Game is currently at a minimum rate of 1 post every other day, per thread. I'll try to go faster than that whenever I can. :)

Let us know on the OOC thread that you will be absent for a time for RL obligations, illness, etc. If given enough prior knowledge, I'll either control your character in the meantime or find some reason for them to be away from the main group (whichever you prefer.)

Posts should be made in third person present, because I like to post what characters are doing as they're doing it, not tell a story of what they already did. I'd prefer us to be consistent, so if you prefer another tense, be willing to adjust... or find another game!

Try to post more than one-liners. I won't be so strict that I'll say you can NEVER post them, but generally I'd like to see more effort to write descriptive passages along with your dialogue. My Storytelling style tends to be on the descriptive side, so reciprocating lets me know you're into the story and into your character, too!

Here are descriptions of important OOC threads, so you know what to read or post in.

Storyteller Notices

Announcements - link to a message in this game
Gamewide announcements from the ST (me!)

Cast and Crew - link to a message in this game
Names of the main cast and crew of the Cobalt Alliance.

Experience / Training Time - link to a message in this game
Lists each PC's experience total and available training time. Also an explanation of game 'phases'.

Request to Join - link to a message in this game
For new players, details the RTJ and Character Sheet info I expect to be submitted.

Rules for Play - link to a message in this game
Posting rules I expect to be followed, as well as my Exalted 2nd edition houserules.

The Story So Far - link to a message in this game
An introduction to Outcastes on the Open Sea and the Cobalt Alliance, as well as thread summaries.

Player Notices

Shared Backgrounds - link to a message in this game
For players to list equipment, followers or property that they are offering for communal use for all PCs.

Player OOC Threads

OOC - Game Talk - link to a message in this game
For players to chat about topics pertaining to Outcastes on the Open Sea and their characters.

OOC - Real Life - link to a message in this game
For players to chat about RL topics (including telling us when you'll be absent and unable to post for a while.)

OOC - Other Games - link to a message in this game
For players to advertise other games (RPoL or otherwise) they run or play.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:41, Tue 13 July 2010.

You may potentially use the following books to pull rules and setting information from.
- Exalted 2nd Edition (corebook, also for Half-Solars)
- Manual of Exalted Power: The Dragon-Blooded
- Manual of Exalted Power: The Lunars (for Half-Lunars and Mutations only!)
- Manual of Exalted Power: The Sidereals (for Half-Sidereals only!)
- Manual of Exalted Power: The Infernals* (for Demon-Blooded only!)
- All Compass of Celestial Directions*
- All Compass of Terrestrial Directions
- All Books of Sorcery (Vol. 4 includes potential God-Blooded parents, Vol 5. includes Arcanoi and potential Demon-blood parents)
- Scroll of the Monk and The Imperfect Lotus
- Scroll of Kings (ships, siege engines and other items of war!)
- Scroll of Heroes (character creation for all Half-Blood types)
- Graceful Wicked Masques (for Fae-Blooded only!)

Of course, you shouldn't always assume that because you read about it, you know about it IC. Generally, what your character knows should depend on the regions they were born, grew up and/or traveled through. So the more you describe of that in your Character Bio, the more I will be able to determine what you implicitly know. I will ask Lore rolls for any knowledge I believe your character would not reasonably be aware of.

* Certain artifacts and other items of power described in the MoEP: Infernals and CoCD books may require approval from me, so keep that in mind.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:28, Mon 07 Sept 2009.

Unless you state you want me to roll for you, you will be making most of the die rolls for your character's actions. I will be keeping tabs on your various expenditures, but you should also track it yourself; I'll only inform you if my count shows you're overstepping your bounds.

Whenever you make a post that requires a roll, make an embedded PM in that post to me that notes any Charms (including their cost), temporary Willpower or temporary Virtue points you may have used in conjunction with the roll. If you decide to make the roll yourself, also paste the result of your roll into the PM. Otherwise I will roll for you and post the result in my next Storyteller post.

If you don't know the proper Attribute + Ability combination you should be rolling, you can ask OOC. Generally, though, I will let you know beforehand what you need to roll.

If you're using a Charm that doesn't require a roll, then just note the Charm name and its cost in your embedded PM.

To speed up the game, I will be the sole arbiter for Stunts. If you want me to judge a post as a Stunt, let me know through a PM in that post. Just write something like "Stunt dice?" and don't forget to note any Charms, temporary WP and/or Virtues you want to use for the associated dice roll. Then I will judge the post and make your roll for you with the added Stunt dice (if any), posting the result in my next Storyteller post. I will also ask whether you will regain Essence or Willpower through the Stunt.

Training time is a pain. So what can we do about it?

First of all, disregard the rule that the standard training times (i.e. in the corebook, p. 274) only apply if you have a tutor.

If you DO have a tutor (either a fellow PC or a Mentor), you can instead halve the normal training times. The tutor must spend the full training time with you, though, so if it's a PC, you both must have 8 hours a day / 6 days a week to spend on training. However! This also means that if you have a PC tutor, but can only spend a minimum 4 hours a day / 3 days a week on training, the tutor bonus and the time penalty cancel out so you pay normal training times.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:44, Mon 13 Oct 2008.

If you are a Dragon-Blooded that knows Celestial Martial Arts, you must seek out a sifu knowledgable in your Art during the course of the game in order to continue your training in it. Buying a Mentor 4+ at chargen *guarantees* that you will have a sifu to go to. However, that doesn't mean you may never run into potential Mentors throughout the course of the game, which you could converse with and convince to take you on as a student.

For Terrestrial Martial Arts, you only need a Mentor (or a PC tutor) to help you learn the first few charms of the Style. Once you've learned the Form you can train the rest without aid.

