Editing Hinterland Scrip-Making

{{GuideFor|Pages = Hinterland Scrip#Your Very Own Miniature Hellworm}}{{Audience|EarlyRailroad|Evergreen=yes}}[[File:Currency3_copper.png|right]]
<small>''This Guide is about how to best make Hinterland Scrip; if you're more interested in Echoes check [[Money-Making]]''</small>

==Introduction==

Once the player established the Great Hellbound Railway, they can access the Hinterlands where Echoes are replaced by {{IL|Hinterland Scrip}} as a currency. Instead of the Bazaar, they will have access to shops at the [[Upper River Exchange]] to buy and sell certain items. Scrip is also (extensively) needed to develop the stations along the railway.

Scrip cannot be bought directly, but going by items that can be sold at both the Bazaar and the Upper River Exchange, the value of 1 Scrip is roughly equal to 0.5 Echoes. To convert Scrip to Echoes, the player can simply buy {{IL|Tin of Zzoup}} or {{IL|Tinned Ham}} and sell them back the Bazaar. Converting Echoes to Scrip tends to involve much more work and actions. Below you'll find the best options to do so.

(In the following, we will use '''SPA''' to denote Scrip per action.)


==The Bone Market==

===Licentiate Bone Market grind===

'''Requirements:''' being a {{IL|Licentiate}}, {{IL|Mithridacy}} 10 (less will reduce profit)

At the Bone Market:
* [[Supply a skeleton of your own]] (requires being a {{IL|Licentiate}})
* [[Cap this with a victim's skull]] (requires being a {{IL|Licentiate}})
* [[Declare your (Skeleton Type) a completed Humanoid|Declare your skeleton a Humanoid]]
* [[Sell your Skeleton to the Theologian of the Old School|Sell to the Theologian]] or to [[Sell to a Constable (Skeleton)|the Constable]] for {{IL|Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits|6 x}} (worth 5 Scrip each) or 30 Scrip, for a profit of '''7.5 SPA'''.

When a {{IL|Bright Brass Skull}} is [[Affix a Bright Brass Skull to your (Skeleton Type)|used instead of the victim's skull]], this approach converts 62.5 Echoes (for the Skull) and 200 x Nevercold Brass into Scrip at a rate of '''38.75 SPA''' (requires {{IL|Mithridacy}} 10 to be straightforward).

===Non-Licentiate Bone Market  grind a.k.a. Brass Lollipop grind===

'''Requirements:''' {{IL|Involved in a Railway Venture}} 130 (i.e. reaching Marigold Station via the Great Hell-bound Railway), {{IL|Mithridacy}} 10 (less will reduce profit)

Non Licentiates can adopt the above grind once they reach Marigold station. In Hell's hinterlands, [[Beseech Saint Trezigor|beseech Saint Trezigor]] to find a way to the Lost Wall, which allows one to [[Explore the Folly|grind Headless Skeletons]] at a rate of one per action. These can substitute the victim's skeleton in the above grind, changing the steps to:

* [[Reassemble your Headless Humanoid]]
* [[Affix a Bright Brass Skull to your (Skeleton Type)]] (requires {{IL|Mithridacy}} 10 to be straightforward)
* [[Declare your (Skeleton Type) a completed Humanoid|Declare your skeleton a Humanoid]]
* [[Sell your Skeleton to the Theologian of the Old School|Sell to the Theologian]] for {{IL|Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits|31 x}} (worth 5 Scrip each, for a total 155 Scrip when sold at the Upper River Exchange), or to [[Sell to a Constable (Skeleton)|the Constable]] for 155 Scrip straight-up.

Disregarding travel cost, this yields 155 Scrip per 5 actions, or '''31 SPA''' (at the cost of 62.5 Echoes and 200 x {{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver}}).

=== Combining high-yield echo grinds with Bone Market ===
If your character does not have a metric ton of echoes ready to be converted into Scrip, the Bone Market grinds described above may still be worth doing. Their profitability will depend on having access to one of the high-yield money grinds.

When combining an echo grind which gives you X echoes per action with the Brass Lollipop grind, Scrip gain will be<ref>Licentiates can create a Brass Lollipop in 4 actions. Non-Licentiates need 1 extra action to get a Headless Skeleton at Saint Trezigor's Folly. 200 x {{IL|Nevercold Brass Sliver}}, required to attach the skull, can be farmed in 0.52 actions at the Sunken Embassy.</ref>:

* 155 / (4.52 + 62.5 / X) SPA for Licentiates.
* 155 / (5.52 + 62.5 / X) SPA for everyone else.

To give a few examples:

{|class="article-table"
| ||3 EPA||4 EPA||5 EPA||6 EPA
|-
|Licentiate||6.11 SPA || 7.69 SPA || 9.11 SPA || 10.38 SPA
|-
|Non-Licentiate|| 5.88 SPA || 7.33 SPA || 8.60 SPA || 9.73 SPA
|}

<references/>

===The New Mammoth Ranching / A New Pope===
{{Wiki Note|Due to changes on 23/02/2024, this grind is now much less profitable. Current SPA is unknown.}}

A multi-faceted grind with highest efficiency ('''approximately 12 SPA''' overall) and steep requirements: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zjgbbNw_mvDiK_dAY_Ld7lTSDD3QGU1POFAaJ6NXh-8/ A New Pope Guide]

==The Game of Poison and Delight (a.k.a. Heart's Game)==
'''Requirements:''' {{IL|A Person of Some Importance -}} 3 (i.e. a tier 2 PoSI), {{IL|Shadowy Gains}} 20 (which requires having completed a Parabolan War campaign as well as some other Parabolan activities), {{IL|Hearts' Game: A Player of the Game}} quality obtained.

'''Recommended:''' {{IL|A Complete Account of Frogs, Toads, and Other Croaking Beasts|Appearance=The Reptile Book}}, {{IL|Unexpurgated Accounting of the Anatomies of Aquatic Life-forms|Appearance=The Fish Book}} (not having the books will make the grind slightly less profitable) 

Once you've joined the game, every action, no matter if you succeed or fail a challenge or win or lose a round of the game will reward you {{IL|Hearts' Game: Exploits|1 x}}. For 65 Exploits you can choose {{IL|Leviathan Frame}} worth 315.5 Echoes as a reward (66 actions, including picking the Leviathan Frame). 

