fallenlondonreviewed

[fallenlondonreviewed]

The Green King

An invitation to a club so exclusive, no one has ever heard of it. And a string of disappearances that seems to be connected to it. When you’re joined by the enigmatic Lady Jane, your investigations pick up steam, and you uncover a dark tale of betrayed trust and an old king who hungers for his stolen crown. All leads point back to London, and the secretive, malicious club who sparked this mystery.

MY RATING: ★★★★☆ COMMUNITY RATING: none yet A dark murder-mystery that allows you to investigate the background of a powerful and corrupt circle of people, alongside an enigmatic companion and evocative writing. MAIN FOCUS: History, Investigation, Mr. Eaten and Red Queen adjacent SECONDARY FOCUS: Society, Criminals

Spoiler Free

Opening

Who should play it? How does it begin? Will my character feel out of place?

A dinner invitation to an exclusive club finds its way to your doorstep. However, the envelope has been tampered with. As you investigate both the tampering and the elusive club, it becomes clear that this dinner would have most likely seen you go permanently missing.

The opening makes sense for all sorts of characters. At first it is unclear why you have been chosen, and while it’s not at the forefront of the investigation, it plays well into this mystery. Later, when the reason is revealed, it’s a bit of a let-down. But by this point, you’re already too immersed to care about it.

This ES is very much a murder-mystery. Most of it is investigation, and at the end you get to confront the culprits. So a character who prides themselves for their investigative prowess will have a lot of fun. It also permits you to make “evil” choices at pivotal moments. However, this ES is a dark one that leaves a sad aftertaste even on the good endings. If you’re looking for something wholesome, you’ll probably not find it here.

Review

I did not expect this ES to be this gripping. Despite not looking like it from the onset, you are basically investigating a murder-mystery. That includes getting clues that will only make sense later on, characters turning out to be not who they pretend they are, a conspiracy, all the good stuff.

Beyond the investigation, “The Green King” deals mainly with themes of betrayal, sacrifice and hunger. And while its themes are eerily close to both Mr Eaten and the Godeaters, the story it tells is completely independent of those. Same goes for the Red Queen. Lady Jane, the woman on the poster, is often described with the telltale signs of the Red Queen’s influence, yet it is never confirmed.

Since it stands on its own in the canon of the Neath, “The Green King” felt to me like I took a dive into a dark celtic folktale. It talks about ancient kings, abolished systems, long-forgotten castles and uses more green than an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day.

The scope of this one is rather small. No ancient gods are being stopped here. You uncover a small circle of corrupt and somewhat powerful people, that’s all. Which is a good thing. Since ES never have a long lasting impact, it feels good to close the case on this one knowing all is solved.

It took me around 70 actions to play it. It feels decently long even by just reading it through. One thing that frustrated me, however, was the way the actions were spread out. On both play-throughs, I ran out of actions at the same point, where the tension was extremely high.

The writing in this is very evocative. It plays mainly with colour – both the sunlight spectrum and the neathbow – and it makes for some awesome images. I have learned so many synonyms for green and red… There is also a point where the player character teeters on the edge between life, death and madness and the writing becomes outstandingly horrifying and beautiful. I think these passages will be among my favourite pieces of FL writing for quite some time.

There is only one actual character this ES introduces: Lady Jane. There exist some other characters, but they are only static shadows in the background. Lady Jane is the focal point of this ES and she is a wonderful character. Right from the start it’s clear that she’s hiding something from us. Her red outfit doesn’t lie – she’s ready to sacrifice anyone for her gain. But the way she acts and talks is always genuine, and that’s where her charm lies. I found her to be very lovable. And the fact that she doesn’t hesitate to threaten death made her just that much more fun for my Licentiate.

This ES has a few inconsistencies, however. Most of them are probably oversights and will get patched out in later versions. But there is one big one that made a few endings for me unsatisfying. The endings are probably among the weaker parts of this ES, but only because the aforementioned surreal encounter between death and madness was so good. The ending feels earned and even though some of them end in a way that’s outside of the player’s control, I never felt cheated.

It’s too early actually to even gauge community opinion – I’m writing this three days after it came out. So far the few voices sing praise for Lady Jane, and are as puzzled as I am by the ending they got. Which, I think/hope, is a mistake on FBG’s side. One commenter pointed out how refreshing it is to get into the themes of hunger/loss/greed without having to rely on Mr. Eaten once again.

