making-me-nameless

[making-me-nameless]

Shopping list for the Lab:

Initial Unlock:

Cellar of Wine: Upconvert left over Broken Giant (from meeting the Mercies)

Primaeval Hint: Can be upconverted from Antique Mysteries (acquired from Trade Secrets among other things), but I will need Connected: Benthic. Normally that's unlocked by MYN, and most other sources require at least one to start with. But I think I can unlock it via Counting the Days. Unfortunately, I've already picked Closest To Bohemians, but changing it should be doable.

Justificande Coin: Normally, newly-minted POSIs have to do a heist for this, but heists are locked to MYN. But for once something is actually easier in this run: since I'm going to be tier 2 already, I can get it from Brawling with Dockers, which is more convenient than heisting anyway.

Equipment:

5 Venom Rubies: Probably need to take the expensive option in Bazaar Side-Streets

5 Bottled Oblivion: Bazaar

5 Strangling Willow Absinthe: Buy wine from Bazaar, upconvert via the Portly Sommelier

500 Honey: Bazaar

5 Abominable Salt: Bazaar

100 Deep Amber: Already got 1000s from Rubbery Men

1 Magnificent Diamond: Easiest option is probably the weekly payment for the Murderer profession.

1 Bejeweled Lens: Bazaar Side-streets (at least it's expensive for everybody). Requires 1 Magnificent Diamond (as above), 10 Ostentatious Diamonds (in exchange for favours on various cards, or the side-streets again), 60 Correspondence Plaques (upconvert from Rat Market maniac's prayers), and 1000 moon pearls (many sources, including the Bazaar).

200 Phosphorescent Scarabs: Rat Market

100 Memories of Light: Upconvert Phosphorescent Scarabs

1 Voluminous Library: Pursuing a Case of Books, just like everybody else.

Assistants:

I think I only want the Numismatrix. Lettice is no good until Equipment Level 5 (which requires Parabola), Gebrandt is locked to Prestige, and the Artist is locked to MYN. I don't think the Urchin is worth it.

5 Surface Currency: Brawling with Dockers (at the same time, even)

50 First City Coins: Gift from other characters (I have the same options as everyone else, but this is the best option for everyone)

Find A Route to Parabola:

50 (more) Memories of Light

1 Uncanny Incunabulum: Upconverted from Extraordinary Implications, which can be acquired a lot of places including Rat Market upconversion. This one also depends on Counting the Days being able to unlock Connected: Benthic.

1 Antique Mystery: Trade Secrets

1 Parabolan Kitten, for the option on Realisation: Gifted from another character (as always).

Looking Ahead: The University Laboratory

In order to make any progress in the Railway, I'll need to make Railway Steel, which requires the University Laboratory.

The University Laboratory, naturally, is unlocked at the The University, which is normally unlocked by MYN. Unlike some areas, I can't get there with Favourable Circumstances, but there is way: one of the "date" cards from the Once-Dashing Smuggler.

It's tricky, because that's not a repeating card. If I correctly manage my progress with the Once-Dashing Smuggler, I can play it three times before being locked out permanently. Once I use the Lab to create a Parabolan Basecamp, I can visit via Parabola, but until then those three visits are my only access.

I plan on getting everything I need to unlock the Lab, the first few upgrades and research projects, and the basecamp first, and just stay there until I'm done. I'll have my the other two visits as failsafes, but my goal is to do it all at once.

[making-me-nameless]

Time the Updater

Just grindin' away.

I think I've decided to go for Shadowy as my main attribute for tier 2 POSI. Shadowy is the best stat for LB Industries, which is still my main grinding spot. Plus, it makes sense for the character (Roleplaying? In a challenge run? It's more likely than you think.)

[making-me-nameless]

You might be able to get permanent university access without knowing the route. I repeat, you might be able to get permanent university access WITHOUT WATCHFUL MYN

Hi, the other person doing a similar challenge run here, I've realised that getting a laboratory is not actually gated behind permanent access; just behind being a POSI who is not unwelcome at the university. If you enter temporarily, which you can do twice through the Once-Dashing Smuggler, and you bring all the required materials, you may be able to unlock the Parabolan Base-camp. Which would give you a permanent way to travel between your lodgings and your lab, at the cost of honey.

