The nature of the Game of Divinity

Arthur

Arthur

One Thousand Club
I've been unconnected with Exalted stuff for a while, so I might have missed it. Is there a canonic clarification on what the GoD really are?
 
We know 1) Its a game or games. 2) There are pieces. 3) There are turns. 4) There are moves. 5) Playing a move if you are less than a Celestial God pretty much destroys your poor little mind. 6) Even if you are a being of that power, its extremely addictive. 7) There is a leaderboard above the Jade Pleasure Dome which shows the symbol of the current leader...usually the Unconquered Sun but sometimes Luna or one of the Maidens. 8) Luna is less addicted than the other Incarna, but still a crack head. 9) Gaia is not addicted, or even really paying serious attention to the game, her Jotun is just there to keep people from worrying while she's off gallivanting in the Wyld. Or when she's back, taking horrible advantage of Luna. Not that Luna minds. At all.
 
Right. Nothing about its origin? I remember someone speculating that it was a Primordial.
 
I usually operate under the premise that the Games were another casualty of the Great Curse, and that's why no good ever comes of them. I've even used the idea that there were no Games of Divinity until the Primordial War. The doings of the Titans within the Jade Pleasure Dome were absolutely secret, and it was lesser gods who coined the term Games of Divinity to refer to "whatever they do in there". Then, during the War, the Games were created as a weapon of revenge against the usurpers and left in the Dome to be taken by the Unconquered Sun when His army invaded Yu Shan. Now they are integral to the strategy of the Reclamation, as they keep the most powerful guardians of creation captive of their own accord.


None of that is canon, of course. They keep it all intentionally vague, and I think Kajiri hit on everything published.
 
To add to Kajiri's list, I believe it was canon that the none of the Primordials could be addicted by the games, at least in the same manner that gods and lesser beings are.
 
Yakumo said:
To add to Kajiri's list, I believe it was canon that the none of the Primordials could be addicted by the games, at least in the same manner that gods and lesser beings are.
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Maybe not but from what I understand Adrián aka Adorjan was deeply obsessed with them. She was probably even more deep into the games then the gods are now and she freaked out when she lost them (and she lost them all the time because only the King ever won the games while the Primordials where in charge).


Also the way they make it sound it seems as if only a limited number of players can be involved in the game at time because they talk about the Primordials having to take turns. I'm assuming though at least 7 people can play at a time because Luna, The Sun and all the Maidens seem to be able to play at once.
 
If the mention of Gaia playing is accurate, that makes it a solid eight player game, which seems more aesthetically pleasing for the idea of a game (3-8 players, power level God and up!). If the game was not inherently addictive to Primordials like it is to the Gods, then something about the difference between the two should be what helps define the addictive qualities. It would also explain why Gaia doesn't care about it much (it doesn't pull at her like it does the Celestials).


Also, some assumptions could be made if wished (non are canon of course). The game cannot be won in a perfect manner, or UCS would have done it already. The way to win or be winning can't be secret, or Jupiter would always be winning, and the game can likely never end, or Saturn would have finished it off by now. The Games of Divinity have to be taking up the full attention of the Gods for it to be so distracting, so something about it must be incredibly complex. Yet, Luna and the Maidens still do their jobs and leave the Dome more than UCS does, suggesting something about the Games makes him get more sucked in than the others. Maybe by being so often in the lead, the others gang up on him, so he is more likely playing 5 or 6 vs. 1 in style than the others are.


I imagine a huge amount of convolutedness to it. Like playing Twilight Imperium, each Space Battle is its own mini-game of Star Trek or boarding action involving Space Hulk, each planet battle is a game or Risk/Diplomacy/Axis & Allies, each country invasion is some Real Time Strategy video game like Warcraft, and each fight between two figures is a fighter video game like Street Fighter, with best out of 25 or the like to decide on each fight. Hell maybe that's why the Primordials needed souls outside of themselves, just to cover the sheer multitasking of it all.
 
I always loved the (non-canonical) idea that the Games are one of Gaia (or Authochthon's) "third circle" souls.
 
