Jack-Of-Smiles (Guide)

Early PoSI Content

This guide is meant to cover both An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles and The Jack-of-Smiles Case. An Annoyance to Jack-Of-Smiles is a quality, and The Jack-Of-Smiles Case is a major storyline. For the sake of simplicity An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles will be called AAtJoS and The Jack-of-Smiles Case will be called TJoSC.

An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles

This is an early game quality that has a few uses. Although it unlocks a few useful things, it is completely optional and you do not need it to progress in any way.

How to progress AAtJoS

There are only 2 ways to obtain this quality and both of them require rare successes, the percentages of which are unknown. Below is a table that shows the storylet and requirement to access it.

Storylet	Requirement	Dangerous Recommended
Get to your quarry before Jack-of-Smiles	A Name Scrawled in Blood 3-5	58
Smiles! Put that man down!	A Name Scrawled in Blood 4+	77

It's recommended to try and get a high enough dangerous to complete the check 90% of the time, that way you'll be able to succeed the check 9/10 times, and possibly raise your dangerous to the next level. Out of the two storylets, Get to your quarry before Jack-of-Smiles is better for the following reasons: it has a lower A Name Scrawled in Blood requirement; it is a less difficult dangerous check; and it does not cause Wounds if you fail. However, Smiles! Put that man down! will also get the job done.

Benefits of An Annoyance to Jack-of-Smiles

There are a few benefits for having AAtJoS unlocked. The list of them is as follows:

• The next victim? Option on The Tower of Knives: Difficulties at a Smoky Flophouse which provides 0-1 Favours: Criminals and 0-1 Favours: Revolutionaries. On a rare success provides 1 Aeolian Scream. This option is a very good menace-free way of grinding Criminal and Revolutionary Favours.
• A glimpse of a dressing-room This is a Red Card in the Mirror Marches that reduces Nightmares by -2 CP.
• Jack strikes again An opportunity card that allows you to tweak 3 quirks, Magnanimous, Heartless, and Subtle. Each option increases your Someone is Coming by +1 CP, which is the most useful part of this card. This card is close to useless past the early game, however it's easily avoidable by having at least Magnanimous or Heartless 6.

A Warning

AAtJoS can go up to 4, but it is advised to only have it at 1. If you raise it to 3, something bad will happen.

Reaching AAtJoS 3, will present the storylet Mess with the Smile, get the teeth. You have no option but to proceed and doing so will lose you several faction favours and connected values. You'll lose one favour for the Bohemians, Constables, Criminals, Revolutionaries, The Church, and Urchins. You'll also lose -4 CP of Connected: The Widow. This is a one-time storylet, but there is no reason to get to AAtJoS 3 as you won't be getting very interesting text.

The Jack-of-Smiles Case

You can only start this story when you are A Person of Some Importance and On the Velocipede Squad.

There are two ways of joining the the Velocipede Squad:

• Opportunity Card: The Inspector Calls, requires Dangerous 110 and one of the following:
  • Renown: Constables 20
  • A Bringer of Death 1
  • 1 x Comprehensive Bribe
• Storylet in your Lodgings through Speak to the Clay Coalman: The Velocipede Squad, requires Dangerous 120.

Once you have become a Person of Some Importance and are On the Velocipede Squad, the storylet A Little Chat with the Inspector will unlock in Ladybones Road. You will need Watchful 130 and Dangerous 130 to obtain The Jack-of-Smiles Case (TJoSC) 1.

Progress by Seeking the Next Breakthrough

To advance, you must raise TJoSC to level 4. Every storylet needed to raise TJoSC can be found in Ladybones Road and requires the quality Seeking the Next Breakthrough on the Jack Case level 4 (10 CP) to advance.

• 1: Warming up the Case
• 2: Hunting That Which Was Jack
• 3: Jack's Knife

The quality Seeking the Next Breakthrough on the Jack Case can be raised through either the Riding the Savage Cobbles carousel in Concord Square or through faction opportunity cards.