In conclusion: This ES is a beautifully written standalone murder mystery, that gets very dark from time to time. If that’s something you don’t mind, I’d recommend it at once. If only because good mysteries are so rare.

Additional Thoughts (Full Spoilers)

Big part in why I like this ES so much is the craftsmanship that went into the mystery. I got the feeling that every word I read was there for a reason. And sure enough, every clue that was laid out or fact I discovered came up later at least one more time.

That’s why it’s all the more frustrating that there are these small inconsistencies that didn’t add up. Like the librarian’s comment that’s never followed up on, or how it’s not clear which Pretender sponsored my/Jane’s invitation. I actually sat down, took notes and charted things out because I was so invested. But like I said, these things are probably oversights in a very early version of this ES. I sent my notes to FBG and am confident that they’ll patch it.

What’s harder to patch imo is the relationship between Jane and Percy. In two of the endings, they give off romantic vibes for each other, which was never even hinted at. Sure, Jane has a soft spot for Percy, that was clear, but more in the “follow your dream and don’t let anyone stop you” sort of way. And she does take pity on prisoners, which he clearly is. But nothing indicated a romantic connection, and even less the kind of “old love” the endings implied, where they didn’t need to say a word to each other. They just seemed to understand. And while that makes for a really epic ending, I would have loved some kind of breadcrumb as to where that came from. Are they avatars of the Red Queen and the Beleaguered King? Did they grow up as stepbrother and -sister? (No, they didn’t, I double checked.)

As mentioned, my Licentiate and Lady Jane were a match made in heaven. They are on the exact same wavelength of opportunism. Just like how Lady Jane didn’t mind me cutting her rope too much, I had to give her credit for turning the gun on me. Also, it’s a nice thing the other person offers to put themselves in harm’s way, Emanuel wouldn’t object to that.

Credits for "The Green King": Writing: James Chew Editing and QA: Luke van den Barselaar and Bruno Dias Art: Erion Makuo

Link to the FL Forum

#fallen london #exceptional story spoilers #exceptional story #the green king #review #failbetter games

[fallenlondonreviewed]

The Bloody Wallpaper

The Red and Gold Gala – the most prestigious event of the social season, hosted at the Royal Bethlehem itself – is approaching quickly and you are invited – to work for minimum wage. While you grind your teeth and keep up the ever-friendly smile, you get to know the guests who attend this gala, as well as the service workers behind the scenes, who are quite literally fighting for their lives in the fast reaches of the Royal Bethlehem. And just when you think your suffering is drawing to a close, the wallpaper is ripped off and you find out that nothing is what it seems. This celebrates 100 Exceptional Stories, and it is a celebration indeed.

MY RATING: ★★★★★ COMMUNITY RATING: none yet A surreal ride through the cosmic and existential horrors hidden in the service industry. With brilliant writing, great humour and a stunning amount of content, this ES is well worth its money. Main Focus: Royal Bethlehem, Parabola Secondary Focus: Society, Bohemians

Spoiler Free

Opening

You’re enjoying the life of a London socialite. Everyone keeps talking about the Red and Gold Gala, as dread creeps up on you – could it be that you’re… not invited? It’s getting so bad, you even start dreaming about the event. Then, finally, the Manager of the Royal Bethlehem invites you – to work. But there’s a talking lizard on the desk, so you’re a bit distracted when negotiating.

The opening is by far the weakest part of this ES. Any character who is not a dedicated socialite will feel like they’ve came down with a sudden bout of snobbery. On the plus-side, it’s over rather quickly. For my characters, I ignore the hyping up of the Red and Gold Gala and pretend the story only starts with the strange dreams. Because from there on, it makes sense for all sorts of characters to get roped up in this.

I would recommend this ES to any player and character alike. I can’t imagine someone not enjoying this (except the characters, those will suffer tremendously.) The Red and Gold Gala, as well as this ES, is one huge celebration of Fallen London. Players who are very invested in the lore will get an additional enjoyment out of this confluence of some of the Neath’s biggest players.

Review

This ES is an absolute treat! If asked what my all time favourite would be, I’d answer “The Bloody Wallpaper” without skipping a beat. It’s Chandler Groover at his very best – a maelstrom of surreal, colourful writing that evokes emotions powerful enough that you’ll forget about the actual story being told.