Cryoseraph said:
If the mention of Gaia playing is accurate, that makes it a solid eight player game, which seems more aesthetically pleasing for the idea of a game (3-8 players, power level God and up!). If the game was not inherently addictive to Primordials like it is to the Gods, then something about the difference between the two should be what helps define the addictive qualities. It would also explain why Gaia doesn't care about it much (it doesn't pull at her like it does the Celestials).
Also, some assumptions could be made if wished (non are canon of course). The game cannot be won in a perfect manner, or UCS would have done it already. The way to win or be winning can't be secret, or Jupiter would always be winning, and the game can likely never end, or Saturn would have finished it off by now. The Games of Divinity have to be taking up the full attention of the Gods for it to be so distracting, so something about it must be incredibly complex. Yet, Luna and the Maidens still do their jobs and leave the Dome more than UCS does, suggesting something about the Games makes him get more sucked in than the others. Maybe by being so often in the lead, the others gang up on him, so he is more likely playing 5 or 6 vs. 1 in style than the others are.


I imagine a huge amount of convolutedness to it. Like playing Twilight Imperium, each Space Battle is its own mini-game of Star Trek or boarding action involving Space Hulk, each planet battle is a game or Risk/Diplomacy/Axis & Allies, each country invasion is some Real Time Strategy video game like Warcraft, and each fight between two figures is a fighter video game like Street Fighter, with best out of 25 or the like to decide on each fight. Hell maybe that's why the Primordials needed souls outside of themselves, just to cover the sheer multitasking of it all.
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I've always conceptualized it as 8 player Go.
 
LaFreeze- I tried to word it right, but my point was that the games themselves didn't cause the obsession. But even before being changed by the defeat, I believe Adrian herself was naturally obsessive.


Kyeudo- The US sourcebook/pdf does say something along the lines that one reason the US is so addicted is because he isn't guaranteed a win. Also, in order to play, he must accept the game as it is, and so his nature cannot overcome the addictiveness.


Also, I believe it's canon that the addictiveness for non-Primodorials was not intended.
 
The local Exalted crowd just calls it Parcheesi and leaves it at that. Honestly, it works really well, especially when you need to describe the world's backstory quickly.


Probably not completely accurate, but we like it.
 
Personally, I tend to imagine it as Monopoly. First thing that comes to mind when I try to think of a game that can last several millenia.


Mercury likes playing as the car.
 
Drunken strip twister. With, ah...'penalty rules' that allow you to get back in the game after you'd lose if the rest of those in prefer. The clothing is the pieces. Really.
 
Drunken strip twister. With' date=' ah...'penalty rules' that allow you to get back in the game after you'd lose if the rest of those in prefer. The clothing is the pieces. Really.[/quote']
Which explains why the US is playing 7-on-1 with his Divine Harem...At least he has 4 arms...
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I think all the canonical info has been explained.


In my game, it is a primordial. Which my lunar player ate, while high on the necrotic essence of a deathlord who he'd previously eaten. The player, who actually knows the setting quite well, actually got a momentarily completely unhinged surprised look on his face when I revealed exactly what he had eaten. It was AWESOME!
 
Personally' date=' I tend to imagine it as Monopoly. First thing that comes to mind when I try to think of a game that can last several millenia.[/quote']
Oh, if that's the benchmark, I'd have to go with any version of Civilization where you don't kill everyone else off before the end game- last few hundred years. That takes forever. You could easily miss out on the Contagion and the subsequent Fair Folk invasion (which, with or without GoD, I still found to be idiotic).
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Yakumo said:
Personally' date=' I tend to imagine it as Monopoly. First thing that comes to mind when I try to think of a game that can last several millenia.[/quote']
Oh, if that's the benchmark, I'd have to go with any version of Civilization where you don't kill everyone else off before the end game- last few hundred years. That takes forever. You could easily miss out on the Contagion and the subsequent Fair Folk invasion (which, with or without GoD, I still found to be idiotic).
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I kind of assume the GoD are much like "The Game" from the Star Trek Next Gen episode of the same name. Something insanely simply but mind rottingly pleasing.


The STNG Episode in Question in case you are curious.
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Now that makes me think of minesweeper. Not the pleasing part, but everything else you said in that last sentence fits.
 
I've always viewed the Games of Divinity as one of the following. WoW, Super Smash Bros Melee or Brawl, Magic the Gathering, Or any other such addictive game.
 
I was always partial to the idea that the Gods are up there literally playing Exalted, just because it suits my sense of absurdity.
 
DireSloth said:
I was always partial to the idea that the Gods are up there literally playing Exalted, just because it suits my sense of absurdity.
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I think it would be even MORE absurd if they were playing the Sims.
 
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