Persuade April

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ID: 242038

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From: Debating Matters of Business with the Board

She is concerned with the success of her own business interests, above all.

Game Instructions: She is not susceptible to any of your standard methods of persuasion.

Unlocked with Board Member: April

Locked with April's Vote

Challenge information

Broad, Persuasive 100

• 69 - very chancy (41%)
• 85 - chancy (51%)
• 102 - modest (61%)
• 119 - very modest (71%)
• 135 - low-risk (81%)
• 152 - straightforward (91%)
• 167 - straightforward (100%)
  

Base difficulty is probably 100, and increased by 40 per point of Board against Revolutionary Interests, and 20 per point of Board against Labour, Board against the Liberation of Night, and Board against Urchin Interests.

Success

She is convinced!

Yes, she writes, on a square of paper. She has the abstracted look of someone who has been mentally building a bomb during the more tedious portions of the foregoing argument.

Description summary:
The first paragraph varies with the Question before the Board, the second with other board members. The text above is the generic result; questions with more specific results are listed below.

[Find the rest of the story at https://www.fallenlondon.com]

Question	Success Description
4	Perhaps it is better to go that way than through the Hills, she writes. If not truly safe. Then she sketches the diagram for torching the earth ahead of those who pass through.
5	April gives her consent, and some suggestions about the best forms of explosive to apply to those hills.
7	April looks keen. Possibly she mostly wants the excuse to build this construction and see whether it falls down.
9	April assents to the proposal. The lack of hills to blow up seems to disappoint her, though.
10 - 11, 13, 17 - 20, 32, 33, 35	Better out than in, she writes. Is there anyone on this board whose company she enjoys?
12	Yes, she writes. We can dispense with the input of our august colleague.
14	His pride in his lance is unjustified, April writes. Evidently that's reason enough to rid the board of him.
15	Her affiliations with Hell are complex, April writes. Are you certain you know why she wants the Railway built? I think we're better without her.
16	The business of the board may distract her from other duties, writes April. It's not that she wants Ancona gone; it's that she thinks Ancona has better uses for her time than arguing with this lot.
20	Yes, she writes, on a square of paper. She has the abstracted look of someone who has been mentally building a bomb during the more tedious portions of the foregoing argument.
21	The Widow presents certain challenges of public relations, April writes. Public relations. This from a woman who cannot be seen outside and who is generally believed dead.
23	The boy is too young for these dangers, she writes rapidly. Take him out before something eats him alive.
24	A good colleague, writes April. Not very concise on the board, however.
26	Rather than writing out a response, April sketches a cat being chased from the boardroom by a very large mastiff.
27	It doesn't have much counsel for us, April writes. Or else you never trouble to translate its advice. Not very courteous, but not wrong.
28	Older than he was, April writes. But still not a person of enough standing for this company. Standing, is it?
29	Get rid of him, April writes. He's got twelve plans and he keeps half of them secret from himself. And then there's the Discordance business, which you don't want to bring in here or anywhere.
30	If we do not find enough value in her wisdom, writes April. A grudging acceptance, but an acceptance.
