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Wag
 
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From time to time I muse about the possibilities of running a LRP version of Exalted. For those who don't know it, Exalted is a ridiculously high-powered fantasy setting where the players take the role of demigods reborn into an Age Of Sorrows And Battle In a World GONE MAD!!! (you get the idea.)
Now, as I see it, there are a number of major pros and cons to Exalted as a LRP setting.
Pros:
- Being hit with a 5 foot long sword and not being hurt (or even knocked about much) is not that uncommon in Exalted, thus making latex weapon fights almost make sense.
- A very heavy emphasis on personal heroism, and a definite slant towards dramatic emphasis rather than realism. Linear adventures, for example, fit the Exalted mood perfectly.
- A straightforward set of character types with a broad range of abilities.
- Plenty of room for impressive costumes and props.
- Plenty of scope for ridiculously huge fights.
Cons:
- Many of the standard tropes are virtually impossible to physrep properly. Most notably Anima Banners (massive glowing displays around a character using lots of magical abilities) and Warstriders (12 foot tall armour suits) are all basically impossible to physrep properly.
- Many of the magical abilities do not really fit an action-LRP context (although they might work in a Mind's Eye style non-contact game). Examples include the various Socialize Charms. Others are just out of context for a LRP full stop (such as Sailing and Riding Charms).
- The different kinds of Exalted have notably different power levels. In particular Solars and Abyssals are more powerful than most other Exalted, and Dragon Bloods are way weaker than all the others.
Another issue is what kind of game it should be. My immediate impression is that it's a natural fit for the style used in Hyborian Tales; a tavern night (or similar meet premise for the Exalted, whatever that would be) interspersed with high-intensity (if less physically gruelling) linears.
So, it'd have to be cut down. Still, it would be a cool idea. Besides anything else, I'd just like to see a LRP-safe orichalcum Grand Daiklaive 
PD - Brother Farael of the Ordo Dictum Dominus
EOS - Some Raggard Scum, previously Some Arimin Scum
6P - System creator (now retired), Andrei Treune of Clan Suner (for the moment)
RL - Will Robinson
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Prodigal
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Rip out the totally unphysreppable abilities (anything that hangs off Awareness springs to mind, as are most of the various 'I act faster than I do' and 'I perform extreme acts of Athletics', and depending on how important downtime is, the travel stuff is likely to be less important too) and hugely nerf the social abilities (simply having them not work on PCs, or less PC-glow-ly having them not work on Exalted, would make them workable without them destroying important bits of LRP).
There are many cool technological solutions to anima banners (from 'carry a variety of headdresses/costume accessories and stick them on as you start flaring' through 'wear a rig of LEDs and turn some more on each time you go up a flaring level' to 'actual rescue flares or similar to display iconic animas going off to the whole site').
What I'd probably start with to LRPify Exalted would be a list of cool supernatural powers that I was confident I could support and physrep in system. Then I would start seeing what Abilities were lacking in things, try and think of some more for them, and drop/merge them if I couldn't. Then I'd prepare charm lists from the list of powers (lower-level powers possibly being assigned to 'having a high score in the ability means you can do this').
I'd probably simplify the stats system down to two or three dots per thing rather than 5 (because there wouldn't be much distinction between the levels otherwise, for most things).
...now I want to write this system  .
(I'd probably do it for Dragon-Blooded to start with, where the higher-powered Exalted could be uber-powered NPCs which don't need such a firm and consistant system as PCs, just for ease of conversion. I think it could also work with Celestial Exalted Only PCs or with a mix of PCs but Dragon-Blooded getting lots of actually useful political/economic capital, or a better range/depth of powers due to being older, that the recently Exalted and generally reviled others couldn't easily match within the game's scope.)
Maelstrom: Jessily the Wemic, previously Tourmaline of Weaver
CUTT: Kerriville the Ninth, previously Ref 07/08
EOS: Study the Venin
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Heroic Knight
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| A few thoughts on the matter: - I'm not convinced that Dragon blooded are so much weaker in comparison, they're just different. My husband recently demonstrated that an experienced, intelligent and combat-orientated Earth (100 XP) could have a good go at kicking the arse of most of the Celestial party we play in at the same XP level. Don't underestimate the stupidly overpoweredness of 5 point artifact armour  Besides, does it matter? If players know that by choosing to play a god-blooded, dragon blood, whatever they're not likely to get as powerful a character then that's their call - I think you'd find some people would choose the roleplay potential even if it gives them less power stat-wise.
- I've seen 12 foot power armour at sci fi games. Its not impossible, just a lot of work, but you may well not want many people to have such powerful artifacts anyway.
- I'd strip down a lot of the charm trees and work out which could be phys repped, which could be done via calls, and which can't or shouldn't be done. Some social charms can be done by having MDV as being a number of calls of "negate" and so without negating you have to roleplay the emotional/social manipulation that's being done to you.
- Think long and hard before putting in lunars. While I love them as a character class, shape shifting in larp often causes difficulty.
- While exalted characters can weild a 7 foot direlance one-handed, I don't know many larpers who can. You might have to tone down the weapons choice.
I'd do it as you suggest, as a mix of social and linears. That also gives more options for people who want to play weaker or more/less social characters, since you could vary the linear power levels and give people the option of monstering the ones they'd find too hard or too easy, with the tavern nights being a mix to let people PvP to their little heart's desire.
- ---------------------
- LT - Captain Iolanthe Swan
- Riftworld - Jenna Neraid, Clan Sceptre
- Brighton Below - Drizzle
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Wag
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We'd have to ditch Stunts too, which is a real shame as they're one of the very best things about the tabletop game.
As regards Animas, I'd prefer ditching them to putting in a half-hearted replacement like headresses or similar. If we want to do the really big Essence releases, we can do that during large-scale Sorcery. (Which now I think of it might be a pain to organise, given that you can do huge things in a couple of rounds in Exalted.)
As regards Dragon-Bloods... I did consider that, but the idea of playing a Solar or Lunar is just too damn cool I think you'll agree. Not sure how we'd do Bright Shining Caste Marks, mind.
PD - Brother Farael of the Ordo Dictum Dominus
EOS - Some Raggard Scum, previously Some Arimin Scum
6P - System creator (now retired), Andrei Treune of Clan Suner (for the moment)
RL - Will Robinson
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Prodigal
Group: System Moderators
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Stunts would work fine in a small-party-linear based system. The OOC ref assigned to keep the party happy would randomly award them some essence/willpower regen when they did something they thought was cool.
Caste marks can be done easily and quickly with some kind of sponge / cut potato with wash-off facepaints - different colours for different 'brightnesses'. Otherwise we're back to the headdress thing (hang some LEDs from a tiara in a pattern).
Maelstrom: Jessily the Wemic, previously Tourmaline of Weaver
CUTT: Kerriville the Ninth, previously Ref 07/08
EOS: Study the Venin
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