d0sboots
Posts: 11
2/11/2020
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I'm nearing the end of my 2nd day in London... my SMEN is at 4 and my Watchful at 27, and I'm trying to figure out what my plan is from here. Is there a guide to seeking catering to someone who (already) has nothing, or has no one been so foolish as to write such a thing? 
More specifically, I'm already fully spoiled on all the various cards and actions along the way. (I was spoiled on these before I even started playing - what drew me towards wanting to play FL in the first place was a wiki crawl that began from the search "Who is Salt?") So I know what I have to do, but I don't know which are going to be the expensive/time-consuming actions, because I don't have that knowledge from experience yet.
I'm assuming that a large amount of time will be spent getting to 200 Watchful, which is needed to meditate at the well. I've seen conflicting reports, but I don't *think* I'll need POSI, since there's three holidays when St. Destin's is available via alternate means? Assuming that I'm just using weekly Marsh-Mired to boost SMEN (so no need for expensive items there), it should be down to what's needed for the candles... what are the most hideously expensive requirements that I need to start planning for?
edited by d0sboots on 2/12/2020
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/D0sboots
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Quidam
Posts: 51
2/28/2020
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With all do respect to Rostygold, I'm gonna have to slightly disagree. I think their advice are mechanically sound, and they probably knows a lot more about seeking that I do, but I think part of the point and the... fun isn't the right word, I guess enjoyment of the storyline is that it's suppose to hurt a little. The wait from week to week, the Uncharacteristically Peckish quality that hurt you, the realization that you had to get rid of some item before you could progress, and now you have to go back are all design intention that point toward a willingness to frustrate the player. To be honest, I regret not halving my watchful, because I think I missed part of the experience (My Seeking is to high now to that ever be a realistic option). In his video about Pathologic, hbomberguy expressed the idea (which I think is also applicable to the Seeking storyline) that the game use design to evoke boredom, dread and frustration in the player to create an aesthetic experience. I this particular storyline is best enjoyed if we don't try to optimize our decision too much, or at least not as much as we would in the rest of the game. Again, this is only my opinion and I don't think Rostygold's advice is wrong (again, he knows much more about the storyline that I do), but I believe we should only use the wiki sometimes in this story.
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Just another face in the crowd
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Quidam
A hunger, a curse, a question
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Limos
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Rostygold
Posts: 346
2/29/2020
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I would say that people should use the Wiki whenever they can; this is a game that rewards planning. Besides, the Wiki is actively sanitized of any story spoilers.
The narrative fluff (or rather, thorns) from the failures is not really that great either - it's just more inane rambling and a lot of screaming.
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Billy Bones jr
Posts: 11
2/11/2020
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I doubt you can embark to the NORTH without a ship. And you need posi to get one.
Besides that you should plan on how you are going to get the calling card - getting it on your own might take some grinding as it requires not only an affiliation, but also 7 searing enigmas.
But nothing compares to 12 notability grind really. It’s not something you can get by just slowly getting closer and closer
edited by Billy Bones jr on 2/11/2020
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Billy Bones jr
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The Curious Watcher
Posts: 263
2/11/2020
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Professor Wensleydale of Hardwick wrote:
12 notability and a classic short story, for Destin and Cerise respectively.
I can elaborate on this a little bit:
The easiest way to get St Cerise's Candle is with a Classic Short Story.
After every four weeks, you can trade in 4 Profession Perks for a Trade Secret, which you should hoard rather than open. At Veilgarden towards the mid-game (post-POSI), you can prepare for a Classic Short Story by spending items to the highest possible cap. A Classic Short Story will require at least two Trade Secrets to create, but there will always be a significant chance for failure. As a result, start collecting as many Trade Secrets as possible.
St Destin's Candle is also time consuming, as the usual way is either getting a particular destiny during an event after getting St Cerise (the closest one being the Fruits of the Zee Festival at August - September), or to sacrifice 12 Notability to the Slowcake card. The most reliable way is to buy a Handsome Townhouse from the Bazaar (converting honey to romantic notions) and set up a Salon or Orphanage. Accumulate Scheme little-by-little and set up a partnership with either a Correspondent, Midnighter, or Crooked Cross to get as much Making Waves and Notability as possible. As consider investing in items with Bizarre, Dreaded and Respectable to decrease the amount of Making Waves needed to get Notability.
Seeking requires large amounts of Watchful, and the fastest way to increase the stat is by unlocking the University by completing expeditions, reaching the investigation of the Senior Reader's murder, and repeatedly pick the Porters option. Use the Heights of Chicanery option at the Flit to recycle investigation progress into Cryptic Clues that will be used for Porters. The Sudden Insights that are gained can then be spent at Lodgings to increase your Watchful very quickly so that in a few weeks, the base stat will be 200.
There is definitely more advice to give, but this is already overwhelming enough to a newbie so contact me in-game at Den Blackwell for more details if you want.
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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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d0sboots
Posts: 11
2/13/2020
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Notes to self/other: the Starveling Cat, the Starveling cat, gives Unaccountably Peckish at the drop of a hat! (Even without access to the Flit storyline that will give 3 UP/A from The Cat, you can gain 1 UP/A by trading it back and forth with an alt. As long as your alt can stand the peckish too. ) Is there any *downside* to having the Starveling Cat, like it unlocking an annoying card? Why do so many people refuse to accept cat boxes?
Also, I screwed up the chess math, chess is simultaneously better and worse than I thought. It's not 5 actions each, but asymmetric: 3 for the initiator and 2 for the invitee. Also, I've seen no evidence of the (huge) +50cp Watchful gain that the wiki claims for losing the 3rd round. Put these together, and if you assume that the initiator is also the loser (seems like a reasonable assumption?), the numbers come out: Winner 2.2 Actions for +13.1cp Watchful, 5.95cp/A. Loser 3.8 Actions for +33.4cp Watchful, 8.79cp/A.
Still really good, especially if you can reliably lose, but the bonus echos from the Porter carousel are starting to look a lot better at the top end.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/D0sboots
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Rostygold
Posts: 346
2/27/2020
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As someone who has had six - SIX - characters go through this storyline to the end, and got them all back with the tangible final reward, I would say this:
You really should do this much, much later. After your character has reached end-game status, and you have learned how to get specific things quickly. Fumbling about is NOT fun in this storyline.
Also, one of the phases in this storyline would have you waiting week after week just to build up a stat. You really need the patience for this one, because the alternative is horribly ruinous.
At one point in the storyline, you have to divest yourself of a LOT of assets and all your money. At that point, I suggest looking at the wiki for the game closely to see what you can retain. A tip here: you can buy a crapload of Books of the Dead. That point in the storyline doesn't require you to divest yourself of these.
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