One way to make use of this is as follows: 

* 66 actions to get the Leviathan Frame via Heart's Game
* 1 action and 120.5 {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=}} (on average, if your Persuasive is high) to buy a Sabre-toothed Skull from the Enthusiast of the Ancient World.
* Buy {{IL|Unidentified Thigh Bone|2 x}} for 4 {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=}} from the Upper River Exchange (If you don't have access to the Upper River, you can also [[Accept a share of the large crate stolen from the Bone Market|get Jurassic Thighbones from Dockers' Brawls]], [[In bones|getting paid in bones]] or [[Inquire whether she has any spare bones she wants to get rid of|get Unidentified Thigh Bones from the Grandmother at the Bone Market]], but it won't be as efficient.)
* 5 actions to assemble a skeleton and declare it as a Reptile. This skeleton has value of 37700, has 2 x Antiquity and 2 x Menace.<br>(Not having {{IL|A Complete Account of Frogs, Toads, and Other Croaking Beasts|Appearance=the Reptile Book}} means you'll have to declare it a Chimera which will be slightly less profitable.)
* 1 action to sell to [[An Author of Gothic Tales]].

Of note: When {{IL|Zoological Mania}} is Reptiles, you'll get 10% bonus on the skeleton value. When {{IL|Bone Market Fluctuations:}} is Menace or Antiquity, you'll get one additional 5 {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=}} worth of secondary item.

This yields SPA of: 

{|class="article-table"
|Bone Market fad||Amalgamy||Menace/Antiquity
|-
|Reptile||9.99||10.06
|-
|Other||8.96||9.03
|}

Alternatively, if your Dangerous is high enough to be able to get {{IL|Femur of a Jurassic Beast|12 x}} in 10 actions by [[Brawling with Dockers (Guide)|Brawling with Dockers]], you can use those instead of the Unidentified Thigh Bones. This adds 1.66 actions to get the 2 femurs, while raising the skeleton's value by 400 and gives 2 extra points of Antiquity. The resulting SPA becomes: 

{|class="article-table"
|Bone Market fad||Amalgamy||Menace||Antiquity
|-
|Reptile||10.21||10.28||10.35
|-
|Other||9.19||9.26||9.33
|}

On Fish week, you can get 15% bonus on the base skeleton value when creating fish instead of reptiles, but this depends on efficiently sourcing {{IL|Fin Bones, Collected}}. With {{IL|Glasswork}} 12+, {{IL|Monstrous Anatomy}} 13+, {{IL|Dangerous}} 245 or above, and a lab that can produce {{IL|Laboratory Research|25 x}} per action, [[Pick up the trail of the Pinewood Shark|hunting sharks in Parabola]] and then [[Dissect the Pinewood Shark|dissecting them]] can produce at least {{IL|Fin Bones, Collected|2 x}} per action. Assuming we get exactly 2 fins per action, and doing everything else as noted above, we'll get: 

{|class="article-table"
|Bone Market fad||Amalgamy||Menace/Antiquity
|-
|Fish||10.39||10.46
|-
|Other||8.87||8.94
|}
==The City of the Tracklayers==
'''Requirements:''' Access to The City of the Tracklayers

'''Recommended:'''
* {{IL|Hinterland Efficiency}} 300
* High skills
* {{FontFate}}-locked {{IL|Hinterland City - Peddlers of the Lily Rites|Appearance=Peddlers of the Lily Rites}} or similar
* {{IL|A Submerged Rector}} AND {{IL|Hinterland City - Chosen Site|Appearance=Chosen Site}} 5 (In the Parish of Burrow)
* {{IL|Hinterland City - Chosen Site|Appearance=Chosen Site}} 3 (Outside of Balmoral)

See [[The City of the Tracklayers (Guide)]] for more information.
A player with high-enough skills can reliably get 500-520 {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} per action, depending on card availability. Each {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} is theoretically worth 0.01 {{e}}, so 50 {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} approximately equals one {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=Scrip}}. There are various ways of cashing {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} out as {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=Scrip}}, at varying levels of efficiency. All of these grinds can be done in unlimited batch size, so travel costs will be ignored.

==={{IL|Sap of the Cedar at the Crossroads}} {{FontFate}}-locked===
Using the {{FontFate}}-locked such as {{IL|Hinterland City - Peddlers of the Lily Rites|Appearance=Peddlers of the Lily Rites}}, it is possible to exchange 6250 {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} for {{IL|Sap of the Cedar at the Crossroads|1 x}} worth 125 {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=Scrip}}. Depending on the rate of 500 vs 520 {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} actions, it takes between 12 and 12.5 actions on average to gather the required {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}}, plus 1 action to cash out. This yields an '''SPA of 9.26 to 9.6'''.

==={{IL|Verse of Counter-Creed}}===
When in possession of a {{IL|A Submerged Rector}}, {{IL|Verse of Counter-Creed}} can be sold for 36 {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=Scrip}} using [[Noisily subvert the entire process]]. Using [[The book trade]], 1050 {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} (1000 with {{IL|Hinterland City - Chosen Site|Appearance=Chosen Site}} 5 (In the Parish of Burrow)) can be cashed in for a {{IL|Verse of Counter-Creed}}.

For Cities near Burrow: 1.92 to 2 actions to gather {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}}, plus 2 actions for conversions, yields '''9 to 9.18 SPA'''.

For Cities elsewhere: 2 to 2.1 actions to gather {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}}, plus 2 actions for conversions, yields '''8.78 to 8.96 SPA'''.

It is also possible to sell the {{IL|Verse of Counter-Creed}} using [[Lend religiously]], but this maxes out at 7.65 SPA, so it is always better to use the next method.

==={{IL|Vital Intelligence}}===
Lastly, it is possible to use [[Vibrations on the web]] to exchange 1050 {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}} (1000 with {{IL|Hinterland City - Chosen Site|Appearance=Chosen Site}} 3 (Outside of Balmoral)) for one {{IL|Vital Intelligence}} worth 25 {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=Scrip}}. This takes one less action per {{IL|Vital Intelligence}} than the cycle above, since the conversion to {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|Appearance=Scrip}} is free in this case.

