"I parry the bullets with my face!"

In case you hadn't heard, hell is freezing over.

In other news, you now need to hire security guards to give birth.

So, since I can't think of any other topics, I'm gonna talk a little Exalted today. For those of you that read this that don't know what Exalted is (and I'm not sure that's anybody [or if more than two people read this]), here's the basic summary: it's a pen-and-paper RPG in which you play a demi-god.

I've been playing this game pretty much every week for close to a year now, both as a player and as a Storyteller (note the self-important capitalization. That's right, when I do it, it's a proper noun!). After playing for a while, I've decided that I both love and hate the system. Let's go over some of the finer points.

What I like:

1. The over the top insanity of the setting in general. Anything can (and typically does) happen in a world where diosaurs piss heroin and gods walk amongst men.


2. Actually, I like the setting in general. I'm not a huge fan of White Wolf as a general rule, but the really outdid themselves with this product. The amount of sheer information available to those playing is astounding. It doesn't always make sense, but that's hardly surprising considering how many people work on it.


3. The power level. I like being able to stand at ground zero of a nuclear blast and not get so much as a scorch mark on my clothes. I like being able to punch the world in the face. It's just great!


4. The "cool" factor. Everything in Exalted is tailored towards being "cool". You get bonuses in-game for doing "cool" shit.

Now, some thing's I don't like:

1. The power level. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to...well, challenge the Exalted. What do you throw at a man that can slay armies in less than five seconds and create a priceless magical war machine in a day? Who can probably punch-out Superman? Who can make entire cities fall in love with him? Who can literally know everything? It isn't easy.


2. The rules are occasionally very weak, and are often just plain broken (infinite attack loop, anyone?). After reading said rules, I am often more confused when I finish than when I started. Rules shouldn't be vague.


3. The game (at least in a Solar campaign) definitely believes in min/max-ing, which I'm not a big fan of.

Anyway, that being said, I've been having a blast at Jeff & Seth's game. They've been doing a good job, and God knows we haven't made it easy for them. Running a game full of morally bankrupt ass-hat characters is challenging enough, but to handle it so well on your first try speaks volumes, and I applaud them.

I just realized that I'm rambling like crazy, so I think I'll finish this post up. I'll blog some more later if I can figure out something worthwhile to say.

Peace!