Spoiler note: This guide covers mechanics and systems. Specific scene reveals are kept vague — discover those in-game.
What the Guild Is
The Bards Guild is a faction in the Medieval Era — a hall in the King's Demesne dedicated to musicians, storytellers, and performers. Open from 1 PM to midnight every day, its doors are open to everyone. What you earn is reputation (called clout) through composing original songs and performing them at venues around the kingdom.
Clout unlocks the guild's quest board, special encounters, and the eventual recruitment of Violet as a maid for your brothel.
Getting Started — Skill Prerequisites
Before you can compose anything, you need two skills and a stat threshold:
| Requirement | Where to Get It |
|---|---|
| Song Writing skill | Bards Guild action — costs $300, 220 min, −60 energy / −60 calm. Requires Creativity 25 |
| Music Production skill | Music Studio (Present Downtown) action — costs $500, 180 min, −50 energy / −50 calm. Requires Technology 25 and Creativity 50 |
| Creativity 50 | Build through Painting, Photography, performing arts, and other creative actions |
Shortcut: Choosing the Musician proficiency at character creation grants Musical Virtuosity and Master Performer skills for free — both boost performance income later. You still need to learn Song Writing and Music Production separately, but the head start is significant.
Composing Songs
Once you have both skills and Creativity 50+, the Compose Song action becomes available at the Music Studio (Present Downtown, open 12 PM – 11 PM). Each composition costs $200, 30 min, −30 energy — spent up front whether you succeed or fail.
Composing is a quiz minigame. The studio shows a list of available song "experiences" you can write about — each tied to a character or moment. You pick one and answer 6 multiple-choice questions about the subject.
How the Quiz Works
Questions test your knowledge of the character or topic — their race, personality, profession, key relationships, signature traits, and associated places. The game pulls from your actual in-game experience. If you've talked to the character, completed their plots, and learned their backstory, the answers will feel natural. If you've barely met them, you'll struggle.
Practical tip: Before composing a song about a character, make sure you've actually talked to them at length and completed available plots. Songs about characters you've barely met are a gamble.
Failure Conditions
- You can normally get only 1 question wrong before the composition fails.
- The Storytelling skill bumps your tolerance to 2 wrong answers.
- On failure you lose your $200, 30 minutes, and energy — but there is no permanent lockout. You can retry the same song on a later visit (full $200 cost each attempt).
Available Songs
The Music Studio only shows songs you are currently eligible to compose. Most require meeting or progressing with a specific character first. There are 10 composable songs:
| Song Title | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Same Song, Different Day | Always available — about yourself before the adventure |
| Ballad of Bobo | Bobo must be active in your dungeon |
| Empty Strings | Sandra (Worker #4) must be recruited |
| Low End | Reach Romantic stage with Talena |
| Still Waters | Reach Romantic stage with Nerida |
| The Velvet Thief | Vixen (Worker #19) must be recruited |
| I Cucked the Balrog | Worker #28 active + you have the Cherub Crown key item |
| Muse and Her Lute | Encounter Muse 5 times in the Medieval Dungeon (also rewards the Lute) |
| A Stage of My Own | Complete Violet's backstory plot at the Bards Guild (25 clout required) |
| Vampires Bite | Defeat the floor 25 miniboss in the Medieval Dungeon — a song about the crimson castle and its playful predator |
Each composed song is permanent and reusable — compose it once, perform it forever.
The Lute
The Lute is a key item with major impact on your bardic career. It is the reward for completing Muse's full questline in the Medieval Dungeon — encounter her 5 times and complete her arc, and she gifts you the Lute as her parting gift, along with +1 to Creativity, Charm, Mystic, and Perception.
What the Lute Does
- +50 gold flat per performance at any venue
- +1 valuables per performance at any venue
- +5% chance of triggering a random performance plot
- +5ms timing tolerance in the Sandra rhythm minigame and other rhythm tests
- Unlocks the Muse and Her Lute song for composition
Across 4 daily performances, the Lute alone provides +200 gold and +4 valuables every single day for the rest of the game. It is one of the best passive bonuses in the game — prioritise getting it.