For Cities near Balmoral: 1.92 to 2 actions to gather {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}}, plus 1 action for conversion, yields '''8.33 to 8.55 SPA'''.

For Cities elsewhere: 2 to 2.1 actions to gather {{IL|Hinterland Prosperity|Appearance=Prosperity}}, plus 1 actions for conversion, yields '''8.06 to 8.28 SPA'''.

===Overview===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ SPA by method
|-
! Method !! SPA lower bound !! SPA upper bound
|-
| {{IL|Sap of the Cedar at the Crossroads|Appearance=Cedar-Sap}} || 9.25 || 9.6
|-
| {{IL|Verse of Counter-Creed|Appearance=Verse}} at Burrow || 9 || 9.18
|-
| {{IL|Verse of Counter-Creed|Appearance=Verse}} elsewhere || 8.78 || 8.96
|-
| {{IL|Vital Intelligence}} at Balmoral || 8.33 || 8.55
|-
| {{IL|Vital Intelligence}} elsewhere || 8.06 || 8.28
|}

==The Osteology Lab== 

'''Requirements:''' {{IL|Volume of your Cryptopalaeontological Work}}, {{IL|Persuasive}} 300, {{IL|Dangerous}} 292 ''(lower stats will make this slightly less efficient)''

* [[Brawling_with_Dockers_(Guide)|Brawl with Dockers]] to gain {{IL|Femur of a Jurassic Beast|12 x}}. With {{IL|Dangerous}} 292 this can be achieved in 10 actions; favourable {{IL|The Airs of London|Appearance=Airs}} or having certain items can improve this part of the grind
* Visit [[The Osteology Lab]] at [[The Museum of Prelapsarian History]]
** [[Identify the femur of a Jurassic beast]]
** [[Request help from a University colleague]] once (this raises the  chance for identifying the bone to 30%, straightforward with {{IL|Persuasive}} 300)
** Assert that the specimen is [anything, really] until you succeed (this is luck-based but should on average take 3.12 tries)
** repeat until it becomes possible to [[Complete a monograph on the subject]]
* [[Speak with Gebrandt, the Museum Curator]] and [[Secure a shipment of dubiously preserved food]]

Each set of Femurs acquired via Brawling allows twelve cycles of identification in the Lab. Each of these cycles should &ndash; on average &ndash; require 14.37 actions and gain {{IL|Curator's Gratitude|6500 x}}. Selling the {{IL|Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits|Appearance=Biscuits}} and {{IL|Hand-picked Peppercaps|Appearance=Peppercaps}} gained this way at the Upper River Exchange will give '''8.55 SPA''' on average.

The same process can be applied to {{IL|Fossilised Forelimb}}s, which give {{IL|Curator's Gratitude|8750 x}}. Assuming Forelimbs are bought at the Upper River Exchange for 85 Scrip (equivalent to 4250 Gratitude), this results in a net gain of 4500 Gratitude = 90 Scrip for 14.37 actions, or '''6.26 SPA'''.

==The Moonlit Chessboard==

'''Requirements:''' {{IL|A Player of Chess}} 12, {{IL|The Boatman's Opponent}} 40, {{IL|Parabolan Dominance}} 4 (i.e. the Red-Handed Queen is ruling the Dome of Scales)

''Note: Technically, this approach starts working with {{IL|A Player of Chess}} 11 but profits will be smaller and harder to calculate.''

===Cycle===
For purposes of this guide, one cycle consists of four chess games. During the '''first three games''', the goal is to win with at least {{IL|Position on the Board: Distance ahead|Appearance=Distance Ahead}} 26. This can be accomplished by maximising the {{IL|A Player of Chess|Appearance=APoC}}-quality and then choosing:

* New game:
** Midnighters only: [[Recognise an opening because of your professional affiliations]]
** [[Play a novel approach]] (requires {{IL|Colour at the Chessboard}}: Red, do this twice when not a Midnighter)
* Middle game: 5 x [[Play a move you learned from the Boatman]] (requires {{IL|The Boatman's Opponent}} 40)
* Endgame:  [[Choose a queen mate|choose a Queen Mate]] or an [[Choose an epaulette mate|Epaulette Mate]]

Choosing these endgame rewards will additionally give a minimum of {{IL|Well-Placed Pawn|120 x}} per game. Midnighters will also get {{IL|Vienna Opening|1 x}} at the very start of each game. 

During the '''fourth game'''

* New game: 
** Midnighters only: [[Recognise an opening because of your professional affiliations]]
** [[Follow the movements of the pieces]] (when not a Midnighter, choose any option for the second move)
* Middle game: Any choices to increase Distance Ahead (e.g. the [[Play a move you learned from the Boatman|Boatman-branch]] or [[Play aggressively]])
* Endgame: [[Force a Stalemate]] in the endgame. This will trade the 360 {{IL|Well-Placed Pawn|Appearance=Pawns}} accumulated over the first three games for a {{IL|Stalemate}}.

The above cycle takes 36 actions and gives {{IL|Epaulette Mate|3 x}} (or {{IL|Queen Mate|3 x}}) plus {{IL|Stalemate|1 x}}, which results in '''7.64 SPA'''. Midnighters will additionally get {{IL|Vienna Opening|4 x}}, increasing the profit to '''8.19 SPA'''.

''Note: If the player has the now retired quality {{IL|Chess: Mastery of the Game|Short=yes}} 100, they don't need to choose a specific colour but can instead [[Open with a familiar move]] when starting a new game, for slightly more Pawns in the Endgame.''