Due to it being the 100th ES and riding the hype of Mask of the Rose’s release only a month earlier, this ES is outstanding in several aspects. The most obvious of which is its length. It is a chonker. 80 actions at least, but with all the free actions it has, it feels like two to three times the length of an average ES. I broke up both my play-throughs, and still managed spend four hours on one sitting alone.

The length also reflects in the structure of this ES. It has two very distinct parts, separated at around the three-quarter mark. In addition to that, it offers half a dozen mini-storylines which you can explore at your own pace.

The by far best part about this ES is the craft, in my opinion. This story sits firmly in the horror genre – people get casually killed, you are repeatedly told how utterly unimportant and replaceable you are, and at the climax there’s a good dash of body horror in it as well. But the prose has a matter of fact-ness to it that states “just another Tuesday at Walmart” with a shrug and moves on. It starts out in a cynical, resigned tone which pivots to a desperate last claim for self-worth as reality falls apart more and more.

As said, you are a service-worker at the Red and Gold Gala, where you have to keep the guests happy and the party running almost entirely by yourself. “Who hurt you, Chandler?” I found myself asking more than once. The ES uses its prose, its story and even its mechanics to make you feel utterly powerless. As u/perkoperv123 put it: “My favorite part of FL, the thing that makes it unique tonally, is this exact kind of banal horror. […] This ES is a powerlessness fantasy. You're no longer a Person of Importance. You're barely a person at all. You are the help. If a guest demands the impossible, make it happen anyway.”

As a consequence of this complete lack of agency, there are no roleplay options. The entire ES has two decisions to make, and only one of them matters a little. On all other cards there is exactly one option to pick – whatever makes the guest happy. So you spend a lot of time navigating the mechanical side of this ES to get the orders and items to the guests. It requires a lot of clicking, which feeds into the feeling of futility. I’ve rarely seen FL (or other games) leverage its gameplay to enhance its narrative like this.

What the ES lacks in roleplay it makes up for in freedom to explore. From the beginning on, almost the entire hotel is open to you. Guests have requests, but it’s up to you in which order you serve them. A timer is running throughout the ES, and it will trigger certain events, which generates a false but effective sense of time-pressure. Despite it, there is no missable content.

Community opinion on this one is more divided than usual. Players either loved or hated it. An overwhelming majority praised it very much for the same reasons I listed above. But the people who didn’t enjoy it mostly pointed to the grindy and dull mid-game, as well as the disrespect against their character. And while these aspects are very much intended by the author, I can totally understand why that would take the fun away for some players.

Which brings me to the conclusion. In the end, your character has been used and abused by a power they can never compete with, and that couldn’t care less about what they have to say. Yes, the powerlessness might have been a nightmare, but in the real Fallen London, you might just be as disposable as you were when you had to wait on the most self-important people of London. To me, this downer of an ending didn’t really hit hard because I was still high on the prose (and my characters have an inferiority complex).

In total, I massively enjoyed this ES, and I will continue to recommend it to anyone, if only for the added content. A bit more art and half a soundtrack, and other companies would have sold this as a stand-alone graphic novel.

Additional Thoughts (Full Spoilers)

Only in Fallen London can the author pull the “but it was all a dream”-card and get a better product as a result.

I’m rarely moved by written horror these days. We’ve had 2020. But when the Gala was finally about to begin, when the Manager lead my character into the dining room and all other employees were either dead or mysteriously gone, I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. And the suspense!

Then, when the wallpaper came down, and I genuinely didn’t know any longer what happened, I was worried for my character. But I also couldn’t stop myself, I needed to know where this went.

Then, when all was said and done, and my character sat across the manager once more, I could feel his exhaustion. (story-time: Emanuel, my main FLPC, is stoic, devoid of any emotions, and can take tremendous amounts of abuse with a smile and a polite ‘thank you.’ And usually, I don’t feel bad for him. But when he sat there, I couldn’t help but think “you did not deserve this.”)

And all this because of tax evasion. (Who hurt you, Chandler?) I know he has his fans, but the Manager has very much cemented his place in my list of enemies now. As has the Northbound Parliamentarian. Can’t look at her card the same way as before now.