Performing — Where the Money Is
Once you have at least one composed song, the Perform Song action appears at four venues. Performing costs 60 min, −30 energy and can be done once per day per venue — meaning up to four performances per day total.
Performance Venues
| Venue | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Stage | Grand Bazaar (Demesne) | Open-air bazaar crowd |
| Bards Guild | King's Demesne | The guild's own hall |
| Rowdy Alehouse | King's Demesne | Tavern crowd, late-night atmosphere |
| Brothel Bar | Inside your brothel | Available once you own the brothel |
Performing at all four venues gives the widest variety of bonus story scenes. NPCs only appear if they're active in your current game (recruited workers/maids, characters you've met, etc.).
What You Earn Per Performance
| Reward | How It's Calculated |
|---|---|
| Gold | Random between Creativity ÷ 2 and Creativity × 2 |
| Bards Guild Clout | +1 guaranteed for the first time you perform a specific song at a specific venue. After that, 10% chance per performance (20% with Master Performer skill) |
| Valuables | Random 0–5 per performance (+1 if you have the Lute key item) |
Bonus Performance Scenes
Every performance also has a chance to trigger a random story scene with an audience member: base 25%, +5% per performance skill you know (Master Performer, Stage Presence, Musical Virtuosity, Storytelling), +5% with the Lute — capped at 50%.
Skill and Item Bonuses
| Bonus | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stage Presence skill | Gold reward ×2 |
| Musical Virtuosity skill | Gold reward ×2 (stacks with Stage Presence for ×4 total) |
| Master Performer skill | Repeat-performance clout chance: 10% → 20% |
| Lute key item | +50 gold per performance, +1 valuables per performance, +5% plot chance |
Strategy: First-Time Combos Are King
Because you get a guaranteed +1 clout for the first time you perform a specific song at a specific venue, the most efficient early clout farming is to rotate songs across venues. With 10 songs and 4 venues, you have 40 guaranteed first-time clout opportunities — enough to reach Violet's 50-clout recruitment threshold with quest board completions on top.
Clout and Why It Matters
Bards Guild clout works like every other faction's reputation track — earned through several activities, never spent. There are five ways to gain it:
- Performing composed songs at venues (main source). First time performing a specific song at a specific venue: guaranteed +1 clout. Repeat performances: 10% chance of +1 (20% with Master Performer skill).
- Bards Guild Quest Board. Six sequential quests at the guild, awarding a total of 10 clout when fully completed.
- Sandra's Singing Timing Test minigame. 25% chance per attempt to earn +1 clout.
- Bard search encounter. When you meet a bard during a search action and choose to play music with her, a successful music roll awards +1 clout.
- Lily the Bard (dungeon scenario). Encounter Lily in the medieval dungeon, succeed at the music match, and complete her scene for +1 clout.
Key thresholds:
| Clout | Unlock |
|---|---|
| 25 | Violet's backstory plot "A Stage of Her Own" auto-triggers on your next visit to the Bards Guild. Completing it unlocks the song "A Stage of My Own" in the Music Studio. |
| 50 | Violet's recruitment plot "The Standing Ovation" auto-triggers on your next visit. Violet joins the brothel as Maid #1 (Air element). |
The Quest Board
The Quest Board action is available at the Bards Guild from 1 PM onward. It offers six progressive contracts, each unlocked sequentially. Each quest asks you to perform a number of different songs across a number of different venues — designed to push you to write more material and rotate your setlist.