I have not put this theory into practice yet, but by god it might actually work. Will report back later with my findings.

This is what I get for letting posts sit in my drafts, but yes, that's the plan.

[making-me-nameless]

Looking Ahead: The University Laboratory

In order to make any progress in the Railway, I'll need to make Railway Steel, which requires the University Laboratory.

The University Laboratory, naturally, is unlocked at the The University, which is normally unlocked by MYN. Unlike some areas, I can't get there with Favourable Circumstances, but there is way: one of the "date" cards from the Once-Dashing Smuggler.

It's tricky, because that's not a repeating card. If I correctly manage my progress with the Once-Dashing Smuggler, I can play it three times before being locked out permanently. Once I use the Lab to create a Parabolan Basecamp, I can visit via Parabola, but until then those three visits are my only access.

I plan on getting everything I need to unlock the Lab, the first few upgrades and research projects, and the basecamp first, and just stay there until I'm done. I'll have my the other two visits as failsafes, but my goal is to do it all at once.

[making-me-nameless]

I haven't yet succumbed to the temptation to power-level using Patronage, but since I'm going to getting married anyway, I may as well go on dates with my future spouse.

I would like to get Hedonist at least up to 8, because that unlocks getting second chances on the Give a Gift! card. Most of the normal ways I'd grind Hedonist are locked behind MYN and/or expensive items, so for now raucous date nights it is.

[making-me-nameless]

Well, I've got the 325 legal documents required (and everything else for the weddings, too). So now it's just a matter of grinding my stats up. I've still got a long way to go on that:

[making-me-nameless]

It's a good thing turning in stashed treasure doesn't cost actions.

So many clicks tho

[making-me-nameless]

Companions acquired! I got the Deathless Chieftain, The Empire of Hands on Deck, the Shabti box, the Staunch Companions, and the Memorious Goldfish.

I figure I won't miss the Matriarch too much. I thought I might want the Matriarch because I can't get the tiger ministers on this run*, so the normally easy +10 Watchful companion is unavailable. But I can still get the +8 Scuttering Squad, so it's only +4 that I'm losing out on (and maybe I can eventually get an Overgoat).

*At least, I don't think so. Maybe there's some way to access to the Labyrinth of Tigers without doing the Dangerous MYN, but if so I haven't found it.

Hallowmas

I have acquired a destiny:

I've also picked up the Rabble of Revelers, the Acerbic Clay Man, and the Weary Wayfinder.

The companion upgrades are also going to be nice to have, but I have to figure out which ones I'm able to get. If I want An Empire of Hands on Deck, a Deathless Chieftain, or a Midnight Matriarch of the Menagerie of Roses, I need to buy the base companions. If I want a Shabti Box, I need to get my hands on 20 Mysteries of the Elder Continent, which might also require spending echoes on items to upconvert. I don't think I have enough money for all of them.

I don't plan on pursuing Spirit of Hallowmas, except as opportunity cards let me pick up menaces incidentally. I don't think I have any good grindable menace spots available, and even if I did I might want to be grinding money for the companions.

[making-me-nameless]

Huh, apparently Wilmot's End doesn't require POSI, even though most of the way to unlock it do.

I don't currently have the Renown: The Great Game required, but worth checking out at some point.

[making-me-nameless]

Hallowmas

I have acquired a destiny:

I've also picked up the Rabble of Revelers, the Acerbic Clay Man, and the Weary Wayfinder.

The companion upgrades are also going to be nice to have, but I have to figure out which ones I'm able to get. If I want An Empire of Hands on Deck, a Deathless Chieftain, or a Midnight Matriarch of the Menagerie of Roses, I need to buy the base companions. If I want a Shabti Box, I need to get my hands on 20 Mysteries of the Elder Continent, which might also require spending echoes on items to upconvert. I don't think I have enough money for all of them.

I don't plan on pursuing Spirit of Hallowmas, except as opportunity cards let me pick up menaces incidentally. I don't think I have any good grindable menace spots available, and even if I did I might want to be grinding money for the companions.

