Entry tags:
Echo Bazaar
(For the 99% of my flist who are not playing Echo Bazaar: just keep moving, nothing to see here. *g*)
First of all: I died, finally. Actually, I let myself die, because I've been fairly conscientious about keeping my Wounds below the critical level, but I figured I ought to find out what happens just for the hell of it. So now I know.
One thing I'm wondering, since I haven't really been discussing the game with other people, is how my gameplay strategies compare to the ones the rest of y'all are using. I've found that I can't make myself play ruthlessly; I've tried a few of the ruthless options just to see what happens, but I always feel too guilty afterwards to really enjoy the rewards. *g* Generally if there's an option that involves, say, kicking orphans and one that doesn't, I'll take the one that doesn't -- and it's completely ridiculous, because it's a game, they aren't real orphans, they aren't even other players, and there's no rational reason not to play the game like a total bastard. But I can't make myself do it. Am I alone in this? Or is this pretty common? (I seem to have no problem with petty theft, however. *g* But when it comes to doing things like, say, killing people, I'll only do it if it's the only option. Or at least, I feel guilty afterwards.)
For that matter, another thing I'm wondering about is whether most of you fix on raising a few of your Connections, or try to raise them all. I've been generally in "Play ALL the branches! Raise ALL the Connections!" mode, but of course this involves quite a lot of aimless flailing, especially when raising some Connections causes others to go down. So I'm curious if I ought to stop trying to play all the game options and try to focus on getting better at just a few of them -- I doubt if there's a "right" and a "wrong" way to do it, but I'm curious how other people handle it, and how that's working out for you.
Also: the Shuttered Palace. Don't spoil me hugely for this, please, but without getting into too many specifics - how the frick do you get there? Is there a card that unlocks access at higher levels? Do you have to build up some skill or connection? Because that's where the next part of my Ambition seems to take place, but I've been playing the side stories for ages now (well, it feels like ages *g*) without a route to the Shuttered Palace coming up. At least I assume you can get there. It would be awfully cruel to direct me to a place that it's not physically possible to go. Still, it's very annoying not to have any Ambition options currently on the table. I'm used to being stuck because I can't raise my skills high enough to beat the challenges, not because I can't even find the place where the challenge happens. ETA:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sqbr answered this question; thank you! :)
Finally: that Keen-Eyed Lapidary, the one who keeps asking you for Glim or whatnot. *g* Is there actual benefit to going ahead and giving her what she wants, or is she just going to bleed you dry without ever giving anything back? I paid her a couple of times just to see what happened, but since what's happening appears to be "nothing", I'm curious if this is simply one of the game's many small ways of screwing you over if you make a bad decision, and I'm just curious if anyone's played that particular branch far enough to find out if there's any benefit to going ahead and playing it through.
First of all: I died, finally. Actually, I let myself die, because I've been fairly conscientious about keeping my Wounds below the critical level, but I figured I ought to find out what happens just for the hell of it. So now I know.
One thing I'm wondering, since I haven't really been discussing the game with other people, is how my gameplay strategies compare to the ones the rest of y'all are using. I've found that I can't make myself play ruthlessly; I've tried a few of the ruthless options just to see what happens, but I always feel too guilty afterwards to really enjoy the rewards. *g* Generally if there's an option that involves, say, kicking orphans and one that doesn't, I'll take the one that doesn't -- and it's completely ridiculous, because it's a game, they aren't real orphans, they aren't even other players, and there's no rational reason not to play the game like a total bastard. But I can't make myself do it. Am I alone in this? Or is this pretty common? (I seem to have no problem with petty theft, however. *g* But when it comes to doing things like, say, killing people, I'll only do it if it's the only option. Or at least, I feel guilty afterwards.)
For that matter, another thing I'm wondering about is whether most of you fix on raising a few of your Connections, or try to raise them all. I've been generally in "Play ALL the branches! Raise ALL the Connections!" mode, but of course this involves quite a lot of aimless flailing, especially when raising some Connections causes others to go down. So I'm curious if I ought to stop trying to play all the game options and try to focus on getting better at just a few of them -- I doubt if there's a "right" and a "wrong" way to do it, but I'm curious how other people handle it, and how that's working out for you.
Also: the Shuttered Palace. Don't spoil me hugely for this, please, but without getting into too many specifics - how the frick do you get there? Is there a card that unlocks access at higher levels? Do you have to build up some skill or connection? Because that's where the next part of my Ambition seems to take place, but I've been playing the side stories for ages now (well, it feels like ages *g*) without a route to the Shuttered Palace coming up. At least I assume you can get there. It would be awfully cruel to direct me to a place that it's not physically possible to go. Still, it's very annoying not to have any Ambition options currently on the table. I'm used to being stuck because I can't raise my skills high enough to beat the challenges, not because I can't even find the place where the challenge happens. ETA:
sqbr answered this question; thank you! :)Finally: that Keen-Eyed Lapidary, the one who keeps asking you for Glim or whatnot. *g* Is there actual benefit to going ahead and giving her what she wants, or is she just going to bleed you dry without ever giving anything back? I paid her a couple of times just to see what happened, but since what's happening appears to be "nothing", I'm curious if this is simply one of the game's many small ways of screwing you over if you make a bad decision, and I'm just curious if anyone's played that particular branch far enough to find out if there's any benefit to going ahead and playing it through.
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I never got anything out of the Keen-Eyed Lapidary, I get the impression she is rather a waste of glim but I could be wrong.
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And thanks for the info on the Lapidary; that was starting to be my impression, but I wasn't sure if the glim would eventually pay off down the road.
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I haven't the vaguest idea what you're talking about, but I'm raising my hand about "can't play ruthless". My BFF and another friend and I often play Scrabble together. It's common for us to help each other form words (and apologize when the words don't cross a higher-point square), or to trade letters. "Anybody got a spare E? I can trade an A or an O." It's not unusual for one of us to make a word with the comment, "Well, it doesn't get me any points, but it opens up this part of the board."
Of course, we're friends, but I get a completely different vibe when playing with my sister. It's not the 'no trading, no helping' thing -- I can avoid bending the rules when necessary <g> -- but my sister plays cutthroat. She'll be able to form a good word, say 14 points, then spend 5 minutes looking for an alternate word that might give her 15 or 16 points, instead. (This when she's already 60+ points ahead.)
So, yeah; I wouldn't be kicking any orphans, either.
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Maybe it has something to do with having been the oldest child,
I never thought of that; me too! Although we didn't play a lot of games together, but I had heaping doses of responsible protectiveness instilled in me. And my first speech therapy position was working with 3- and 4-year-olds. We played games as a reinforcement for work, and of course I let them win.
Yes, I'm competitive, too, and try to squash it. It's easier to squash when playing with friends than with acquaintances but, like you, I mostly want everyone to have fun.
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