For Terrestrial Circle Sorcery, you need to have been initiated in TCS (knowing Sorcery at chargen counts as initiation) before you can learn a spell. Along with having the needed training time, one of the below must also be true:

- Spell Research: You've spent the equivelant of a day of training time in a library of sorcerous knowledge researching an existing Terrestrial spell you wish to learn. (This is different than actually creating a *new* spell during the course of the game. If anyone ever wants to, we'll figure out those rules as we go.)
- Spell Identification: Someone else you've observed, whether a PC or an enemy, casts a Terrestrial spell and you succeed at an Intelligence+Occult roll of difficulty 3 to identify it. Identifying a spell counts as a miscellaneous action (full or partial concentration on the task is your choice).
- Existing Notation: You already possess a scroll or book denoting the rituals and symbols required in casting the spell.

I am using the Speed rule below from Conrad Hubbard:

Minimum Speed - Speed may not be reduced below 3. For each point that an effect would have reduced Speed below 3, the user instead gains +1 Rate.

This applies to Artifacts with a Repair rating (usually stuff you'll get out of Wonders of the Lost Age):

If you have the necessary Craft (Magitech) equal to Repair rating, and Resources equal to Repair rating (this is so you've got the spare parts you need), I'll assume you automatically just do maintenance as you go. Otherwise may need to ask people for help on it, get Ally (probably worth 2 dot at least) who can help, etc.

Serious repair, as in fixing damaged Artifacts, will take longer. I'll say it's an extended task with total difficulty of Repair rating squared, and a 1 week interval. You'll also need to pay (not just have) Resources equal to Repair rating for parts needed, or otherwise acquire them somehow. Getting the parts and actually getting the repairs done is something you'll have to do during the course of the game.

I may also rule that a big enough Repair job will require a team rather than just a suitable craftsperson or two. That will be at my discretion.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:29, Sun 19 Oct 2008.

I like RP to come first before using dice and DVs to arbitrate social conflict.

I will *only* initiate social combat if a character is using a supernatural form of persuasion, or if what the 'attacker' wants to do would normally be refused outright by the social opponent.

However -- unless supernatural methods are involved -- even if the PC succeeds at 'winning' the social conflict, the opponent may still disagree, refuse to comply, etc. in a future scene if I feel it is appropriate. Especially if it's in line with their motivations or intimacies to do so.

This is also true for players of a PC at the losing end of social combat. I don't want to make you play contrary to what you think your character would do, unless a Charm or Spell or other such power made you do it. :P Even so, I wouldn't make such a compulsion long term if it ends up ruining the player's fun. So I would proceed with caution putting compulsions on PCs, and give opportunity for them to break out of it (possibly with their companions' aid).

I tend to dislike PC vs. PC conflict.

That said... I won't refuse to let it happen if there's some RP reason for it, and both players are willing to go through with it.

Same with social PvP. I don't want to see PCs tossing supernatural compulsions on each others' characters without the players actually coming to an agreement OOC that they're fine with it -- whatever the result. But again, if the social conflict can be resolved purely through RP, I'd prefer it be done so.

(BTW, no one in this game actually inspired me to write this post and the last one. Just stuff I thought should be clarified.)

The default language that's assumed to be 'common' among the PCs is Seatongue.

If you are speaking any other language you'll need to specify that in your posts.

This is something I'm trying in my Academy game and would also like to try here. From now on, please paste the following block in a PM in every combat post, with all the information filled out. The PM should be visible to GM. Don't forget to use the <tt> .. </tt> tags around the block to retain the spacing.

---

JOIN BATTLE: --                     MOVE: --   DASH: --   JUMP: --
ATTACK (weapon1): Speed -, Accuracy --, Damage --, Parry DV --, Rate -
ATTACK (weapon2): Speed -, Accuracy --, Damage --, Parry DV --, Rate -
DODGE DV: --    SOAK: --L/--B/--A   HEALTH LEVELS: -0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incap
DODGE MDV: --   PARRY MDV: --       WILLPOWER: Current/Max
VIRTUES: Compassion -/-, Conviction -/-, Temperance -/-, Valor -/-
PERSONAL ESSENCE: Current/Max       PERIPHERAL ESSENCE: Current/Max
CHARMS IN EFFECT: (list charms)

NEXT ACTION: (briefly describe action - OOC)
(paste relevant rolls in order)

---

I recommend you fill in every value you can in the template pre-battle and store it in your scratch pad or character sheet. Here are some helpful formulas.

Join Battle = (Wits + Awareness)
Move = (Dexterity) yards/tick
Dash = (Dexterity + 6) yards/tick
Jump = (Strength + Athletics) yards vertical, double this for horizontal
Attack Accuracy = (Dexterity + Ability used with weapon + Specialty if applicable + Weapon Accuracy)
Attack Damage = (Strength + Weapon Damage)
Dodge DV = (Dexterity + Dodge + Specialty if applicable + Permanent Essence) / 2, rounded up
Parry DV = (Dexterity + Ability used with weapon + Specialty if applicable + Weapon Defense) / 2, rounded up
Dodge MDV = (Willpower + Integrity + Specialty if applicable + Essence) / 2, rounded down
Parry MDV = (Charisma or Manipulation + Social Ability + Specialty if applicable) / 2, rounded up

Please note that your post should match the social ability you use for Parry MDV when you are describing an active social defense. For example if you use Performance as social defense, your post should be describing that defense in the context of a performance art.

As for specific Attack (weapon) and Soak values, these depend on the stats of your weapon(s) and armor, as well as charms in effect. Look up those stats in your Exalted book(s).

Don't forget to add natural soak into your soak value. Natural soak is (Stamina) Bashing and (Stamina/2, rounded down) for Lethal.