Exalted: what's the big friggin' deal?

[ThoughtBubble]

The big frigging deal is that this is the first game that my players willingly created backgrounds for. The CG scottish dwarf (in every game of D&D) is equivalently a LN samurai. This game system itself has strong overtones of "This is the day my life changed." This allieves one of the big problems my group has faced with the campaign turning into "and I want to be an adventurer to make money so I can buy some shoes." The game system has built in checks so that a player can choose to make sure he does get that dramatic success, or that he doesn't fail that one roll that means death. The fact that the game has built in rewards for accomplishing things in line with the character's goals and personalities is another bonus.

There's one specific aspect of the setting that I love though. Everyone's got their line to sell, everyone has their excuses, everyone has secrets, everyone has flaws.

And while anime is a good reference, the game can easily take a lot from the Illiad and The Oddesy, it's a saga of people who are more badass towering above the masses.

Unfortunately, the fun happyness of dungeon escavation is mostly a thing of the past.

And to make things even worse, our larcenous party member completely destroyed every plot hook I had prepared in town (except one) with one brazen, but oh so well done, act of thievery. Fortunately, that opened up 2 more plot hooks in itself.

Finally, here's a moment from my recent (first) game.

Player: "But why would they hunt me? Think of how much I can help, all the good I can do!"

Seer: "Just because you can untie a knot doesn't mean that the person who tied it will be happy you did."

Player: "... When can I go back home?"

Seer: "You can never go back. And the only way you'll have a home is to carve one out for yourself."

For me, Exalted lends itself to a little more consiquence and empires, instead of battling adventure. Which, after 3 campaigns of D&D 3.0 is a nice change.

 

[ThoughtBubble]

And this far, I'm doing fine with just the core book (since it's more dramatic and concept than D&D's numerical crunch I feel safer making charms and spells). Though I do feel the need for a "Monster Manual" sort of supplement, for the most part, I feel like I can run an entire game from what I've got.

Though the handbooks would be a nice addition. However, I see the book and time investment less than or equal to moving to D&D 3.5. YMMV.

 

[JPL]

Explain further, please. I can't quite follow your reasoning - which may or may not be because our experiences and expectations differ.

Nah. Getting a grip on the setting doesn't take much more than an hour or two. And all a player really needs is... well... The core rulebook and maybe one or two other books - hardly more. And the GM might want to have access to about 4-6 books. Maybe a bit less at first and a some more later on, depending on need and interest.

Of course, if you "gotta catch 'em all" (the books) and/or want to learn all supplements by heart, that's an option as well - but I wouldn't recommend it.

Sure.

Anime is still a niche hobby in America [although the niche continues to grow]. As with other niche hobbies [jazz, for example], the enthusiast will sometimes make the leap from "My tastes are different from most people's" to "My tastes are superior to most people's." To the extent that it is anime-inspired, Exalted appeals to this niche audience --- some of whom tend be snobs about it.

Exalted, like other White Wolf games, uses a lot of short stories in the rule books to convey both setting information and tone. Some folks find this pretentious, preferring a game book to be...well, a game book.

Just by virtue of being a White Wolf game, Exalted carries certain baggage...think about the Vampire LARPers, for example. Some folks find LARPing sorta pretentious, especially when you dress up all gothy and have a character named Ravyn Wylddarque and turn the whole thing into improvised theatre.

Me, I say, whatever floats your boat. Exalted seems to cater more towards teenage powertrip wish-fulfillment rather than gothic angsty hoo-hah, and since I'm all about the former, I find the thought of playing a superpowered Conan ninja Exalted a lot more appealing.

I guess the further a game gets from the core RPG experience --- which has both tactical/hack-n-slash and role-playing components, but doesn't take itself too seriously ---

--- and into the more artsy "The themes of this game are power and loss, and what it means to have free will..." and calling your gaming buddies a "troupe" and having a "collaborative storytelling experience"....well, then you end up being pretentious, by some folk's standards.

But like I said...of all the White Wolf games, Exalted does the least to encourage general artsyness. And some people enjoy the artsyness, and more power to them.

 

[JPL]

So lower the concept and you've got Forgotten Realms?

To me, the FRCS book is more effective as a one-book setting than the Exalted core book. But the latter devotes much of its space to game rules, so that's not really a fair comparison.