===Improvements===
The number of {{IL|Well-Placed Pawn|Appearance=Pawns}} received per game increases with  higher {{IL|A Player of Chess|Appearance=APoC}} or increasing {{IL|Position on the Board: Distance ahead|Appearance=Distance Ahead}}. More Pawns will increase profit in the long run. For example, if the player has APoC 14 and is playing Red, they can get 131 Pawns per game. If they have APoC 12 and {{IL|Chess: Mastery of the Game|Appearance=Mastery of the Game}} 100, they can achieve Distance Ahead 31 and thus 143 Pawns per game. If the player can get at least 130 Pawns per game, after three cycles there will be enough leftover Pawns that they can immediately force another Stalemate. That means for 13 games, i.e. 117 actions, the player will get 950 x Scrip. This raises the overall profit to '''8.11 SPA'''.  Midnighters can additionally get 13 Vienna Openings over these games, raising their total profit to 1015 Scrip or '''8.67 SPA'''.


==Professional Activities (in Food)==

'''Requirements:''' Tier 3 profession (Silverer, Correspondent, etc.), advanced stat corresponding to profession at 15+ (e.g. Glasswork for Silverers, etc.), {{IL|Notability}} 5, a Pie Shop at Ealing Gardens.

For full effect, certain qualities along the railway need to be unlocked as well:

* Silverers: {{IL|Discovered: the Sea of Spines}} (Ealing Gardens) and {{IL|The Flower from Hell that Grows Under Your Skin}} (Marigold Station)
* Monster Hunters: {{IL|Balmoral's Castellan}} and {{IL|Discovered: The Wellspring of Moulin}}
* Correspondents: {{IL|Jericho Library}} and {{IL|Steward of the Discordance}} (The Hurlers)
* Crooked Crosses: {{IL|A Church in the Wild}} (finished) (Burrow-Infra-Mump) and {{IL|Route: St Trezigor's}} (Marigold Station)
* Midnighters: {{IL|Discovered: the Balmoral Dumbwaiter}} and {{IL|Khaganian Safe-Conduct}} (Balmoral, Khanate)
* Licentiates: {{IL|Discovered: The Sere Palace}} (Jericho Locks) and {{IL|Discovered the Factory VIII Laboratory}}

Professional activities can yield 320, 410, or (if the Profession-Stat is > 16) 450 x {{IL|Approximate Value of Outstanding Invoices in Pennies|Appearance = Value}}. The average over 10 actions is 4010 x Value (if stat is below 16) or 4210 x Value (if above). 2750 x Value can be traded for {{IL|Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits|5 x}}, {{IL|Basket of Rubbery Pies|5 x}}, and {{IL|Solacefruit|5 x}} worth 30 Scrip total. As {{IL|Basket of Rubbery Pies}} cannot be sold for Scrip directly, optimal payout requires the Pie Stand at Ealing Gardens for an additional 32 Scrip on average. 

At 275 Cycles of 10 Actions apiece, 401 (421 if stat is over 16) [[In food|payouts in food]] are obtained, giving 12030 Scrip (12630 Scrip) plus 2005 (2105) x {{IL|Basket of Rubbery Pies}} worth another 24862 (26102) Scrip in 3151 (3171) Actions, for a total of '''7.90 / 8.23 SPA'''.

===Improvements===

Licentiates, Oneirotect Silverers, Hierarch Monster-Hunters, and Iniquitor Midnighters can be paid [[In intelligence]], which only gives items directly sellable for Scrip. This allows to save some of the Pie-selling-actions, thus slightly increasing the overall SPA. 
32 Scrip is paid per {{IL|Services Rendered: The Great Game|5}}; of which an average of 3 may be obtained per the {{IL|Airs of Industry}}. IF a Stat>16 player goes ONLY for the Great-Game option when available (worth 410, not 450), the average value dips to 4090 value per cycle; thus limiting top values: '''8.12 / 8.26 SpA'''

==University Lab==

Selling {{IL|Cartographer's Hoard}}s at the Upper River Exchange: Having a {{FontFate}}-upgraded Lab and [[Rely on Hephaesta|Hephaesta]] (from Ambition:Light Fingers!) working in the Lab gives on average roughly '''7.7 SPA'''. (Not having Hephaesta will be slightly less profitable but not terribly so.) With Hephaesta it is recommended to have one student working in the Lab to make the most of [[Unavoidable Epiphany|Unavoidable Epiphanies]] (a Profound or Visionary student is best since they give the most research if there's no Epiphany at hand). Having a Fourth Assistant in the Lab will also slightly increase overall profit.

If you are willing to wait a long time, you can instead sell the {{IL|Cartographer's Hoard}} in the Rat Market when a [[Fabulous Diamond]] is available. Each {{IL|Cartographer's Hoard}} will generate one {{IL|Fabulous Diamond}} and additional 87.5; each {{IL|Fabulous Diamond}} sold also nets 5 echoes in {{IL|Stolen Kiss}}es. This is best done in multiples of 32, where each set of 32 {{IL|Cartographer's Hoard}}s yields 40 {{IL|Fabulous Diamond}}s and 300 echoes, which further sell in the Hurlers for 25 000 scrip and 200 echoes.

The SPA of this grind changes drastically with an optimized lab. At mere 25 research per action, you can look forward to '''7.1 SPA''' plus 500 echoes at the end, while those who can reach 35 research per action will enjoy a whopping '''9.87 SPA''' plus 500 echoes.

If [[Fabulous Diamond]]s aren't available it can still be more profitable to sell to the rat market as it gives '''5.19 EPA''' at 35 research per action, although a mere '''3.7 EPA''' at 25 research per action.


==Helicon House==

===Fitting In grind===

'''Requirements:''' free entrance, {{IL|Train Luxuries}} 4 or higher, access to one of the actions granting {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|3 x}}, a {{IL|Helicon House Companion}} which grants {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|Appearance=Fitting In}}. 

*Enter Helicon House for free with your {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|Appearance=Fitting In}} companion (gives 3 x Fitting In)
*Spend 4 actions gaining 12 more Fitting In.
*[[Forget the biscuits, take the Solacefruit]] on your way out, gaining 20 Solacefruit and 15 Peppercaps, worth '''5.83 SPA'''

Using the {{FontFate}}-locked {{IL|A Pendant of Helicon Amber}} allows the player to enter Helicon House at Time Remaining 4, thus saving one action. That  way, the above approach gives 20 Solacefruit + 12 Peppercaps for 5 actions, rasing the profit to '''6.4 SPA'''


===Catless Casing grind ===
A Fate-free ''[[Casing...]]''-based grind. Only do this if you don't have a 3 x Fitting In companion. ''(Last updated: 29th Nov 2021.)''

