the other two and miss that content completely. The one decision you can make isn't strongly signalled, but getting it wrong leaves you with no chance of success or even an interesting failure.
I don't think I got value for my subscription with this one.
edited by Josiah Thimblerig on 2/1/2020
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/Josiah%20Thimblerig
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June
Posts: 1
2/1/2020
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New poster, I created an account here to gush about how much I thoroughly enjoyed the writing in this story. I started it a little bitter from last month's kitchen nightmare, and was pleasantly surprised at the how much the --more personal-- horror between the Seneschal and the Prince drew me in. The mounting sense of dread throughout the narration was palpable, only strengthened by the characterization of the core cast. I often feel ES's stretch themselves too thin between characters for how short they typically are, but this month I felt it was perfect. The new characters are supported by ones we're reasonably familiar with, and it gets across not only what the Prince wants, but the scope of it as well. It makes the realization of what I've failed to prevent all the more horrifying. I love it.
I'm certainly going to try for a better ending when I get the chance, but I feel the overall lack of control you had only adds to the atmosphere the story is going for. It has the added benefit of making me feel a little better about a certain choice in last month's ES, too: You can engage with others in good faith, but not everyone will be honest with you. And sometimes, no matter what you feel about it, there's little you can do to help.
Thank you so much for such an engrossing story. I sincerely look forward to next month's tale.
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