(no subject)

Brrr. Cold outside, though that's all relative, I suppose. I'd personally like to see warmth enough to melt the roads clear, but what can you do?

Life continues along. I've got slow preparations underway for going to Estrella War in about four weeks. I need to pull my my tent and check it over, though. It's strange to think, but this'll be the first time I've been camping out since I've moved. This becomes more apparent when I start realizing things like "I don't own a sleeping bag," though that particular detail was remedied at Christmas. I always had the benefit of access to outdoorsy parents' gear.

Still comparing Guild Wars and WoW... slowly. I actually haven't had the chance to play much of either lately as it seems I'm either busy with other things or wiped.


Our online Exalted game has been summed up reasonably already: http://kyn-elwynn.livejournal.com/73540.html?#cutid1

Overall, it's going well and everyone seems to be enjoying. There have been some minor technical details in that we all still have varying degrees of learning to do with the rules. Making Combos and sorting through charms reminds me of Magic:tG timing rules - which appeals to a part of my brain, but simultaneously makes me groan at the complexities.

The stunting system in the rules always makes me twitch internally as it actively encourages descriptive details not only of a character's action, but of the result... before dice are rolled. Combat is taking some getting used to - our first wounded one and nearly killed another character in the group due to a lack of maintaining and using our defenses. I think we're learning lessons from each engagement (we paused in the last session in the middle of our second full combat - third if you count a fight that only included a couple people and only briefly). There are definitely threats you must cover your ass agains and threats you can simply go to town on and obliterate in mass. We just have to discern which is which a bit faster.

I play Alexandra, an Eclipse-caste Solar Exalt. Eclipses tend to be the travelers, diplomats, and bureaucrats of their kind. Looking at her sheet, however, it'd be easy for one to see the sorcery, spells, and (now) medicine charms and mark her as Twilight caste, as that's more their thing. I like to think she's shown her true colors, though, in an overwhelming tendency to talk before resorting to violence.

Her first real trial was in dealing with a local forest spirit. He was the sort, by nature, who rules by force and intimidation. After a great deal of dismay and doubt (and learning how even the best Social Combat roll can be negated by use of temporary Willpower points), she was able to reason with him on her second attempt, driving home the point that she (as a representative of the divinely-chosen rules of Creation) would be a better ally than enemy. So a reasonable victory for the character trying to rebuild the old order, which had the Solars in charge.

Alas, her biggest obstacle to overcome is ongoing: conflict between group members. She doesn't get to just smack sense into people. *lesigh* That'd be so much easier. ;)

Alexi's fun in general. It's limiting sometimes, but I enjoy playing a character marked by high compassion (literally, as it's a measured virtue in the system). It makes things difficult when trying to sneak or blend in and there's cruelty going on, but it makes any victories for the benefit of others feel particularly sweet. Having gained her near-immortality young, I find her tendency to talk first and take charge when she can is grounded in a need to prove herself.

That's particularly true in her dealing with Naga, a seemingly-spoiled Sidereal Exalt who seemes to be close to her age but actually has several years on her. As she was instructed to teach him, she's constantly to be more "adult" - which isn't hard next to his complaints about a lack of comfort when caravaning. Of course, when your "student" can do things that boggle your mind, actually maintaining an air of being his teacher is a bit more difficult.

But that's enough for now. More ponderances and details later, perhaps.