[Campaign Trailer] Exalted: Dawn of Sorrows

An old woman’s voice, contemplative and wise, “It was an age of tyranny.”

A blast of a horn shatters the silence, followed by a dirge, slow, sad and contemplative…

Fade in to a scene of thousands of slaves, men and women alike, bodies scarred by whips as they heaved and strained, tugging at ropes to haul an enormous stone block into place, part of a massive, overwrought temple complex. The camera pulls back, sweeping over the bodies of those too exhausted to continue, left to die in the ditches in the heat of the desert sun. Stern-faced guards watched with amused delight as they struck those who had slowed down, heedless of the suffering they caused.

“It was an age of decadence.”

The music shifts slightly, sadness giving way to sensuality.

Cut to a scene inside an Immaculate temple. Pristine pillars of white marble and gold reaching upwards to a ceiling of a dizzying array of stained glass panels, reflecting light and color to the halls. Men and women, their bodies and faces perfect, clad in exquisite garments and revealing clothes stroll blissfully through incense filled halls, as others feast on a seemingly endless series of culinary delights laid out on an expertly decorated table. In the background several couples are seen copulating, seemingly with sheer disregard to any who may see them.

“It was an age of war.”

The music shifts once more, taking on the beats of a war drum, building with it’s chorus as the scene cuts to a battlefield.

Thousands upon thousands of troops, dressed in imperial armor, weilding a plethora of Jade weaponry stand in perfect formation, a forest of Legion Banners raised high and flapping in the wind. Against the armies of the legion stand a horde of barbarians, their bodies dirty and covered with barely treated hides and furs, their weapons crude and vicious as several enormous warbeasts strain against their restraints, wooden supports creaking under their strength. The dark clouds in a red sky highlight the battle about to take place below. A man in blazing red imperial armor raises his hand, and let’s loose a warcry, his body suddenly bathed in flame as the imperial legions march against their enemies.

Fade to black.

“But every Age comes to an end.”

The music kicks into high gear as the screen starts showing rapid cuts of the various Solar Exalted Caste Marks between shots of the various player characters.

RAZZIQ SIDON ORKHAN, pulling back his hood, exposing an ornately crafted silver mask that covered his features, even as he strode through the gates of the Sidion Orkhan Palace.  Courtiers, guardsmen and nobility recoil in shock at the sight of him, someone drops their glass of wine, shattering the silence.  “I’ve come to take what’s rightfully mine.”

KHYRAN LEDAAL-DORAN, giving a graceful bow, his silver hair framing his face as he straightened and drew his blade, “For the new dawn of House Ledaal-Doran, I will do anything… and everything it takes.”

MIRISHI ZEDEL, the martial artist known as “The Burning Shadow”, throwing two volleys of throwing needles in the apex of a backflip, landing squarely on top of a stack of delivery crates.  “Only three of you?  You might want to call your friends.”

CYRILLE MORNING STAR bowed at the waist to a massive, heavily muscled figure with a bull’s head, “Welcome to my humble abode, Lord Ahlat, Southern God of Cattle and War… May I offer you refreshments and entertainment before we proceed with tonight’s agenda?”

LU BU landed on his hand on the railing of the balcony, one suspended sixty feet into the air.  He held the handstand, grinning madly as the entire gathering of humanity stopped, watching this insane dancer acrobat… “Ladies and Gentlemen…” he declared in a voice that carried throughout the city, “Are you ready for the greatest show on Creation?!”

—

The screen fades out once more, fading in to a study spilling over with books, and astrological instruments.  Outside various spirits and gods fluttered past, even as the camera pans over to a desk, where beautiful, if aged woman with a shaven head, dark skin and green eyes addresses the viewer.

“Nothing could have prepared us for this.  I am The Savant of Seven Whispers, chronicler of the New Age, and these are the tales of the Solar Exalted.”

Crazy Campaigns? Maybe Not.

