Parne: REVOLUTION [Learn to Play Exalted 3E]

Creating your character

As part of the Pre-Game Survey I will be sending out, I will ask you a series of questions designed to help design the person that your character will be in the game world. I will then create a Pre-Generated Heroic Mortal for you to play as on the day of the game, and send you the character sheet once I have finished it. This will allow us to jump right into the action and hit the ground running, because someone has already thrown the first punch when the game begins, and the revolution is on! (Heroic Mortals are normal people in this world, but people whose souls are strong enough to contain the power of Exaltation - your character, if they are bold enough to impress the Gods, may well earn their Exaltation DURING the Revolution!)

Preparing for the session

First, you will need to message me here with your best email (Ideally, the one linked to your Forge/Foundry Account) & your Discord Handle. (Telling me who you are and that you're interested in joining this game specifically helps too!) I will then send you the Pre-Game Survey. Completing the Pre-Game Survey is MANDATORY before your application to join the game will be approved, because the Pre-Game Survey is necessary for me to deploy certain Safety Tools (particularly Lines & Veils). I do try to make the Pre-Game Survey a fun experience, and we will also use it to start refining your Character Concept so I can make your Pre-Generated Hero, as outline above. Once I have your completed Pre-Game Survey, I will contact you, most likely via Discord, to arrange a brief voice call (about 15 minutes) to discuss the Survey and your Character Concept. I will get you an invite to join the Discord Server I use to coordinate between games at the conclusion of the call. It is at this point, after the Pre-Game Survey & The Pre-Game Interview, that I will approve your application to join the Game and send you the Foundry Invite. You should download the Zoom Client (you do not need a paid account - Mine covers us all) and Sign up on Forge if you haven't already. I use Forge to Manage the Foundry VTT I use to run my games. Many of my Players find Lot-Casting Atemi to be helpful for Character Management, and I will create a Campaign in it, but I must note that this is OPTIONAL, not required. You are also not required to purchase/use physical dice, but I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE that you do so. A lot of the feeling of EPIC POWER that comes from Exalted is when you are rolling the LITERAL FISTFULS OF DICE that form your Epic Dice Pools. So I encourage you to roll your own physical dice, and I trust you to report the results accurately. I will never deny my players the choice of using a Dice Roller App, though, or using the VTT to do it. I do not Require a Webcam, but I strongly encourage it. I really benefit from seeing my players' smiling faces, so please, please, please be "On Camera" with me. I get lonely just hearing your voices without seeing your faces. You will be invited to join my Discord Server, but this is not required to join the game. Other than that, come prepared to Lead a Revolution on the Day it all goes down, and we'll see you in game.

What Overlord Jim brings to the table

I have been a passionate Fan of Exalted since First Edition, and I have been playing it almost since it first came out. It is one of the most awesome fantasy worlds I have ever seen - and I've read a whole lot of fantasy books to know - and it is just one of the most fun games I have ever played. When asked "What's your favorite game?", I always, emphatically, and without hesitation declare "EXALTED!" I fell deeply in love with Creation in all its broken, flawed, Post-Apocalyptic Glory, and it is a love I am eager to share with you. I think once you get to know this world, you will never look at any other the same way again. As a GM, I am a big believer in the Rule of Cool, which I've been using since long before it got its name. While in my Learn to Plays, I tend to stick closer to Rules as Written, I have never met a Rule I won't bend to allow a Player's Cool Idea a chance to succeed. The Stunting System in Exalted is 100% Rule of Cool, so it's baked right into the system mechanics. Come up with a crazy idea, tell me how you're going to do it, and do it - Describe it well, and I'll give you bonus Dice/Successes/Willpower to help you do the crazy thing you're going to do and help it succeed. I am your character's biggest fan from the moment I meet them. I want your characters to be Big Damn Heroes, and everything I do behind this screen is to help you do that. My Villains will be terrible, so that your confronting them can be glorious. My worlds will be full of evils both grand and banal, so you always have something going wrong you can make right. I want you to become Heroes with a Capital "H", and I will cheer on your characters every step of the way. I have a confession to make: I love combat. I am a relentless action junkie who loves nothing more than throwing your precious characters to the wolves - figuratively and literally! My monsters howl for your blood and will gnaw on your bones if you don't fight smart and watch each other's backs, especially in this game, because until the Power of Exaltation floods through you, you are a very squishy mortal who might burst if hit too hard. Exalted is known for its Wuxia Inspired Cinematic Action scenes. Though this is a City-Based Game, I will give you the chance to do some exploring, as it is one of my very favorite things to see in a game, taking you somewhere no one has ever seen so you can have that *Moment of Discovery*. There is always Terra Incognita, even in a world as well explored as Creation - you just have to know where to find it. My favorite part of all, though, is the roleplaying. I live for that moment when I watch you become the character, speaking their words, affecting their mannerisms, and making choices that ring true for the Character above all. This game is going to be INTENSE is far as RP is concerned, and I'm here for it. I invite you to a deep immersion with your character, and can't wait to see you become them. I look forward to meeting you and your Hero!

Homebrew rules

I freely mix Lore from all three Editions. Be aware of that. My Creation Will Vary. (See: Greg Stafford, Glorantha, and YGWV) I will remind you that you can stunt every roll, in or out of combat, and you should be trying to stunt every roll. Once you are Exalted, I will let you know that Essence Regeneration in Combat starts the Round AFTER 2 or More Exalts have spent Essence in the fight. It is not immediate - you have to quicken the power of Creation by spending your Essence first before it flows back to you.

How Overlord Jim creates a safe table

I run all my games and my server as a safe space for everyone, and both are explicitly and aggressively inclusive. I don't care who you are, you are welcome at my table if you can follow the game's rules and play nice with others. Pronouns and identities are to be respected, BUT we also do not take offense when people make honest mistakes trying to honor them. (I guarantee I will flub your pronouns at least once, but will always try to self-correct when I do) I WILL NOT tolerate people deliberately and intentionally making my clients - who often become my friends - feel unsafe and uncomfortable. This is the expected baseline for everyone in my games and on my server. You WILL be asked to leave the game and the server for deliberate offenses against the other players. [99.9% of you didn't need that warning because you are a decent human being. I've never actually had to eject anyone, and hope never to have to, ever, but I have to be clear, I will do just that if you put me in that position. (Please don't make me do that, I want everyone to join the fun.)] I use a Pre-Game Survey to implement Lines & Veils. Once compiled, the Lines & Veils document will be shared at the top of the session. We use the X, N, and O Cards, and you can use them visually or submit X N & O Cards by PM, but the visual usually gets my attention faster. It is my usual practice to do a mid-game break, and we can do breaks as needed after intense scenes. I encourage high quality roleplaying and thus am prepared to deal with Bleed as it occurs. I often forget to do my Stars & Wishes, so please remind me so I get better about that. I am always open to constructive criticism, it's how I improve as a GM, and I'm always trying to run a better game than the last one. As you can see from the rather extensive set of warnings, this game can have a lot of dark spots - for example, your PCs will start the game as an Enslaved Person who was a Victim of Human Trafficking before the Game began. The World of Creation has a lot of evils both grand and banal to be confronted by the righteous, and there's a lot of ugly, mean, and all-too-human darkness in the Age of Sorrows. However, the Darkness in the game is there for a purpose: to make your Light Shine all the Brighter. Any and All Evil that exists in my game worlds is there to be confronted by Heroes like you. Find the Evil Cultists and stop their terrible plans. Confront the Demons some careless sorcerer unleashed and banish them back to Malfeas. Defeat the Enemy Army and save your city from total destruction. Evil exists to be defeated by Heroes. Be the Heroes.