| Quest | Name | Task | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opening Act | Perform 2 different songs at 2 different venues | +1 Crystal, +1 clout |
| 2 | Touring Troubadour | Perform 3 different songs at 3 different venues | Worker Pin, +1 clout |
| 3 | Crowd Favourite | Perform 4 different songs at 3 different venues | +10 Valuables, +1 clout |
| 4 | Rising Star | Perform 5 different songs at 3 different venues | +1 Crystal, +2 clout |
| 5 | Legendary Bard | Perform 6 different songs at all 4 venues | Dirt Trap Carpet (maid item), +2 clout |
| 6 | Maestro | Perform 7 different songs at all 4 venues | +1 Crystal, +3 clout |
The full quest board awards 10 clout across all six quests, plus 3 Crystals, a Worker Pin, 10 Valuables, and a Dirt Trap Carpet maid item. Completing the board gets you 20% of the way to Violet's recruitment threshold on its own — combine with performance rotations to fill the rest.
Recruiting Violet
Violet is Maid #1 at your brothel — the Air element maid. She was trained for eight years by Madame Crescendo (a retired opera diva) in the "Performance Arts of Domestic Excellence" and works as the Bards Guild's cleaning girl.
Her recruitment is a two-stage process tied to clout thresholds:
Stage 1 — The Backstory (25 clout)
Visit the Bards Guild with 25 clout. The plot "A Stage of Her Own" auto-triggers. Violet sits with you in the empty hall after a performance and shares her story — how Madame Crescendo found her, what she learned, and what she's never been able to do.
Rewards: +10 Violet relationship, choice bonus (+4 caring / +3 funny / +5 flirty), and the song "A Stage of My Own" unlocks in the Music Studio.
Stage 2 — The Recruitment (50 clout)
Visit the Bards Guild again with 50 clout. The plot "The Standing Ovation" auto-triggers. Violet approaches you in person, explains that she's been watching your performances, and asks to come work at your brothel.
Rewards: +15 Violet relationship, choice bonus (+5 caring / +3 funny / +4 flirty), and Violet joins the brothel as Maid #1.
Note: Sandra is Worker, Violet is Maid
Worth keeping straight — there are two recruitable women connected to the Bards Guild:
- Sandra is Worker #4 — a brothel worker, recruited through her own separate plot chain (not through the Bards Guild faction system). She performs at the Bards Guild and is the subject of the song "Empty Strings."
- Violet is Maid #1 — a brothel maid (Air element, cleaning/maintenance role), recruited through this Bards Guild faction system at 50 clout.
Strategy Notes
- Compose every eligible song as soon as possible. Each song is a $200 one-time investment that pays out on every performance forever. There is no reason to delay.
- Talk to characters before writing about them. Songs are quizzes. Write about characters you've actually spent time with.
- Rotate songs across venues for guaranteed clout. Same song at same venue twice = only 10% chance. Same song at four different venues = 4 guaranteed clout.
- Build Creativity early. Gold per performance scales with Creativity × 2. Going from 50 to 80 Creativity is a massive income jump.
- Hunt for the Lute. Encounter Muse five times in the Medieval Dungeon. The +50 gold and +1 valuables per performance every day is one of the best ongoing bonuses in the game.
- Complete the Quest Board alongside performance rotations. The 6 quests give +10 clout total — a solid 20% of the way to Violet's recruitment. The rest comes from rotating songs across venues for guaranteed first-time clout.
- Keep performing after the first-time combos run out. Each of your 4 daily venue performances still has a 10–20% chance of +1 clout.
