[Echo Bazaar] Dark RPG + Alternate Victorian London + Twitter!? = Addictive

Beltaine

http://echobazaar.failbettergames.com

A hand-made Twitter game

Ah, the Bazaar! Join us in our attractive and convenient location at the heart of Fallen London, a short boat-ride from Hell, for business and pleasure!

* Uncover the mysteries of the Bazaar! Who stole London?
* Thieve, murder, connive, seduce!
* Engage in commerce! Jade, souls, secrets, trained bats. Echoes!
* Enjoy refreshing, tangy mushroom wines!


A synopsis by Susan Arendt @ The Escapist

It's hard to know just how to describe Echo Bazaar. Set in the world of Fallen London, it combines elements of tabletop gaming, Victorian England, RPGs, and social networking. Sporting a cheeky sense of humor and a Lovecraftian vibe, the game combines the addictiveness of grinding with an unusual and compelling story elements. While its browser-based gameplay is certainly quite entertaining, Echo Bazaar's real appeal lies in its robust mythology and surprisingly deep backstory, which you discover bit by tiny bit as you play. The world of Fallen London is a joy to explore, a weird and wonderful playground where clay men wrestle in pubs and you pay for your lodgings with cryptic secrets.

More of the article, including dev interview...

After defiantly refusing to create a Twitter account, I broke down and did so to see what the fuss was about. Echo Bazaar is really a unique, surprisingly deep experience, with the added benefit of being browser based and designed to be played in bite-sized chunks.

Give it a try and be sure to post your information so we can join in your adventures. There are many extras that are brought by interacting with other players, even some PvP for those so inclined.

People playing:

hypacia
mundanesoul
Paradiso42
leaguesman
ApathyHero
BaronFel
JCNderXScrub
Zenchess
mediumdave
xaviar21
TrevorGood
Vigtyr
delzhand
alset85
mgmaness
Fumelin

Easiest way to find people seems to be plugging their name directly into the twitter URL:
i.e. "http://www.twitter.com/playername"

Drake Chambers

This sounds really interesting, though I can't access it from work. No one else thinks so?

I'll take a look when I get home.

Beltaine

Devs are adding new things almost daily.

Malkor

Hmm. I'm down for trying this. Don't want to associate it with my regular twitter account though.

Beltaine

I made a twitter account just for playing EB.

Twitter's pretty much useless otherwise. :P

Delzhand

I'm in. Same username. Created a twitter account just for this.

Xaviar

I hate games like this that get me interested and then say "Nope, you can't play any more until tomorrow."

Secretly I love it.

I just don't have the attention span for it.

[edit]
Also, I did the

Shadowy way out of jail.

(right from the beginning, but just in case, ya know?)
And now I've got an ambition available that takes shadowy and persuasiveness, but my persuasiveness is a 1. How can I get that up before I take my ambition? All my storylets are shadowy..

Xaviar

Apparently you can do social things with other people. Unfortunately, I have no friends. As such we should make a list of usernames. (Delz, I tried your name, but it said it'd never head of you)
Also I made an account specifically for this. I haven't much use for twitter otherwise.

Mine is Xaviar21.

alset85

Started playing this a couple days ago and it's pretty fun. My account is alset85.

We should start doing some social stuff.

Trevor Goodchild

This looks interesting and just started tonight. I'm TrevorGood, shocking, right?

Delzhand

You have to follow someone on Twitter AND have lodging to do stuff with friends. Did you spell my name correctly? There's an 'h' in there some people miss.

Edit: I just tried TrevorGood, and it didn't find anything. I wonder if new accounts take a while to show up. Probably to prevent spambots.

Beltaine

Each area of Fallen London allows you to train the various skills.

Ladybones Road = Watchful
Veilgarden = Persuasive
Spite = Shadowy
Watchmaker's Hill = Dangerous

Then at your home you can initiate activites with other players.

Delzhand

Thanks for beating me at chess. Now I have sudden insights, which I desperately need to get rid of my fucking nightmares. Your services may be required again.

Edit: Just got an Opportunity card to move into the Brass Embassy, a luxury lodging that only requires 40,000 souls.

*cough*

Beltaine

haha, I finally gave up trying to fight the nightmares.

I'm one effed up individual.

If you value your sanity.

Don't look in the well.

Don't talk to the cheerful gentleman.

Xaviar

Yeah, I don't know about those opportunity cards. I've gotten like, one good thing, a jillion nightmares, and a bazillion things I'll never, ever, be able to afford.

I've finally ended up with two cards in my hand that follow my two specialties, but nooo. They're both near impossible for my current level.

Beltaine

You'll start earning different cards as you progress. Don't worry about discarding ones you can't use right away. None of them are uber-rare to the point you'll never see them again.

Sigtyr

I'm interested in this as well. Vigtyr is my name.

And how exactly do you add friends?

