So I was mean to a friend about Exalted this morning, so I thought I'd do something nice in return.
I've always wanted to like Exalted but found it difficult. Even the parts I like (Dragon-Bloods) are weighed down by poor writing and conceits, and the parts I dislike (the Infernals book) are so freakishly bad that I almost dropped a game because of it. But I've still wanted to like it, despite it messy, pointlessly huge, regularly poorly conceived setting, and frankly atrocious rules. But is that not always the case when discussing a White Wolf property ...?
Anyway, I'd like to try and boil Exalted down to its essence (do ho ho) and produce the thematic and aesthetic framework for an 'Exalted 0th Edition.' The idea would be to eliminate extraneous material and hone in on what could make it a great game with unerring, laser-like focus ... as defined by me.
To get some non-me perspectives, I'd like to ask people in this thread some questions. They are:
1. What would you say Exalted's essential features are?
2. What about Exalted would describe as most interesting and evocative?
3. What would you call Exalted's worst features?
You can be as specific or general as you like.
1. What would you say Exalted's essential features are?
Exalted, at is core, tells the story of a society beyond our own – that through wars and strife has fallen back into barbarism. Heaven has long turned its back and lost any respect for humanity, how could it? Humanity has fallen from an age of infinite power, flying fortresses, floating cities and electricity/water. The Realm has not slipped as far, it retains it's plumbing and sometimes essence lighting, but it is sliding into decay. The knowledge of the centuries has been lost and power is held by those with who have scavenged what working bits of the old world work. It's much like playing Fallout, the error is that far too many players seek to make the first age wonders again in a single story. Too many ST's seek to allow too many wonders to have survived. What was, if it very much lost, even if the Solars and Lunars join hands again – it will be a long road of many centuries to remake a sliver of what was.
2. What about Exalted would describe as most interesting and evocative?
Exalted is full of different organizations, some directional and some in different planes, but all with designs on Creation. The Guild, Realm, Silver Pact, Heaven and Malfeas to but name some of the larger and better known, but even directional gods and the Exalted as individuals will have massive influence. Each of these larger institutions have a dozen facets as the powers that lead them cannot be bowed to a singular vision, rather each is a hydra with each head thinking it knows best. Weaving it all together, the world is more alive than any other I've played, it has no limits. Build a nation, march an army on your enemies, pillage the Wyld, explore the Labyrinth, forge 10,000 ghosts into a warmachine or a work of art. There is room for everything in Exalted, not just warriors and wizards, but artisans and artists – bureaucrats and builders. It is a realistic world, unlike D&D's "adventurer" scenarios – it's perfectly viable to be a merchant or a byzantine aristocrat. You set your motivation, you forge the world to your vision whatever it may be, and that is a glorious thing.
3. What would you call Exalted's worst features?
The worst thing about Exalted is the correlation between it's mechanics and it's fluff. The problem with Exalted is the huge shifts of theme between editions. Mechanically a well built exalt breaks the mechanics into mote attrition, mechanically a well built exalt will force battle to be all or nothing – perfect defense or instant death. Social combat is hugely flawed with the same lack of progression – UMI results in perfect or die. Everything is tied into willpower; casting magic, refusing a well worded request and great acts of essence – a horrible system. The worst though, it the break from fluff that tells of Lunars counting coop and earning renown, of the Wild Hunt tracking down Exalted and slaying them, of Gods being given respect and the greater gods stand higher than all but the eldest Exalted. Yet, in play, none of this comes to light. A Solar can kill an unlimited number of Dragonbloods with their lack of perfects, a Lunar fight falls into the same – no trading of blows and earning of scars, and gods are sneered at and treated as weak in all cases save the Incarnae.
In terms of shifting of themes, it has caused great divides in the fan community but also within the writers themselves. Those who proscribe to first edition are Sword and Sandals, the setting is akin to Conan, you are stronger than men but throwing down the dark powers of the world is a prodigious struggle that lays you low and sometimes you must throw away your honor, beg the gods for aid, turn to assistance of others, and lure enemies into traps. It is not a simple flare of essence and thrown perfects, it is grand storytelling and arduous trials. Those who proscribe to 2nd edition are more of an anime mindset, playing a Evangelion or Gurren Lagann, both media that proscribe heavily to the perfect or die mindset. Cities, mountains and even the world can shatter to your power, you are an adamant whirlwind in a world made of fine china. The PC's are a cut above other Exalted, as heroic mortals are above mortals, and they are only viewed as tools or minor roadblocks to whatever the PC's have in mind. Most often murder hobo'ing every "problem" in Creation, killing every Deathlord and Akuma, and accumulating every magic item in the game. It's really rather like many people play Elderscrolls, it's not about the story, it's about killing everything and throwing every magic item in the game into a chest or upon your person.
So in my opinion that's the problem with Exalted: Mechanics failing to mesh with the world lore and huge theme shifts between editions breeding a generation of setting dissonance – resulting in sloppy writing and rampant confusion.
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