White Wolf Community

Episode #029, And Now The News

eddyfate — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2010/02/01/episode-029-and-now-the-news/

* News!
- What happened to the blogcast over the past few weeks?
- Haiti promotion on DriveThruRPG
- iPad and ePublishing
- Changes to AP release schedule

* Listener Mail: In-character knowledge

* CCP Culture: Office Move 6

* Wrap-up

Episode #028 - Four Times the Advice

eddyfate — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:20:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2010/01/11/episode-028-four-times-the-advice/

Episode #028 - Four Times the Advice

1. Running Larger Groups

2. Time Management

3. Dealing with Rules Disagreements

4. Rolling Dice vs. Roleplay

5. What's going on with the podcast

The Solar Deliberative: Falling Fast and Hard

Bodhisattva — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 02:55:00 GMT

This may be the last blog for a while.

That shouldn't surprise my readers. The Solar Deliberative really hasn't taken off like I would have hoped. I've written about topics that have mostly gone unnoticed, promoted the wiki to little effect and have posted contests that have seen little participation. I'll admit that with a community as large as Exalted, I expected to see a lot more interest and enthusiasm. However, before I go, I have some odds and ends to wrap up. I may blog again if I feel particularly moved to write about something Exalted. I even considered writing an essay on how great a Charm Zeal is just to spur discussion, but ultimately decided that not only was that a bad deal, it was unfair to the freelancer who wrote the Charm. I owe you the nominations for the Exalted Wiki contests. Due to lack of user interest, the Custom Artifact of the Month and House Rule of the month categories have been retired. Here are this month's winners, though.

Exalted Wiki's Hero of the Month: Alloran, for his tireless contributions in updating the wiki with First Edition Charm content and creating very nice looking Charm Trees on the Ability, Attribute and Martial Arts Style pages. If you get a chance to message him, please thank him for his contributions.

That takes care of the Exalted Wiki awards, now on to contest wrap-up. There were zero entries for the Stat Anys Syn contest, so all that's available right is the Blossom of the Perfected Lotus contest.

Voting begins now and ends Sunday, January 31st at 11:59:59PM Eastern Time. You may only vote on one entry.

The entries are as follows:

Purple Fractal of Infeudation Style by Kukla (Sorry, I have no link to the Style and it didn't come up in a search on the website. Please feel free to vote on it if you can find it).
Checkerboard Games of Chance Style by The Demented One.
Gilt Legend of Heroes Style by JiveX.
Golden Home of Wanderers Style by JiveX. (Second file, last chapter).

Good luck to all the entrants, and thank you to all who have been reading this blog. I'll see you next time...

Episode #027 - Keeping Pace

eddyfate — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:00:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/12/21/episode-027-keeping-pace/

Episode #027 - Keeping Pace

* Main Topic: Pacing your chronicle

* Listener Mail: Accessibility EBooks and Crossover Book

* Holidays until Jan 4th -- see you in the next year!

ICC Panels #8 - New Media Seminar Part 2

eddyfate — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:54:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/12/09/icc-panels-8-new-media-seminar-part-2/

ICC Panels #8 - New Media Seminar Part 2

Attendees: Sean Patrick Fannon, Eddy Webb, Chuck Childers, Luke McCampbell

A discussion between folks behind DriveThruRPG.com, the White Wolf Alternative Publishing division, and other interested parties on how new media can impact gaming, now and in the future. The audience did not have access to a microphone, so their questions might be hard to hear.

ICC Panels #7 - New Media Seminar Part 1

eddyfate — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:06:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/12/08/icc-panels-7-new-media-seminar-part-1/

ICC Panels #7 - New Media Seminar Part 1

Attendees: Sean Fannon, Eddy Webb, Chuck Childers, Luke McCampbell

A discussion between folks behind DriveThruRPG.com, the White Wolf Alternative Publishing division, and other interested parties on how new media can impact gaming, now and in the future. The audience did not have access to a microphone, so their questions might be hard to hear.

The Solar Deliberative: Dual-Contest Methodology

Bodhisattva — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:21:00 GMT

What's this? A second contest running side-by-side with the first one? In the month of December, Sidereals are getting a lot of attention! The stars must be aligning!

With many thanks to forum user Octopoid, I'm offering up his challenge to you, the players of Exalted, to stat out Anys Syn! The winner will have the opportunity to write material to share here in the Solar Deliberative—an essay, fan-made characters, Charms or other crunchy bits, or really... Anything they like that's Exalted related! Here's the original challenge:

The wiki is a little sparse on this particular Sidereal, so... let's fill in that gap! The challenge here is to stat Anys Syn, Chosen of Battles. Take what we know about her: that she is familiar with Infernal Monster Style, that she may have mastered it, that she may be an akuma, etc. etc., and put together an interesting character stat splat. I don't care what XP level... starting to 1000+.

Hit me with your best shot.

For further canon information on Anys Syn, you can reference her entry on the wiki, or you can check this thread for some notes from her designer. The contest will run from today, December 1st until 11:59PM Eastern Time on December 31st. You'll have the opportunity to vote on the results on New Year's Day.

Episode #026 - We're Not Dead Yet

eddyfate — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:36:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/30/episode-026-were-not-dead-yet/

Episode #026 - We're Not Dead Yet

Today's Topic: White Wolf isn't going away; what happened with the CCP merger; some explanations of what's going on.

Listener Mail: How to break down a chronicle pitch; can you Embrace a werewolf?

Wrap-Up: The last ICC panel next week; upcoming blog interview about WW new media

The Solar Deliberative: December Contest - The Blossom of the Perfected Lotus

Bodhisattva — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:44:00 GMT

It's coming up on December, just a few days away, and I don't know about you, but I'm eagerly awaiting the anticipated December release of the Manual of Exalted Power: Alchemicals! But, Autochthonia may be a little thin with no Compass book, so please keep on sending letters to White Wolf in regards to a Compass of Celestial Directions: Autochthonia as was mentioned in an earlier Solar Deliberative if you really want to see it released.

Anyway, I've been running a few contests here on this blog, and I've decided to do one by popular request. All throughout the month of December, I invite you to show off your Charm-writing skills, and what better Charms to show off than your Martial Arts Styles? But, not just any old Martial Arts Styles... We're talking about Sidereal Martial Arts Styles! The challenge to you all, in return for the opportunity to submit a post for this freelancer blog, is to design an entire Sidereal Martial Arts Style. You can post your style on the wiki, on the Exalted Forums, or really, anywhere you like. When it's finished, post here in this blog post and let me know that it's ready for review and on New Year's Day, I'll post a poll so that you can all vote on who's got the best kung fu! Submit as many Styles as you like; each one will be considered a separate entry.