'''Requirements:''' free entrance, {{IL|Train Luxuries}} 4 or higher, companion that gives {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|1 x}} 

This grind consists of two alternating phases.

*1st Phase:
**Enter Helicon House with your {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|Appearance=Fitting In}} companion
<!-- after this: 1 spent action total, Casing 0 CP, FI 3, TR 5) -->
**[[Keep a close eye on everyone present]] twice (gives 8 CP of [[Casing...]] total)
<!-- after this: 3 spent actions total, Casing 8 CP, FI 5, TR 3 -->
**Do actions that give 2 Fitting In twice. See [[Helicon House (Guide)]]. Some of these provides {{IL|Making Waves}}, {{IL|Inspired...}} etc. This is not considered here.
<!-- after this: 5 spent actions total, Casing 8 CP, FI 9, TR 1 -->
**[[Forget the biscuits, take the Solacefruit]] for items worth 29 Scrip
<!-- after this: 6 spent actions, +20 Solacefruit (=20 S) +  9 Peppercaps (=9 S) = 29 S -->

*2nd Phase:
**Enter Helicon House with your {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|Appearance=Fitting In}} companion<!-- after this: 1 spent action, Casing 8 CP, FI 3, TR 5 -->
**[[Keep a close eye on everyone present]] twice (gives 8 CP of [[Casing...]] total)<!--after this: 3 spent actions, Casing 16 CP, FI5, TR 3 -->
**[[Lay claim to any left-behind items]] for 25 Scrip. We have built up 16 CP [[Casing...]] and spent 15; that leaves 1 CP, i.e. we can skip the 1st Phase once after doing this 7 times.
<!-- you cannot do this immediately, as you don't have the required 3 FI -->
<!-- after this: 4 spent actions, -15 CP Casing, +24+(0.5*3)=25 S --> 
*Gives a total of 403 Scrip per 74 actions, i.e. '''5.44 SPA'''.

=== Catty Casing grind===

An adaption of the previous grind if you have the {{IL|Morally and Physically Flexible Rubbery Cat}}:

*1st Phase:
**Enter Helicon House
**[[Keep a close eye on everyone present]] (gives 5 CP of [[Casing...]])
**[[Deploy your Morally and Physically Flexible Rubbery Cat]] (gives 6 CP of [[Casing...]] and consumes 3 {{IL|Hand-picked Peppercaps}})
**Do actions that give 2 fitting in twice. See [[Helicon House (Guide)]]. Some of these provides {{IL|Making Waves}}, {{IL|Inspired...}} etc. This is not considered here.
**[[Forget the biscuits, take the Solacefruit]] for items worth 30 Scrip (a net profit of 27 Scrip, since 3 Peppercaps were consumed by the cat)

*2nd Phase:
**Enter Helicon House with your {{IL|Fitting in at Helicon House|Appearance=Fitting In}} companion
**[[Keep a close eye on everyone present]] (gives another 5 CP of [[Casing...]])<!--total Casing 16 CP, Fitting 4-->
**[[Lay claim to any left-behind items]] for 26 Scrip. We have built up 16 CP [[Casing...]] and spent 15; that leaves 1 CP, i.e. we can skip the 1st Phase once after doing this 10 times.
*Gives a total of 556 Scrip per 93 actions, i.e. '''5.98 SPA''' (plus 0.16 EPA on average, depending on entrance method)

Having a 3 x Fitting In companion (e.g. the [[Join in with a Rubbery Euphonium 2|Rubbery Euphonium]]) results in 29 Scrip for the 1st Phase, raising the overall profit to '''6.19 SPA'''.


==Other grinds==

Alternative ways to gain Hinterland Scrip include:

*Going on expeditions in Moulin to gain the resources to subsequently write Monographs at the Archeological Institute may net between '''9.03''' and '''9.26 SPA''' ('''9.32''' with a {{FontFate}}-locked team member). A good approach for expeditions is described [[Money-Making/Endgame#Moulin Expeditions (and monographs)|here]]. For Monographs, it is important to choose a topic related to the Fourth City or the Khanate. This will unlock the Disgraced Diplomat as a potential buyer, who exclusively pays in items that can be sold for Scrip. More details can be found [[Writing a Monograph (Guide)#Simple Scrip Grind|here]].

*[[Intervene in a Dockers' Brawl|Brawling]] for {{IL|Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits}} and selling them at the Upper River Exchange:
**Brawling for a group gives '''5 SPA''' (including the journey), approaching '''5.5 SPA''' if Biscuits are stockpiled and sold in bulk.
**Brawling for yourself (at a 100% check) gives '''5.33 SPA''' (including the journey), approaching '''5.7 SPA''' if rewards are stockpiled and sold in bulk.  This can further improved by having a {{IL|Special Dispensation}}, favourable {{IL|The Airs of London|Appearance=Airs}}, or other qualities increasing Brawling gain.

*[[Intercept a cablegram|Intercepting Cablegrams]] in Khanate allows one to grind a [[Vital Intelligence]] in 4 actions (assuming that one can 100% every check), therefore giving a '''6.25 SPA''' when done in bulk (so that the actions spent on travel can be disregarded).

*[[Reach Out to the Mind of London|Reaching out to London's Mind]] after the [[The_City_of_the_Tracklayers|City in Silver]] has reached [[Exploration_of_a_Hinterland_City|Exploration]] 70 allows one to grind a [[Stalemate]] in 13 actions (assuming that one can 100% every check), 5 Nightmare CP and (assuming [[Drop_of_Prisoner%27s_Honey|Honey]] is 2 actions per 100 and [[Parabolan_Defences|Parabolan Defences]] 3), 92 actions for 6 Stalemates gives '''8.15 SpA'''  when done in bulk (so that the Honey actions spent on travel can be disregarded). A Silverer can reduce the Honey actions to 1, and adding [[Aurochs-Fur_Coat|Aurochs'-Fur Coat]], or [[The_Final_Resting_Place_of_an_Old_Friend|Final Resting Place of an Old Friend]], or other Nightmare-reducer, the Nightmares dip to 4CP/Stalemate; three cycles of 8 Communes with [[Parabolan_Defences|Defences]] 3 gives '''8.50 SpA'''. If you picked the specific [[Ambition:_Bag_a_Legend!|Bag a Legend]] option to get [[Parabolan_Defences|Defenses]] 4, the Nightmares drop faster, and the grind is '''8.70SpA'''.