 

[rounser]

You can make bigger booms in Exalted than in D&D. This is a Good Thing.

Dragonball Z scale boomery?

 

[clark411]

Dragonball Z scale boomery?

Well, the designers went out of their way to avoid DBZ style "Boomery." There are all of three or so non-Sorcery Charms (they're like feats you buy with XP) that make bolts of energy or what have you. Typically it's fisticuffs, swordings, and the like.

As for Sorcery booms, it's often stated that the weakest level of magic (Terrestrial Circle Sorcery) is DND magic, while the middle level is Tolkien, and the most powerful level of Sorcery is Biblical. With your first spell, you can mow down 10 yards by 100 yards with obsidian shards. With the highest levels of magic, you can shape entire nations with a word, banish shadowlands, summon the greatest of demon princes to do your bidding, or turn the most pathetic army into a dreadnaught of power that could change the world.

The boomery is definitely more in "your ability to affect change" than anything else... there are surprisingly few high powered combat spells... it seems like personal conflict is almost below the most capable boomers.

 

[The_Gneech]

But like I said...of all the White Wolf games, Exalted does the least to encourage general artsyness. And some people enjoy the artsyness, and more power to them.

FWIW, Street Fighter was a wonderfully fun source of butt-kicking too, which was precisely why I loved it, but also precisely why the regular White Wolf fans hated it, and it was doomed to the sale rack of history.

Note that I'm biased in any way or would want to plug Street Fighter for any reason...

-The Gneech

 

[JPL]

FWIW, Street Fighter was a wonderfully fun source of butt-kicking too, which was precisely why I loved it, but also precisely why the regular White Wolf fans hated it, and it was doomed to the sale rack of history.

Note that I'm biased in any way or would want to plug Street Fighter for any reason...

-The Gneech

It still has a following, from what I've read. It sounds pulpy, or comic-booky, in all the right ways. And it certainly didn't take itself too seriously.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

To me, the FRCS book is more effective as a one-book setting than the Exalted core book. But the latter devotes much of its space to game rules, so that's not really a fair comparison.

Actually, I was just making a little joke at FR's expense.

However (!)...

The big frigging deal is that this is the first game that my players willingly created backgrounds for. The CG scottish dwarf (in every game of D&D) is equivalently a LN samurai. This game system itself has strong overtones of "This is the day my life changed." This allieves one of the big problems my group has faced with the campaign turning into "and I want to be an adventurer to make money so I can buy some shoes." The game system has built in checks so that a player can choose to make sure he does get that dramatic success, or that he doesn't fail that one roll that means death. The fact that the game has built in rewards for accomplishing things in line with the character's goals and personalities is another bonus.

There's one specific aspect of the setting that I love though. Everyone's got their line to sell, everyone has their excuses, everyone has secrets, everyone has flaws.

And while anime is a good reference, the game can easily take a lot from the Illiad and The Oddesy, it's a saga of people who are more badass towering above the masses.

Unfortunately, the fun happyness of dungeon escavation is mostly a thing of the past.

...This post has caught my interest...

Well, the designers went out of their way to avoid DBZ style "Boomery." There are all of three or so non-Sorcery Charms (they're like feats you buy with XP) that make bolts of energy or what have you. Typically it's fisticuffs, swordings, and the like.

As for Sorcery booms, it's often stated that the weakest level of magic (Terrestrial Circle Sorcery) is DND magic, while the middle level is Tolkien, and the most powerful level of Sorcery is Biblical. With your first spell, you can mow down 10 yards by 100 yards with obsidian shards. With the highest levels of magic, you can shape entire nations with a word, banish shadowlands, summon the greatest of demon princes to do your bidding, or turn the most pathetic army into a dreadnaught of power that could change the world.

The boomery is definitely more in "your ability to affect change" than anything else... there are surprisingly few high powered combat spells... it seems like personal conflict is almost below the most capable boomers.

...And that one has just about ensured a sale (I always look before I buy, but now I want to look!).

Between this and Ubris, I'm kind of in awe... In the same 28 day period I've finally seen not one but two(!) examples of High Magic campaigns with an actual reason/purpose that goes beyond "because the rules say so".

 

[JPL]

Actually, I was just making a little joke at FR's expense.

And I assure you, I laughed so heartily that I could barely type.