Editing Flash Lays (Guide)

{{GuideFor|Location = A Flash Lay|Pages = A Flash Lay: a New Scheme#Flash Lay's Progress}}{{Audience|EarlyMYN}}[[File:Porticodark.png|right]]
{{ActivitySummary
|Activity=Laying a Flash
|Length=Limited
|Starting Actions=1
|Progress Actions=1
|Ending Actions=1
|Progress Details=Raise {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress}} to 75, (up to 100 with bad card draw)
|Output Items=*{{IL|Queer Soul}}
*{{IL|Brilliant Soul}}
*{{IL|Muscaria Brandy}}
*{{IL|Amanita Sherry}}
*{{IL|Infernal Contract}}
*{{IL|Uncanny Incunabulum}}
*{{IL|Blackmail Material}}
*{{IL|Compromising Document}}
*{{IL|Partial Map}}
*{{IL|Journal of Infamy}}
|Raw EPA = 2.5
|Locked=Yes
}}
{{GuideNeedsWork|Missing information of fate locked flashes}}

Flash Lays are stories found in {{IL|Your Activities}} and require {{IL|A Name Whispered in Darkness}} 3 and {{IL|A Name Signed with a Flourish}} 3.

Currently there are 2 repeatable free cases available:
* [[A Successful Spirifer]] - Suggested {{IL|Persuasive}} and {{IL|Shadowy}} around 50
* [[An Avid Auditor for the Ministry of Public Decency]] - Suggested {{IL|Persuasive}} and {{IL|Shadowy}} around 125
And a number of others are one time fate-locked cases.

== The Basics ==
The in-game instructions for Flash Lays can be found in [[Flash Lays: A Guide]].

When you start a Flash Lay, you are taken to a special area ({{IL|A Flash Lay}}). Your opportunity deck and hand are replaced by a new deck of special Flash Lay cards. There is no deck limit and cards can be drawn as long as room remains in your hand, but the cards cannot be discarded – playing them is the only way to make space to draw new cards.

Your goal is to reach 75 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}}, then play the appropriate action on the [[Make your Move: a Confessional Evening]] card. Alternatively, if you have 100 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}}, you will automatically get the appropriate storylet. If your {{IL|Nightmares}}, {{IL|Suspicion}}, or {{IL|Scandal}} reach five, you will need to take immediate countermeasures or the Flash Lay will fail.

{{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} is a unique resource that some cards will give you. Up Your Sleeve can be used to remove obstacle cards/convert these to advantage cards and gain additional progress or reduce your menaces.

==The Flash lays at a glance==
{| class="article-table mw-collapsible"
! Flash Lay
! Difficulty Multiplier
! Suggested attributes
! Starting Obstacles
! Reward
|-
|[[A Successful Spirifer]]
|2 x
|{{IL|Persuasive|Appearance=}}{{IL|Shadowy|Appearance=}} ~50
|{{TableList|{{IL|A Flash Lay: an Inconvenient Door}}|{{IL|A Flash Lay: an Importunate Constable}}}}
|{{TableList|Value: 15 {{e}}|{{IL|Queer Soul|2 x}}|{{IL|Brilliant Soul|10 x}}|{{IL|Muscaria Brandy|1 x}}|{{IL|Amanita Sherry|5 x}}|{{IL|Infernal Contract|10 x}} }}
|-
|[[An Avid Auditor for the Ministry of Public Decency|An Avid Auditor]]
|5 x
|{{IL|Persuasive|Appearance=}}{{IL|Shadowy|Appearance=}} ~125
|{{TableList|{{IL|Flash Lay: Legal Complications}}|{{IL|Flash Lay: an Awkward Friend}}}}
|{{TableList|Value: 37.5 {{e}}|{{IL|Uncanny Incunabulum|1 x}}|{{IL|Blackmail Material|1 x}}|{{IL|Compromising Document}}|{{IL|Partial Map|2 x}}|{{IL|Journal of Infamy|5 x}} }}
|-
|[[Five Minutes to Midday|The Owner of Triple Orpheus]] {{FontFate}}
| ??
| ??
| ??
| ??
|-
|[[The Pentecost Predicament|Bildersborn & Nephew]] {{FontFate}}
| ??
| ??
| ??
| ??
|-
|[[The Frequently Deceased|A Grasping Couturière]] {{FontFate}}
| ??
| ??
| ??
| ??
|-
|}

== Opportunity Cards==
Opportunity cards will allow you to increase {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}}, grant Up your Sleeve, or have other effects. Some cards are Obstacle cards - special cards which will automatically fire when drawn and will hinder your progression until the obstacles are eliminated. 

===Basic Opportunity Cards===
These cards usually have an easy challenge that gives 3 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}}, as well as a hard challenge that gives 7 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}}.
They may have additional options that give {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}}, but also gives an obstacle. Some choices may take more than one action.
One of the opportunity cards allows you to spend {{IL|Steadfast}} to gain {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} or {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}}.

{{#lsth:Flash Lays (Guide)/Cards}}

===Obstacles and Openings===
Starting from 33 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} in the Spirifer Flash Lay and from the beginning in the Auditor Flash Lay, obstacles may be drawn and will autoplay once drawn. If you have 5 x {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} you may spend them to get 25 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} and eliminate the card. You may also spend 8 x {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} on a hard challenge to get 25 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} and convert the card into an opening.
If you do not have sufficient {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}}, you will be forced to do an action to increase your menaces as well as gaining 1 {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}}. This is inefficient and should be avoided.

