Who else here plays Exalted?

[Ferret]

I don't play exalted but I would leap at the chance to play it. Like boing.

 

[Crothian]

D&D essentially treats all characters the same, whether they are PCs or NPCs.

No, it doesn't. THere are different classes for NPCs and PCs. There are different tables for gold piece value of equuipment for NPCs and PCS. It is not as seperated as the difference between an exalted and mortal, but it is there.

 

[Crothian]

Well, then let me ask the reverse question: Is it possible for a game to make the player characters less cool than in other games?

No, cool is about the people playing not about the game. It is possible though that people thing so since characters in one game can do less then characters in another game. But that would mean that cool equals powerful, and I don't buy that.

 

[evildmguy]

It seems to me the dfifference is not in the games but of people feeling they can be successful or not. As a DM, and this is of any game I run not just d20, I encourage people to try things. So what if the dice say you only have a 10% chance to be successful. THe fun of over the top things is not in being successful all the time, its in trying them and having fun with what ever happens. So, its the players and DMs who really set this with the tone and mood of the game more then the actually game.

Many players don't like this though. That requires a lot of trust in the storyteller and trust has to be earned. Also, people that play exalted know the rules pretty well from what I've seen and read over on RPGNet. But with all things it doesn't matter what happens at my table or other tables, if it works for you then that is great. I know as in my d20 game a lot of things I do don't work for other people.

And don't get me wrong, I like exalted. I wouldn't have a dozen of the books or so if I didn't. All games not just exalted and d20 are built with certain assumptions and its up for the people playing to find the game that fits them.

I think we are saying the same thing.

As to your first point above: I was speaking about the rules as they are written. I do NOT disagree that a DM can override that and allow a player to try something cool. By the rules, though, there are limits imposed on character within DND. (For example, in Black and White, which can be changed but then it isn't by "the rules", it says that lock DCs go from 25 to 40. How can a low level character pick the DC 30, 35 or 40 lock?) The contrast that I am making is that the game rules as written in Exalted, allow for the attempt, it might be more difficult but it is still possible.

I agree with the trust issue 100%. I don't think I could have gotten my players to try Exalted if they hadn't trusted me. The only other player types that might be fine with this are the newbie and the casual gamer, who don't want to think about things like this.

And, I completely agree with your last point. Find a game that suits you and play it! Again, my thoughts here are on "base" out of the box DND and Exalted. It doesn't mean that DND couldn't play like Exalted or that Exalted couldn't play like DND!

Have a good one! Take care!

edg

 

[Wombat]

I dunno. I tried playing Exalted twice and I just couldn't relate to it at all. The game is to Over The Top for my tastes. In most games I have some notion of the limits on my player; in this I was only limited by other players or NPCs. Nothing else in creation mattered; all threats had to be manufactured, rather than built into the world itself. That didn't feel cool to me, but like a rather silly comic book, something along the Superman line -- nothing can even equal Superman except for things like kryptonite, something not even from the world he is living on. I guess this also explains why I don't enjoy most superhero games.

I prefer games where my character is a better example of what is manifest in the world in general; in Ars Magica, for example, being a magus may be powerful, but there are other beings that are able to beat him in a fair fight, even mundane individuals. D20 works best for me at lower levels; above 10th level the game starts to fall closer to the Exalted level, and above 15th level I lose all interest.

On top of this, I am not really into the suggested background material -- wuxia films, anime/manga/hentai, and martial arts films, for the most part, leave me cold. There are exceptions, of course, but they are rare.

So Exalted is just meant for someone other than me. I've tried it. I didn't enjoy it. So I'll stick to other games that I enjoy more.

 

[Bobitron]

I love Exalted! I think I own every book except The Autochthonians. As reading material alone, I don't feel I wasted a single cent even if I never play in a game. Which leads to the problem...

I ran a short game for a few friends that went OK, but it died out after about 5 sessions. The players didn't really buy into the world like I had hoped. I'm not a great DM in face-to-face games, so I'm sure much of the blame lies with me, but nevertheless, it was a failure.

I would love to play in a game, though. One of my favorite settings.

 

[Ao the Overkitty]

I play Exalted. We switch off weeks with my unisystem Firefly game.