*Several "epilogues" to end-game activities allow you to grind items depending on the choice made. These include: [[Manoeuvre the Counter-Church]] after establishing the Counter-Church (Chess 5 Challenge), [[Take tea in the vestry]] for Church In The Wild, [[Perform Outreach for the Church]] for Anglican Diocese, [[Speak with the Khatun]] for liberating the Khatun in the Fingerkings campaign, [[Enter the Palatinate alone]] without cat title after refusing King's deal in the Cats campaign and [[Enter the house (Red)]] for siding with the Red in the Chess campaign. Each of these actions gives you items that can be sold at Upper River, resulting in flat '''5 SPA''', not counting the travel actions.

==Getting Scrip before the Railway==

Here are a few sources to get scrip before you reach Ealing Gardens or get access to Helicon House. They are not as efficient, but are good enough to take you to Ealing:

*If the player can reach {{IL|Kataleptic Toxicology}} 10, they can get a consistent '''4.00 SPA''' by  [[Contribute some expertise to her next novel|contributing some expertise to the next novel]] of the [[An Author of Gothic Tales|Author of Gothic Tales]] at the Bone Market.

* Attaching [[Bright Brass Skull]] to [[Headless Skeleton]] (and then [[Sell to a Constable (Skeleton)]]) exchanges Echoes for Scrip at a favourable ratio with minimal action expenditure:
**Buying Headless Skeletons at [[The Small Stalls]] gives approximately a 2:1 Scrip to Echoes ratio, converting an investment of 74.5 Echoes (72.5 on failure) into {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|155}} (145 on failure).
** Using card-dependent sources for Headless Skeletons improves this, converting a 64.5 Echoes investment (62.5 on failure) into {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|155 x}} (145 Scrip on failure).
**{{IL|Licentiate}}s can use the [[Hinterland Scrip-Making#Licentiate Bone Market grind|Licentiate Bone Market grind]] described above

*[[Create a Mirthless Compendium of Statistical Observations]] and chose to [[Pass off your corrupted tables to an unsuspecting colleague]] to gain {{IL|Hinterland Scrip|20}}.

*[[Dreams: A Choice of Reverie]] in the [[Viric Jungle]] can if you [[Play Oneiropomp to Madame Petrovsky]]. Selecting [[Let her take her visions home and peddle them to her followers]] nets {{IL|Hinterland Scrip}} to the tune of {{Use|Intensity of the Dream|Appearance=Intensity|Type=Math}} x 4. Must have {{IL|Oneiropomp| 10}} and {{IL|Embroiled in the Wars of Illusion| 10}}

<br /><br /><br />

==Partially outdated grinds==

=== International Intrigues===
{{Wiki Note|The math here should still be correct. However, Khaganian Opportunities should be more profitable these days. Also keep in mind that the below guide was written before the Rat Market existed, which may also impact the optimal strategy.}}

This grind mostly revolves around [[Cover Identities (Guide)|Cover Identities]] and [[Khaganian Intrigue (Guide)|Khaganian Intrigues]]. Thematically, all of the core components of the cycle involve sneaking or subterfuge. Mechanically, it makes use of high values of {{IL|A Player of Chess}}, {{IL|Shadowy}}, and the BDR qualities, and to a lesser extent {{IL|Glasswork}}.

====Summary====
[[Expanding your Network]] in the Khanate is an extremely efficient Infiltration, acquiring items worth {{e}}62.5 in 15 actions (4.17 EPA). The problem is that the reward is random, and some of them cannot be effectively converted into Echoes, much less Hinterland Scrip, so making money adds an action tax in the form of cycling {{IL|Airs of the Khanate}}. This grind tries to reduce overhead by finding Scrip conversions for as many rewards as possible. Currently, conversions are available for rewards from 4/10 of the potential recruits, although more time is actually spent converting the rewards than collecting them.

====Requirements====
*{{IL|Involved in a Railway Venture}} built out to {{IL|The Hurlers}}
**(Only building out to {{IL|Balmoral}} is viable with modifications)
**Maxed {{IL|Cabinet Noir}} (level 4)
**Maxed {{IL|Hurlers Commercial Development}} (level 3)
**Access to {{IL|a hidden camp nestled in the woods of Balmoral|Appearance = The Clay Highwayman's Camp}} as a Marauder
* Access to {{IL|Discovered: The Khanate|Short=yes}} (and a Ship)
**A Khaganian Front that can pass checks at any hour (see [[Khaganian Intrigue (Guide)]] for details)

Maximum efficiency requires the following. Lower stats will take slightly longer, and sometimes incur Menaces.
*{{IL|A Player of Chess}} 12
*{{IL|Dreaded}} 14 and {{IL|Respectable}} 14 while attaining that level of Chess ({{IL|Bizarre}} can substitute for {{IL|Dreaded}} if needed)
*Being able to [[find the weakness in an opponent's defences]] in 4 actions ({{IL|Shadowy Gains}} 6 and either {{IL|Glasswork}} 12 or {{IL|Kataleptic Toxicology}} 12 if also possessing an {{IL|Acicular Squirrel}} )
*Really high {{IL|Shadowy}} (300ish) is desirable


====The Grind====
Most progress can be accrued indefinitely, so travel costs can be amortized, and are ignored in these calculations. The except is entering and leaving the Clay Highwayman's camp, as the Cover Identity is consumed on completing the larceny. Travel to the Khanate is time-consuming, so this grind should only be considered for the long terms.

