Editing The Rat Market (Guide)

{{GuideFor|Location=The Rat Market (Area)|Pages = The Rat Market (Storylet)#The Rat Market (Quality)#Rat Market#The Rat Market (Area)#The Rat Market (Bazaar)#The Rat Market, in Eclipse#Phase of the Rat-Moon:#Direction of the Rat-Wind:#The Rat-Season:#The False-Season:#A Rat for the Weekend#A Rat no Longer#Rat-Shilling#Saintly Demand#Soft Demand#Maudlin Demand#Intricate Demand#Inscrutable Demand#Tempestuous Demand#Intricate Demand#Calculating Demand#Ruinous Demand#Rat Market Saturation#Rat Market: Nominal Sale Value|Category=Category:The Rat Market, in Eclipse}}
{{World Qualities Box|rm=yes}}
{{Audience|EarlyPoSI|Evergreen=yes}}
[[The Rat Market (Area)|The Rat Market]] is a periodic, dynamic piece of content released in September 1899 (2021). Its mechanics make heavy use of [[:Category:World Qualities|World Qualities]]. According to the [https://www.failbettergames.com/the-rat-market-is-open-for-business/ announcement post], one of the goals of the Rat Market is to introduce a regular source of variation, so that players are encouraged to experience more of the available content.

Every week, the Rat Market is only open for three days spanning the weekend. It opens at 11am UTC on Friday, and closes at 11am UTC on Monday. Check your local time zone to see when it's accessible for you, and beware of Daylight Savings Time.

You access the Rat Market from a storylet in [[the Flit]]. Entering the Rat Market for the first time will cost 3 actions, but every subsequent entry that weekend will cost 0.

*Tables are collected on [[The_Rat_Market_(Guide)/Tables|this page]].

==Mechanics==
The most important to know up-front is that '''you cannot save {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}'''. 72 hours after you enter the Rat Market (and gain the {{IL|A Rat for the Weekend}} quality), any Rat-Shillings you have left will be converted to an assortment of [[:Category:Currency|Currency]] items (primarily {{IL|Rostygold}}, see [[A Rat no Longer]]) at a rate of 10 pence-equivalent per Rat-Shilling.

The second-most important thing to know about is [[The Rat Market (Bazaar)]], and the consistent things you can purchase from it. In some cases, this may be the purpose of your visit. In other cases, this may be an outlet of {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} that would otherwise become {{IL|Rostygold}}.

===World Qualities===
====Selling Items====
On any given week, only some items can be sold for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}. New sellable items are randomly chosen weekly and can be sold during the two following weekends.

The selection of sellable items is controlled by the "Ratly Demand" World Qualities. For example, when {{IL|Inscrutable Demand}} is active, {{IL|The Whiskery Bibliophile}} will appear in the Rat Market, allowing you to sell {{IL|Uncanny Incunabulum|Appearance=Uncanny Incunabula}} and {{IL|Cartographer's Hoard|Appearance=Cartographer's Hoards}}.

The precise mechanics governing the Ratly Demands are not known at this time, but they appear to follow the pattern described below:
{{
CollapsibleSection
|Title = Ratly Demand mechanics
|level = 5
|collapsed = yes
|Content = * Each Demand starts at '''0''', where it is '''inactive''' and the corresponding items cannot be sold. It will remain at this level for ''at least'' one week, possibly more.
* Each Monday, the World Quality ''may'' increase from 0 to '''1''' (apparently at random). The Demand is now '''active''', and its items may be sold when the Rat Market opens later in the week. It remains at this level for one week.
* The following Monday, the Demand increases from 1 to '''2''', where it is still '''active''' and its items are sellable when the Rat Market opens.  It remains at this level for one week.
* Next Monday, the Demand increases from 2 to '''3'''. It is now '''inactive''', and the corresponding items can no longer be sold. It remains at this level for one week.
* The following Monday, the Demand increases from 3 to '''4''', where it is still '''inactive'''. It remains at this level for one week.
* Next Monday, one of two things happens (apparently at random):
** The Demand ''may'' increase from 4 to '''5''' ('''inactive'''), remaining there for one week before resetting to 0.
** Alternatively, the Demand may skip level 5 entirely, going directly from 4 to 0.
}}

====Buying Items====
What you can buy with {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} changes with a variety of different World Qualities:
*The {{IL|Direction of the Rat-Wind:|Appearance=Rat-Wind}} and {{IL|Phase of the Rat-Moon:|Appearance=Rat-Moon}} change randomly every week to a new value. These mainly give access to powerful Bazaar equipment at a discount, though two of the Rat-Wind items are exclusive to the Rat Market.
*The {{IL|The Rat-Season:|Appearance=Rat Season}} advances one season every week, and allows you to purchase [[:Category:Most Valuable|particularly valuable]] or hard-to-get items. These items are not discounted, and the cheaper items are even heavily marked up, but they are more difficult to obtain elsewhere.
*The {{IL|The False-Season:|Appearance=False-Season}} follows real-world seasons and serves to unlock a unique piece of buyable equipment, for a total of 4 different pieces of equipment.

===Cryptic Clues===
While the market is only available on weekends, the clues to next weekend's items are revealed earlier by [['RATTUS FABER REOPEN RENEGADE MARKET! PUNTERS FEAR A RUN ON RATTY WARES!'|the ''Gazette'']] in Your Lodgings. The Rat-Moon and Rat-Wind hint at some items that can be gained that season, whereas the items the rats are looking to buy are stated explicitly.