剧透提示： 本指南会介绍相关机制与系统。具体场景内容会保持笼统，请在游戏中亲自探索。
公会简介
吟游诗人公会 是中世纪的一支派系——它坐落于国王领地，是一座供音乐家、说书人和表演者聚集的大厅。公会每天从 下午1点开放至午夜，任何人都可以进入。你需要通过创作原创歌曲，并在王国各处的场地演奏，来取得名为 Clout 的 声望。
声望会解锁公会任务板、特殊遭遇，并最终让你招募 Violet 成为青楼女仆。
起步——技能前置条件
开始作曲前，你需要两项技能并达到一项属性门槛：
| 要求 | 获取方式 |
|---|---|
| 作词作曲 技能 | 吟游诗人公会行动——花费$300、220分钟、−60精力／−60镇定。需要 创造力25 |
| 音乐制作 技能 | 音乐工作室（现代市中心）行动——花费$500、180分钟、−50精力／−50镇定。需要 科技25 和 创造力50 |
| 创造力50 | 通过绘画、摄影、表演艺术及其他创意行动提升 |
捷径： 在创建角色时选择 音乐家 专长，可以免费获得 音乐造诣 和 表演大师 技能——两者都会在之后提高表演收益。你仍需分别学习作词作曲和音乐制作，但这项开局优势相当可观。
创作歌曲
拥有两项技能并达到创造力50以上后，作曲 行动便会在 音乐工作室 开放（现代市中心，开放时间为中午12点至晚上11点）。每次创作需花费 $200、30分钟和30精力——无论成功还是失败，这些费用都会预先扣除。
作曲是一项问答小游戏。工作室会列出当前可用于创作的歌曲“经历”，每项都与某个角色或某段经历相关。选择一项后，你需要回答有关主题的 6道选择题。
问答机制
题目会检验你对角色或主题的了解，包括种族、性格、职业、重要人际关系、标志性特征和相关地点。游戏会根据你实际经历过的内容出题。如果你曾与该角色深入交谈、完成其剧情并了解其背景故事，答案自然会显而易见；如果你只是刚刚见过对方，答题就会很困难。
实用提示： 以某个角色为主题创作歌曲前，请确保已经与她充分交谈，并完成现有剧情。为几乎不了解的角色写歌，相当于碰运气。
失败条件
- 通常最多只能答错 1题，再错便会导致创作失败。
- 讲故事 技能会把容错提高到 2道错题。
- 失败会损失$200、30分钟和精力，但不会造成永久锁定。你可以日后再次尝试创作同一首歌（每次尝试仍需支付完整的$200费用）。
可创作歌曲
音乐工作室只会显示你当前符合条件的歌曲。多数歌曲都要求先结识某个特定角色，或推进与她的关系。共有 10首可创作歌曲：
| 歌名 | 解锁方式 |
|---|---|
| 同一首歌，不同的一天 | 始终可用——讲述冒险开始前的你 |
| Bobo之歌 | Bobo必须已在你的地牢中活动 |
| 空弦 | 必须招募Sandra（4号员工） |
| 低音部 | 与Talena达到 浪漫感 阶段 |
| 静水 | 与Nerida达到 浪漫感 阶段 |
| 天鹅绒盗贼 | 必须招募Vixen（19号员工） |
| 我抢走了炎魔的女友 | 28号员工在职，并且你拥有 天使王冠 关键物品 |
| Muse与她的鲁特琴 | 在中世纪地牢中遭遇Muse 5次（同时会获得鲁特琴） |
| 属于我的舞台 | 完成Violet在吟游诗人公会的背景剧情（需要25声望） |
| 吸血鬼之咬 | 击败中世纪地牢第25层的小头目——这首歌讲述猩红城堡及其中顽皮的掠食者 |
每首创作完成的歌曲都会永久保留并可反复使用——只需创作一次，便能永远演奏。
鲁特琴
鲁特琴 是一件会对吟游诗人生涯产生重大影响的关键物品。完成Muse在中世纪地牢中的 完整任务线 即可获得：与她遭遇5次并完成整个故事后，她会把鲁特琴作为临别礼物赠给你，同时使创造力、魅力、神秘和感知各+1。
鲁特琴的效果
- 每次在任意场地表演，固定获得 +50金币
