Thanks!

Looking at that rpg.net example (I'm at the bleeding section right now) makes it look like the game requires a lot of bookkeeping. Among other things, you have to not only track your health level, but also what size hits did the damage. Is this something that looks worse on paper than it is in play?

Yeah. You usually use coins or dice or poker chips or glass beads or whatever in TT play to keep track of your pools like essence, WP, health etc.

Cool. We've used beads to track stuff in other games before (including hit points in an Epic D&D game) so that wouldn't be a problem.

Quote from: ThranduilWell, that and the initial complexity of combat. Before you know the effects of the most common charms, it is much like playing DnD and Magic: the Gathering at the same time, and needing to win in both. But on the other hand, so is playing a DnD wizard, in my experience. The main difference is that in DnD the complexity ramps up quickly, while in Exalted the complexity is present from the start (but doesn't ramp up so fast).

See, I found Exalted's combat complexity to be a step down from straight-up storyteller before you add the charms.  The charms do ramp up the complexity a bit, but you start with like 10-15 at most so I honestly see it as comparable to playing a D&D wizard.  Then again, I've only played the one adventure so far.

Is it possible to run a D&D Immortals type game using Exalted? I've always wanted to do something like this.

Regards,
David R

Quote from: BrantaiSee, I found Exalted's combat complexity to be a step down from straight-up storyteller before you add the charms.  The charms do ramp up the complexity a bit, but you start with like 10-15 at most so I honestly see it as comparable to playing a D&D wizard.  Then again, I've only played the one adventure so far.

I'm doing an Actual Play thread about it, actually. Feel free to chime in or make corrections.

Quote from: Thanatos02I'm doing an Actual Play thread about it, actually. Feel free to chime in or make corrections.

Awesome.

Thanks again everyone, especially for the link to the combat example. I'll definitely be checking the game out the next time I'm in the store.

Thanatos2, got a link to your Actual Play thread?

It's in the Craft & Actual Play section here, at http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=88535#post88535

Thanks again!

Three biggest tips for Exalted are to use beads to track essence, a battle wheel to track initiative, and don't be afraid to BS dicepools.

Motes of essence are the currency of the characters superpowers.  Using your charms (powers) costs so many motes.  Performing stunts or resting gets them back.  So you are constantly gaining and losing motes.  Trying to keep track of this with paper is nonsense.  Just go to the old lady craft section at wal-mart and buy a mess of them.  Don't buy them at a game store!  You'll pay ten times as much for the same damn thing!

A Battle Wheel is a way to track initiative ticks.  You can get a wheel here - http://www.white-wolf.com/index.php?line=news&articleid=681 or make your own.  Its like a clock, with a marker for each PC and NPC (or group) and a time marker.  The time marker goes around and when it gets to the section your marker is on, you go.  Then however many ticks your action is, you move your marker up that many sections on the wheel.  Runs fast and smooth.  

Finally, there's BSing dicepools.  As GM, you may often need stats at the drop of a hat.  Sure, your main villians you'll all have statted up, but if they're tangling with someone you didn't expect it pays to be able to whip up one at the drop of a hat.  Just pick a number for their combat pool and assume between their attribute, ability, specialization, stunts, and charms they get up to that level.  Give them a couple signature move charms, and roughly double their combat pool for a mote pool - remember, they're using some of htem to keep their combat ability up.  And just roll with it - it works great.  If you want to flesh them out a bit, pick a pool for physical, social, and mental tasks.

Finally, don't be afraid of the PCs power.  Solar PCs are powerful.  They can single-handedly defeat armies.  They can found religions.  They can be killed, but its damn hard to capture, threaten, or coerce them.  If they're in a city of millions, they're going to be in the top 10 of the most powerful beings present.  And that's at chargen.  After they get some experience they'll be able to do something really cool, like track down the banished elder gods that created the world and kick the shit out of them.  Again.

One of the themes of the game is that power corrupts and actions have consequences.  So give the players Real Ultimate Power and see what they do with it.  There was an actual play atrocities thread on RPGnet, that made me mutter 'Jesus Christ, the Dragon-Blooded were right!'  Don't try to feed them a plot, give them some interesting stuff and see what they do.  They are larger than life heroes.  Every action they take has an impact on the world.  Make them feel that, make them feel that they are not just important, but perhaps one of the most important people in all Creation.

Quote from: MaddmanOne of the themes of the game is that power corrupts and actions have consequences.  So give the players Real Ultimate Power and see what they do with it.  There was an actual play atrocities thread on RPGnet, that made me mutter 'Jesus Christ, the Dragon-Blooded were right!'  Don't try to feed them a plot, give them some interesting stuff and see what they do.  They are larger than life heroes.  Every action they take has an impact on the world.  Make them feel that, make them feel that they are not just important, but perhaps one of the most important people in all Creation.

Sign me up!

Quote from: WerekoalaSign me up!

You see, that's where Exalted had me, too.  I've just never been able to come up with a way to get players to digest the 5000+ years of backstory.

I have a core rulebook that's more marked up and sticky-noted than my gross human anatomy texts.  I still can't tell you what a Yozi is.

If I remember my books correctly, backstory is - well, not irrelevant, but can be introduced during gameplay if you have to. Exalted aren't born that way, so until they wake up with Sunny-D shooting out of their foreheads and the plaster in their room melting, they're just normal folks. And aside from the Big Picture, how many "normal folks" know jack about anything except where their next meal is coming from?

You want them to know all the threads of the tapestry, make them important in the campaign. Otherwise, just paint in broad strokes - who runs the place, who the Dragon Blooded are, major kingdoms - that kinda stuff.  

Simple enough!