'''Step 1: Khanate'''
Acquire items by [[expanding your Network]] on {{IL|Airs of the Khanate|Appearance=Airs}} values of 10-19 (Naive Dissident), 40-59 (Shapeless Aristocrat, Bandaged Naval Officer), or 90-100 (Idle Soldier), and re-rolling Airs on other values. The first of those values gives a {{IL|Stalemate}} which can simply be sold in the Upper River for {{h}}125. The other three grant a {{IL|Mortification of a Great Power}}, which is used for Cover Identities. On average, you will need 1.5 re-rolls per successful Intrigue, so each Intrigue costs 16.5 actions. 

If your {{IL|Methods of a Khaganian Front}} is Subversion ({{IL|Shadowy}}), then you may also consider playing Airs 20-29 (Immaculate Tailor) and 70-79 (Lovelorn Engineer). These grant a {{IL|Much-Needed Gap}} for 15 actions, and can then be [[Exploit a gap|exploited]] to save 14 actions on larger Infiltrations. Since they pay back the only resources they cost (actions), they are effectively "free." If you believe this line of reasoning, then there are only 8 non-Gap Recruits to consider, of which 4 are recruited and 4 are re-rolled, reducing the re-roll tax to 1 action.

'''Step 2: Cabinet Noir'''
Construct a Cover Identity with {{IL|Cover Identity: Elaboration|Short=yes}} 10, {{IL|Cover Identity: Witnesses|Short=yes}} 5, {{IL|Cover Identity: Credentials|Short=yes}} 5, and 80 points of {{IL|Cover Identity: Backstory|Short=yes}}. Maximum profitability assumes being able 100% the checks for Witnesses and Credentials. It is not currently possible to always 100% the checks for Elaboration up to 10, and a player with 300 {{IL|Shadowy}} will incur about 1.16 failures along the way (see [[Cover Identities (Guide)#Elaboration]] for details).

You can get 78 points of Backstory from {{IL|Mortification of a Great Power|3 x}}, and the last two points can covered by [[Make your Pawns follow your cover identity|a handful of Well-Placed Pawns]]. These are given as spare change on various interactions, so they are glossed over in the calculations.

'''Step 3: Crimes!'''
Each Larceny uses 55 CP of {{IL|Casing...}}. Trying to [[find the weakness in an opponent's defences]] twice obtains 56 CP in 8 actions. Remember that the Casing is spent, not wiped, so it can be obtained in bulk to save travel costs.

Enter the Clay Highwayman's camp and [[Con a Seasoned Smuggler]] for one {{IL|Fabulous Diamond}}. Take the train up to the Hurlers and [[trade one Fabulous Diamond]] to the Calculating Lapidary for {{h}}625, plus {{IL|Stolen Kiss|2 x}}.

A variation is to instead [[Con a Palaeontological Yank]] for a {{IL|Prismatic Frame}}. This reward is also worth {{h}}625 when used to build a skeleton for the right buyer. While assembling the skeleton takes extra actions and materials,  its value can sometimes benefit from {{IL|Zoological Mania}}, and it does not require access to the Hurlers. Note the required Cover Identity uses {{IL|Cover Identity: Nuance|Short=yes}} ({{IL|Bizarre}}) in place of {{IL|Cover Identity: Witnesses|Short=yes}} ({{IL|Dreaded}}).

Cycling cards in the Clay Highwayman's camp shouldn't take very log, but sometimes it does. This would be another reason to con the Yank instead of the Smuggler.

====Profitability====
Conveniently, there are three Recruits that grant {{IL|Mortification of a Great Power}}, which is how many Mortifications it takes to make the Cover Identity for one Larceny. We therefore assume that one cycle in the Khanate rolls each Recruit one, and one cycle elsewhere is one Cover Identity.

The overall gain is '''7.28 SPA'''.
{| class="article-table mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
!Khanate
!Actions
!Materials
|-
|Recruit an Agent (Airs 10–19)
|15
|{{IL|Stalemate}} ({{h}}125)
|-
|Recruit an Agent (Airs 40–60, 90–100)
|45
|{{IL|Mortification of a Great Power|3 x}}
|-
|Re-roll agents
|6
|N/A
|-
!Cabinet Noir
!Actions
!Materials
|-
|{{IL|Cover Identity: Elaboration}}
|11
|{{IL|Suspicion|+3 CP}}
|-
|{{IL|Cover Identity: Witnesses}}
| 5
|
|-
|{{IL|Cover Identity: Credentials}}
|5
|
|-
|{{IL|Cover Identity: Backstory}}
|4
|{{IL|Mortification of a Great Power|-3 x}}<br />{{IL|Well-Placed Pawn|-25 x}}
|-
! Crimes
!Actions
!Materials
|-
|Casing in Parabola
| 8
|
|-
|Larcenies (incl. travel)
|3
|{{IL|Fabulous Diamond|1 x}}
|-
|Calculating Lapidary
|1
|{{IL|Fabulous Diamond|-1 x}}<br />{{h}}625<br />{{IL|Stolen Kiss|2 x}}
|-
!Totals
!103
!{{h}}750<br>{{IL|Stolen Kiss|2 x}}<br />{{IL|Well-Placed Pawn|-25 x}}<br />{{IL|Suspicion|+3 CP}}
|}


===Holding your breath in the Hurlers (not yet updated!)===
{{Wiki Note|Numbers have been updated post-nerf, but the overall cycle has not been reviewed to see if there is a more optimal path.}}

Requires high {{IL|Dangerous}}, and access to [[The Hurlers]], the eighth station of the Railway. Relies on {{IL|Hurlers: Darkness}} manipulation and [[Hold your breath underwater|holding your breath underwater]], plus requires {{IL|Correspondence Plaque|Appearance=Correspondence Plaques}}. Generates large amounts of {{IL|Final Breath}}. ([https://www.reddit.com/r/fallenlondon/comments/n2h70h/holding_your_breath_in_the_hurlers_5_epa/gwkgcfs/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 '''Source'''])