- 每次在任意场地表演，获得 +1贵重品
- 触发随机表演剧情的概率 +5%
- Sandra节奏小游戏及其他节奏检定的判定容差 +5毫秒
- 解锁可创作歌曲 Muse与她的鲁特琴
每天在4个场地各表演一次，单靠鲁特琴便能在游戏余下时间里 每天稳定额外获得200金币和4件贵重品。这是游戏中最优秀的被动加成之一，应当优先取得。
演奏——收入来源
至少创作一首歌后，四个场地中便会出现 演奏歌曲 行动。每次演奏需要 60分钟和30精力，且 每个场地每天只能进行一次——也就是每天最多表演四次。
表演场地
| 场地 | 地点 | 说明 |
|---|---|---|
| 表演舞台 | 大集市（领地） | 露天集市人群 |
| 吟游诗人公会 | 国王领地 | 公会自己的大厅 |
| 喧闹酒馆 | 国王领地 | 酒馆客群，深夜氛围 |
| 玫瑰与荆棘酒吧 | 你的青楼内部 | 拥有青楼后开放 |
在全部四个场地表演，可以看到种类最多的额外剧情场景。NPC只有在当前游戏中处于活动状态时才会出现（例如已招募的员工／女仆、你已经结识的角色等）。
每次表演的收益
| 奖励 | 计算方式 |
|---|---|
| 金币 | 在 创造力÷2 至 创造力×2 之间随机取得 |
| 吟游诗人公会声望 | 首次在某个特定场地演奏某首特定歌曲时，必定+1。此后每次表演有 10%概率 获得（拥有表演大师技能时为20%） |
| 贵重品 | 每次表演随机获得0至5件（拥有鲁特琴关键物品时额外+1） |
额外表演场景
每次表演还有概率触发一段与观众有关的随机剧情：基础概率25%，每掌握一项表演技能便+5%（表演大师、舞台魅力、音乐造诣、讲故事），拥有鲁特琴再 +5%——最高不超过50%。
技能与物品加成
| 加成 | 效果 |
|---|---|
| 舞台魅力 技能 | 金币奖励×2 |
| 音乐造诣 技能 | 金币奖励×2（可与舞台魅力叠加，总计×4） |
| 表演大师 技能 | 重复表演取得声望的概率：10% → 20% |
| 鲁特琴 关键物品 | 每次表演+50金币、+1贵重品、剧情概率+5% |
策略：首次组合最为重要
由于首次在某个特定场地演奏某首特定歌曲时会 必定获得+1声望，前期最高效的声望获取方式就是 轮换歌曲和场地。10首歌曲与4个场地共有40种可保证获得首次声望的组合——再加上任务板奖励，足以达到招募Violet所需的50声望门槛。
声望及其用途
吟游诗人公会声望与其他派系的声望进度一样——可通过多种活动获得，但不会被消耗。共有五种获取方式：
- 在场地演奏已创作的歌曲（主要来源）。首次在某个特定场地演奏某首特定歌曲：必定+1声望。重复表演：有10%概率+1（拥有表演大师技能时为20%）。
- 吟游诗人公会任务板。 公会中有六项按顺序解锁的任务，全部完成共奖励10声望。
- Sandra的歌唱时机检定小游戏。 每次尝试有25%概率获得+1声望。
- 吟游诗人搜索遭遇。 进行搜索行动时遇见吟游诗人并选择与她合奏，成功通过音乐判定即可获得+1声望。
- 吟游诗人Lily（地牢场景）。 在中世纪地牢中遇见Lily，成功完成音乐配合并结束她的场景，可获得+1声望。
重要门槛：
| 声望 | 解锁内容 |
|---|---|
| 25 | 下次前往吟游诗人公会时，自动触发Violet的背景剧情 “属于她自己的舞台”。完成后，音乐工作室会解锁歌曲 “属于我的舞台”。 |
| 50 | 下次前往时，自动触发Violet的招募剧情 “起立喝彩”。Violet会以 1号女仆（风元素） 的身份加入青楼。 |
任务板
任务板 行动从 下午1点起 可在吟游诗人公会使用。其中包含 六份逐步解锁的委托，必须依次完成。每项任务都会要求你在若干个 不同 场地演奏若干首 不同 歌曲，目的是促使你创作更多曲目并轮换演出歌单。