ICC Panels #6 - "Your Game Sucks" Q&A Part 2

eddyfate — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:43:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/26/icc-panels-6-your-game-sucks-qa-part-2/

ICC Panels #6 - "Your Game Sucks" Q&A Part 2

Presented by Eddy Webb

"Your Game Sucks" is a presentation of my current theories of adapting established MMO and RPG playstyle theory for large-scale LARP chronicle play (primarily for the Camarilla). The first episode comprises the presentation, and the next two episodes cover the Q&A session afterwards.

ICC Panels #5 - "Your Game Sucks" Q&A Part 1

eddyfate — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:26:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/25/icc-panels-5-your-game-sucks-qa-part-1/

ICC Panels #5 - "Your Game Sucks" Q&A Part 1

Presented by Eddy Webb

"Your Game Sucks" is a presentation of my current theories of adapting established MMO and RPG playstyle theory for large-scale LARP chronicle play (primarily for the Camarilla). The first episode comprises the presentation, and the next two episodes cover the Q&A session afterwards.

The Solar Deliberative: Just for fun, Danger in Xaal!

Bodhisattva — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:43:00 GMT

Here's another exalt I had fun writing an unofficial version of. I didn't know if he'd show up in the up and coming Scroll of Exalts, but I always found him to be one of the most interesting characters in First Edition. I was originally going to put him out there for the Build-A-Lunar contest, but thought better of putting up two entries. Since he was written up anyway, I decided to share him with you. I hope you find him useful in your games. You can find him on the wiki here.

The Last Hunter of Xaal

...(read more)

ICC Panels #4 - "Your Game Sucks" Presentation

eddyfate — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:29:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/24/icc-panels-4-your-game-sucks-presentation/

ICC Panels #4 - "Your Game Sucks" Presentation

Presented by Eddy Webb

"Your Game Sucks" is a presentation of my current theories of adapting established MMO and RPG playstyle theory for large-scale LARP chronicle play (primarily for the Camarilla). The first episode comprises the presentation, and the next two episodes cover the Q&A session afterwards.

If you'd like to see a PDF of the presentation, you can temporarily find it here, or look in the download section of the White Wolf website if this link stops working:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1400845/Your%20Game%20Sucks.pdf

The Solar Deliberative: The Silver-Horned Watcher is watching you!

Bodhisattva — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:04:00 GMT

The Build-a-Lunar contest from last month has come to an end and I'm a little bit late in posting the results. They'll be presented here in full for your review and I encourage everyone to vote on the best of the custom Lunars. Obviously, these Lunars may be replaced by canon versions whenever the Scroll of Exalts gets into your hands, but for now, enjoy the fruits of fan labors! Don't forget that each Lunar is presented as a starting build and then as a finished product. To vote, simply cast your vote right here as a comment to this entry! Remember, you can only vote for one entry. Best of luck to the contestants!

Entry #1: Uka the Boar

Uka the Boar is described in Manual of Exalted Power: Lunars pages 28, 29, 33, and 39. He is most known for being the reincarnation of the first known Chimera, Ogun Bloody-Tusks, being the first Casteless, and for nearly getting himself and his entire extended boar beastman family (the Grondir) killed by a shogunate Wyld Hunt north of Tzatli.

His appearances in other books, if they exist, are not yet listed here.

Source: Manual of Exalted Power: Lunars, pp. 28-29, 33, 39.

The stats listed here are not yet complete.

Uka at Character Creation

This is Uka at character creation, struggling with the conflict of being the first of his kind to bear no inherent caste.

Loyalties

Motivation	Protect my tribe by fixing my caste before I become a monster, like Ogun did.
Intimacies	My tribe (Protectiveness) ●, Ogun Bloody-Tusks (Fear) ●
Faction	Wardens of Gaia.

Attributes


Strength	●●●○○	Charisma	●●●●●	Perception	●●●○○
Dexterity	●●○○○	Manipulation	●●●○○	Intelligence	●○○○○
Stamina	●●●●○	Appearance	●●●○○	Wits	●●●○○

Abilities


War		Life		Wisdom
Archery	○○○○○	Craft	○○○○○	Bureaucracy	○○○○○
Athletics	●●●○○	Larceny	○○○○○	Investigation	○○○○○
Awareness	●●○○○	Linguistics	○○○○○	Lore	○○○○○
Dodge	○○○○○	Performance	●●●○○	Medicine	○○○○○
Integrity	●●●○○	Presence	●●●●●	Occult	○○○○○
Martial Arts	●●●●●	Ride	○○○○○
Melee	○○○○○	Sail	○○○○○
Resistance	○○○○○	Socialize	●●●○○
Thrown	○○○○○	Stealth	○○○○○
War	●●●○○	Survival	●●●●●

Specialties			Languages	Dialect
Martial Arts	Warform	●●●○○	Forestongue

Spirit and Body


Essence	●●○○○ ○○○○○	Virtues
Personal Pool	18	Compassion	●●○○○	Conviction	●●●●○
Peripheral Pool	40	Temperance	●○○○○	Valor	●●●○○
Willpower	●●●●● ●●●○○


Limit Break		Virtue Flaw:	Curse of the Hungry Wolverine.

Health and Soak


Movement	Unarmored	Armored	Beastman
Move	2 yds.	2 yds.	3 yds.
Dash	8 yds.	8 yds.	9 yds.
Jump Type	Unarmored	Armored	Beastman
Vertical	5 yds.	5 yds.	6 yds.
Horizontal	10 yds.	10 yds.	12 yds.


Soak
Natural	4 B	2 L	0 A
Armor	1 B	3 L	3 A
Total	5 B	5 L	3 A
Beastman	10 B	9 L	3 A
Pierced	4 B	3 L	1 A
Hardness	0 B	0 L	0 A


Health Levels
-0
-1
-2
-4
Incap
Dying

Charms

Name	Cost	Type	Speed/Step	Duration	Summary	Page Number	Obvious
First Stamina Excellency	1m per ●	Reflexive	1 or 2	Instant	See MoEP:L	Pg.140
First Charisma Excellency	1m per ●	Reflexive	1 or 2	Instant	See MoEP:L	Pg.140
Relentless Lunar Fury	1m, 1wp	Reflexive	1 or 2	(Essence x2) actions	See MoEP:L	Pg.158
East Mastery Technique	6m	Reflexive	--	Indefinite	See MoEP:L	Pg.157
Hard-Nosed Denial Style	4m	Reflexive	2	One scene	See MoEP:L	Pg.168
Maintaining the Pack	4m1wp	Reflexive	10	Instant	See MoEP:L	Pg.168