Mawf, one of the senior Exalted GMs of our gaming group (aside from Sheimaruen,) asked me over instant messenger chat yesterday, “What would be your craziest campaign?  You know, if player input didn’t matter and you had everything to yourself to get what you really want, what would it be?”

I realized I had no real answer.

Maybe it’s the way my mind is hard-wired, or the media I watch, or the stories I enjoy… but the concept of a “crazy” campaign just doesn’t seem to sit well with me.  There isn’t any sort of strange, comedic, lighthearted game that comes easily to my mind right now… not that they’re bad, but they merely fail to hold my interest.

—-

Admittedly though, I think it’s time that I take a GM break after Exalted.  My burnout is pretty severe, having run a lot of campaigns with only short breaks between.  I’ll need time to rest, play, and generally recharge my batteries.  Maybe when I start running again I’ll try looking at other genres to run, things other than the standard fantasy, exalted, and generally anime-esque feel.

I’m trying to draw up a list of games / genres that are starting to gain a foothold in my imagination but have not had time to pitch to my group:

• Western (Deadlands: Reloaded! was fun, should really see if I can play / run that again)
• Space Opera
• Espionage (Ran Spycraft 1st Edition once, the rules were complicated but the resulting games were interesting. definitely worth looking over again)
• Wuxia (Experimental, nobody’s really done this, so it might as well be me.)

I’ve always been a guy that bores easily, to be honest.  RPGs have managed to by my longest running interest, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  However, it does get a little tiring to be playing what feels like the same thing over and over.

[Spellbound Kingdoms] Campaign Concept

Been thinking of Spellbound Kingdoms lately when I’m not brainstorming on Exalted, and at the moment I’ve got a few ideas percolating in my head.  Nothing entirely concrete just yet, here’s what I’ve got.

Chronicles of the Penitent
Genre: Gothic Fantasy
3-5 Players, Only 1 Spellbound Character allowed

The Chronicles of the Penitent follow the deeds of the Confessor, the mysterious black-clad roaming agent of the Holy Church, and his band of Penitents, men and women snatched from the gallows and offered a second chance at life.  Together this grim band of churchmen roam the kingdoms, seeking out evil where it lurks and striking it down in the name of the Holy Church.

Character Composition
1 player takes the role of the Confessor, while the rest compose the Penitent.  They serve as a roaming investigative band, and should have a broad range of skills (both legal and illegal, and even borderline heretical in the case of magic.)

Structure:
Episodic.  Ideally, each “arc” should take 1-3 sessions wherein the Penitent travel to a new area, discover evil in their midst, and then do something about it.  Preferably with blade and fire.  Alternately, this can be extended further to a full campaign in a region, with the Penitent fighting an entire Aristocracy or such.

Inspirations: Solomon Kane, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstein, Ravenloft, Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Eisenhorn Trilogy

Pacing your Game

A few posts back Purityingaming requested on an article on Pacing in a roleplaying game.  I begged off on tackling this sort of topic while I was sick, seeing as it was certainly not an easy thing to discuss.

But I’m no longer sick (yay!) and hopefully I’ll be able to give this topic the kind of attention and depth it deserves.

[Exalted 2nd Ed] Dawn of Sorrows Campaign Almost Ready

At this point, I’m still recovering from being sick with some sort of flu.  Excuse me if the post seems odd. :p

Looks like my Exalted campaign is about to take off, with the various players finalizing their characters.  Given the slightly different premise of the campaign, it looks like the players are also doing their best to come up with rather unique and untried concepts.  So far, we’ve got:

• A dishonored Dynast with dreams of re-establishing his family and create a new order for his sister.
• An exiled half-demon who receives a missive that he’s being recalled to inherit his family’s fortune.
• A Scholar whose destiny is irreversibly altered by the whims of the gods, forcing her to forge her own destiny.
• A child martial artist prodigy who sets off to prove that Martial Arts can improve everything.
• A Man-Dancer.

Yes, you read that last one right.

Admittedly, it’s a strange group of characters, but ultimately, I suspect that things will pan out as soon as the game begins.  As I’ve mentioned before, the game centers on Power and what people will do once they become movers and shakers of the world.  While some may seem whimsical (man-dancer for one,) there’s a potential for coming up with something more.