We keep a log of the sessions here. Many fantastic stories related therein.

This is the second Exalted game with this GM. The first game fell apart due to lack of players and direction. But, we still managed to get several good stories out of it, which often come up during our current sessions.

The old group was consisted of Monk of the Immaculate Order and a heathen barbarian the Order was trying to 'save'. Being both young men who resided in a monostary, they got stuck working together and generally annoying their superiors. The monk had a tendancy to act completely without common sense and got knocked around for his stupidity a lot. He exalted as a Twilight Caste Solar. I still pity his Solar mentor for having to deal with such a idiotic student. The Barbarian exalted as a Full Moon Lunar. Together they were some of the dumbest bastards known.

One of the many things they learned was going into the Wyld is not an intelligent solution to a problem. This was during the brief stint when we had a Night caste Solar who exalted from a noble house accompanying us. The Lunar was getting more and more obvious about his tell (the first animal heart he ate was a stag, so he had antlers). In order explain this when dragonbloods started noticing was to say he had been to the Wyld. Now, in order to stand up to truth charms, we would actually have to go to the Wyld. The plan was to find a patch of Wyld, let him go in and go out, and go back to the town. Course, the Wyld isn't predictable that way. The lot of us ended up in the Wyld and the Lunar is the only one who stands immune. After fighting grass and talking to a cow, the monk ends up with a tentacle coming out of his stomach and another coming out of his back. The noble ends up with gazelle horns. Such a great plan.

 

[Jdvn1]

Such as?

Nobilis or In Nomine. In Nomine is closer in theme, but Nobilis is a cooler system.

 

[Crothian]

Well, both games are cool. But in one of them, it is easier for the PCs to act cool. And that game it isn't D&D...

It's easier to wear leather jackets and smoke in exalted???

Doing the "impossible" in a game designed for doing the "impossible" is not cool and not un cool. Its like going insane in CoC, its what the game is designed to do. Its like summoning a demon in Sorcerer, sure it is unusual and a rare ability in the real world but all the PCs can do it. Now, if the focus on the game involves normal people doing these things (like in D&D where it is hard) then you might have a point, but if the game makes the impossible like chewing gum and walking how can that be seen as exceptional?

 

[Sarellion]

Exalted is a nice game and I like it very much but there is also some stuff in there I don´t like.

My group is three players srong and we started in An Teng. We have a twilight sorcerer, a night assassin and a Ful Moon combat monkey (literally).

After getting chased around by an assembled group of visiting Dragon Blooded they fled into the Forest of Compassion looking for the Night´s Manse. the crcle kicked a faerie noble at the front door, met a quite ok Dragon Blooded monk later who hunted another harvesting fae group and got killed by it. Well then they had to erase all evidence and killed the human troops after the Solars went into high gear and illuminated the entire village with their animas.

The group went to Sapphire, a scholarly city to gain information about first age ruins and met a sidereal. The little deceiver agreed to accompany them on an expedition to another manse but he conveniently left when they "accidentally" bumped into a troop of well prepared Dragon Blooded. They were accompanied by a young sidereal and a wild fight started. The twilight and the sidereal found out that they were married in the First Age and that she killed him. Well that´s what he saw, she saw something else, because she stopped fighting. After the fight the sidereal explained that they were involved in the usurpation but she would leave them alone for now. She also warned them that the old city of the twilight is now in the hands of a Deathlord and he should not go there.

Next session will be a journey to other old ruins. The group thinks that it will be plain looting but they will meet their first deathknights and hopefully awaken some Dragon King allies.
Ah yeah, the Deathlord is the ghost of the Twilight, I know a little bit cliche but the players will be surprised as they don´t know much about the setting.

Well, plans are that they get involved with the Prince of the High Lands and a mountain folk enclave later on. The enclave was establshed by the twilight in his previous incarnation and they had some respect for him. They will need help against the Deathlord who is gathering dark forces to attack and enslave them.

I think the players are still a bit unsure about their possible powers, lacking a socialite hurts, too. In the course of the campaign I will see if they go on liberating An Teng or keep to reducing the deathlord´s influence.