For example:

East - "The unseen Rat-Wind is in the east; time is shorter this season! Look to your wrists!"
:This refers to the {{IL|Ratwork Watch}}
Soft - "However, the hidden Rat-Moon is soft, they say. Soft as skin and pink as a gentlerat's paw."
:This refers to the {{IL|Lenguals}}

==Selling Items for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}==
On any given week, only some items can be sold for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}. New saleable items are randomly chosen weekly on Mondays and can be sold during the two following weekends. The different stalls buy items of different types.

Each item you can sell has a {{IL|Rat Market: Nominal Sale Value|Appearance=Nominal Sale Value}} equal to its (theoretical) value in pennies. You will always receive ''at least'' this amount's worth of {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}, but the first several items you sell each week will receive a substantial markup. This is controlled by your {{IL|Rat Market Saturation}}, which increases after every sale by the sold item's nominal sale value.

* Items sold below 65,000 Saturation receive a 32% markup to their nominal sale value.
* Items sold at or above 65,000 Saturation but below 180,000 receive a 12% markup.
* Items sold at or above 180,000 Saturation receive no markup, and simply receive their nominal sale value's worth of {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}.

For more info, see [[The Rat Market (Guide)/Calculators]].

Critically, '''sale order does not affect the number of {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} received,''' and there is no "correct" sale order. Items sold that would transcend a breakpoint will simply receive a markup proportionally between the two markup values. The player cannot sell more than 800,000 Saturation worth of items in one week.

{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Selling}}

<!-- Extra line so references don't overlap next paragraph -->

In addition, {{IL|Fourth-City Echo|Appearance=Fourth-City Echoes}} can be sold every week for 125 {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} each via [[The Rat Market (Bazaar)|the Bazaar tab]]. This item has no other repeatable uses at this moment, and can be farmed in [["Welcome to L.B. Industries!"|L.B. Industries]] at a competitive rate. Because they are sold through the Bazaar tab, they do not contribute to [[Rat Market Saturation]].

==Buying Items with {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}==
Items can be purchased with {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} from four shops in the Bazaar tab, or two storylets which do not cost actions. A single {{IL|Rat-Shilling}} is assumed to have a value of ten pennies ({{e}}0.10). The actual exchange rate varies by good, but that's an easy value by which to compare.

In the Bazaar tab, cheap economic items can be purchased for a value equal to their Bazaar sell price, while more expensive items have a mark-up, going up to a 100% cost increase for items selling for {{e}}2.50 or more. Equipable items can be purchased from the Rat Market for slightly cheaper than they cost in the Echo Bazaar (which is always still greater than the value of selling them back to the Bazaar).

===From the (Ratty) Bazaar=== 
'''{{IL|Crow-Crease Cryptics}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Crow-Crease Cryptics}}
'''{{IL|Extramurine Trading Company}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Extramurine Trading Company}}
'''{{IL|Merry Gun's Exchange}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Merry Gun's Exchange}}
'''{{IL|Nightclaw's Paw-Brokers}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Nightclaw's Paw-Brokers}}
<br>

==={{IL|Direction of the Rat-Wind:|Appearance=Direction of the Rat-Wind}}===
Current value: {{Current Value|Direction of the Rat-Wind:}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Rat-Wind}}
<br>

==={{IL|Phase of the Rat-Moon:|Appearance=Phase of the Rat-Moon}}===
Current value: {{Current Value|Phase of the Rat-Moon:}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Rat-Moon}}
<br>
==={{IL|The Rat-Season:|Appearance=The Rat-Season}}===
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
''Rat-Season Abbreviations:''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''FaF:''' Freeze-and-Fall
*'''LL:''' Lying-Longing
*'''CC:''' Candle-Canker
*'''WaW:''' Wink-and-Wane
*'''VV:''' Vial-Vane
*'''TaT:''' Take-and-Toil
*'''WW:''' Wine-Whisper
*'''RaR:''' Rise-and-Rake
*'''NK:''' Nitre-Knife
*'''KC:''' Kifer-Caitiff
*'''SS:''' Skitter-Scatter
*'''DD:''' Dimmest-Dark
</div>
</div>
Current season: {{Current Value|The Rat-Season:}} (<!--
-->{{#switch:{{Current Value|The Rat-Season:}}
|Freeze-and-Fall = <abbr title="Freeze-and-Fall">'''FaF'''</abbr>
|Lying-Longing = <abbr title="Lying-Longing">'''LL'''</abbr>
|Candle-Canker = <abbr title="Candle-Canker">'''CC'''</abbr>
|Wink-and-Wane = <abbr title="Wink-and-Wane">'''WaW'''</abbr>
|Vial-Vane = <abbr title="Vial-Vane">'''VV'''</abbr>
|Take-and-Toil = <abbr title="Take-and-Toil">'''TaT'''</abbr>
|Wine-Whisper = <abbr title="Wine-Whisper">'''WW'''</abbr>
|Rise-and-Rake = <abbr title="Rise-and-Rake">'''RaR'''</abbr>
|Nitre-Knife = <abbr title="Nitre-Knife">'''NK'''</abbr>
|Kifer-Caitiff = <abbr title="Kifer-Caitiff">'''KC'''</abbr>
|Skitter-Scatter = <abbr title="Skitter-Scatter">'''SS'''</abbr>
|Dimmest-Dark = <abbr title="Dimmest-Dark">'''DD'''</abbr>}}<!--
-->)
<br>
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Maundering Rat's Stall}}
<br>
==={{IL|The False-Season:|Appearance=The False-Season}}===
Current value: {{Current Value|The False-Season:}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/False-Season}}
<br>
===Related to Ratly Demand===
Typically, demand is what determines what items are sellable in the Rat Market. However, in one instance, a stall being present allows an item to be purchased.
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Demand Buyables}}
<br>
===Unique Items===
A handful of items in the Rat Market have no other sources.
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Uniques}}

[[Category:Guides]]