That said, my attention now goes to fixing the setting, arranging the various elements for the characters to interact with in Chiaroscuro.  These include the usual NPCs, and organizations that may run into and have an interest in the characters for their own ends.

I’m considering coming up with 4-8 different NPCs per character, along with 2-3 organizations.  Chiaroscuro is a big city, and one that I expect to be quite populated.  I don’t want the characters to grow out of their setting too soon, as it happens enough in other Exalted campaigns.  I don’t have much else aside from notes just yet, but as soon as I get them in order, I’ll put them up.

What Makes Me Buy?

Buying an RPG, as anyone can imagine, is an involved process.  With the economy being what it is, and with the added difficulties of being a Consumer that lives and plays halfway around the world from the rest of the industry’s movers and shakers puts me in a rather odd situation.

State of the Nation:

• Corruption in the Postal Service – The Philippine Postal Service is notorious for requiring bribes in order to move valuable items.  Just recently there was a controversial Book Tax that was passed by some lawmaker to exploit the brisk sales of the Twilight Novels.  Naturally, those who still read in this country were aghast.  It’s fallen off the radar, but it is uncertain if this Tax is really gone, or if it’s just gone in to hiding.
• There is no Friendly in the Local Gaming Store – There are a grand total of 3 stores I know of that actually sell RPG books as part of their normal business.  One is a Comic Book Store whose shelf space for RPGs has dwindled from 2 shelves to “somewhere in the back of the warehouse.”  The other is a Hobby Store dedicated to Magic: the Gathering and the Warhammer Tabletop Miniatures Game, and the occasional D&D Manuals.  No dice, mind you.  Just the books.  Need dice?  Tough luck.  The last is one other store dedicated to Warmachine.  Among all these stores there are around only 2 employees that actually know what an RPG is, let alone how one is played.

Now that we’ve got a small idea of what the situation is, it quickly becomes clear that there is one last sliver of hope for a Philippine Gamer:  The Internet.

I’ve had some luck buying stuff online, more out of necessity rather than out of convenience.  I have nothing but praise and high regard to the wonderful people of Noble Knight Games, who send all their books with enough protection to survive the harsh treatment of poorly paid postal workers.

Criteria:

Given the difficulties and headaches involved, and the lack of access to any books that I can thumb through, it becomes important to be more discerning about my purchases.  I don’t have a 100% batting average, I’ll admit, but I’ve been happy with the majority of my purchases.

That said, these are what I look for:

• A Website – I know it’s a no-brainer right now, but having a website helps.  Having a website with good Information Architecture helps a lot.  This is usually my first stop.
• A Quickstart – Quickstarts can make my purchase a near certainty.  I appreciate it when a company has enough confidence in their product to show off even a little bit of their work, and relay what the game is about.
• Designer Diaries - As a GM, I like knowing the why behind the rules.  When I read Designer Diaries, I get to form a clear idea of the design intent, and their objectives, and see if it is something that I feel is compatible to myself and my playing group.
• PDF options – Seeing as I don’t want to give all my hard earned cash to the local post office leeches, I also look out for PDF options for their products.  Given that netbooks are coming into fashion here, I think this seems to be the most cost-effective solution for most games.
• Reviews - I like having an idea of what I’m getting into.  A series of 2-3 reviews that go into detail about the setting, the mechanics and the play style of a game go a long way to influence a purchase from me.

What sells  a game to me?