Charm Combos

Name

Cost

Type

Duration

Included Charms

Knacks

Knack	Type	Prerequisites	Summary	Page Number
Deadly Beastman Transformation	War Form	Essence 2, Stamina 3	Allows to take war form shape.	p.136
Terrifying Beastman Alteration	War Form	Essence 2, Stamina 3	Allows to take war form shape.	p.136

Backgrounds

Background	Rating	Description
Destiny	●○○○○
Resources	●●●○○	mid-ranking police officer
Influence	●●○○○	mid-ranking police officer
Backing	●●○○○	mid-ranking police officer
Contacts	●●●●○	Thieves (Silken Jackal) Merchants (Ravenous Locust) The Police Force (Raven of the Amethyst Mountain) Mercenary Company Midnight Dragons (Obsidian Eagle)

Equipment & Holdings

Item	Value	Description
Fine Chain Shirt	●●○○○	Moderate protection worn against the skin.
Fine Khatar	●●○○○	For impaling city folk.

Shapeshifting

Spirit	Wild Boar
Tell	Thick, rigid hair all down the spine.
Warform (8)	Armored Hide (4), Tusks (2), Hooves (1), Wolf's Pace (1)

Forms

Form	Str.	Dex.	Sta.	App.	Abilities, Bonuses and General Description
True Form	4	2	4	1	Gains Gore attack as seen in Exalted Second Edition Core book.
War Form	4	3	5	1	Armored Hide (4), Tusks (2), Hooves (1), Wolf's Pace (1)

Experience

Earned:

Spent:

Banked:

Experienced

This is Uka deeper in to his career of headstrong, bad decisions. This section is not completed at all.

Loyalties

Motivation	Make creation pay for their crimes
Intimacies	Duels ●, Injustice ●, Chiaroscuro ●
Faction	Unaligned.

Attributes


Strength	●●●○○	Charisma	●●○○○	Perception	●●○○○
Dexterity	●●●●○	Manipulation	●●●●○	Intelligence	●●○○○
Stamina	●●●○○	Appearance	●●●●○	Wits	●●●○○

Abilities


War		Life		Wisdom
Archery	●○○○○	Craft	○○○○○	Bureaucracy	○○○○○
Athletics	●●○○○	Larceny	●○○○○	Investigation	○○○○○
Awareness	●●●●○	Linguistics	●○○○○	Lore	●○○○○
Dodge	●●●●○	Performance	●○○○○	Medicine	●○○○○
Integrity	●●●○○	Presence	●●●○○	Occult	○○○○○
Martial Arts	○○○○○	Ride	●○○○○
Melee	●●●●●	Sail	○○○○○
Resistance	●●○○○	Socialize	●●○○○
Thrown	●●●○○	Stealth	○○○○○
War	●●○○○	Survival	●●○○○

Specialties			Languages	Dialect
Melee	Duels	●●○○○
Awareness	Fast Reflexes	●●○○○

Spirit and Body


Essence	●●○○○ ○○○○○	Virtues
Personal Pool	14	Compassion	●●○○○	Conviction	●●●○○
Peripheral Pool	0/32
Willpower	●●●●● ●○○○○	Temperance	●○○○○	Valor	●●●○○
Willpower Used


Limit Break		Virtue Flaw:	Curse of the Lone Wolf.

Health and Soak


Movement	Unarmored	Armored	Beastman
Move	4 yds.	4 yds.	5 yds.
Dash	10 yds.	10 yds.	11 yds.
Jump Type	Unarmored	Armored	Beastman
Vertical	5 yds.	5 yds.	7 yds.
Horizontal	10 yds.	10 yds.	14 yds.


Soak
Natural	3 B	1 L	0 A
Armor	1 B	3 L	0 A
Total	4 B	4 L	3 A
Beastman	10 B	9 L	3 A
Pierced	2 B	2 L	1 A
Hardness	0 B	0 L	0 A


Health Levels
-0	()
-1
-2
-4
Incap
Dying

Charms

Name	Cost	Type	Speed/Step	Duration	Summary	Page Number	Obvious
First Dexterity Excellency	1m per ●	Reflexive	1 or 2	Instant	See MoEP:L	Pg.140
First Wits Excellency	1m per ●	Reflexive	1 or 2	Instant	See MoEP:L	Pg.140
Wasp Sting Blur	2m per tick	Reflexive	--	Instant	See MoEP:L; Fury-OK	Pg.154
Ox-Body Technique	--	Permanent	--	Indefinite	See MoEP:L	Pg.156
Meerkat Alertness Practice	2m	Supplemental	--	Instant	See MoEP:L	Pg.193
Relentless Lunar Fury	1m, 1wp	Reflexive	1 or 2	(Essence x2) actions	See MoEP:L	Pg.158

Charm Combos

Name

Cost

Type

Duration

Included Charms

Knacks

Knack	Type	Prerequisites	Summary	Page Number
Towering Beast Form	Animal	Essence 2, Stamina 3	Allows to take the shape of larger animals.	p.131
Deadly Beastman Transformation	War Form	Essence 2, Stamina 3	Allows to take war form shape.	p.136

Backgrounds

Background	Rating	Description
Destiny	●○○○○
Resources	●●●○○	mid-ranking police officer
Influence	●●○○○	mid-ranking police officer
Backing	●●○○○	mid-ranking police officer
Contacts	●●●●○	Thieves (Silken Jackal) Merchants (Ravenous Locust) The Police Force (Raven of the Amethyst Mountain) Mercenary Company Midnight Dragons (Obsidian Eagle)

Attack Values

Base Values

Attacks

Join Battle	9
Dodge DV (Unarmored)	5
Dodge DV (Armored)	5
Mobility Penalty	0
Fatigue	0
Join War	5

Weapon	Speed	Accuracy	Damage	Defense	Rate	Range	Attune	Tags
Punch	5	5	3B	3	3	--	--	N, M
Kick	5	4	6B	1	2	--	--	N, M
Clinch	6	4	3B	2	1	--	--	N, M
Urgency	4	12	7L	5	2	--	--
Swiftness	4	12	7L	5	2	--	--
Knife	5	10	5L	4	1	--	--
Quickening Cold	4	12	8L	6	4	--	--

Social Combat

Base Values

Attacks

Join Debate	7
Dodge MDV	5

Weapon	Speed	Honesty	Honesty MDV	Deception	Deception MDV	Rate
Presence	4	5	2	7	3	2
Performance	6	3	1	5	2	1
Investigation	5	2	1	4	2	2

Equipment & Holdings

Item	Value	Description
Urgency & Swiftness	●●○○○	Each exceptional straight swords.
Quickening Cold	N/A	Perfect straight sword. Blessed by the element of air, this blade will do extra cold damage.
Perfected Darts of Earth	N/A	3 perfect darts, intended to play the game darts with. Blessed by the element of earth, they will never break or dull.
Chain Shirt	●●○○○	Moderate protection that is worn under the uniform.