#Start with [[Stoking the Stove]] 1 and 7 Darkness (this is the state immediately after bringing the stove back to the station).
#[[Add more plaques to the stove]] 9 times (this drops Darkness to 1 + 0 CP and raises Stoking the Stove to 4 + 0 CP). This costs 9 actions and 63 Correspondence Plaques.
#[[Hold your breath underwater]]. This costs 1 action and gains 22 Final Breaths.
#Add more plaques to the stove again (drops Darkness to 0, raises Stoking the Stove to 4 + 1 CP). This costs 1 action and 7 Plaques.
# Perform the following loop 8 times:
##Hold your breath underwater twice. The first time gets you 23 Final Breaths (0 Darkness), the second gets you 22. This costs 2 actions and gains 45 Final Breaths and raises Darkness to 2 + 1 CP)
##Add more plaques to the stove (drops Darkness to 1 + 0 CP, raises Stoking the Stove by 1 CP). This costs 1 action and 7 Plaques.
##Hold your breath underwater (raises Darkness to 2 + 0 CP). This costs 1 action and gains 22 Breaths.
##Add more plaques to the stove (drops Darkness to 0, raises Stoking the Stove by 1 CP). This costs 1 action and 7 Plaques.
#Each iteration of the loop costs 5 actions and 14 Plaques, raises Stoking the Stove by 2 CP, and gains 67 Breaths. So, performing 8 iterations costs 40 actions and 112 Plaques, raises Stoking the Stove to 6 + 6 CP and gains 536 Breaths.
#Hold your breath underwater twice, then add more plaques to the stove (same as in steps 5.1 and 5.2 - costs 3 actions and 7 Plaques, sets Darkness to 1 + 0 CP and Stoking the Stove to 7, gets 45 Final Breaths)
#Hold your breath underwater 10 times.
## The first time gives 22 Final Breaths (1 Darkness)
##The second and third give 21 Breaths (2 Darkness)
##The fourth and fifth give 19 Breaths (3 Darkness)
##The sixth and seventh give 16 Breaths (4 Darkness)
##The eighth to tenth give 12 Breaths (5 Darkness)
#In total, this costs 10 actions and gains 170 Breaths.
#[[Add more plaques to the stove 2|Add more plaques to the stove]]. Since you now have Stoking the Stove 7, this sets Darkness to 7 and Stoking the Stove to 8. It also gives 2 CP of Scandal (Tracklayers' Displeasure is ignored, since its effects are insignificant). This costs 1 action and 7 Plaques.
#Now you need to hunt the stove down. This is technically card-dependent, but it's a 10x frequency card in a smaller deck so you shouldn't have much trouble. If you succeed all the checks, this costs 4 actions and gets you 5E worth of bats. This returns you to where you started, with 7 Darkness and Stoking the Stove 1.

In total you spend 69 actions and 196 Plaques for 773 {{IL|Final Breath|Appearance=Final Breaths}} (worth 773 scrip) and 5E. 

In order to make this a self-contained grind, the necessary {{IL|Correspondence Plaque|Appearance=Correspondence Plaques}} must be obtained from somewhere. The best way to get them is by publishing [[A gossipy and tantalising edition|Salacious newspapers]] with all of the special options for {{IL|Journal of Infamy|Appearance=Journals of Infamy}} (the {{IL|Scrap of Incendiary Gossip|Appearance=Scraps of Incendiary Gossip}} needed for the social action can be obtained by publishing [[Publish a seditious edition|seditious editions]]: see [[Publishing a Newspaper (Guide)]] for more details) and cross-converting them. Doing this gets you ~6.76 Plaques per action, so obtaining the 196 Plaques necessary costs 28.98 actions (97.98 actions total).

However, this grind involves a number of difficult {{IL|Dangerous}} checks. [[Hold your breath underwater]] has difficulty 190 (needs 317 {{IL|Dangerous}} to 100%), and bringing the stove back requires succeeding a difficulty 280 check 3 times (impossible to 100%), though this can be substituted with a difficulty 310 {{IL|Shadowy}} check (not considered here). The final EPA is calculated for two different {{IL|Dangerous}} values: '''317''' (minimum to 100% the [[Hold your breath underwater]] check - technically obtainable, but out of reach for most characters) and '''288''' (maximum obtainable without mood/fate/ambition/profession/destiny/spouse/club items). Menaces must also be taken into account - it is assumed here that all menaces are cleared at 6 CP per action using social actions.

With '''317''' {{IL|Dangerous}}, the difficulty 190 check on [[Hold your breath underwater]] never fails, and the difficulty 280 check on [[Challenge it with your fists]] succeeds 67% of the time. Since you need three successes, the expected number of failures is 1.478. Each failure incurs 3 CP of Wounds and each success incurs 1 CP, so the expected amount of Wounds incurred is 7.432 CP. You also get 2 CP of Scandal when the stove escapes, so in total the expected number of actions spent clearing menaces is 1.572. The final action cost is therefore 101.03, for '''7.65 SPA'''.

With '''288''' {{IL|Dangerous}}, the [[Hold your breath underwater]] check has a 90% success chance, and the [[Challenge it with your fists]] check has a 61% success chance. You need 37 successes when holding your breath, so the expected number of failures is 4.111 (incurring 8.222 CP of Wounds). You need 3 successes when bringing the stove back, so the expected number of failures is 1.918 (incurring 5.754 CP of Wounds from failures, and 3 CP from successes). The expected number of actions spent on menace reduction is 3.163, and the final action cost is 107.17, for '''7.21 SPA'''.

===Other grinds (not yet updated!) ===

Alternative ways to gain Hinterland Scrip include:

*[[Sell an Infernal Sharpshooter's Rifle|Selling Infernal Sharpshooter Rifles at the Souvenir-Shop]] in Jericho Locks: Assuming a fully upgraded Lab and a level 5 Visionary Student, this gives '''5.615 SPA''' (including the journey). The SPA-ratio can be further improved by
**researching multiple rifles and selling them in bulk
**having weapon-experts working in your Lab: [[Rely on April|April]] ({{IL|Ambition: Bag a Legend!|Short=yes}}), [[Rely on your Esurient Smith|The Esurient Smith]] ({{IL|Ambition: Nemesis|Short=yes}}), or the {{IL|Reformed Protester}} ({{FontFate}})
**having a high level of [[Train Luxuries]]
**Note: Buying Sharpshooter Rifles at the Bazaar exchanges Echoes for Scrip at a ratio slightly better than 1:1 (depending on Train Luxuries level.)

[[Category:Guides]]