Across the Eight Directions [Exalted 3e/Essence]

[Random Word]

We have so many new books - Abyssals, Across the Eight Directions, Many-Faced Strangers! This isn't a campaign pitch so much as a meta-pitch . I'm looking to run a game of either Exalted 3e or Essence, and to work with a few interested players to decide what that campaign will be. I'm motivated when my players seem excited and like they're having fun, so collaboration seems like a good approach to get buy-in. With the new books and all their great ideas, we can basically just pick a direction, figure out the story type, pitch a group of characters that will work well together, and go.

I'm also open to a co-STing experiment, if anyone wants to alternate STing a campaign to make it more fun and less work (Switching every scene, or every week, or whatever).

In order to try to keep myself honest and keep the pace up, I'll commit to posting at least three times a week on a schedule I'll set up. Maybe Saturday, Monday, Friday or something. If I can't post anything substantial, I'll still post that I can't post at the scheduled time. If I need a break, I'll call a two week hiatus. If we're waiting on a player I'll ping them, and if after two days they haven't found time to post, I'll temporarily write their character as an NPC until they can return. I'll try to be as true to the character as described as possible, and it's okay to provide directives for what you'd like your character to do in the event I have to run them. I'll have them be useful but generally cede the spotlight to other players, and write them out of the scene if a player is gone for a while. When they return, they can declare what useful things their character was doing off-screen, and we'll sort out what effects their actions had. If a player knows they'll be gone for a while, we'll retire their character and look for a replacement, but they're welcome to rejoin later.

We would want to decide important things up front like setting, whether the campaign leans towards location-focused or travel-focused, and themes.

Some ideas off the top of my head in no particular order. This list is definitely not exhaustive and I'm open to fun suggestions:

1. Go back in time a few years to play DBs in a fight against all odds to save Thorns. This works just as well with any Hold-The-Line variant, like defending a Satrapy from Lunars/Solars/Abyssals. [Valiant last stand, location focused, balance of political intrigue and war]
2. Shepherding a newly founded Haslanti settlement that turns out to be on top of the MacGuffin everyone and their Grandmother/Deathlord/Shahan-ya wants to get their hands on. Works well anywhere, just switch the culture. [Exploration, nation building, balance of archaeology, politics, and warding off external threats. Could escalate to war.]
3. A Shadow Fang Vanguard company trying to capture a Satrapy on one side and thwart the Dowager's abominations on the other. Works just as well as Pact in another Direction. [Relentless Lunar Fury, infiltration, politics, sabotage, war, monster-of-the-week for variety]
4. Gold-Faction Sidereals trying to herd a bunch of cats Newly-Reincarnated Circle of Solars in their efforts to overthrow the Realm in <Place> - only that one doesn't look like a Solar at all, and that one's bondmate is who? [Kung-Fu battles against Bronze assassins on the roof without waking up your pet Solar. Dealing with someone else's millenias-old relationship drama. How many times do I have to say - say it with me, We. Do. Not. Talk. To. The. Abyssal. No, not even a little bit. I mean it this time. I don't care if they were your BFF two millennia ago. I murdered both of you once and by Saturn I'll do it again - wait, scratch that last part. Could be travel or location focused.]
5. The classic other side of that coin, the Newly-Reincarnated Circle atop the ruins of the wonders and horrors they wrought in the First Age. Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair. Works well in any Direction. [I See Your Imperial Manse and Raise you an Angry Dawn. Leans location focused. Nation building, politics, oh-would-you-look-at-the-size-of-that-wyld-hunt]
6. Another classic: Abyssals under the Lion working to destroy Gem. Abyssals under the Heron working to destroy Great Forks. etc, etc. I haven't actually read all the new Deathlords yet, but I'm personally partial to the new Heron and Eye. Eye would be less about 'destroy X' and 'find me an ancient superweapon'. Maybe under that new Haslanti settlement. [Maniacal cackling. They all laughed at me, but now I'll show them! I'll show them all! Can be travel or location focused. Can be war, exploration, or politics focused.]

My goal is to hit 2k posts, the unit for which I'm calling the Sherwood. If I get to half a Sherwood, I'll be very pleased with myself. If I get to a full Sherwood, I'll call it a victory. Keeping PbP games going turns out to be harder than it looks . I can only aim to do better with each attempt.

 

[Psychie]

I am absolutely interested. I'll have to look over some of the game ideas to see which one looks the neatest, but I'm up for just about any setting.

 

[Sherwood]

Lol I'm flattered that I'm your unit of measurement for post count! I, too, wish to toss my hat in the ring for this. I'll have to ponder what kind of Exalt to play.

 

[Sherwood]

And to put it out there, I like ideas 1, 4 and 5.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Would love to play an Exlated game (not Essence) and love ideas 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6.

 

[Random Word]

Weirdly you don't automatically follow a thread, even if you create it .