31	Aye, good riddance to the Palace, writes April.
37	Bit fierce in all the wrong ways, April writes.
100, 120 - 150, 170	It will do, April writes. Not very fortified, however.
105, 115	Good plan, writes April, with several underlines.
160	April seems disappointed there won't be a mountain to blast through this time around. But she writes: Aye.
181	April thinks for a long time, then writes: Proximity to London double-edged sword. Advantages seem to outweigh risks.
182, 183, 187	April thinks for a long time, then writes: Seems acceptable.
184	April thinks for a long time, then writes: Interesting choice. Affords certain opportunities. Will go along with it.
185	April thinks for a long time, then writes: Unfond of churches. But locale otherwise acceptable.
200	It will do, April writes. Though we could do better. She quickly sketches a far more fearsome train, covered with overlapping metal plates like an armadillo, and sporting... are those torpedos?
205	Some improvements, April suggests, quickly drawing an outline for a more capacious baggage car, and better-concealed compartments therein.
220	Well-earned, writes April tersely.
230	They would be better owners than a set of lords and Masters, writes April.
240	I sympathise with the objectives of the Union, April writes. But we cannot spare them much more time.
250	I know it will amuse you, April writes. I see no harm.
260	Bones, writes April. No great rarity there.
270	Likely to be safer than going through, writes April. And less likely to cause undesirable Ministry attention.
280	Only dangerous if done by someone who doesn't know what they're doing, writes April. A vote of confidence from the person who gave you your biggest practical introduction to the Red Science?
300 - 320	It's not why I am here, she writes. But we can pretend.
400	Certainly there are places where those funds could be spent, April observes. Looking for more components, is she?
500	Bold, April writes on a sheet of paper. But I know my colleague can manage such an operation. It's as close as she's ever come to referring to your past exploits in front of the rest of the Board.
510	Recommend you get permission to kill some of the Hellworms in the course of work, writes April. Might die anyhow. If they don't, dissection would be enlightening.
520, 521, 523, 525 - 529	There are better ways, she writes pointedly. But since my plan was not chosen for consideration, this one will likely work adequately. Is it possible for handwriting to be sarcastic? She's drawn serifs on all the letters.
600	Very well, writes April on a scrap of paper. Have doubts about all the candidates but some are worse than others.
610	Will probably be sorry for agreeing tomorrow, April writes. But I accept the argument.
620	April writes: She's not a Revolutionary precisely, but she isn't a friend of the Masters either.
700	Very well, writes April, in what her most bored penmanship.
710	He has promising alliances, April writes. It seems she approves.
720, 800, 850	If we must put in someone, writes April, without enthusiasm.
905	Better occupied than bored here, writes April, sullenly.
910	Bishops belong in churches, writes April, without evident enthusiasm.
932	She agrees, though not without sketching several suggested amendments to the plan. With the current skeleton, it will have chronic back trouble. Reinforcements suggested.
1000, 1010, 1030	Very well, writes April. But get all the terms and conditions in writing, and keep a demolitions crew nearby.
1100, 1110	April has drawn a diagram of your train in battle. She has used a great deal of red.
1200	April writes: No reason to think it will explode.

