Is this really all there is left to talk about?

[Flagg]

I've noticed that for the past several weeks, the majority of posts involve somehow deconstructing and/or overhauling core elements of the mechanics. Doesn't anyone have anything else to talk about?

 

[cyl]

Where are we going to do our little group therapy sessions for the theme "dealing with poor / unsatisfying game mechanics" if not here ? :lol:

 

[Ledaal Kajiri]

Myself, I feel it's unnecessary, but, well, I haven't had any mechanical issues I really felt a need to discuss. It work just fine for me. Maybe once I get around to working on the Terrestrial style I've been bouncing around in my head now and then I'll have something to post. But, its nowhere near ready for posting yet.

 

[Kyeudo]

I've got a few things I'm working on, but the only thing that I have ready to post is my Hellstrider Construction Resource, which I just haven't gotten around to putting up.

 

[Gylthinel]

I've noticed that for the past several weeks, the majority of posts involve somehow deconstructing and/or overhauling core elements of the mechanics. Doesn't anyone have anything else to talk about?

Sorry dude. I'm currently of the mindset that if I can't figure out how to streamline the exalted system, I'm going to can it. That overrides my various other petty musings. And every mechanical question I have comes back to the root problem of the system being sh!t.

 

[Mr. S]

I keep writing posts but always end up backing out at the last moment when I realize that everything I've written boils down to a sardonic comment.

 

[Jukashi]

I have a really big homebrewin' project I've been working on but writing all the new Charms is tedious and difficult. I've got seventeen done and I'm only up to Resistance. 16 more Abilities to go, needing about 2 new Charms each. Then I have to go on and do artifacts, spells, new kinds of spells, and this new thing I invented that I'm not sure is going to work. Then some characters. Then I have to do the other 4 chapters that aren't done, making it up to eight articles' worth in total. Hopefully, with illustrations.


I've been considering making an appeal for help with it.

 

[Toloran]

I'm personally of the mindset that the system is good enough as is. Sure it has some problems but none are game breaking in a way that makes it not fun for my group.

 

[Thanqol]

I believe the Exalted system works amazingly for building very pretty character sheets which can show, at a glance, both what a character is good at and what kind of person he is. I enjoy how every attribute and ability can have a story, and how the lack of those can be just as interesting. And I love the charms. My only concern is that specialties seem to be chronically under-used, which I'll be taking steps to address - and since you asked, I'll throw up a thread on that topic.


The Exalted system falls down, for me, with regards to combat. So I don't use the combat system. One thing is that I make the PCs roll all the dice; both for attack and defense pools. And everything is ad-hoced and off the top of my head based on what stunts I'm thinking of. Balance takes a distinct back seat. This is very much a symptom of how I GM, though.


Plus, I'm bad at math, so therefore, all in all, I don't have much to talk about in this forum.

 

[wordman]

Doesn't anyone have anything else to talk about?

No.


Part of the reason I even started some of the threads you mentioned is that there wasn't really anything else happening.


Part of the problem is that there really hasn't been anything exceptional released for Exalted in quite a while, with the possible exception of the Infernals book. Compare, for example, the excitement that greeted the lunar book with the splats that came after it. Both sidereals and fair folk, at least, were screaming for the same care and attention that went into the revising of the lunar book, but both seemed like they were pretty much phoned in.

 

[Gylthinel]

The Exalted system falls down, for me, with regards to combat. So I don't use the combat system. One thing is that I make the PCs roll all the dice; both for attack and defense pools. And everything is ad-hoced and off the top of my head based on what stunts I'm thinking of. Balance takes a distinct back seat. This is very much a symptom of how I GM, though.

I really wish I had this ability. But, my team was far too influenced by the finely-demarked rules of DND 3.5. Now, there's a chronic concern about "balance" and "fairness," especially when a player gets jacked by something. If they actually get HIT despite their layers of DV and PDs, they get their feathers all ruffled.

 

[Thanqol]

I really wish I had this ability. But, my team was far too influenced by the finely-demarked rules of DND 3.5. Now, there's a chronic concern about "balance" and "fairness," especially when a player gets jacked by something. If they actually get HIT despite their layers of DV and PDs, they get their feathers all ruffled.

Mneh. I find that Screen Time is more important than crunch. As long as everyone gets a fair share of the time on camera, and the chance to do genuinely awesome things, and can always make a difference regardless of their mechanics then everyone seems happy to me.


There might be adjustment, but hey. There's adjustment from going from playing a two-bit fighter in a hole to an immortal god king. Trust your players more.


Edit: Just don't kill them unless you've talked it over beforehand.

 

[Guest]

I've noticed that for the past several weeks, the majority of posts involve somehow deconstructing and/or overhauling core elements of the mechanics. Doesn't anyone have anything else to talk about?

Sorry dude. I'm currently of the mindset that if I can't figure out how to streamline the exalted system, I'm going to can it. That overrides my various other petty musings. And every mechanical question I have comes back to the root problem of the system being sh!t.

Pretty much my issue. I loved 1st edition. Ran it quite a bit. Had mechanics similar to Trinity which I also loved.


Then 2nd edition came, and somehow made the system MORE complex for combat. Considering they had announced it after nWoD, I was hoping to see some of the 'story first, mechanics second' ideas of nWoD.


Then they decided they apparently wanted to compete with D&D for the Fantasy crowd, both in settings and mechanics complexity. Imagine my surprise when 4e came out, with simpler rules than v3.5, and seemed to model Exalted better than Exalted.