With three people interested, and possibly a secret Esbilon , we have enough interest for a game. If we can come to a consensus on the type of story we're telling (and it doesn't have to be one of my suggestions. They're just to get things flowing.), we can move on to pitching character concepts before mechanics to make sure we'll have a cast with interesting relationships.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Well, if Psychie likes options 1 or 5, or both, we have narrowed down which of the proposed games we like. And the secret Esbilon can vote as well

 

[Psychie]

I like 1, 4, 5 and 6. It might be fun to play an Abyssal in 3e, even if I have to do a lot of reading to get up to speed on the new rules for them.

 

[Psychie]

Or I could try my Lunar Garret One-Tusk in 3e, now that Many Faced Strangers is out.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

I don't have Many Faced Strangersm but I would love to play a peacock Lunar.

 

[Esbilon]

I think I'll skip this one, but am just happy to see people playing Exalted here on good old Patternspider.net-by-any-name.

 

[Sherwood]

I don't have Many Faced Strangersm but I would love to play a peacock Lunar.

Would you like me to share it with you on Dropbox?

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Would you like me to share it with you on Dropbox?

Gladly

 

[Random Word]

So the most popular ideas were Dynasts defend Thing and Solars rebuild in the ancient ruins of Thing. We also have two people interested in playing Lunars, which could mean there's some interest in Lunars kill DBs to liberate Thing, Lunars plan a heist to steal Thing, or even Lunars defend Thing against Abyssals, DBs, annoying Solars, etc.

 

[Sherwood]

Are we looking at being a mixed Circle, or all the same kind of Exalt?

 

[Psychie]

I'm kinda wanting to see just how badass of a Lunar Full Moon I can make for Garret One-Tusk in 3e, but I'm open to other kinds of Exalts, too. An Abyssal might be a nice change of pace, but I've not read through the early release stuff to see what they have going for them.

 

[Random Word]

I'm perfectly happy to have a mixed circle, but no Oblivion worshipping Abyssals with life loving PCs . Everyone has to at least be broadly aligned in goals, even if they often disagree on means. An Abyssal can work in a very open-minded party bent on destroying something, but I require the other players approve your character concept if you're the only Abyssal. It probably helps if their characters knew your character before they died.

I haven't read all of the new Abyssals book, but I love the new Underworld and Deathlords. I'm excited for necromancy being a thing again for Lunars.

 

[Sherwood]

I am leaning towards a Solar, but I can be tilted towards a different kind of Exalt fairly easy

 

[Random Word]

"A Solar, a Lunar, and an Abyssal walk into a bar... Stop me if you've heard this one." Is certainly an interesting opening to a story . I do want us to focus on what kind of story this is first and propose characters for that story.

So, like, 'As the thousand ships of the Bronze Tide laid waste to the harbour and their reavers cut a bloody swathe through the town, two heroes stood defiant. One fought to the bitter end, defending the door to the old ruins legend had it would save their people in their hour of need. As the hero lay dying, the enemy dead almost filling the hallway, they accepted a dire bargain: The power to slay the people who would burn their home in exchange for eternal service. This bought their lifelong friend the time needed to activate the ancient war manse, earning the favour of the Unconquered Sun in the process. A Lunar assassin, sent by the Lunar warlord of the Bronze Tide to seize the manse and kill anyone inside, instead found themselves enamoured and switched sides. Now they must band together to rebuild the ruined city in defiance of the attentions of a Deathlord eager to claim their servant, a ravenous horde of Fae bent on devouring the whole Southwest, the vengeance of a wounded but by no means defeated Bronze Tide, and the disapproving fellow students of a Shahan-ya with no love lost for Solars or their dark mirrors.' That sort of thing. We want to make it feel like these characters were made to play the leading role in this story.

 

[Sherwood]

That is a wonderful setup. Makes me want to see it play out.

 

[Psychie]

Yes! I like that a lot! I call dibs on the Lunar, and Red Shadow Claws and Sherwood can debate on who's getting to try out the new Abyssals splatbook, and the other plays a Solar. Can we do that? Please? I think it would be sooooo cool!

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

With Sherwood expressing interest in playing a Solar, I can go for an Abyssal. Let me read them, and present a concept.
But would be nice to know what Caste Sherwood was considering. We already have a Full Moon. I can go social Abyssal, or more of the Lore/Craft/Occult.

 

[Sherwood]

I was thinking of one of three ideas: delving into the martial arts of Dreaming Pearl Courtesan style, going for archery, or an occult Sorcery focused character.

Any of those three would be a fun build to play.

 

[Psychie]

I was thinking of going with my melee focused Full Moon Lunar, so if Sherwood wants to do the occult character and Red Shadow Claws goes with the social build, we'll be set.

 

[Sherwood]

I can do that. Red Shadow Claws and Random Word are you good with this? Are there any character creation rules that we will be using for this? Any books that we won't be using?