My favourite guest has to be the Red-Handed Prince. Not only am I is Emanuel a hopeless simp for the red-handed Queen, but if you present him with toxic and thinly veiled pillow talk from a good-looking guy in a suit, he looses all mental faculties. I think the Red-Handed Prince, who claims to be the Bloody-Handed Queen’s son, has not been mentioned yet in her list of avatars, so that’s an interesting addition.

And of course, there’s everyone’s favourite, the Butcher’s Boy. Not only is this a child who actually has two (2!) living parents, but he is also an absolute sweetheart and deserves nothing but the best.

The appearance of October, while stunningly beautiful, went entirely over my head at the time of playing, as did probably many other things. But I couldn’t care, I loved the ride (which is a statement I could make to many of the critiques of this ES.)

11/10 would recommend.

Credits for "The Bloody Wallpaper": Writing: Chandler Groover Editing: Luke van den Barselaar QA: James Chew Art: Paul Arendt

Link to the FL Forum

#fallen london #exceptional story spoilers #exceptional story #the bloody wallpaper #who hurt you chandler? #review #failbetter games

[fallenlondonreviewed]

The Queen of the Elephants

Queen Mary and her Forty Elephants. They must be thieves — nobody has that much money to spend — but nobody knows from whom they steal. As you discover the key behind their impossible success, you attract the attention of greater parabolan forces and need to make a decision: Will you stop Mary and the havoc that she wreaks, or help her become who she is destined to be? This story will take you as close to the border between the Is and the Is-Not as you can get. Watch out or you will get your hands bloody.

MY RATING: ★★★★☆ COMMUNITY RATING: ★★★★☆ (Community Survey January 2023) A dark, haunting tale and a warning about what happens if you dabble with the Is-Not, told through one (and a half) fascinating story with more options than one could wish for. MAIN FOCUS: Red Handed Queen, Parabola SECONDARY FOCUS: Beleaguered King, Criminals

Spoiler Free

Opening

News spread throughout London of an infamous gang of thieves, and the lavish parties they throw. Your best investigative skills are needed! Ultimately, you end up meeting their leader, Mary, Queen of the Forty Elephants. She is charming but ruthless, but you can convince her to take you with her on one of her heists.

After a successful heist (and another lavish party), you are approached by the person you stole from, and have to choose a side.

“Queen of the Elephants”’s opening tries to be inclusive, giving options to lawful aligned characters. But throughout the ES, you will, whether you want to or not, act like you’re a fixture in London’s underworld. If your character isn’t comfortable around criminals, especially the first half will feel extremely out of character for them.

Criminals on the other hand will feel right at home. Silverers as well — they get to apply their expertise multiple times here. And anyone with ties to the Red Handed Queen will get to interact with their idol, which in itself is rewarding enough. It offers very ruthless options which are rewarded, so if you’ve got an “evil-aligned” character, they’ll delight in this ES.

One path requires animal-cruelty, but the ES makes it very clear and lets you opt out of it.

Review

Ah, yes, the story of a queen who girlbossed too close too the sun…

After reviewing “The Pursuit of Moths,” “The Queen of the Elephants” is such a treat! Both of them are by Harry Tuffs, and “The Queen of the Elephants” has seemingly left behind all the issues that “The Pursuit of Moths” had.

Most of all the length. This ES is a chonker. It has four distinct acts connected by a lot of legwork in between. Even getting to the proper opening of the ES — the party — requires you to do several actions worth of detective work. Halfway through it splits down two paths, both of which are so distinct that they’d warrant a reset just to find out what the other offers.

The next big and noticeable strength of this ES are the various dialogue options. All ambitions except Nemesis get a tie in. Anything to do with the Red Handed Queen will give you incredibly satisfying options where your character gets to actually explain something to other people. And finally, Silverers get to feel useful for once.

These are all very nice (mechanical) things, but what about the story?

This story, in its essence, is about the Red Handed Queen. And that’s exactly how it feels while playing it. There are no characters for you to get overly attached to. Sure, Queen Mary and her main opponent are very memorable. Over time, they reveal their past struggles and you will feel sorry for them. But to me, they were never likeable. Which is not a bad thing! I will explain in a bit.