But yeah, I had considered getting the Scroll of Heroes (have not got anything but the Core/Solar book, ST screen, and ST Companion), but as I'm back to work, and half my gamers have had to move due to shitty economy, I'm not really worried about nor expecting to game any-time soon outside of Wii and the XBox 360 we're getting for Christmas.

 

[Gylthinel]

There might be adjustment, but hey. There's adjustment from going from playing a two-bit fighter in a hole to an immortal god king. Trust your players more.


Edit: Just don't kill them unless you've talked it over beforehand.

The issue is more like the players not trusting the GM.


Our style is a bit more of an "earn it" system (which is how we refer to it). Meaning, if you want your character to be awesome, they have to "earn it" rather than simply being handed awesomeness at the whim of the GM. There's little in the way of PC bailouts, for example, though they typically don't need bailing out in Exalted. Non-subjective material must be utilized in this sort of model. That's where the rules comes in. This does chain us to more crunchyness than I think is appropriate for Exalted, but thus is the nature of the beast.


For example: my PC's limit broke and he rushed into a fight w/ a foe that grossly outclassed him (a swarm of ghosts lead by some kind of powerful thing, don't recall what). He got taken down, but not finished off, despite the fact that finishing him would have been quick/easy. I felt rather cheated out of my quasi-glorious death, and every moment after that I felt like my character's story was carried along by nothing better than a GM handout. Heh.

 

[cyl]

I think that 2e did a good job in the combat mechanics, not all aspects are perfect (hardness, and ridiculously high damage rating), but its apparent complexity lies more with its presentation, than with its content.


DV was a great addition, as well as internal / external penalties, and the tick system.


But some others aspects of the game (mass combat, charms, motivation & virtues) were rather poorly developped and did not helped me in making great stories so far.

 

[Thanqol]

Your group plays vastly different to mine, sir. Unfortunately, in my eyes my group is perfect so my comments on the topic will proclaim you to be having the BadWrongFun.

 

[Ker'ion]

I think that 2e did a good job in the combat mechanics, not all aspects are perfect (hardness, and ridiculously high damage rating), but its apparent complexity lies more with its presentation, than with its content.
DV was a great addition,

Gah.
We hates it.

as well as internal / external penalties, and the tick system.

Liked these parts, an improvement overall.

But some others aspects of the game (mass combat, charms, motivation & virtues) were rather poorly developed and did not helped me in making great stories so far.

Mass Combat needs a serious revamp, which is being worked on by Wordman, myself and others.
Motivation-wise, I like the idea of turning one Motivation into one for each dominant Virtue and one for Willpower, making them pretty much all have the same benefits as the normal Motivation (this requires a more detailed description and will probably land in the "Priorities" thread).


Overall, I have a few other problems with the system (EM) that I'll need to think about (EM) and figure out how to deal with (EM).

Your group plays vastly different to mine, sir. Unfortunately, in my eyes my group is perfect so my comments on the topic will proclaim you to be having the BadWrongFun.

Sounds kinky. :shock:

 

[Thanqol]

Sounds kinky. :shock:

Oh it is.

 

[Gylthinel]

Your group plays vastly different to mine, sir. Unfortunately, in my eyes my group is perfect so my comments on the topic will proclaim you to be having the BadWrongFun.

Thus is the wonderfulness of this forum, where diversity is paramount and differing opinions voiced on all sides. And new, excellent words created (BadWrongFun.... hahah).


Of course, you and I don't seem to agree on anything at all. Our fundamentally different approaches are likely the key to this.

 

[Thanqol]

Thus is the wonderfulness of this forum, where diversity is paramount and differing opinions voiced on all sides. And new, excellent words created (BadWrongFun.... hahah).
Of course, you and I don't seem to agree on anything at all. Our fundamentally different approaches are likely the key to this.

This is true. But I have crazy amounts of fun with my approach to the system, and Exalted is my favorite setting and system (well, the stripped-down version I use) ever. Your posts indicate tremendous dissatisfaction with the system. Ergo, I'm having more fun than you. Ergo, you're playing the game Wrong.


(Haha, just kidding I've just got a fantastic group of players and a legendary ST)

 

[Gylthinel]

This is true. But I have crazy amounts of fun with my approach to the system, and Exalted is my favorite setting and system (well, the stripped-down version I use) ever. Your posts indicate tremendous dissatisfaction with the system. Ergo, I'm having more fun than you. Ergo, you're playing the game Wrong.


(Haha, just kidding I've just got a fantastic group of players and a legendary ST)

You're absolutely correct, I am completely dissatisfied w/ the system and I guarantee that you DO have more fun. I wish I could grasp exactly how you do what you do, because I theorize that it sounds like what I'm trying to accomplish it. The diff being that you accomplish it by the seat of your pants, whereas I would have to accomplish it through the forceful revision of the way the game is played.

 

[Thanqol]

You're absolutely correct, I am completely dissatisfied w/ the system and I guarantee that you DO have more fun. I wish I could grasp exactly how you do what you do, because I theorize that it sounds like what I'm trying to accomplish it. The diff being that you accomplish it by the seat of your pants, whereas I would have to accomplish it through the forceful revision of the way the game is played.

Six years of freeform play-by-posts combined with a dash of crazy. Makes me good at improvisation, and terrible at rules.