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Nov-27-2009 20:25

My character is a Very Strong Archetype.

My experience so far is 1430.


My adjustments are:
Toughness: 4 Smarts: 4 Charm: -1

My skills are:

Stress Detection
Lock Picking
Intimidation
Intermediate Interrogation
Footprint Analysis
Hair Analysis
Thread Analysis

Now my only contact is the Banker.

Recently I brought Footprint Analysis at 13 skill points because it was the most costly skill besides research. Now I release as getting a few bloody foot prints. Your success at identifying bloody foot prints as heavy or light depends on how high your smart skills are right?

That why I had to buy sleuth hat(one smart point), and brown and white wing tips shoes(one smart point) to go along with the chemist kit I got from doing a favor. These fill up my three slots. So I only have two for any toughness equipments. As a Very Tough Archetype thats bad when I try to do hard case were everyone clammed shut and I need the high toughness. But without the smart equipment, will I be unable to identify heavy or slim foot prints?

What should I do? Use only tough equipment, suffer the smart equipment so my new skill won't be wasted along with all those skills points or what?

And what skills should I be aiming to get now that are really important?

Nov-28-2009 15:27

Simply put, no, you didn't screw up. Footprint analysis is a valuable skill to have, even if it doesn't seem like it to you at the moment.

Now, as for your questions:

How high does your smart equipment have to be for the Footprint Analysis to always work? Simply put, that's one I can't answer. Sleuth is a game of random possibilities, and you could have the highest Smarts Suit possible (+31), and you'd still get failed identifications (trust me, it happens). It doesn't happen OFTEN, but it does happen. So how high does your gear have to be in order for you to have a REASONABLE chance of id'ing prints (say...bout 75% of the time or higher?)?? I've had a 75% success rate happen when my smarts gear is as low as +5. (You'll also find that you'll get a footprint id'ed by the system just for the heck of it, even when you're not wearing any smarts stuff. Like I said, it's rather random, to an extent.)

I think you'll find that as you gain more experience and get better equipment (stuff that's either a combo of tough and smart, or just plain high smarts), you'll find that the footprint analysis starts to work better. Give it time.

Now. Number two. When you get multiple footprints, you only get one id'ed. Remember what I said up there (^^^) bout this place bein' a game of random possibilities?? Simple answer, that's how the ball bounces. You'll find that as you get higher up the food chain, you'll begin to get more and more footprints in your cases (up to four at once), and often there will be more than one of them that will be generic (or unidentified). Agencies can get around this problem (usually), but unsubbeds, unfortunately, are pretty much stuck. Sorry.

Nov-28-2009 15:30

Number three. What skills should you be working towards next? Well, since you already have the Banker for a contact, and aren't gonna be traveling anywhere anytime soon, you don't need Handwriting analysis til a bit later. The higher you can get your Intimidation and Interrogation skills, the easier your casework will be. Like Vampiric Smile said earlier, Research is a valuable tool to have.

One other skill you might consider is Pugilism. The good news with that one is it adds +10 to all your tough skills. The bad news is, you have to be subbed to get it, cause it's only available through The Green Hand, a faction found in London and Delhi. I won't get into whether you should or should not be subbed (that's between you and your accountant ;-). All I'm saying is if Great Aunt Gertrude happens to pop an extra C-note in your stocking on Christmas morning, it might be something to keep in mind. *wink*

Hope all that helps a bit. Good luck, and happy foot hunting!! ;-D

Breit

Nov-28-2009 16:30

Tummey

Just wanted to add that if you work to get your rating up high enough with a faction, you can buy much better gear than you can get from the Detective Shop or via favors (at this point in your detective's development) at a pretty reasonable price. Can't remember which factions have which gear, but I'm sure others could help you out with this. You can also find some good gear at Lucy's Cabaret.

Nov-29-2009 15:02

Ah, well thank you everyone (especially Breitkat). You guys have been a great help. Thanks for answering my questions and concerns.

As for subbing, well, I been playing online games since I was 13 and now I finally am old enough to get a job for the money. But still too young for a credit card. Those I will look into mailing (cost of mailing might be high) when I get another job. Thanks for the help again!

Nov-29-2009 16:19

You could also use paypal tummey. It's also a great benefit,as I live in Europe and use paypal. It's a great way to get a subscription on Sleuth.

Nov-30-2009 00:18

yes tummey paypal is an excellent choice.
Go to any bank and get an internet credit card (the are called prepaid). Charge it with a few euros or $ and then use paypal to join sleuth.
Easy, effective and 100% safe