Shapeshifting

Spirit	Claw Strider
Tell	Scaled skin on sides of the abdomen, on the shoulders, and the back.

Forms

Form	Str.	Dex.	Sta.	App.	Abilities, Bonuses and General Description
True Form	7	4	7	4	Gains Bite and Claw attacks as seen in Exalted Second Edition Core book.
War Form	5	5	5	4	Gains Serpentine Tongue (MoEP:L p.207), Armored Hide (Core Book p.289), and Large (Core Book p.288)

Experience

Earned:

Spent:

Banked:

Entry #2: Sleeves of War

See the article Sleeves of War for more details on the canon character. As she is presented here, she is intended to be able to present a decent challenge to her rival, Cynis Denovah Avaku, who commands greater resources than those that she can bring to bear, but not to present an overwhelming challenge. By necessity, she is lacking in several areas of combat, but does have the capacity to command her troops and terrorize Northern settlements.

References

Source: Aspect Book: Fire, pp. 49-50, 56-57, 59.
Source: Exalted Players Guide, p. 3.

Starting Build

Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 3B, Parry DV 5, Rate 3

Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 8, Damage 6B, Parry DV 3, Rate 2

Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 8, Damage 3B, Parry DV —, Rate 1

Moonsilver Short Powerbow (Breath of Mourning): Speed 6, Accuracy 12, Damage 5L, Rate 2, Range 350

War Form Punch*: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 6L, Parry DV 5, Rate 3

War Form Kick*: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 9L, Parry DV 1;, Rate 2

War Form Clinch*: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 6L piercing, Parry DV —, Rate 1

War Form Short Powerbow (Breath of Mourning): Speed 6, Accuracy 13, Damage 6L, Rate 2, Range 350

Soak:

Human Form: 8B/6L (Chain Shirt 3B/1L)

War Form: 10B/8L (Chain Shirt 3B/1L)

Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Dodge DV: 7
Essence: 2 Willpower: 7
Personal Essence: 16 Peripheral Essence: 30 (38)
Committed Essence: 8
Notes: As a starting Lunar, Sleeves of War has managed to raise a small force of about a hundred Buck Ogres, but she hasn't mastered the art of war as of yet. Small, lithe and with the appearance of a small girl of only fifteen, Sleeves of War does not look like a killing machine, even when she leads her forces into bloody and terrible battle against her enemies, but her arrows strike swift and true thanks to her Dexterity Excellency or her Wasp Sting Blur Charm. At this level, she is hardly fit to be going up against a trained Realm force, but she compensates for her inexperience with the strength and ferocity of her war form and her natural and Charm-enhanced resilience. She also wears a pair of Moonsilver Hearthstone Bracers that add to her defenses.

350XP Build

Motivation: Drive the Legions of the Scarlet Empire from the North forever.
Caste: Full Moon
Anima: A blizzard of silvery snowflakes swirling around her as a white-furred bear stands over her, roaring
Tell: Snowy white arms with white fur along the forearms
Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Charisma 5, Manipulation 4, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
Virtues: Compassion 1, Conviction 3, Temperance 2, Valor 4
Abilities: Archery 5 (Powerbows +3), Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Dodge 5, Integrity 2, Investigation 2, Lore 2, Martial Arts 3, Medicine 1, Performance 2, Presence 3, Resistance 2, Stealth 3, Survival 5, War 5
Backgrounds: Artifact 4, Followers 3, Heart's Blood 1, Manse 3
Knacks: Deadly Beastman Transformation (Air Adaptation, Talons, Thick Skin, Gazelle's Pace), Lightning Change Style, Prey's Skin Disguise, Quicksilver Second Face
Charms: Butterfly Eyes Defense, First Charisma Excellency, First Dexterity Excellency, Flowing Body Evasion, Golden Tiger Stance, Instinct-Driven Beast Movement, Moonlight Curtain Drawn, Ox-Body Technique, Prey-Hobbling Bite, Relentless Lunar Fury, Righteous Lion Defense, School Becomes Shark Formation, Second Manipulation Excellency, Wary Swallow Method, Wasp Sting Blur, Wind-Dancing Method
Combos: Wracking Hornet's Sting (Flowing Body Evasion, Prey-Hobbling Bite, Wary Swallow Method, Wasp Sting Blur)
Join Battle: 7
Attacks:

Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 4B, Parry DV 5, Rate 3

Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 8, Damage 7B, Parry DV 3, Rate 2

Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 8, Damage 4B, Parry DV —, Rate 1

Moonsilver Short Powerbow (Breath of Mourning): Speed 6, Accuracy 16, Damage 6L, Rate 2, Range 350

War Form Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 6L, Parry DV 5, Rate 3

War Form Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 9L, Parry DV 1, Rate 2

War Form Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 6L piercing, Parry DV —, Rate 1

War Form Short Powerbow (Breath of Mourning): Speed 6, Accuracy 17, Damage 7L, Rate 2, Range 350

Soak:

Human Form: 8B/6L (Chain Shirt 3B/1L)

War Form: 10B/8L (Chain Shirt 3B/1L)

Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Dodge DV: 8
Essence: 3 Willpower: 7
Personal Essence: 17 Peripheral Essence: 34 (42)
Committed Essence: 8
Notes: Now that Sleeves of War has a bit more experience under her belt, she is able to command her disciplined Buck Ogre followers into battle with lethal proficiency. She now possesses an Adder's Eye (Oadenol's Codex, p. 99) set into her Moonsilver Short Powerbow which envenoms all of her arrows, making her an even deadlier opponent. She has learned a handful of tricks to make her followers appear to be more numerous and to protect them from harm. At this point, she has engaged Cynis Denovah Avaku in combat several times and neither one has emerged the victor, but she hungers for his blood and will likely single him out on the field of battle if she encounters him. She has not eschewed the traditions of the Silver Pact and while she lacks their direct support, she is making a name for herself by terrorizing Realm installations in the North. In this envisioning of Sleeves of War, there is some indication that Sleeves of War could be a more recent incarnation of Ingosh Silverclaws, but the connection is superficial and entirely optional.

