Exalted RPG

Overall score:

Review by Nathan Jennings

Let’s face it – in fantasy role-playing, it’s hard to break away from the traditional genre standards set in the novels of Tolkien decades ago and propagated by Dungeons & Dragons since the 70s. You know the drill – wizards, fighters, dragons, and the standard array of demi-humans. Even when a fantasy RPG consciously moves away from the standard format, the tone too often remains the same. With a quick glance at White Wolf’s latest RPG, 2001’s Exalted, it becomes readily apparent that this game’s creators have made a conscious attempt to stray further from the fantasy conventions than has hitherto been done. Whether they have succeeded in their attempt, however, is a question that requires a harder look at what this game has to offer.

Exalted is part of White Wolf’s Storyteller series of RPGs. Most gamers are familiar with the somewhat abstract, mood-piece mentality of this series, from the angsty Vampire: the Masquerade to the desperate ecoterrorism of Werewolf: the Apocalypse and the cybernetic ESParanoia of Trinity. The writers of Exalted wield the same ability to convey a unique tone and approach through the material as has been used in previous Storyteller efforts; however, the tone conveyed in this game is quite different than the "for mature players only" emotionalism of White Wolf’s World of Darkness games (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, etc.). Writer Geoff Grabowski and his cohorts submerge the gamer in a unique world of over-the-top fantasy, where superhuman mercenaries glowing with blinding auras leap fearlessly from the ramparts of ancient fortresses, unleashing their godlike power on the jade-armored troops below, rending bone and flesh with their eight-foot-long orichalcum blades. "Glowing heroes?" You respond. "Impossible gravity-defying combat moves? Eight foot swords? That sounds like anime to me!"

And you would be right. Exalted creates a world of exaggerated fantasy in the vein of Japanese animated series like Rurouni Kenshin, Record of Lodoss War, and The Slayers. The game’s player characters begin play as immortal magic-wielding heroes, making the game a likely candidate for the superhero genre in spite of its fantasy setting. The rules encourage dramatic descriptions of action, giving bonuses to success rolls for exciting and interesting actions. This strong anime influence may appear to place Exalted strictly in the bounds of anime-style RPGs like Big Eyes, Small Mouth, but the game’s impressive and original fantasy setting save it from such a fate.

In Exalted, players become the Solar Exalted, the chosen heroes of the Unconquered Sun (the heavenly body, also this world’s supreme deity). The Sun originally created the Exalted to combat the Old Gods, corrupt tyrants who cared nothing for their human subjects. The Moon, the Five Maidens (the planets), and the Five Elemental Dragons aided in the battle by choosing heroes of their own (Lunar, Sidereal, and Terrestrial Exalted, respectively). The Exalted humans defeated the Old Gods handily and established a utopian society, driving the forces of chaos, manifested in the form of vampiric faeries, to the edges of Creation. These children of the Unconquered Sun ruled for centuries but were gradually corrupted by the curse that had been placed on them by the Old Gods; they became as tyrannical as the evil deities they had overthrown. The Terrestrial Exalted (called Dragon-Blooded), the least powerful of the Exalted humans, planned a coup, vowing to kill all the Solar Exalted and continue to eradicate them wherever the Sun chose new heroes. The Lunar and Sidereal Exalted went into hiding, and a new, lesser age of stability and order was established under the pervasive influence of the Scarlet Empress, the powerful Dragon-Blooded monarch. After the passing of several centuries, however, this new regime has become thoroughly corrupted as well. The game is set during this pivotal period: the Scarlet Empress has disappeared, weakening the power of the Dragon-Blood government, the Solar Exalted have begun to appear in record numbers throughout Creation, thirsty to reclaim their thrones, and a new undead menace, the Deathlords and their Abyssal Exalted, suddenly threatens civilization.

The setting is almost unbearably rich, including many important aspects not hinted at in this cursory overview. This richness allows the Exalted game-master to choose from a plethora of antagonists: the elementally attuned Dragon-Bloods, the cerebral, visionary Sidereal Exalted, the bestial shape-changing Lunar Exalted, or the necromantic Abyssal Exalted. The setting also lacks absolutism, allowing these other Exalted to be played as protagonists as well. In fact, White Wolf plans additional releases with more detailed rules for playing the game from the perspective of the other Exalted.

Unfortunately, this expansiveness is also responsible for the game’s primary weakness. Plenty of background is provided to allow all participants to view Creation in vivid colors, and the character generation rules allow players to create unique and powerful Solar heroes, but the rules for creating antagonists are largely absent. A few examples of the other Exalted and their powers are given, but game-masters are largely left to their own devices in creating the particular powers of these demigods and other antagonists (e.g. mercurial faeries, effervescent spirits, and monstrous behemoths). This requires a little extra effort in putting together an Exalted adventure, at least until the other books in the series are released (Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded is already in stores, with another installment expected before the end of the year). In many games, such an obstacle to creating stories would drive me away altogether. However, I would argue that the setting and mood established by Exalted are sufficiently enthralling to offset this considerable setback. The rules of play are serviceable and flexible, allowing for smooth dramatic flow with a focus on the story rather than the dice. The rules will be immediately familiar to anyone who has encountered a Storyteller game, although the system adapts to fantasy better in some places than others; the nebulous handling of money makes another White Wolf game to avoid if you are dealing with immature or power-hungry gamers. For a group of experienced RPGers who know how to submerse themselves in a unique setting, however, Exalted is a vehicle capable of taking players through realms of finely nuanced epic adventure. It may not be Tolkien, but Exalted provides a waiting stage for adventure as dramatic and groundbreaking as the first fantasy novels.

Written by Nathan Jennings on June 04th, 2002