[making-me-nameless]

Not a whole lot to report. Just grinding stats in LB industries

(I've been focusing Watchful to maximize my Arbor EPA)

My Alt's Legal Document collection is going pretty well:

That's 98 documents worth of Stashed Treasure, for a total of 182. Over half way there!

Honestly, it's been easier than expected, despite Hinterland Prosperity not working out. I'm working through Evolution now, and picking up a bunch of treasure along the way.

[making-me-nameless]

I can access the Forgotten Quarter the same way I accessed the Flit: using a Favourable Circumstance to meet the appropriate faction. However, in this case, the faction I need is the Tomb Colonies, and meeting the Tomb Colonists has an additional requirement:

I need Acquaintance: the Mercies. For that, I need a bottle of Broken Giant 1844. So it's time to take my hard-earned wages from the rat factory, and use it to buy booze:

5000 is enough to trade with Portly Sommelier, which is the most efficient way to upconvert wine. He'll give me more Broken Giant than I need, but I'm sure I can find a use for the extra later.

[making-me-nameless]

Oh, hey, the Great Crate Commotion pays out Dubious Testimonies, which are what I need to get Legal Documents at Balmoral Evenlode. That's convenient.

[making-me-nameless]

Hi there!

I'm doing a similar challenge run, and I just learned about you through the comments on one of my reddit posts (https://www.reddit.com/r/fallenlondon/s/F1nZIv9HiN)! Our challenges may be different (I personally allowed the use of Fate gifted by other players to bypass the MYN gate on POSI 1, while I have heard that you have your own strategies for bypassing it), but we both seem to be trying to become as Important as possible without a made name, and I wish you the absolute best in doing so!

I'll see you at the top, delicious friend.

Congratulations, and thanks!

[making-me-nameless]

Maybe I've just been unlucky on drawing Imports and Exports, but I'm kinda souring on Hinterland Prosperity for legal documents.

[making-me-nameless]

Making a new character to grind the documents is a bold move.

Where are you planning on grinding? It's an interesting puzzle, especially with a fresh character. The best grind (by a significant margin, I think), is Hinterland Prosperity, but that's a *long* way to go.

Persuasive MYN skip failed

Persuasive 50 and no storylet. To be fair, @making-me-nameless did find this already, but I figured it might be different if you don't even unlock The Singing Mandrake. Unfortunately, no.

Of course, with every strategy end comes a new beginning. Say hello to No Homes' Wife! (gosh that's such a bad name I'm sorry). She's been getting ready to grind legal documents for weddinggrind. In the meantime, No Homes will be grinding watchful, base of 200 is needed to advance to An Extraordinary Mind. She'll also be working on getting ratcoin for the Frock... Gotta find a good source for that. And wait for the Hard Rat-Moon.

[making-me-nameless]

Looking Ahead: Ambitious Goals

Once I'm tier 2 POSI, meeting the requirements on the card to unlock the railway is pretty straightforward. Doing that unlocks a storylet in Moloch Street.

That's a problem because, as mentioned in a previous post, I don't currently have access to Moloch Street. Normally, that's one of the very first things a new player unlocks, but the storylet that unlocks it is Making Your Name: The Case of the Honey-Addled Detective, the start of the watchful branch of Making Your Name. It doesn't actually give you a MYN quality, but I'd still like to avoid it if possible.

According to the wiki, there are other ways to unlock it, but they're tied to some of the Ambitions, specifically Bag A Legend and Nemesis. The Ambitions are a set of mutually-exclusive storylines that run from the early game to the onset of the late game.

Because they're mutually exclusive, I don't want to select one until I'm sure I know which one I want. There might be other roadblocks like this one, where specific Ambitions give me access to things otherwise unavailable. If possible, I'd also like to pick one it's possible to finish in this rule set (which I'm pretty sure Nemesis is not), so that's another constraint.

Fortunately, I've got plenty of time to make my decision, because both of my choices require journeys by ship before they unlock Moloch Street, which requires POSI and so requires doing the wedding grind.