That Charming Man

To preface: I don't pretend this is all-encompassing on every way to get favours in the game. This will focus primarily on how I get favours in the game, and most of my methods are early to mid-game methods. Almost all of these are in London.

Faction Opportunity Cards

these can cost things, or give minor points of menace. Still, don't toss them. (Unless it's Bohemians. They want way too much wine.) Some notes:

Rubbery Favours can either forcibly cause Scandal, OR if you have Warm Amber, you can trade one nodule for a Favour with no Scandal involved. (there are a number of ways to grind warm amber. This is not the place to get into it)

While this technically isn't a faction card, the card The Seekers of the Garden, if you have finished Evolution, has an option that gives you Bohemian Favours and can also net you Society and Docks Favours. Costs 7 Zee-Stories

Additional outlier: getting Criminal Favours unlocks another card, An Implausible Penance, and you CAN turn three Criminal Favours into an Urchin Favour through it (Arson option, tip off Squatters). It's not a great exchange but if you're focusing Urchins, it is another method.

Parties in Veilgarden

Parties are 8 actions long. You are guaranteed at least one Society Favour, unless you are cashing out. This was also my Making Waves grind back when I cared about that.

Can grind Devil Favours, Rubbery Favours, Society Favours, and sometimes get a rare Dock Favour. Investigate the Attending a Party guide, but long story short: focus on opportunity cards there as well.

Connected Pets

Favour based off Faction you got the pet from. I have the Urchins pet.

Companions/Animals – Give their own Opportunity Cards that can give you a Favour

Alluring Accomplice: Criminal Favour for 5 Intriguing Snippets

Ruthless Henchman: Criminal Favour for 10 Romantic Notions (note, having both the Accomplice and Henchman can net a bad card- only get one of the two)

Sulky Bat: Great Game Favour for a Vision of the Surface

Winsome Orphan: Urchin Favour for 2 Memories of Distant Shore

An Agent of the Cheesemonger (AotC)

you just get to the point where you are in her employment, and then when the card shows up, you don't do what she wants, but inform the Faction instead.

the first level of working for Cheesemonger can net you these favours, and does not lower your AotC level

Rubbery Favours (50 percent chance tho)

Urchin Favours

Church Favours

Tomb Colony Favours

the second level of working for the Cheesemonger can net you these favours, and DOES lower you back to the first level of AotC, so you can loop back and forth basically

Rev Favours

Bohemian Favours

Society Favours

Docks Favours

Clubs

Sophia's: Tomb Colonist Favour for a Kat Tox check

Clay Tailor: Rev Favour for a Mithridacy check

Young Stags: 2 Society Favours AND a Bohemian Favour for 500 Rostygold

Professions

An Earnest of Payment gives a favour from two different factions based on Profession. Not to be relied on as a fast method, since it's once a week, but it's a slow bonus. Here's a page that tells you all the weekly rewards.

A Visit (Acquainted)

Repentant Forger gives Favours: Bohemians, Favours: Criminals

Regretful Soldier gives Favours: The Docks, Favours: Constables

Sardonic Music-Hall Singer gives Favours: Bohemians, Favours: Society

Wry Functionary gives Favours: Society, Favours: The Great Game

(Unrelated: I still don't have the Forger. Ough.)

Velocipede

Constable Favour for 5 Maniac's Prayers

Calendrical Confusion

A Society Favour with a Persuasion Check

Carousels/Lab

Boxful of Intrigue

I don't fuck with Boxful of Intrigue

I know it exists I did it a little for Urchins but I truly could not care less

I have four other means of urchin favours in my deck.

Graduating a Gifted Student nets a Society Favour

Shoutouts: You can supposedly get Rev favours from the re-opened University Carousel and Doubt Street, and Criminal Favours through Boxful of Intrigue. I don't use these! But they exist. People are free to add more because I know there's more, but these? These are what I use. These are almost all accessible to a POSI player without Railway or anything.

Hell, want some more options? Here's a guide. I didn't even use it to make this.

As for Renown itself: why care about Renown? Well, couple reasons:

Most of the 25 Renown Items unlock special options, or new cards, in the Upper River area and in a couple other places:

Defenestrating Boots (Upper River and Investigating the Clay Highwayman)

Language of Laces (Calendrical Confusion, Upper River)

Seal of St Joshua (Moonlit Woods option to gain time)

Hellish Hymn (Brass Embassy Activity from Hell is Missing Estival on Moloch Street) (Plus a LOT of Upper River card options. Like eight whole things. Look)

Rubbery Bellringer (Could help you find Helicon House, if you haven't)

Unnassuming Judge (Upper River)

The Teeth of St George! (Upper River)

Chap on the Corner (Investigating the Clay Highwayman) (Another card that gets you 5 Hinterland Scrip but you can't get if your Rubbery Renown is 16+)

Chelatic Mitten (Upper River)

Your Very Own Bandages! (Upper River)

Constant Cufflinks (Upper River)

Some of the 40 Renown Items also unlock additional options in places. Most of them are Best In Slot, save for seasonal items, but then if you have better items you can give these to Agents.

Oeneric Key (Free Entry to Helicon House +2 Fitting In, BIS Shadowy Home Comfort)

Place Where They Bury the Bodies (BIS Shadowy Boots)

The One Who Pulls the Strings (Upper River)

Infernal Vinification Apparatus (BIS Watchful Weapon)

Gleaming Buttons (BIS Dangerous Home Comfort)

Location of an Underground Organ (Free Entry to Helicon House +2 Fitting In, BIS Non-Fate Persuasive Weapon)

Most Humbling Expression of Her Majesty's Esteem (BIS Persuasive Transport)

Beatific Stone (Risen Burgundy, BIS Persuasive Home Comfort)

The Great Game (Gives a Rewards for Correspondence option) (it's not great, ironically)

What Might Be a Thunderbolt (Upper Airs, Risen Burgundy, some BaL options, BIS Shadowy Weapon)

Some high Renown scores unlock additional options in other places

Attending a Party 15 Bohemians or 15 Society unlocks an easy check

Slowcakes card Society Renown 25 will let you trade Society Favours for free Making Wavings

Higher Bohemian Renown or Rubbery Renown makes checks at Helicon House easier

High Criminal Renown needed for the Upper River Twilit Smuggler thing

50 Criminal Renown and 50 Constable Renown gets an option for unlocking Paramount Presence (why would you do this?)

Basically, this part of the guide breaks down what unlocks at what level of Renown for each Faction

some are more useful than others.

The thing I find obnoxious about grinding Renown is mostly how much it costs. As you increase your renown, you require more Favours to raise it further, and then items as well. It's an Echo investment, I won't lie. Plus the checks get harder with increasing levels and you get menaces for success as well as failure. It impacts quirks, if you care about that sort of thing. Rev Renown increases Liberation of Night (some of you might know the Tailor's feelings on that and the actions they take to counteract it, lol).

But honestly I get to a point where I have all these Favours and I don't really have much else to DO with them. I could go get some stuff, I guess? But I might as well grind for these really good options.

I've been playing for roughly a year and a half (a little less), and have most of my Renown scores to 40, and I'm getting really close with the ones that are not 40! Except my Criminal Renown. (And Corsairs, but that's a weird one.)

I do, genuinely, recommend grinding it. I don't mean ACTIVELY grind it, however- take advantage of just using your Opportunity Deck and letting things collect over time. There is no rush on this game.