Other Votes/Board Members	Second paragraph of Success Description
Furnace Ancona's Vote	A brief, wordless look of solidarity passes between April and Furnace Ancona.
Board Member: Sinning Jenny	Sinning Jenny is sitting between April and April's Clay man […]. Once April has given her answer, she returns to looking at something Jenny was drawing on a sheet of paper. […] it looks like the plan for some kind of curved sword.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000E-QINU`"[…]

• Persuasive is increasing…
•  You've lost 1 x Uncommitted Board Members
•  April has agreed to vote with you. (Sets April's Vote to 1 - April will vote with you)

Redirects to: Debating Matters of Business with the Board

Failure

Unconvinced

[See table below]

Description summary:
The text of the first paragraph depends on the Question before the Board. The second paragraph depends on the composition of your board.

[Find the rest of the story at https://www.fallenlondon.com]

Question	Failure Description
1 - 3, 9	Dangerous route, writes April, on a sheet of paper. May encounter obstacles.
4	Dangerous grassland, she writes. The grass drinks. Do not let it drink your own.
5	She frowns. It can't be the prospect of explosions that concerns her, surely.
7	April looks surprisingly doubtful, considering the design was her own.
10 - 15	Worth keeping on the board, April writes. Sometimes useful insights, sometimes forewarning of how wrong-thinking people would react to our actions.
16	Furnace cannot be replaced, April writes. She is an ally against Mr Fires, and without her we will lay no track.
17 - 19, 26, 32, 33, 35, 37	Worth keeping on the board, April writes.
20	Keep your friends close, April writes. Yes. The Tentacled Entrepreneur is the sort she'd want to keep an eye on – perhaps not in the category of friend.
21	Enjoy having her on the board, April says. Unique perspective.
23	Let the boy stay, she writes. The Wandering Gondolier would no doubt be indignant.
24	Worth keeping on the board, April writes. Only complaint is that it's hard for him to come to meetings all the way from Balmoral.
28	Let the boy stay, she writes. The Hell-Scarred Gondolier would no doubt be indignant.
29	Keep him around, April writes. Easier to see what he's doing if he's here, and he's less likely to take a grudge against us. Not the kind of person you can trust and not the kind you want for an enemy.
30	Very likely to find it a horrible injustice if we did, April writes.
31	He's harmless April writes. This is a no vote, but not a compliment, coming from her.
100, 170	Bad structure, April writes. Too dangerous that far out in the Neath.
105, 115 - 150	Good idea, badly executed, April writes. It seems the building does not meet her expectations.
160	April writes: Dangerous route. Unwise destination.
181	Too close to London, writes April. Cannot guarantee independence. If so, what is the point of this whole experiment?
182	April writes: Set the Union up as next-door neighbours to the police? No. Come back with a serious proposal.
183 - 185, 187	Site not ideal, writes April. Should consider alternatives.
200	Unimaginative weaponry, not fit for purpose, writes April. And the Tracklayers won't like it.
205	To carry the gowns of Society matrons on vacation? asks April, in writing. It's plain she doesn't consider this a primary concern.
210	April doesn't bother with a full written argument and merely draws a satirical picture of a woman in a large bustle sitting with a parasol aboard the train.
220	April passes you a slip of paper with a quick calculation of the expenses to continue building the train as against current and future ticket sales. It makes a compelling if not entirely desirable point.
230	I think not, writes April firmly. Better ways to arrange the compensation.
240 - 260	Definitely not, writes April firmly. Unforgivable.
270	Definitely not, April writes.
280	Not wise, April writes. Highly dangerous methods required to achieve that block in the first place. Won't be easy to undo, and the people that did it will not approve.
300 - 320	Principle might be fair. Not convinced this Board will actually agree on any one purpose, though. Too many differences.
400, 932, 934	April writes: Accounts don't balance. No more than that, but she's probably correct.
500	April writes: Parabola is never safe. At best, an acceptable risk. Likely not acceptable in this case.
510	April writes: Very dangerous animals. Hard to handle and possibly dangerous to the workers.
520, 521, 523, 525, 526, 528, 529	Not the best way to do it, she writes. As I knew when I suggested a different approach.
700	It is what the Empress might want, she writes, and it's obvious that is not a recommendation. Might use the grounds for demolition experiments instead?
710	Too interested in words, not enough in deeds, writes April.
720, 850	An eccentric choice, writes April.
800	April's face puckers with rage and she begins to write her reply. And write. And write. You don't need to see it to guess the gist: she doesn't trust anyone who looks like they might be in the pocket of Mr Fires.
905	We shouldn't encourage divided loyalties, April writes, hypocritically.
932	Unwise, writes April, on a sheet of paper. May not have considered all drawbacks.
940 - 941	April writes: Philanthropy is but a fig leaf on exploitation.
1000, 1010, 1030	April writes: Dangerous. Don't know enough about this entity.
1100, 1110	April writes: Risky. The train is tangible and thus more valuable than the Parabolan Company who, by definition, are intangible.
1200	April writes: Unknown forces at work in that City. Might not be wise bringing it in closer contact with London.

Other Votes	Second paragraph of Failure Description
Jovial Contrarian	The Jovial Contrarian looks taken aback, and writes something […]. He passes it to April. She reads it, frowns, shakes her head, and puts the paper in her mouth. For the next thirty seconds everyone watches April eating the Contrarian's message.

• Persuasive is increasing…

Redirects to: Debating Matters of Business with the Board