Because the character that actually shines in this ES is the player character. This ES offers so many choices and roleplay options, but also so many descriptions of your characters actions that it is as much about your choices as the choices of the characters. If you play the type of character who doesn’t have the most rigid of consciences. But hey. Us, who will not be caught Red Handed, rarely do.

From a lore-perspective, this ES explores the borders between the Is and Is-Not like no other. The entire conflict in both paths is about how characters’ choices influence Parabola and how it influences their real life. And about the Red Handed Queen. It’s about the Red Handed Queen. She appears towards the climax, and is only there for a brief moment, but man does she leave an impression.

Which brings me to the story’s conclusion. This ES on paper ends on a good note, but I never felt fluffy happy feelings about it. Rather, it leaves you a bit disturbed about the powers that lurk on the other side of the mirror. That’s why the dark-grey, not very likeable characters were actually a blessing. The conclusion was not per se satisfying, since it left some questions unanswered on purpose, but to this day, when I look at the story’s gorgeous art, it sends a shiver down my spine.

Community opinion is overwhelmingly positive. People especially loved the options it gives for “evil-aligned” characters to just be themselves, and my evil-aligned character would agree. That and the haunting ending.

All in all, this is a clear recommend for the right kind of characters. It’s got good writing (a lot of it), phenomenal roleplay opportunities and so much lore. A very loving four out of five, the one star missing because it’s clearly not for everybody.

Additional Thoughts (Full Spoilers)

My personal favourite characters this ES introduced where the forty elephants. An all female gang, and they’re cool af? Goals. I felt personally affronted by the gruff dude in the image of my Gang of Hoodlums, because now I can’t pretend that I took over the elephants. It’s the only thing I’m missing from this ES — an option to become their leader. That and, a little technicality: All my characters are male. So what? They can be female in parabola!

For some reason, I really love that this gang has been established to be all female twice. It doesn’t have a narrative purpose, it’s simply girl-power. In fact, I felt lowkey uncomfortable by the description of the mendicants beating up the elephants like I’m supposed to cheer for them. Fallen London is really low on sexism, but I guess my alarm-bells that I transported over from other franchises started ringing.

The split between following either Mary or the Miser is one of the best splits I’ve ever seen. These are two completely different storylines altogether. They recycle some bits and pieces for the mechanics, but use them so differently that I didn’t even notice.

The idea that Mary was chosen as a child is both tragic and interesting, since as far as I know, the Red Handed Queen doesn’t choose you, you choose the Red Handed Queen. But well. Maybe Mary has been more dedicated to herself than she thought even before she mantled the Red Woman. I wonder what her backstory is, but I’m also glad the ES doesn’t answer it for me. Gives me more room to think something up myself.

Another big point I enjoyed was how my character and me got to relentlessly simp for our Queen. As a player I’m very freaked out by her, but I love my character the most when he’s running around red-handed and having a good time while doing so.

Really loved it, but in an entirely different way than I loved “The Bloody Wallpaper” or “Caveat Emptor.” It’s disturbing. It’s dark. It’s London’s underworld mixed with the cosmogone light of Parabola.

CREDITS FOR “The Queen of the Elephants” WRITING: Harry Tuffs EDITING AND QA: Luke van den Barselaar ART: Erion Makuo

Link to the FL Forum

#exceptional story #exceptional story spoilers #failbetter games #review #The Queen of the Elephants #parabola #fallen london

[fallenlondonreviewed]

The Pursuit of Moths

You come across a street-artist whose artworks depict chains and whose cloak is buzzing with frost-moths. You decide to investigate and join a small club dedicated to her art.  As you delve deeper into your investigation, you learn more about this troubled soul, discover that nobody is who they say they are, and ultimately have to decide who to support when time is running out.

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Community Rating: ★★★☆☆ (Community Survey January 2023) A tragedy hidden behind lighthearted writing, which is sadly over way too soon. Main Focus: Judgements, Snuffers, Sunless Skies Secondary Focus: Liberation of Night

Spoiler Free

Opening

While strolling down a road, you see a young woman in a black coat finishing her art-instalment. Something with chains, correspondence symbols, melting faces and a seven-pointed star. Before you can ask, the artist flees up a drainpipe. You are left with just a torn-off piece of her cloak when the men of the ministry already arrive to defuse this incendiary instalment.

Later, you find a letter in your mailbox: The Society in Pursuit of Moths wants to hear your first-hand account of this newest instalment of their favourite artist.