Buck Ogre Warrior

Motivation: Follow Sleeves of War onward to glory!
Attributes: Strength 7, Dexterity 3, Stamina 6, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 4
Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 3
Abilities: Athletics 5 (+3 Throwing Heavy Objects), Awareness 4, Dodge 4, Integrity 1, Investigation 1, Martial Arts 4, Medicine 1, Melee 5 (Axe +3), Presence 2 (Intimidation +3), Resistance 2, Stealth 3, Survival 5, Thrown 2 (Boulders +3), War 3
Backgrounds: Backing 3 (Sleeves of War), Command 1, Mentor 3 (Sleeves of War)
Join Battle: 8
Attacks:

Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 12, Damage 7B, Parry DV 4, Rate 3

Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 12B, Parry DV 2, Rate 2

Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 11, Damage 4B, Parry DV —, Rate 1

Gore: Speed 6, Accuracy 12, Damage 12L, Parry DV 3, Rate 1

Great Axe: Speed 5, Accuracy 18, Damage 14L/2, Parry DV 3, Rate 3

Hurled Boulder: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 15B piercing, Parry DV —, Rate 1, Range 13

Soak: 14B/9L
Health Levels: -0/-0/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Dodge DV: 3
Essence: 1 Willpower: 7
Notes: These shock troops are slightly stronger and more powerful than the standard Buck Ogre, having been trained for war by Sleeves of War herself. They possess the standard mutations that Buck Ogres possess (Exalted, p. 291) in addition to the Air Adaptation and Hooves Poxes and the Brutal Attack merit (which is already calculated into their attack values). However, as an addendum to the Brutal Attack merit, the Buck Ogre suffers a -2DV penalty until their next action whenever they use the Brutal Attack merit instead of the usual -1DV penalty. They also wield perfect great axes and hurl boulders as heavy as horses that always force a knockdown or knockback check if they impact on a character who does not use a Charm to defend himself (even if successfully parried). They are completely loyal to Sleeves of War, willing to follow her unto their deaths. They were formed up from small, undisciplined tribes into a small army and several of them are now skilled enough as thaumaturges, possessing some skill at Occult. These tribal shaman possess Intelligence 3, Occult 1, and have knowledge of any appropriate alchemical rituals up to Initiate level for which they meet the requirements in the Arts of Alchemy, Enchantment, Geomancy, Husbandry, Spirit Beckoning, Warding & Exorcism and Weather Working. Any of these warriors is more than a match for any several men and never count as extras.

Mass Combat: Buck Ogre Shock Troops

Commanding Officer: Goroche the Masher
Armor Color: Dark brown fur
Motto: "For the mistress!"
General Makeup: One hundred Buck Ogres with great axes and boulders, bearing talismans of protection crafted for them by their own tribal shamans.
Overall Quality: Elite
Magnitude: 3
Drill: 3
Close Combat Attack: 9           Close Combat Damage: 4
Ranged Attack: 4                       Ranged Damage: 5
Endurance: 9        Might: 2        Armor: 3
Morale: 3
Formation: This small force typically fights in Unordered fashion, but can be gathered into Skirmish formation for pressed assaults. They can be called upon to coordinate attacks and surround singularly powerful foes, but are often left to ravage through enemy units. Should the commanding Buck Ogre fall, the others have a rigid disciplinary structure drilled into them by Sleeves of War and any one of the remaining troops can take command.

Entry #3: Thorn Sun and Moon

Character Creation Build

Name: Thorn Moon and Sun
Motivation: Locate and ascertain the condition of his reborn Solar mate
Caste: Full Moon
Anima: A large, proud, silver lion that pounces or snarls whenever Thorn Moon and Sun makes an attack
Tell: Spiky, mane-like golden hair and very vivid gold-green eyes
Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 5, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 2, Intelligence 2, Wits 4
Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 4
Abilities: Archery 2, Athletics 1, Awareness 3, Dodge 3, Integrity 2, Martial Arts 4, Resistance 2, War 2, Craft Water 2 (Leather Working), Ride 1, Survival 2, Lore 1, Medicine 1.
Backgrounds: Artifact 2, Followers 2, Heart's Blood 1, Solar Bond 5
Knacks: Deadly Beastman Transformation: (Thick Skin 2 pts, Talons 2 pts, Enhanced Sight 1 pt, Wolf's Pace, 1pt)
Charms: First Stamina Excellency, First Dexterity Excellency, Claws of the Silver Moon, Ox-Body Technique (4 -2 Health Levels Option), Relentless Lunar Fury, Bruise-Relief Method, Halting the Scarlet Flow
Join Battle: 7
Attacks:
Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 4B, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 9, Damage 7B, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 9, Damage 4B, Parry DV —, Rate 1
Claws of the Sliver Moon Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 12, Damage 10L, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
Claws of the Silver Moon Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 13L, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
Claws of the Silver Moon Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 11, Damage 10L, Parry DV —, Rate 1
War Form Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 7L, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
War Form Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 10L, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
War Form Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 10, Damage 7L, Parry DV —, Rate 1
War Form Claws of the Silver Moon Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 13, Damage 11L, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
War Form Claws of the Silver Moon Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 12, Damage 14L, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
War Form Claws of the Silver Moon Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 12, Damage 11L, Parry DV —, Rate 1
Soak:'
Human Form: 7L/5B (Chain Shirt 3L/1B)
War Form: 9L/7B (Chain Shirt 3L/1B)
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Dodge DV: 7
Essence: 2
Personal Essence: 16 Peripheral Essence: 34 (38)
Committed Essence: 4
Notes: Thorn Moon and Sun is a powerful hand to hand combatant, and he is considered the champion of his nomadic people. Before he Exalted, he preferred using Hook Swords, now he eschews them in favor of his devastating claws in close combat. However, he lacks any sort of real ranged attack (his archery skills are poor in comparison to his hand to hand abilities), as well as any perfect defense. This could be used to devastating advantage against the young Lunar. Before he Exalted, he was in the process of becoming a plainsman hunter. He had already mastered hand-to-hand combat, and he has rudimentary skills with a bow and arrow in order to take down prey from a distance. He and his allies often would engage in pack-like tactics in order to bring down ferocious or particularly large game. Thorn Moon and Sun has a savage air about him, a trait indicative of his nomadic lifestyle. He is lean, but well muscled with lightly tanned skin. He possesses a shock of golden hair and piercing green-gold eyes that echo his lion spirit shape.