Beltaine

Anyone you are following in Twitter that also is playing Echo Bazaar is automatically available to you in the game.

You have to complete the introductory portion of the game which is escaping prison and finding somewhere to live before you can use the social portion. (Which still is a fairly small portion of the game)

Sigtyr

Beltaine wrote: »

Anyone you are following in Twitter that also is playing Echo Bazaar is automatically available to you in the game.

You have to complete the introductory portion of the game which is escaping prison and finding somewhere to live before you can use the social portion. (Which still is a fairly small portion of the game)

Ah. Yeah. I'm currently in the middle of getting enough secrets to get myself a house. I suppose I'll add everyone then.

Squid56

I'm throwing my hat into the ring. Twitter account is Fumelin. I've only been able to follow 2 others in this thread, the other accounts don't show up in a search yet. Twitter might need time to spool new accounts (which mine is one as well).

Delzhand

Well, I just hit 70 actions in 24 hours. Looks like I'm done for a while.

I have to admit, I really dig this so far. I'm writing a paper on the Puritans, and occasionally need to take a break - seeing that I have 2 or 3 actions I can use to up my persuasiveness is a welcome break.

Squid56

So still having trouble linking to several folks in the thread. As a possibly rhetorical question, did you guys activate/validate your twitter account through the email address you gave it?

Names I've tried to find on Twitter and failed:
Delzhand
Vigtyr
TrevorGood
Xaviar21

Ones that worked:
mgmaness
alset85

Just FYI.

alset85

Well they all worked for me. The way I do it is write www.twitter.com/"name"
Hope that helps

Squid56

Aces! Thanks Alset, that did the trick.

Xaviar

Hey Beltaine, let's add the names to the OP, yes?

Medium Dave

Mediumdave is the name.

I'm at the point where Nightmares are getting to a bad place and I need twitter friends to stop that from happening.

Addictive as hell and really easy to play from work. Digging the game.

Delzhand

I'd be happy to share nightmares with you. If you need Sudden Insights, I'm available for Chess as well.

I've added everyone in the thread so far. The twitter.com/username seems to work better than the search function. I'm guessing content is indexed at intervals, not in real time.

Edit:
The starveling cat
insufferable prat
keep your damn secrets
i'll just ask a rat.

Sigtyr

So, about these challenges you can have with friends:

A. Do they take AP?
B. What exactly do they yield?
C. How many times can you participate in them?

Xaviar

Delzhand wrote: »

I'd be happy to share nightmares with you. If you need Sudden Insights, I'm available for Chess as well.

I've added everyone in the thread so far. The twitter.com/username seems to work better than the search function. I'm guessing content is indexed at intervals, not in real time.

Edit:
The starveling cat
insufferable prat
keep your damn secrets
i'll just ask a rat.

Is sharing nightmares 1:1 or are they lessened?

I just gained one nightmare from a friend, did his go down 2?

I hope so. Poor guy.

Delzhand

Confessor loses a lot, listener gains a little. If mine weren't at 6 I'd volunteer to be a dream-counselor. Who wants to hear my recurrent Fire Sermon or Death By Water dreams?

Xaviar

Dude, I have like 8 different "recurring dreams" that I've each had only once.

Trevor Goodchild

I'm available for Chess or dream counseling, you poor sods.

Zenchess

I'm in the game, name is Zenchess

alset85

I can dream counsel as well, actually anything suits me.

Trevor Goodchild

Thanks for the game of Chess Xavier and Alset, the insight it gives you is handy.

alset85

Heh I'm on the 16'th place of the "MOST ADMIRED CITIZENS OF FALLEN LONDON ..." list

edit:is it just me or is the game super laggy right now?

Beltaine

Made some good progress on my Ambition this morning with a lucky "high-risk" success.

Sigtyr

I was wondering about Fate Points, decided to ask here since I can't find a significant resource of information for this game.

Replenishing Action Points with 10 Fate points, will this also reset the exhausted timer? I don't know if it does or doesn't, but seems kinda pointless to use 10 fate points to get back ten ability points when you can turn around and use fate points as a substitute for Ability Points in the first place.

And finally hitting 12 Watchfulness (I went straight from 1 to 12) my chance of success in my ambition changed from almost impossible to high risk.

alset85

Hmm I don't think the exhaused timer is reset, but then I'm saving the points for buying the early pass at the carnival. I got about 50.

Delzhand

How does Knife-and-Candle work? The splash screen says "you'll enjoy it best" with Dangerous 25, but that tells me nothing.

Edit: Also, sorrow spiders look like Metroids.

Trevor Goodchild

alset85 wrote: »

Hmm I don't think the exhaused timer is reset, but then I'm saving the points for buying the early pass at the carnival. I got about 50.

The exhausted timer is not reset, don't ask me how I know!!!

PS. For God's sake keep your nightmares away from me!