Let me begin by stating that I have written only one other review. That review was on a FULL core rulebook, rather than a quickstart guide. Before anyone proceeds to lecture me on how to review a quickstart guide, let me say that I don't completely know how to do it. But at the request of the developer, I will attempt to give an actual review.
System - The Exalted Quickstart uses the same chopped-down version of the Storyteller System as the Vampire Quickstart. Employing six-sided dice instead of the standard ten-sided dice, the Quickstart System would be easier for a non-gamer to get into; six-sided dice come in all manners of board games. Narrowing down the Traits into a few simple categories, this Quickstart System allows for quick and easy play (hence the name). For its purpose, this system is perfect.
Substance - The Exalted Quickstart has more plot and setting substance than I expected. Touching upon all forms of Exalted (Solar, Lunar, Abyssal, Sidereal and Terrestrial), as well as the various enemies of the Solar Exalted, this substance serves to take the edge off of a fan's hunger, while not revealing everything at once. This leaves fans eager for the actual game. Next, the quickstart information on the five castes of Solar Exalted allows players to easily make a character. Rounding out the substance is a section on gameplay, rules, a character sheet and adventure ideas. For a quickstart, the substance was rather rich.
Art - I didn't pay too much attention to the art, but it adds to the feeling that this game is epic fantasy. Merging traditional heroism (from ancient tales, rather than the modern idea of a hero) with anime flash, Exalted appears to be a game of powerful villains and resourceful heroes.
Bad - I only had a few gripes with the quickstart as it was written. One is the lack of specific powers and abilities for the Exalted. This would have been nice but is not ultimately necessary. Another is the fact that each page has a good deal of background art and a header that would consume a large amount of ink if printed. The final complaint is the use of color at the beginning and the end of the quickstart. Printing color in grayscale tends to kill the quality of a picture.
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