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OK, first off this is not a reveiw of the completed Exalted core book, just the quickstart so much of this is going to be based on opinion and the unfortunately limited information available to me.

Second, this is my first review, constructive critiscism is welcome, flames are not.

History: It is the distant past, before Cain, the Impergium, etc. All the standard WoD beasties have yet to emerge in their current forms. The Solar Exalted the champions of the Unconquered Sun, most powerfull of the gods, were once the protectors of the realm and examples of the great virtues.

Then they became corrupt and decadent (absolute power, corrupts absolutely and all that), and the Sidereal Exalted rose up and with the help of the Dragon Blooded slew the Solars.

Since the Solar Exalted are immortal and reincarnate continually, this lead to a millenia long game of cosmic Whack-a-Mole to make sure they would STAY dead.

Setting: The Sideral Exalted have become the puppetmasters of a realm run by the Dragon Blooded who are the weakest of the exalted types, but they can reproduce to increase in number which the others cannot.

Due to the dissapearance of the Scarlet Empress, longtime ruler of the realm, the Realm is begining to decay. The Wyld Hunt (the fancy name for the grand game of Whack-an-Exalted) is decaying and stopping as the web of warriors and informants are pulled back to consolidate power bases in the slowly fragmenting realm.

The Fae wait with baited breath on the fringes of Reality for an opening to rush unchecked throughout the world and spread chaos again.

The Deathlords stand ready as well, with their Deathknights (mockeries of the Solar Exalted) poised to bring the world together as one in death.

And now, with everything ready to explode, the Solar Exalted are returning in force. The first eclipse in almost 2000 years signaled the begining of a flood of reincarnated Solars who are more than a little annoyed at being murdered repeatedly by their cousins.

The world itself is interesting to me for a number of reasons.

First, the world is flat. And no, people aren't just ignorant, and THINK it's flat, it really IS flat.

Second, the borders of creation are defined by the five elemental poles, whose influence get stronger the closer you get. The poles are Earth at the very center of the world, on the Blessed Isle the heart of the Realm, to the east is the pole of Wood characterized by fertile lands and thick forest which gets ever more dense untill it cannot be passed. To the south is Fire full of desert sands and volcanoes, getting ever hotter and dryer until you cannot travel further or perish. To the west is Water, all islands and ocean, untill there is nothing but water FOREVER. North is the realm of Air a frozen dark land where the Deathlords are strongest, and eventually the mountains give way to an endless frozen plain.

Around the world there are remnants of the ancient civilization from before, with artifacts scattered where the clever and dilligent may find them.

System: It's hard to say much about the system itself, because the quickstart rules are breif and not terribly detailed. It appears to have taken some of the mechanics from Trinity, and some from the main Storyteller system, and then built from there. The rules appear to work well reading through on a glance, but I have not tested them in play yet, and I think it best to wait untill the release of the full book for this.

Summary: It appears that Exalted has a great deal of promise, and while I can't say for certain everyone will like it I think it definitely deserves a look. Even if it isn't you personal cup of tea, give credit where it is due, this game takes an epic heroes story in an interesting new direction and should definitely not be written off as "just another D&D".

Exalted Quickstart
Exalted Quickstart Capsule Review by Raiden on 07/06/01 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) The Quickstart is more than worth the time to download and read it. Product: Exalted Quickstart Author: G.C. Grabowski Category: RPG Company/Publisher: White Wolf gaming studios Line: Age of Sorrows Cost: $0 Page count: N/A Year published: 2001 ISBN: SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Raiden on 07/06/01 Genre tags: Fantasy	OK, first off this is not a reveiw of the completed Exalted core book, just the quickstart so much of this is going to be based on opinion and the unfortunately limited information available to me. Second, this is my first review, constructive critiscism is welcome, flames are not. History: It is the distant past, before Cain, the Impergium, etc. All the standard WoD beasties have yet to emerge in their current forms. The Solar Exalted the champions of the Unconquered Sun, most powerfull of the gods, were once the protectors of the realm and examples of the great virtues. Then they became corrupt and decadent (absolute power, corrupts absolutely and all that), and the Sidereal Exalted rose up and with the help of the Dragon Blooded slew the Solars. Since the Solar Exalted are immortal and reincarnate continually, this lead to a millenia long game of cosmic Whack-a-Mole to make sure they would STAY dead. Setting: The Sideral Exalted have become the puppetmasters of a realm run by the Dragon Blooded who are the weakest of the exalted types, but they can reproduce to increase in number which the others cannot. Due to the dissapearance of the Scarlet Empress, longtime ruler of the realm, the Realm is begining to decay. The Wyld Hunt (the fancy name for the grand game of Whack-an-Exalted) is decaying and stopping as the web of warriors and informants are pulled back to consolidate power bases in the slowly fragmenting realm. The Fae wait with baited breath on the fringes of Reality for an opening to rush unchecked throughout the world and spread chaos again. The Deathlords stand ready as well, with their Deathknights (mockeries of the Solar Exalted) poised to bring the world together as one in death. And now, with everything ready to explode, the Solar Exalted are returning in force. The first eclipse in almost 2000 years signaled the begining of a flood of reincarnated Solars who are more than a little annoyed at being murdered repeatedly by their cousins. The world itself is interesting to me for a number of reasons. First, the world is flat. And no, people aren't just ignorant, and THINK it's flat, it really IS flat. Second, the borders of creation are defined by the five elemental poles, whose influence get stronger the closer you get. The poles are Earth at the very center of the world, on the Blessed Isle the heart of the Realm, to the east is the pole of Wood characterized by fertile lands and thick forest which gets ever more dense untill it cannot be passed. To the south is Fire full of desert sands and volcanoes, getting ever hotter and dryer until you cannot travel further or perish. To the west is Water, all islands and ocean, untill there is nothing but water FOREVER. North is the realm of Air a frozen dark land where the Deathlords are strongest, and eventually the mountains give way to an endless frozen plain. Around the world there are remnants of the ancient civilization from before, with artifacts scattered where the clever and dilligent may find them. System: It's hard to say much about the system itself, because the quickstart rules are breif and not terribly detailed. It appears to have taken some of the mechanics from Trinity, and some from the main Storyteller system, and then built from there. The rules appear to work well reading through on a glance, but I have not tested them in play yet, and I think it best to wait untill the release of the full book for this. Summary: It appears that Exalted has a great deal of promise, and while I can't say for certain everyone will like it I think it definitely deserves a look. Even if it isn't you personal cup of tea, give credit where it is due, this game takes an epic heroes story in an interesting new direction and should definitely not be written off as "just another D&D".

Exalted Quickstart