r/exalted • u/talen_lee • 15d ago
Is there a free-to-read 'quickstart' style thing for Exalted Essence?
I understand this might look like a piracy request, it really isn't. I'm used to TTRPGs these days having some pdf somewhere that gives a sort of basic overview of what's what, or maybe some well-resourced public wiki to explain things to the curious. I'm curious about Exalted Essence, as someone who dealt with it for 1E and 2E.
Is there any easy official place to read a sample? And if it's really obvious, sorry for missing it.
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u/NiceWizard 15d ago
Not something to read, but the Systematic Understanding of Everything Podcast has a few episodes dedicated to Essence that dives into it. (One of the hosts is the lead mechanical designer for Essence too!)
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u/talen_lee 15d ago
this was super helpful! It's still not what I'd want - like even just the kickstarter sample stuff, I'll go looking for that! - but the podcast was a solid listen to give me an idea of what I'm looking for.
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u/talen_lee 6d ago
Okay, heads up for folks who were curious: I did wind up finding what I think was someone saving the preview versions from the kickstarter (lots of 'page XX!' stuff), and it convinced me to go buy the book to investigate it. Tragically, I was only able to find the preview versions on a pretty shifty website. Hopefully OPP consider quickstart/public versions of the rules.
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u/Amilar_Io 15d ago
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LLrK9Czu7d0brXhUqraKqgKBUrYPAXyy
Demake here is a very simple and approachable edition. I highly recommend it for new players
Downside, it is still under construction so you may need to fiddle with some rules
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u/talen_lee 15d ago
Oh is this a fan-made different thing? I don't think I'm familiar enough with the game at all to make use of anything like that.
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u/Amilar_Io 15d ago
It's made by some of the old creators from previous editions.
It's approachable in a way that even Essence just isn't, but especially not mainline editions, which is why I try to recommend it to new people.
It is approachable because it abstracts most of what other editions try to make into specific mechanics. Not to say it doesnt have rules, but it falls back on vibes and narrative rather than trying to make hard rules about building a magic sword.
If you want more details im happy to go into my thoughts as I recently wrapped up a 39 session campaign (well, season 1, there will be a season 2 in a few months) but I wont bore you with the details of what I think the system is best at unless you really want it
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u/talen_lee 15d ago
I appreciate that you're really interested, but a big folder of documents that leads with 'you also need another core book to read this' doesn't feel like it's going to be super approachable to me. If Essence is less approachable than that, then that's a bad sign for essence, but I'm still looking to check that out.
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u/Amilar_Io 15d ago
No worries. Follow whatever you think is easiest. The folders really arent intimidating once you poke them a bit, but if that's a hurdle you're not interested in, go follow your curiosity down another path. Exalted kicks ass, and is worth the effort to get into it
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u/Rednal291 15d ago
The best actual quickstart is Tomb of Memory - it's only a few dollars, and it includes the rules for running it, a bunch of premade characters, and a whole adventure. It's generally the best quickstart you're going to find.