Each Flash lay begins with 2 obstacles, and more may be added based on your choices on other cards. In addition, {{IL|A Flash Lay: Mysterious Stranger|Appearance=a Mysterious Stranger}} may be gambled to receive either an obstacle or an opening on one of the cards, if you're not happy with the ones you have already.

Openings allow you to gain {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} and {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} easily. A rare 'success' on this card will remove the opening.

{| class="article-table mw-collapsible <includeonly>mw-collapsed </includeonly>"
!Obstacle Quality/Opening Quality 
!Type
!Card
!Option
|-
|rowspan="5"|{{TableList|{{IL|Flash Lay: an Awkward Friend}}|{{IL|Flash Lay: An Informant}}}}
|rowspan="3"|Gain
| [[An Avid Auditor for the Ministry of Public Decency]]
| Starting Quality
|-
| [[A Mysterious Stranger]]
| [[Follow them_2]]
|-
| [[An Embarrassing Encounter]]
| [["So sorry – distant relation, honey-addled..."]]
|-
|Obstacle
|[[Obstacle: an Awkward Friend]]
| 
|-
|Opening
|[[Opening: an Informant]]
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|{{TableList|{{IL|Flash Lay: Legal Complications}}|{{IL|A Flash Lay: Corrupt Constable}}}}
|Gain
| [[An Avid Auditor for the Ministry of Public Decency]]
| Starting Quality
|-
|Obstacle
|[[Obstacle: Legal Complications]]
| 
|-
|Opening
|[[Opening: a Corrupt Constable]]
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|{{TableList|{{IL|A Flash Lay: an Importunate Constable}}|{{IL|A Flash Lay: Corrupt Constable}}|Requires {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress}} 33}}
|rowspan="2"|Gain
| [[A Successful Spirifer]]
| Starting Quality
|-
| [[The Perils of Enthusiasm]]
| [[Beg your mark to fetch a Constable]]
|-
|Obstacle
|[[Obstacle: an Importunate Constable]]
| 
|-
|Opening
|[[Opening: a Corrupt Constable]]
|
|-
|rowspan="4"|{{TableList|{{IL|A Flash Lay: an Inconvenient Door}}|{{IL|A Flash Lay: A Ring of Duplicate Keys}}|Requires {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress}} 33}}
|rowspan="2"|Gain
| [[A Successful Spirifer]]
| Starting Quality
|-
| [[Structural failings]]
| [[Take the basement passage]]
|-
|Obstacle
|[[Obstacle: an Inconvenient Door]]
| 
|-
|Opening
|[[Opening: a Ring of Duplicate Keys]]
|
|-
|}

=== Menace cards ===
If {{IL|Nightmares}}, {{IL|Scandal}}, or {{IL|Suspicion}} reach 3, you will start drawing menace cards. These will allow you to spend {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} to reduce your menace, or do a challenge that will increase the menace, even on a success. These are inefficient, so it may be a good idea to keep your menaces low.

Additionally if any of the above reach 5, a storylet will autofire where you can either spend {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Apperance=Up your Sleeve|5 x}} to reduce the menace by 5 points, or you will be forced to abandon your flash.

== Strategy ==
Each flash lay can be divided in 2 or 3 parts:
* Stage 0 (Less than {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} 33, the Spirifer flash lay)
* Stage 1 ({{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} 33-74)
* Stage 2 ({{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} 75+)

For stage 0 with the Spirifer flash lay, you can't normally draw obstacle cards. This means you have some time to plan ahead, and it may be worth getting some {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} in order to spend later.

For stage 1, you will draw obstacle cards, and dealing with these give you 25 {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} per obstacle. You should try to get some {{IL|A Flash Lay: Up your Sleeve|Appearance=Up your Sleeve}} to help with these.

For stage 2, you essentially only have to draw the reward card, or build {{IL|Flash Lay's Progress|Appearance=Progress}} up to 100.

An estimate of 5 progress/action leads to an EPA of ~1 for the easiest Flash Lay and 2.5 for the harder one.

==Flash Lay Reset==
{{Wiki Note|As of the 3rd December, this strategy no longer works.}}

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There is an alternative use for [[A Flash Lay: a New Scheme]] that has nothing to do with actually completing the Lay. By carefully manipulating your [[Scandal]], you can enter and exit the Flash Lay in 2 actions, refilling your Opportunity Deck in the process. This is a useful and vital component of other Card-drawing-based grinds (or just when you're trying to draw a particular card), and is particularly valuable to Exceptional Friends (who have a larger deck).

Note that access to [[University Laboratory (Place)]] allows the same thing for the same number of actions, without the need for items or Scandal manipulation.

The key items are a [[Modish Bonnet]], [[Pair of Scarlet Stockings of Dubious Origin]], and [[Barrel with Leather Shoulder-Straps]], which (as of March 2020) are the only 3 [[:Category:Scandal Items|Scandal-increasing items]]. The first two are buyable and cheap, but the Barrel needs 10 [[Renown: Bohemians]], which requires some investment. Once you have them, get your unmodified Scandal to 2 and equip the items. The options in [[A Flash Lay: a New Scheme]] check unmodified Scandal, so you can enter with < 3, but once inside a ''modified'' Scandal of 5 or more gets you kicked out again via [[Shed your false identity and its bad reputation]]. As long as you keep your other menaces down, your Scandal at exactly 2, and you have enough actions, you can repeat this indefinitely.
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[[Category:Guides]]