650 EXP Build

Name: Thorn Moon and Sun Motivation: Protect the burgeoning hybrid culture he and Rose Sun and Moon are striving to create
Caste: Full Moon
Anima: A large, proud, silver lion that pounces or snarls whenever Thorn Moon and Sun makes an attack
Tell: Spiky, mane-like golden hair and very vivid gold-green eyes
Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 5, Charisma 5, Manipulation 2, Appearance 3, Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 5
Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 4
Abilities: Archery 2, Athletics 4, Awareness 5, Dodge 5, Integrity 4, Martial Arts 5 (Claws of the Silver Moon +3), Resistance 2, War 5, Craft Water 2 (Leather Working +1), Ride 1, Stealth 4 (Stalking Prey +1), Survival 4 (Southern Plains +1) (Hunting +2), Lore 1, Medicine 1
Backgrounds: Artifact 2, Followers 4, Heart's Blood 2, Solar Bond 5, Allies 3 (Rose Sun and Moon)
Merits: True Love (Rose Sun and Moon)
Knacks: Deadly Beastman Transformation: (Thick Skin 2 pts, Talons 2 pts, Enhanced Sight 1 pt, Enhanced Smell 1pt, Enhanced Hearing 1 pt, Wolf's Pace, 1pt)
Charms: First Strength Excellency, First Dexterity Excellency, First Stamina Excellency, First Charisma Excellency, First Perception Excellency, Claws of the Silver Moon, Impressions of Strength, Burrowing Devil Strike, Consumptive Worm Hungers, Golden Tiger Stance, Wary Swallow Method, Wind-Dancing Method, Flowing Body Evasion, Secure Cat Stepping, Wasp Sting Blur, Twin-Fang Technique, Octopus and Spider Barrage, Lightning Stroke Attack, Ox-Body Technique (4 -2 Health Levels Option) x 4, Relentless Lunar Fury, Bruise-Relief Method, Halting the Scarlet Flow, Hide-Toughening Essence, Dog-Tongue Method, Nature-Reinforcing Allocation, Sharing the Gifts of Luna, Wolf Pack Training Technique, Boundary-Marking Meditation, Eye of the Cat, Devil-Restraining Grip, God-Cutting Essence, Spirit-Maiming Essence Attack
Combos: Stalking Lion's Pounce: First Dexterity Excellency, First Strength Excellency, Flowing Body Evasion, Lightning Stroke Attack, Burrowing Devil Strike, Swift Spirit Swipe: First Dexterity Excellency, God-Cutting Essence, Spirit-Maiming Essence Attack, Flowing Body Evasion
Join Battle: 10
Attacks: (Note that Claws of the Silver Moon stats represent the maximum expenditure of essence on the charm.)
Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 5B, Parry DV 6, Rate 3
Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 10, Damage 8B, Parry DV 4, Rate 2
Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 10, Damage 5B, Parry DV —, Rate 1
Claws of the Sliver Moon Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 19, Damage 12L, Parry DV 8, Rate 3
Claws of the Silver Moon Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 18, Damage 15L, Parry DV 6, Rate 2
Claws of the Silver Moon Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 18, Damage 12L, Parry DV —, Rate 1
War Form Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 12, Damage 8L, Parry DV 7, Rate 3
War Form Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 11, Damage 11L, Parry DV 5, Rate 2
War Form Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 11, Damage 8L, Parry DV —, Rate 1
War Form Claws of the Silver Moon Punch: Speed 5, Accuracy 20, Damage 13L, Parry DV 8, Rate 3
War Form Claws of the Silver Moon Kick: Speed 5, Accuracy 19, Damage 16L, Parry DV 6, Rate 2
War Form Claws of the Silver Moon Clinch: Speed 6, Accuracy 19, Damage 13L, Parry DV —, Rate 1
Soak:
Human Form: 7L/6B (Chain Shirt 3L/1B)
War Form: 10L/9B (Chain Shirt 3L/1B)
Health Levels: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/Incap
Dodge DV: 9
Essence: 4
Personal Essence: 18 Peripheral Essence: 46 (42)
Committed Essence: 4
Notes: This build represents Thorn Moon and Sun after he has discovered his Solar mate, the Eclipse Rose Sun and Moon. He dreamed of her reincarnation shortly after his own exaltation (possibly due to visions imparted by Lytek, God of Exaltation or Yaogin the Fair, God of Beautiful Dreams and head of the Bureau of Serenity), and tracked it to a remote village of ranchers. He described the girl he’d seen in his dreams. He knew she lived in this village, he had watched her from afar, and demanded she be brought to him. The villagers were prepared to fight, but where stopped by the figure of Rose Sun and Moon, light pouring from her entire body. She embraced Thorn Moon and Sun as her mate. They share an intense and intrinsic connection, represented by the level 5 Solar Bond background as well as the purchase of the True Love merit from the Scroll of Heroes. Thorn Moon and Sun works with his mate to build a (somewhat shaky for the moment) society between the nomadic plainsmen that Thorn Moon and Sun hails from, and the settled ranchers of his mate’s village; he’s been working to carve out a (relatively) small territory for himself because of this.
He currently works with the village militia, as well as his own nomadic people to form a cohesive defense for the territory. He has also seen to pacifying the local little gods. If his mate’s decorum and diplomacy fail, Thorn Moon and Sun’s claws and spirit destroying charms usually make the pair’s point instead. They work well together, shoring up each other’s weaknesses. He defends her, and she works to unify and harmonize their two peoples. Thorn Moon and Sun’s only artifact is a pair of Hearthstone Bracers. He still wears mundane, light armor, but often adds to his resilience via Hide Toughening Essence. He has not developed his shapeshifting powers greatly, as he has been primarily concerned with being able to defend his re-born mate against the perils of the Time of Tumult.

Episode #025 - Tying Up Your Players

eddyfate — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:15:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/16/episode-025-tying-up-your-players/

Episode #025 - Tying Up Your Players

Today's Topic: Chronicle structure/getting your players to be more engaged with their characters

Listener Mail: Requiem: The Movie

CCP News: ICC presentations on YouTube

Wrap-Up: ICC panel audio slowly going up on the blogcast

ICC Panels #3 - Geist Q&A Part 3

eddyfate — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:19:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/13/icc-panels-3-geist-qa-part-3/

ICC Panels #3 - Geist Q&A Part 3

Attendees: Jeff Kramer (AMST Geist), Eddy Webb (developer of Geist products), Ryan Hart (AAMST World), Amanda Spika (GPL Underworld), James Foster (AAMST Rules), Derek Burrow (AMST Dark Places)

The Geist Q&A was primarily centered around how the Geist game will be implemented in the Camarilla chronicle, but there's some bits in there about the development of the game, and a lot of talk about the basics of how the game works. The audience did not have access to a microphone, so their questions might be hard to hear. The panel ran over an hour and a half long, so I've broken it up into three parts.