As far as openings go, this is another one that happens by chance and is therefore suitable for all characters. Especially characters interested in the Liberation of Night might want to check this one out. During the course of the story, you’re never forced to break the law, but you will cause or witness some death. It ties into Sunless Skies a lot – not to the point where you can’t follow if you haven’t played SS, but one will feel a little bit clever if they understand the references.

Review

If I had to assign one word to “The Pursuit of Moths,” it would be ‘tragedy.’ It has a rather light-hearted tone and loves to joke around with its writing, but underneath it’s a deeply tragic story. In fact, the longer I’ve been away from the screen and the more I processed the implications, the sadder the entire story got. It is the opening story in the seasons of adoration, but this story is about a kind of love that only the Masters and the Bazaar will find romantic. It is self-destructive, unrequited love that will end in death.

At its centre is the Vandal – a character we rarely interact with, but that one cannot help but feel compassion for. She is deeply troubled, firm in her decisions and with that, doomed from the start.

The other characters we interact with are less tragic, but interesting in their own right. Over the course of the story, we get to know them – and through them the Vandal – a bit. All of them offer a very unique insight into the workings of the Neath.

Which is one of the biggest draws of this ES: The lore. While not on the forefront, the Liberation of Night vs. the Judgements play a huge part in the characters’ motivations. We can even get to see the Judgments working their powers right in front of our eyes. Additionally, we learn a bit about snuffers in London, including some interesting conclusions as to their biology.

In the end, the best we can get is a bittersweet ending, and by a long stretch of the word. The other options leave a feeling of powerlessness and disappointment in oneself, down to feeling outright sick. The biggest point of critique this ES received is about how there is no way to circumvent the death of certain characters and that, to add insult to injury, the text doesn’t make it clear how severe the outcome of a set of very pivotal actions is. (My cryptic clue: Go to the docks alone.)

From a roleplay perspective, it’s a mixed bag. At the climax, you have to make a few decisions that are really challenging to both the player and to the character. However, the ES doesn’t really offer a broad spectrum of solutions. It’s one of those where you have to decide on one character’s approach instead of offering one yourself. Therefore, to some the ending might feel like it was forced upon them. Otherwise the ES offers next to no branches where your decisions matter. Most cards move the story along its path. In my opinion, this story would have been better off as a non-interactive short-story instead of a roleplay experience.

However, my personal gripe with this ES is its shortness. Many revelations feel earned too easily. In retrospect, some of the events in this story read more like a summary instead of my character actually discovering them. That is not to say that the writing is bad -- the writing and tone are on point. I just wished there would have been more checks and interrogations before characters readily spill their secrets onto me.

All in all, I have to give this ES ★★☆☆☆ two stars. It is a very good and touching story with some awesome implications, but it doesn’t deliver on the 14€ it set me back. For half the price, this would have been four stars. But as it stands, it’s simply too short to warrant this price-tag.

Additional Thoughts (Full Spoilers)

I was lucky to have been in a good spot mentally when I played this. This could easily be read as a depressed person who has convinced themselves that suicide is the only right thing to do, and the narrative paints their self-destruction as a tragic, unpreventable twist of fate. As a suicide survivor myself, I find stories like these absolutely insulting. It takes away my player agency, and the mentally ill person’s agency as well.

And yes, not everyone can be saved. But to make me stand by and watch is just another twist of the knife.

This makes it sound like I disliked this ES way more than I did. I actually didn’t mind the Vandal’s suicide and its romantization too much. In a weird sense, the ES offering so little agency to the player made it feel less personal. This story really would have made for a great short story about flawed characters who try, but in the end fail – to stop the Vandal, to connect with her, or, in the Vandal’s case, to accept herself. And throughout the entire play, I felt very much like reading a book, or watching a movie – with no agency to influence the plot. And this passive sort of consumption makes reading about a tragedy much easier than standing by and failing to prevent it.

As far as suicide representation in books and movies goes, this ES did a terrible job, but I guess it was never meant to do a good one. It was written to be a tragedy, and the Vandal was written as this tragic manic pixie dream girl whose only job is to invoke a sense of sadness in the reader, not to show how debilitating the process was that she went through to come to this point in her life. The ES frames her suicide as a victory, like her three steps in the sun make up for her lifetime of suffering. The impact her action has on her surroundings are minimal – her father’s despair is only mentioned in a half-sentence between two comedic bits.