That’s a loaded question, and one that I’m not sure I can answer correctly.  I usually prefer games with an evocative setting that has a clear and interesting answer to “What do the Players do?”  I don’t really mind high or low levels of crunch, for as long as it doesn’t feel gimmicky.  It’s rife with contradictions, but that’s how personal taste works… for example:

• Cthulhutech had a great setting, but the mechanics felt “Gimmicky.”
• HERO was a boatload of rules and no setting but that was fine.
• Savage Worlds was lighter on rules than I’m used to, but it’s okay.
• nWoD mechanics were streamlined so much that I knew no matter what they came up with, as long as the premise intrigues me, it’s a safe purchase.
• Exalted is arguably less rules-intensive than HERO but I can’t wrap my head around it
• I’ll never end up running Engel due to the D20 rules they used, but man, the setting blew me away
• L5R needs an editor and streamlined mechanics.  I love the game but it was bendy in all sorts of ways that could make a Chinese Circus Acrobat blush.
• Spellbound Kingdoms had some very interesting non-traditional rules, and I’m very taken by the game.

It’s admittedly a mess, but if a game appeals to a genre that I enjoy (Urban Fantasy, Pulp, Fantasy, and Space Opera,) then chances are I’ll give it a fair shake.

Giving Myself a Breather… oh, and Any Suggestions?

After playing and running nWod for the past couple of months, I’m finding myself more and more worn out.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the game, the setting, and the characters that my players have come up with.   nMage is still my favored game of all time, and I doubt anything’s going to change that.

I just need a teensy little break.

That said I won’t be running a game for the next few weeks, instead I’ll be focused on relaxing and immersing myself with all sorts of media to get ready to run Exalted 2nd Edition.  I’ve already started, having watched several anime and re-reading a lot of Robert E. Howard Conan stuff… and staying away from most Traditional Western Fantasy as I wanted to preserve a unique and exotic sense of culture in Exalted’s Creation.

Furthermore, after the Exalted Campaign, I’ll be going on an extended GM break.  I’m already looking forward to Season 2 of our Hunter: the Vigil campaign, and I’m already trying to budget my funds to get ready to buy some of the excellent new releases from GenCon this year.  (Fantasy Craft, Geist and HERO 6th, I’m looking at you.)

What does this mean for the Blog though?  Not much actually.  I like rambling on and on, though I have to admit that it’s getting a tad more difficult to think of what to write next.

That said, I’m making another open call for things you want to see me write about.  GM advice, running villains, managing play, etc.  Just lay it on me and I’ll see what I can do.

[Exalted, 2nd Ed.] What Constitutes a Motivation?

The first and foremost concern of any and all Exalted players have during character creation should be their character’s Motivation.  While this might sound easy enough, it’s actually pretty tricky to come up with one that resonates with a character personally… without ending up with something far too generic.

What’s My Motivation?

According to the Exalted corebook: “Motivation is a short description of your character’s primary goal.  It’s what drives your character to go out and be a hero, and it is part of the reason the Unconquered Sun chose her for Exaltation.”

Of course this is with regards to Solars.  The other Exalts have other patrons that grant them an Exaltation under their own criteria.  As mentioned, a Motivation pushes characters from being a passive inhabitant of Creation, into a Pro-active force of change (and hopefully, good.)

Beyond the Mundane

“Become Wealthy”, “Marry someone nice and have a happy family.”  or “Live a quiet life on a tropical Island.”  These are normal Motivations that are insufficient for Exalts.  This is primarily because they’re not the stuff that would make good stories.  A good way look at building a Motivation is to ask yourself, “Is this something that a Hero should be doing?”

Supersize Me

Motivations for the Exalted need to be Epic.  These surpass normal concerns and scale… and require many sessions of play to accomplish.  Saving a village is one thing, saving a Nation is another.  Motivations necessitate a considerable investment of time, effort and emotion.

Hopes and Dreams

Idealism is key.  Exalts redefine the world according to their hopes and dreams, pushing further and further into the realm of making their wishes come true with their bare hands.  To quote a line from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann’s Kamina, “Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb!”

Make it Personal

One very important thing about Motivations is that it has to mean something personally to the character.  Things like “Flip the Imperial Isle upside down” or “Punch a Behemoth so far that it breaks the dome of stars and out into the great beyond.” fulfill the requirement of it being something that no mortal person could hope to accomplish, but are poor motivations since they don’t mean anything to the character.

By sticking to personally significant goals, there’s a greater emotional impact and gravitas to the character.