ICC Panels #2 - Geist Q&A Part 2

eddyfate — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:11:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/12/icc-panels-2-geist-qa-part-2/

ICC Panels #2 - Geist Q&A Part 2

Attendees: Jeff Kramer (AMST Geist), Eddy Webb (developer of Geist products), Ryan Hart (AAMST World), Amanda Spika (GPL Underworld), James Foster (AAMST Rules)

The Geist Q&A was primarily centered around how the Geist game will be implemented in the Camarilla chronicle, but there's some bits in there about the development of the game, and a lot of talk about the basics of how the game works. Note: The audience did not have access to a microphone, so their questions might be hard to hear. The panel ran over an hour and a half long, so I've broken it up into three parts.

ICC Panels #1 - Geist Q&A Part 1

eddyfate — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:46:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/11/icc-panels-1-geist-qa-part-1/

Starting this week, I'm going to be posting audio recordings of the ICC panels that I was involved with (minus the Werewolf/Mage panel, as that was videotaped and should be up on YouTube soon). They're all pretty long, so each of the three panels will be broken up into multiple parts.

ICC Panels #1 - Geist Q&A Part 1

Attendees: Jeff Kramer (AMST Geist), Eddy Webb (developer of Geist products), Ryan Hart (AAMST World), Amanda Spika (GPL Underworld), James Foster (AAMST Rules)

The Geist Q&A was primarily centered around how the Geist game will be implemented in the Camarilla chronicle, but there's some bits in there about the development of the game, and a lot of talk about the basics of how the game works. The audience did not have access to a microphone, so their questions might be hard to hear. The panel rant over an hour and a half long, so I've broken it up into three parts.

Episode #024 - Preparation H

eddyfate — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:56:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/11/02/episode-024-preparation-h/

Episode #024 - Preparation H

Today's Topic: Preparing for games.

Listener Mail: Some "thank you" letters.

CCP Culture: ICC was a blast.

Wrap-Up

Link:

Darker Days -- http://www.darkerdays.tk/ (Episode 13 is the one I'm referring to in this episode.)

Behind the Lines: Edutainment (#50)

EthanSkemp — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:15:00 GMT

Again, it's been a while. Sorry about that; one of my biggest concerns re: this blog is repeating myself too much. I've already been over a lot of topics, from how games get made to policies on obscenity to just random blather. So it gets a bit tricky making certain I always have something relevant to talk about. I mean, I could always just fill this space with monkey antics to entertain, but that's not particularly what anyone who stops by here is looking for, I reckon. And I appreciate the higher standard, even if I'm sometimes flummoxed by it.

It's a standard we like to hold to in our books, as well. I don't think any developer who's ever been at the company has ever wanted to just plain throw out something entertaining without engaging some higher function of the brain. Most writers don't want to, either. The line may vary a lot from place to place, of course; sometimes you believe so strongly in something you want to beat your readers about the head and shoulders until they take a serious look at what you're saying, and sometimes you aren't really trying to reach an audience save that you let what you believe inform your writing. I admit I'm not one of the most passionate evangelists in game writing, at least compared to some of my co-workers past and present. But even I think that every game book should have some sort of intrinsic value above and beyond entertainment.

It's probably because of the word "book." Technically, we might be writing supplements... but they're also books. They're sold at bookstores. And ever since I was small, I reacted to the idea of a stack of books as repositories of knowledge. This proved to be not universally true, but there's always something to be learned from even the crappiest and least imaginative romance novel (even if that's "someone actually thinks of this as romantic, and perhaps for unhealthy reasons"). That said, the crappy novel, romance or not, is a terribly low standard. We like to have higher standards than that.

Now, the cold reality is that you're not paying us to offer random lessons on whatever we think is important to date. Hence, why we don't want to evangelize or get too textbook on you. It can distract from the things you're paying for, and to be honest, we aren't experts on many of the things we might like to talk about when compared to some of our readers. (Sometimes our lack of knowledge is grievously embarrassing, but I like to tell myself that we're much better than our previous low points.) That said, you never know just what any given reader might or might not be familiar with, so you throw out some fragments of information anyway. At the very very least, we've introduced new words into a lot of vocabularies. A lot more people can use the word "obfuscate" correctly in a sentence these days, for instance! At the most, we've had successes like Charnel Houses of Europe: The Shoah, which said a lot of things that needed to be heard by as many people as possible. And hopefully people have noted the places where we've tweaked history for the purposes of making the supernatural resonate a bit more, and not taken them at face value... and if we just plain got it wrong, we apologize.

But the World of Darkness is a good place to get some education with your entertainment. Check out the recommended sources lists in games. Watch some Cities of the Underworld to learn more about how cities are built and put that knowledge directly to use with your Geist chronicle. Drop some of your favorite real-world history into the background of your favorite vampire. One of the biggest advantages of the World of Darkness as a setting is that it's basically like our own -- and you can't help but learn more about our own world to make things feel more authentic there.

There's piles of things I didn't know about before I read about them in World of Darkness books, or started researching some of them for writing purposes. How about you? Anything stand out as even just inspiration to go learn more?

The Solar Deliberative: Twice in One Day

Bodhisattva — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:25:00 GMT

I realized I've been a bit lax in presenting you with this month's Custom Content, so I hope you'll accept, by way of apology, the following materials for your enjoyment...

See the article if you can't see it here. ...(read more)

The Solar Deliberative: From the Community

Bodhisattva — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:08:00 GMT

I recently received this letter, which I shall share with you now.

An Open Letter to the Fan Community, By Melissa Xavier (JiveX)

I love you. All of you. Even you Hekatonkhire with your unflagging skepticism and dour demeanor, and Plague, whose arguments are always just biting enough to annoy me and just correct enough to make me aware that I'm wrong. You fill my long days in the editing lab (I'm a film student / part-time editor when I'm not fighting crime, running campaigns, and posting on the forums) with entertaining and distracting, if sometimes frustrating discourse. For the last year that I've posted on these boards I've only once or twice ever seriously found myself annoyed to the point of disinterest in the goings on of the forums. Generally, this is a good place to be. It is a place of lively discussion, clever debate and creativity.

Recently, and perhaps it’s just me feeling crotchety and nostalgic for the 'good-ol-months' I've begun to wonder if some of the old gusto hasn't gone out of things. Where once you couldn't go a day or two without someone posting New Yozi charms, a new take on this, a description of the Lotus Crusade making landfall, or a hypothetical third circle demon, now you see eight to nine threads about 'fixing' the same hypothetical problems. This was always present, there were always people who would post new VAP or BoTBM's for your enjoyment, sometimes they were good (rarely) and sometimes they were awful, but they did not represent the majority of the content being discussed on the forums. Those threads that are not seeking spoilers or "word of god" answers from the freelancers are discussing the relative power of two randomly selected entities with rabid fervor. Threads that ask tentative exploratory questions ("Can you do this," "What's it like here" etc..) are met with scorn or disinterest. Where once we had an 8 page thread on the clothing styles of creation, now we have a 23 page thread on which deathlord could kick ligier's ass. Where once we had volumes of fan created charms, character artifacts etc being posted on the forums, now we have no fewer than 4 concurrent threads all trying to 'fix' the solar anima.