It is bad suicide representation – it is, however, good drama.

And that’s really the crux here, isn’t it? As someone who has gone through this (and has been successfully talked out of it), stories like these will read a lot different than they will for people who have never had any contact with it.

… at least the story acknowledged the animal cruelty that was going on and didn’t just use the moths as romantic decal…

Now, away with the media analysis side and into the thicket of the Neath itself.

It’s a rare thing to see a worshipper of the Judgements. And a Neath-born and a (half-)snuffer as well. For her to have figured out all the things about the Judgements, the stars etc. without ever being to the surface is a tremendous feat. She clearly had a very avid mind, and it did her no good in the end.

I really love how the ES handles her characterisation. Since we rarely interact with her herself, most is done via other people sharing little glimpses of her backstory, and it’s up to us to connect the dots and to see why she is so troubled. And yes, being a half-snuffer in London must be hard, especially when you were raised by humans. (But also, I never knew snuffers can produce offspring with humans and now I’m thinking about biology in ways I never expected to.)

What I didn’t quite understand was her moth-coat. The way I read it was that she was torturing these moths because to her, they were abominations just like her and only deserved pain. But then why did the one moth fly back to her? Are all Frost-Moths self-deprecating creatures? Why didn’t she kill the moths, but instead tucked her to her coat?

Anyway, I was positively surprised about the option to tell her that she doesn’t get to take the moths with her. It felt like the only decision that we, the players, could make that was actually our own (that and tipping the relicker.) Before, the ES seemingly ignored the blatant animal abuse that was going on. Whenever my character tried to catch and subdue her, it was because he wanted to get that damn coat off of her and set the moths free! Not for some public decency or admiration or curiosity reasons or whatever the game offered.

That and the moral dilemma this ES created in probably a lot of players. I’m pretty sure every player sympathises with one of the club-members. Either because they’re a revolutionary themselves, or because the father’s story is really moving, or because the constable is a hot piece of ass. But in the end, all of them don’t want what’s best for the Vandal, who is clearly the emotional centrepiece of the story. So almost every character will have asked themselves at one point ‘For the Cause? Or for the Vandal?’

Also, big kudos for the Conspirator casually revealing some of the day-to-day inner workings in the Liberation of Night. Usually I get that only from the Revolutionary Firebrand when married.

Other than that, all my points from above still stand: The club members give up their identities way too easily, the choices in the fight between the Vandal and the Scoundrel are unclear and the story is simply too short as a whole.

Oh, and I’m so glad I didn’t get the ending where the Collector showed me her ‘collection’ because then I’d probably rate this ES with one star. That was so ghoulish, and a bit out of tone with the rest of the story. And in quite the same fashion as the entire ES, we can’t to anything about her.

It almost makes me gloss over the fact that my character, fresh off the slow boat, took a ship up the Cumaean Canal and didn’t disintegrate on the spot.

I scoured the forum thread, however, and a lot of people expressed that they really enjoyed this ES. They enjoyed the gravity that the ending choices had, the moral dilemma about one’s loyalties and many pointed out that the characters were very lovable and memorable in their own ways.

Sigh… I really enjoyed playing this ES. I really did. It was aesthetics over implications, and the aesthetics were really wonderful. One shouldn’t think too much about it, however.

Credits for “The Pursuit of Moths” Writing: Harry Tuffs Editing and QA: James Chew and Caolain Porter Art: Paul Arendt

Link to the FL Forums

#fallen london #exceptional story spoilers #The Pursuit of Moths #failbetter games #exceptional story

[fallenlondonreviewed]

The Path of Blood and Smoke

While minding your business in London, you are hunted down by an enigmatic Tomb Colonist. He claims you are part of a bigger prophecy and enlists your help to save the world from a malicious ritual conducted by a surviving sect of the Third City. As you travel to the northernmost corners of the Tomb Colonies, a bloodstained tale about betrayal unfolds.

My Rating: ★★★★☆ Community rating: none yet A gripping, gloomy, self-contained ES with a charming travel companion and an ending that left me thinking about it long after it was over. Main Focus: Third City, God Eaters Secondary Focus: Tomb Colonies

Spoiler Free

Opening

Who should play it? How does it begin? Will my character feel out of place?