| 任务 | 名称 | 要求 | 奖励 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 开场演出 | 在2个不同场地演奏2首不同歌曲 | +1水晶、+1声望 |
| 2 | 巡演游吟者 | 在3个不同场地演奏3首不同歌曲 | 吟游诗人里拉胸针、+1声望 |
| 3 | 观众宠儿 | 在3个不同场地演奏4首不同歌曲 | +10贵重品、+1声望 |
| 4 | 冉冉升起的新星 | 在3个不同场地演奏5首不同歌曲 | +1水晶、+2声望 |
| 5 | 传奇吟游诗人 | 在全部4个场地演奏6首不同歌曲 | 集尘地毯（女仆物品）、+2声望 |
| 6 | 大师 | 在全部4个场地演奏7首不同歌曲 | +1水晶、+3声望 |
完成整个任务板的六项任务，共可获得 10声望，以及3枚水晶、一个吟游诗人里拉胸针、10件贵重品和一件集尘地毯女仆物品。单靠完成任务板，便能走完招募Violet所需门槛的20%——剩余部分可通过轮换歌曲和表演场地补足。
招募Violet
Violet是青楼的 1号女仆，对应 风元素。她曾接受退休歌剧名伶Madame Crescendo长达八年的“家政卓越表演艺术”训练，目前在吟游诗人公会担任清洁女工。
她的招募流程分为两个阶段，分别对应不同的声望门槛：
阶段1——背景故事（25声望）
拥有 25声望 时前往 吟游诗人公会，剧情 “属于她自己的舞台” 会自动触发。一次表演结束后，Violet会与你坐在空荡的大厅里，讲述自己的故事——Madame Crescendo如何发现了她、她学到了什么，以及她一直未能做到的事。
奖励： Violet好感度+10，选项奖励（关怀+4／风趣+3／调情+5），并在音乐工作室解锁歌曲 “属于我的舞台”。
阶段2——招募（50声望）
拥有 50声望 时再次前往 吟游诗人公会，剧情 “起立喝彩” 会自动触发。Violet会亲自来找你，说明她一直在关注你的表演，并请求前往你的青楼工作。
奖励： Violet好感度+15，选项奖励（关怀+5／风趣+3／调情+4），并且 Violet会以1号女仆的身份加入青楼。
注意：Sandra是员工，Violet是女仆
这一点值得分清——吟游诗人公会涉及 两名 可招募女性：
- Sandra 是 4号员工——她是青楼员工，通过自己独立的剧情链招募（并非通过吟游诗人公会派系系统）。她会在吟游诗人公会表演，也是歌曲“空弦”的主题人物。
- Violet 是 1号女仆——她是青楼女仆（风元素，负责清洁／维护），达到50声望后，通过这套吟游诗人公会派系系统招募。
策略提示
- 尽快创作每一首符合条件的歌曲。 每首歌都是一次性投入$200，却会永久为每次表演带来收益，没有理由拖延。
- 以角色为主题写歌前先与其交谈。 歌曲创作采用问答形式。请为你真正相处过的角色写歌。
- 轮换歌曲和场地，保证取得声望。 同一首歌在同一场地演奏第二次＝只有10%概率。将同一首歌放到四个不同场地演奏＝保证获得4声望。
- 前期提高创造力。 每次表演的金币上限按创造力×2计算。从50提升到80创造力，会让收入大幅增长。
- 寻找鲁特琴。 在中世纪地牢中与Muse遭遇五次。每天每次表演+50金币和+1贵重品，是游戏中最优秀的持续加成之一。
- 在轮换表演的同时完成任务板。 6项任务总计提供+10声望——相当于招募Violet所需进度的20%。其余声望可通过轮换歌曲和场地，利用首次表演的必定奖励取得。
- 首次组合用尽后仍要继续表演。 每天在4个场地的表演，仍各有10%至20%概率获得+1声望。
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