Evolution

People’s hearts change.  So do their Motivations.  Mechanically if a Motivation is met, then the character gets to pick a new motivation.  However, it is always a good thing to consider evolving a prior motivation to a next logical (if more improbable step.)

—-

People naturally find ways to restrict their dreams and ambitions.  “I’ll never earn enough money to go to GenCon.”  “I’d never be able to climb Mt. Everest, that’s just crazy!”  “She’d never give me the time of day, I’m a loser!”  These are all the things that Exalted aspires to trump.  Certainly these are mundane examples, but to a denizen of Creation, an Exaltation allows them to override these little mental “brakes” that we all have.

Putting It All Together

Wayward Falling Star, a Tribal Chieftain from the West is taken captive by slavers who come to his island home to kill and capture his tribe.  However, thanks to the grace of the Unconquered Sun, is Exalted, and breaks free.  He finds himself leagues away from his home, trapped in a land he has never seen, and surrounded with the remaining survivors of a dozen disparate tribes and barbarian cultures, all of which were taken like him to become slaves.

Enraged by the nature of the Slave trade, and the loss of his people, the Tribal Chieftain rallies the survivors, using his charisma and strength and the bonds of suffering they’ve suffered to unite them as one people to eke out a new life in this unknown land.

Wayward Falling Star’s Primary Motivation is:

“To Establish a Nation State of Free Men, who will serve as a Sanctuary for those Enslaved.”

This is not an easy task, as they must content with the elements, establish trade, and forge a new cultural identity in a land that isn’t theirs.  Once his fledgling band of ex-slaves manage to settle and find a place to call their own, and construct some semblance of society and defend it from those who would destroy them, his Motivation then moves on to:

“Destroy Slavery as an Economic Artifice and replace it with something Better without Demeaning Human Life.”

Wayward turns his attention then to dismantling the practice of Slavery, based on his first-hand knowledge of being taken as a Slave against his will, and the deaths and suffering of his people.  This is yet another massive goal, as Slavery is an important economic mechanism that provides income and goods and services to many nations.

Wishful Thinking: If I had been in GenCon

Being in the Philippines has its merits.  Beaches that I never go to, warm weather that I hide from, and Typhoons that reduce the country to the dark ages every year.  But even all that excitement isn’t enough… because halfway around the world, they have Gencon.

Conventions are things of wonder for me, especially given that that roleplaying and tabletop hobby scene in this country still hasn’t managed to get something of that size.  Sure there are groups dedicated to RPGs and Tabletop games, and they’ve got monthly gaming meets for players to touch bases… but community is one thing, while the Industry is another.

That said, it is simply not feasible for most of the hobby companies to establish a presence here, in a third world country.  That’s why PDFs are the way to go here.  No need to pay double the cost of the book worth of shipping and taxes and bribes to the post office workers just to get your merchandise.

That said, Gencon seemed to have a whole lot of things that piqued my interest.  Among those that I’ve heard of, I am definitely interested in seeing:

• Eclipse Phase
• HERO System, 6th Edition
• Fantasy Craft
• Pathfinder
• Geist: the Sin-Eaters
• Dice! (Polyhedral sets are as rare as gold here.  Which makes pushing the hobby that much more difficult)
• Miniatures! (Anything that isn’t Games-Workshop and Warmachine is non-existent and paint prices are atrocious)

Still, given that the con’s now over, I just have to wait and figure out the rest of this years expenses… HERO 6th’s PDFs are calling to me with a siren song that just might break me.

[Exalted, 2nd Ed] Social Mechanics and Meaningful Interaction

A Game of Sincerity by GENZOMAN

A discussion last night with Rvelasco, one of my players for the upcoming Exalted: Dawn of Sorrows campaign, aired his fears for Exalted 2e’s Social Combat mechanics.  To put things simply, the social combat mechanics allow for anyone who is subject to a “social attack” (which could be anything from a persuasion attempt to intimidation and even seduction,) to spend a Willpower Point and negate all effects of the attack.