You are approached by someone who reveals to you that you are the center of an ancient prophecy. Why? Who knows. But the fate of the world depends on your sudden role as the Chosen One. So you decide to investigate, if for nothing else than curiosity’s sake.

This has to be one of the best openings to an ES I’ve ever seen. Every character, no matter the background, will have the same, bewildered reaction. This isn’t like so many other ES, where you wonder why your character would ever engage in this story.

Spoiler-Free Review

I had quite a lot of fun with this ES, despite its gloomy nature and lack of humor. It’s medium length, and I played it comfortably with two candles without running out of actions. 

“The Path of Blood and Smoke” delves deep into the human-sacrifice culture of the Third City. Betrayal is the central theme of this ES and it pulls through the entire ES beautifully. Every choice you make asks “do you trust this man or not?” Every possible ending draws hugely on the theme as well.

From a lore-standpoint, it doesn’t disappoint either. The backstory of the God Eaters is never explained, but one gets a very good grasp on the kind of fear they ruled with. Since I recently played Haunted By Stairs, it felt great to meet the priest-kings again.

This ES is suited for characters from all walks of life who don’t mind a little violence. Especially SMEN-players and historically inclined characters will have a blast here. However, if you don’t like blood or are looking for a happy ending, you’d be well advised to skip this for a while.

The writing is solid and easy to follow, but never gets too abstract. Mechanically, the ES is structured very linearly (you follow a road most of the time), but I didn’t feel like it took away from the experience. Every step came with a broad variety of choices, so I was never forced to do something out of character. It also kept up the tension and excitement, and I was looking forward to every next step. 

This is an all around very good ES, and if the Third City is something that interests you, it’s a must-play. You get a good amount of content for your Fate, and a charming story as well.

Additional Thoughts (Full Spoilers)

The entire ES is a tug-of-war between trust and betrayal, and in the vein of the God Eater’s backstabbing nature, trust won’t be rewarded here. There is no feel-good ending to this one.

However, I liked how, regardless of your decisions, you always have access to three options to resolve it: The moral high ground, the morally neutral one and the violent one. Their difficulty varies depending on the choices ahead, but it doesn’t lock the player into something they’re uncomfortable with.

And every single ending comes with layers upon layers of betrayal. There is a karmic justice at work here which plays out slightly differently in every ending, and I love it. It’s like a prism of betrayal. Needless to say, the endings are my personal highlight, and I could fill a whole other blog-post just ranting about them.

Depending on the choice at the finale (and if you succeed or not), the God Eaters have been strengthened or weakened, which is rather huge in the grand scheme of things. Although, as with any ES, London won’t change much. We’re only just left with the knowledge of what we did and that somewhere, far up in the North, old schemes are set into motion. 

The only downside to the ending in my opinion is that it comes rather abruptly. It moves us from a menace-area right back to our lodgings, with no time to pick up the pieces. I personally would have loved to wake up at the site of the climax and have to stumble back myself. That way, the high tension and emotion would have cooled off more naturally. 

Aside from the ending, my other highlight was the Lace-Wrapped Emissary. He is the only character in this ES, and therefore gets a lot of attention. The author does a great job in setting him up as his own person – he is a bit socially awkward, tries (and fails) to cover up his own nervousness, and is in over his head himself. Yes, he’s a backstabbing bastard, but a very likeable one. A problematic fave. Though I understand everybody who wanted to inflict untold harm on him the second they met. 

The ES does him a bit dirty by making him sus from the very beginning. Yes, it plays into the theme of trust vs betrayal, but the twist would have been more potent if I hadn’t distrusted him right from the beginning. 

Community opinion seems to be overall good. The only points of critique are the ending, that doesn’t impact London, the fact that we are randomly chosen and the soft railroading.

Though, especially to the second point, I have to counter that us being lied to and picked at seemingly random plays into the betrayal, too. After all, the God Eaters don’t need someone special. They just need their prey to struggle. 

Credits for "A Path of Blood and Smoke": Writing: Luke van den Barselaar Editing and QA: George Lockett Art: Erion Makuo

Link to the FL Forum

#fallen london #exceptional story spoilers #exceptional story #The Path of Blood and Smoke #failbetter games