Concord Square, requires Riding the Savage Cobbles 7
Card	Action	Challenge	Success		Failure
The Jack Case	The hard way	Dangerous 130	+5 CP  +20 CP		+3 CP  +2 CP
	The clever way	Watchful 130	+5 CP  +20 CP		+3 CP  +2 CP
Faction Opportunity Cards, requires 5 actions
Card	Action		Reward
Burning Shadows: the Devils of London	A friendly fang		+20 CP	Every option gives +3 CP
Whispers from the Surface: The Great Game	Jack's books
Park and Palace: Society	Jack's feeling posh
Court and Cell: the Constables	Jack's leavings
The Demi-Monde: Bohemians	The Jack-of-Smiles oeuvre
The Alleys of London: the Criminals	Jack be quick		+20 CP
Gunpowder and Zeal: the Revolutionaries	Jack and the candlestick
The Roof-Tops: Urchins	Jack on the roof
Altars and Alms-Houses: the Church	Saint Jack
Bandages and Dust: The Tomb-Colonies	Jack in bandages (requires 1 x Favours: Tomb-Colonies)
By the River's Side: the Docks	Jack-of-Smiles is here!		+20 CP  +1 CP

Once The Jack-of-Smiles Case is raised to level 4, you are offered a choice on how to continue.

• 4: Two Ways to Jack

You can choose to continue doing More Detective Work, which will raise your TJoSC to 5. You will then need to continue to raise TJoSC two more levels in order to continue the story.

• 5: Hoping Nobody Understands What You Have
• 6: The Clay Puppeteer

Alternatively, you can Become Jack, which will set your TJoSC to 7. This option costs 10 FATE.

Becoming Jack (FATE)

This section covers content that is FATE-locked, so per this Wiki's Content Policy, the covered content will not otherwise be included on the Wiki, and the guide may contain mechanical descriptions but not narrative content.

TJoSC will now be advanced through opportunity cards found in London. Once TJoSC has been raised to level 9, the story can be continued in Ladybones Road. This will require 9 card draws of the frequent card shown below.

Card Icon	Frequency	Action	Result
	Frequent		+20 CP Dangerous +2 CP The Jack-of-Smiles Case +1 CP Nightmares
	Standard		+10 CP Dangerous 5 x Appalling Secret 1 x Are they talking about you?

Discovering Jack's Origin

Once you have achieved TJoSC 9, you will need to talk to the inspector.

• 9: Jack's Origin

To proceed, you will need to zail to Polythreme, either via your own ship or by booking passage on a steamer. Once there, you must participate in the Polythremic Promenade and reach COGNISANCE 12 twice.

• 10: Jack's House
• 11: The Ironmonger's Workshop

Concluding the Case

• 12: Jack's End

You have three choices on how to proceed.

Destroy it

You can choose to destroy it, whereupon you can return to Ladybones Road and report back to the Inspector. You will gain +30 CP Making Waves, 5 x Favours: Constables, 3 x Favours: Society and renown with these factions. This will set TJoSC to 20, ending this storyline.

• 13: Destroy the Source
• 14: After Jack

Leave it intact

You can choose to leave it intact, which will take you to Veilgarden, the Bazaar Side-Streets, and finally Your Lodgings. This will set TJoSC to 20, ending this storyline.

• 15: The Sticky Trail
• 16: Seeking Spices
• 17: The Aftermath of Secrets

Once in your lodgings, you can choose to minimize the damage, which will net you 5 x Favours: Constables and +3 CP Renown: Constables, among other things. Or, you can choose to wash your hands of it all, which will net you +3 CP Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar, among other things.

Defeat Jack completely (FATE)

You can choose to defeat Jack completely. This option costs 10 FATE. You will gain +30 CP Making Waves, +1 CP Connected: The Masters of the Bazaar, Items worth 200 E , 5 x Favours: Constables, 3 x Favours: Society and renown with these factions.

Case Closed!

Congratulations, you've finished the storyline. Unless Jack's Gone, this storyline will have no further ramifications. You can, however, reset this storyline in Send a Message to a Contact with Another round with Jack: turn back the clock! for 20 FATE.

Jack's Gone

If Jack's gone, there are certain ramifications to the rest of London. The following storylets will no longer be available:

• Jack strikes again
  • A rather low value card, but it is also locked with Magnanimous 6 or Heartless 6
• Jack! in The Crowds of Spite
  • One of the best pickpocket cards available if you can meet the check.
• Jack-of-Smiles has expanded his interests in Watchmaker's Hill
  • A low level Running Battle... activity.
• Smiles! Put that man down! in Watchmaker's Hill
  • A Low level activity
• The next victim? on the Smokey Flophouse card
  • A good source of favours, assuming you are ok with either Favours: Criminals or Favours: Revolutionaries
• To follow Jack's trail on the Clay Sedan Chair card
  • A low value activity

It does, however, grant access to the Just a Knife tattoo at Millicent's Parlour during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose.