The release of the first major translations of the Gospel of Judas has shaken the world of Christian theology, even if they do not know it yet. It is amazing that people can believe in an omnipotent God, and not get the whole Judas thing was on purpose; it just makes me laugh.
Anyway, this isn't a column on theology. This is about being wrong. Just like Moby said, Everything Is Wrong. Up is down, war is peace (or so the current US government would have us believe), and Exalted Second Edition is the coolest RPG ever made. Not since Blackmoor castle first emerged from the mists of imagination has a game as completely intrigued me as this does.
What makes it cool? Well, several things really but for now I am going to gush rainbows and cute, fuzzy bunnies about the physical book. Exalted 2e is the best presented RPG ever made. In my estimation nothing has ever compared. Exalted takes the title from D&D 3e with a vengeance. The cover art is evocative of the setting and the style of the game. The printing is top drawer. The binding is better than any other RPG I have ever seen. Finally, the entire artistic and physical whole is very well communicated to the consumer.
As for the rules, Exalted 2e is a power-gamers' wet dream. Now a lot of people crap on power-gamers and I understand why, but I think sometimes they miss the point. Power-gaming is fun. You get to kick ass mercilessly, you get to blow stuff up, and you get to leap through the air from tree to tree crossing swords with magical sword-wielding hot chicks. Does anything else even compare? Exalted is a cosmology that allows and even fosters the most egregious power-gamer fantasy wish fulfillment in the history of RPGs.
Somewhat trying to free itself from its power-gaming roots, Exalted 2e also actually has a social combat system. Motivation and, to use an indie catchphrase, "intimacy" are addressed. As others have pointed out elsewhere, I do not really think that the social and personality mechanics are truly integrated into the rules. It feels somehow wedged in, and the least smooth element in the game mechanics. Most GMs and players will probably use it when it suits them, and this means not often, and not terribly well.
One of the best things about the new Exalted is the elimination of many opposed rolls. Opposed rolls are a poor way to deal with opposed conflict. The diminishing returns make most opposed rolls a lose/lose proposition for the mechanics and the story. The target numbers being modified by the targets’ individual scores are heads and shoulders above. Several other reviews seem wishy-washy on the whole First versus Second edition argument for Exalted. I think the Second edition is vastly superior as a core game even given its flaws.
The flaws in Exalted 2e are painfully simple. Sometimes everything is too much. With Exalted the shape of the world became evident through the release of multiple books and settings within the game. This was also a major reason for the revision of the World of Darkness. After so many products there was no real mystery in the crowded world and the things just needed simplification. It seems like Exalted 2e has the entire reboot with none of the restored mystery, and that leaves little room for players to tell their own story. As gorgeous as it is 400 pages is a HUGE amount of material, and frankly, it should have been edited down or cut up into multiple releases. From a guy who believes that most games are incomplete this is a huge turnaround and a big issue for me.
Sometimes writing a setting means you don’t get to design the whole world. I know, from personal experience, the games that I truly have enjoyed were games that either ignored the continuity created by the publisher or simply did not have any metastory to speak of. Game designers have this burning desire to show everyone how cool their setting is. The fact is that a lot of people don’t care, because it doesn’t matter. They are going to change it anyway.
I have written a lot over the last two years about making old things new by making them compelling and involving to the players. It seems the last few months we have talked about some other things. I have gone on about my game, and my struggles. Like a boomerang I always seem to come back to the same message, which is either oddly cool or really unimaginative depending on your opinion.
I think that Exalted 2e is an amazing piece of art and a much better game than the first edition. It is the Thanksgiving Dinner of roleplaying games: you sit at the table and say "wow, this is all pretty and probably tastes wonderful, but there is no way in hell I can eat it all". The incredible volume of the material is daunting, even more so when you realize that the core book is only the beginning. Not only did White Wolf release the core book in March, that same day they also released the Exalted 2e Storytellers Companion, which is another 159 pages; and the Exalted 2e Deluxe Screen which I am sure has even more content. While I have not reviewed either the Storytellers Companion or the Deluxe Screen, I am almost certain that if the density of material is comparable, we would most certainly have had three or even four books from most other publishers.
Sorry it is a short column this month, but for all I had to say once I edited out all of the disconnected thoughts I only had a thousand words. I hope everyone had a great Easter, and I hope that the spring brings great things your way. Registration for GenCon Indy is open, so get your ass out there and pre-register like I told you before.
