First Run Through for New Players

[Tadanori Oyama]

I'm going to be playing a short arc of Exalted with some players who have never played the game before. They are familiar with the new World of Darkness system and with Scion so they understand some of the Exalted rules elements. I can handle getting them into the right mind set for playing a Solar, I'd like suggestions for a good first time adventure.


I'm considering using one of the SAS adventures, Contagion of Law. I'm trying to find something built (more or less) for new players.

 

[Persell]

I'd suggest not using any of the SAS modules as I believe they are all supposed to be terrible. If you have to use a module, I'd suggest using the Tomb of Five Corners (I think that's the name) and the pre-generated characters. Its not great either, but it should help new players a lot.

 

[wordman]

It's First Edition, but my Forgotten Suns PDF is built for newcomers. The whole first act is basically just a set of encounters of escalating complexity. I've not run it in Second Edition, but the conversion would not be that difficult. Charm selection of the exalted NPCs would really be the only thing I'd change, as Second Edition has universal persistent defenses, while you had to work for them in First.


The story is, perhaps, not the most original in the world. It was written when there was not much else available for Exalted.

 

[Tadanori Oyama]

Forgotten Suns looks like a good one! Won't be difficult to make the updates and get everything in place.

 

[Gylthinel]

I don't have anything in writing, but I really enjoy runnig players on some iteration of the story from 7 Samurai, if you're familiar with that movie. It works particularly good for a handful of solars against hords of bandits.

 

[Tadanori Oyama]

One of my players is a big fan of the movie, he wrote a variation on it for Scion so I probably couldn't do the concept justice. With another group I could probably get away with it.

 

[magnificentmomo]

Contagion of Law is probably the best of the SAS's for Exalted, probably because the writer actually extensively playtested it. After that there is Daughter of Nexus, isn't the best, but it is playable. Disease of an Evil Conscious is fucking god awful and shouldn't exist; It could maybe work for DnD, but there is nothing Exalted about it.


Also, as mentioned, Return to the Tomb of 5 Corner's is pretty good, but you kinda need to use the pre-gen characters.


Under the Rose, is pretty cool, very playable, very Exalted, but higher XP, and also recommended to be used with pre-gen characters.


Hope that helps.

 

[Virjigorm]

The first edition Time of Tumult book detailed three adventures that are all good for new characters. One is set in the west and involves tracking down rogue gods for Fakharu, the western terrestrial censor. One is about first contact with the Autocthonians, and one is the expedition to the Invisible Fortress (my favorite). I've used these to break in new characters a few times, and they are definitely useful material. I would only suggest that if using the Invisible Fortress adventure for first timers, give extra time to the buildup and travel to the Fortress itself. They might need a few extra sessions worth of practice and exp to handle the challenges in the manse itself. As far as converting the material to 2e, it should be simple, as there are plenty of 2e example enemies and rewrites of artifacts that were listed in the write-ups in this book.

 

[Tadanori Oyama]

The first edition Time of Tumult book detailed three adventures that are all good for new characters.

Funny enough I just bought that book from a used bookstore but haven't read through it in detail yet. I'll crack it open.

 

[wordman]

I actually recommend against using the Invisiible Fortress right away. It's a fine adventure but, if used as the first exposure to Exalted, it gives the distinct impression of "look! Exalted is all about dungeon crawls, just like D&D! Except shinier!"


In my opinion, the Isle of Broken Masks is more "Exalted-y", with weird spirits, celestial politics and moral ambiguity. (This is where Flagg will tell you how much he loves Borgstrom's writing.)


Only try the Autochthonian adventure if you are really daring and, even then, track down the First Edition Autochthonians book for a much better version of it.


Bear in mind that whatever you run first is extremely likely to color the rest of the campaign, in some fairly easy to predict ways.

 

[Tadanori Oyama]

The game will be stand alone so I don't have to worry about coloring a campaign incorrectly. This group isn't going to be playing a long running Exalted game, I'm running it so I can record the session for a podcast and give the players some additional gaming experience.

 

[chalicier]

See, we all say that. Then it's 5 years and an edition and a half later and the players are asking you when you'll finish checking through their Essence 8 Charms so they can finish kicking Cecelyne in the desert-face. Again, but for reals this time. And one of them has married another and had kids in the intervening time, so you have to arrange the gaming times around their bedtime.


(Not actually based on my Exalted campaign, but a 7-year-old Rolemaster campaign I've been playing since the start, but the principle is the same.)

 

[Virjigorm]

I agree that the invisible fortress adventure has a bit of dungeon crawling in it, but that part of the story only needs to take about 2 sessions if it is run properly. I always focus more on the other factions trying to find the manse and the conflicts that arise on the way and as soon as the party gets there. The three times I've run the story, the party entered the manse as either a prize won from, or last ditch escape from, enemies in battle.


The western story is probably better for first timers intending to stick with the game, but I don't know which is best for a one-off game, as I've never played one of those.(I'm the guy with the wife and kid)

 

[Tadanori Oyama]

See, we all say that. Then it's 5 years and an edition and a half later and the players are asking you when you'll finish checking through their Essence 8 Charms so they can finish kicking Cecelyne in the desert-face. Again, but for reals this time. And one of them has married another and had kids in the intervening time, so you have to arrange the gaming times around their bedtime.

One can only hope to attain such lofty heights. If this group does latch onto Exalted than awesome.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

(Not actually based on my Exalted campaign, but a 7-year-old Rolemaster campaign I've been playing since the start, but the principle is the same.)

Your masochism is writ large in that simple statement and I stand in awe of you.