Cool contests like the hill crushing hero, charm of the month, artifact of the month, etc on the wiki go ignored despite the best efforts of people like Bodhisattva who really do try to incentivize fan creativity.

Its not that one is right and one is wrong, but, upon reading another thread today I began to wonder if in our new found zeal for mechanical tweaking we may have let contributing to the setting and to the general, rich, and living world that is 'exalted' fall by the wayside. I know people have their pet projects they work on when their bored, I've heard them discussed. For instance there was a cool attempt to port elements of the Cthulu mythos (as much as I personally HATE HP Lovecraft) to the setting, there are the numerous contributions from fans like friv yeti and plague of hats and Reminiscent Oasis that I would love to see get some more attention. I feel like these people, these profoundly creative people, don't bother with the forums anymore because they don't see them as being worthwhile. And maybe I'm imagining this, maybe I'm using this little window I have to address people as a soapbox to give voice to a problem only I perceive, and if that's so fine.

The Fact remains that, to all those who do work to add new and fun content to the setting and feel like they aren't receiving enough feedback to make posting worth the hassle, I'm watching, I'm reading, and, hell, I'm even willing to help/give feedback if you like. I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting material and, if for some reason I miss it, shoot me a PM and I'll be sure to give it a look.

I encourage others to similarly try to encourage and take a look at new material; I assure you whatever you have to say about it, it will at least be something new being said about something, rather than a rehashed and repeated argument about the failings of Void Avatar Prana.

Thanks for reading. And I hope to enjoy all of your company for another year full of fun, argumentation, and maybe pie.

All the best,

JiveX

The Solar Deliberative: Build-A-Bear? Well, not quite...

Bodhisattva — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:22:00 GMT

Much in the same vein as the Hill-Crushing Hero contest mentioned a while back in this blog (the voting is still going on here), the idea of this month's contest is to design your favorite canonical Lunar Exalt that never got a write-up in second edition. Yeah, I know this comes shortly before the release of the Scroll of Exalts, but there are Exalts that we never really get a good write-up of in second edition. The Lunars on the following list are valid candidates for write ups and you can submit as many different Lunars as you like (no submitting the same Lunar twice). Remember, theme is important, so don't just try to build the biggest powerhouse you can! Entries must have a Starting Character (0XP) build and a finished character (any XP you want) build to be accepted. The winner will receive the chance to have an article of their own published in this blog. So, get out there and give it your best shot!

List of potential Lunars (if you can find others that aren't on this list, by all means, propose them or just write them up!):
Kajeha Lef (MoEP: Lunars, p. 96), Mnalif Nganto (Blood & Salt, p. 106), Strength of Many (MoEP: Lunars, p. 53), Arr-D'gado (Kingdom of Halta, pp. 53-55), Red Jaws (MoEP: Lunars, p. 115), Tagar Frostbreath (Bastions of the North, p. 112), Ten Stripes (MoEP: Lunars, p. 58), Anja Silverclaws (MoEP: Lunars, p. 117), Gerd Marrow-Eater (Bastions of the North, p. 111), the Last Hunter of Xaal (Kingdom of Halta, pp. 55-56), Light Sinks Deep (Caste Book: Zenith, p. 56), Rain Deathflyer (MoEP: Lunars, p. 55), Silver Python (MoEP: Lunars, p. 55), Celebrated Serpent (Lands of Creation, p. 100), Den'Rahin (Bastions of the North, pp. 11-17), Echinna (MoEP: Lunars, p. 205), Elcithe Avalanche-Dancer (MoEP: Lunars, p. 80), Faithful Pia (Cult of the Illuminated, p. 120), Flintbreak Nightengale (MoEP: Lunars, p. 80), Flourish Deathcry (Caste Book: Dawn, pp. 59-60), Grandfather Frost (Caste Book: Eclipse, pp. 57-58), Heysha Black Asp (MoEP: Lunars, pp. 124-125), Howling Talon (Caste Book: Eclipse, p. 95), Ka-Koshu, Kambaka, Madame Vert (MoEP: Lunars, p. 119), Merian Whitecrow (MoEP: Lunars, p. 80), Muan, Raiton (Caste Book: Zenith, p. 56), Sleeves of War (Exalted: The Dragon-Blooded, p. 15), Smaragdine Serpent-Eye (Caste Book: Twilight, p. 58), Stone Bear (Caste Book: Night, p. 55), Swift Pinions, Swims in Shadows, Tekia-Blue Water, Thorn Moon and Sun (Caste Book: Eclipse, p. 96), Toro, Uka the Boar (MoEP: Lunars, p. 29), and White Leopard Goddess (Caste Book: Twilight, p. 96).

Those 39 Lunars should get you started. I don't have references for all of these Exalts, but if you know where to locate them, posting that information here would be appreciated. Entries must be received on or before Thursday, November 12 at 11:59PM ET.

Episode #023 - I've Been Framed!

eddyfate — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:46:00 GMT

http://eddyfate.podbean.com/2009/10/12/episode-023-ive-been-framed/

Episode #023 - I've Been Framed!

* Storytelling Advice: The Pitch/The Frame

* Listener Mail: EVE Stuff

* CCP Culture: Moving Around, and "Harden The Fuck Up"

* Wrap-Up: Oral Surgery, but some upcoming podcasts, so stay tuned.

* Sneaky Post-Credits Bit: Sample from "Harden The Fuck Up"

"Harden The Fuck Up" now on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=335347500&s=143441

The Solar Deliberative: Wrapping Up the Hill-Crushing Hero [Voting]!

Bodhisattva — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:37:00 GMT

I'm a bit late on this, actually, as the contest closed down on the 10th, but I was at Baltimore Comic Con (which was fantastic—if you didn't go, you should have), so I didn't get around to posting this, or the Hill-Crushing Hero that was sent to me via e-mail on the evening of the 10th. Since I didn't specify a closing time, I accepted up until midnight, and the last one cut it to the wire, which gives you five Hill-Crushing Heroes to vote on as your favorite! Please cast your vote for only one Hill-Crushing Hero here in this journal; I'll be taking votes until the 24th, so you've got nearly two weeks to vote.

Here are the contestants!

Please check them out (I linked them out of courtesy to our LiveJournal readers) and vote on only one entry to win! If you're not sure how to vote, just leave a comment here.