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Wrote in the true spirit of procrastinating against the Deadline.

I realise I've nicked quite a few ideas here from other people, mainly from long conversations with TI and NT so I should probably point out that this stuff is by no means original, however I thought I should probably write it down so I can get it out of my head and got on with some work. Feel free to claim credit for the ideas where appropriate or remove the entire page if you object too strongly.

It's an idea for a role-playing game. Yes, another Exalted role-playing game, quite a few of them already but like I said, I'm not being totally original here. This one is a Dragon-Blooded school-yard setting, well initially anyway. The campaign follows the standard Cambridge term cycle for simplicity.

The Setting: The campaign should take place before the usual setting for Exalted, this time in ~R.Y. 300. The Scarlet Empress is on the throne, the Realm is slowly expanding and recovering from the contagion, civilisation is picking its feet up and the Dragon-Bloods are the undisputed princes of Creation. There are only a few thousand Dragon-Blooded dynasts, of which only a few hundred are in secondry school. The PCs play the children, grandchildren or great grandchildren of the Empress, they're pretty high up in things.

In order to simulate how high up people are I'd probably draw a family tree and a list who runs what. Players can then slot their character into the tree as they like. I'd also make a few quick lists of important political positions in the Realm and fill them. This would require updates between terms but would be an effective way of telling the atory as it progresses. It also helps with the NPC lists for contacts and friends.

There would be a reduced set of Houses with a few different ones thrown in for flavour, ones that didn't survive histroy and such.

Michaelmas


Play begins with the Characters starting secondary school. They are begining their first term at the newly opened 5th secondry school in the Realm, the House of <insert name here> There are approximatly 20 students studying in the school at any one time and about 5 Dragon-Blooded tutors. The PCs are the entire intake for the year.

The House of <insert name here> is a different school to the others, believing in a rounded education and syllabus; each tutor is both a master in his or her chosen profession but an all-round mentor in other subjects; the students are expected to become likewise. Grand Master KarJak? is the head of the school and a master of several different arts.

Starting characters in Michaelmas would be very low power, no charms, few skills and attributes. They're newly exalted Dragon-Bloods after all. Plus they have all the angst of a 16-year old prince of the Earth, no way in hell am I giving them magic powers.

The Structure in Michaelmas would be epidosic; every few sessions would be an adventure in a year of the school, not necessarily one adventure per year or one year per session, but several different stories charting the PCs' progression through the school to adulthood. XP would be handled specially; characters would be able to focus on which courses they wanted to during downtime, but options would be limited.

Lent


The PCs are adults now and many decades have passed. Players create new characters based on the old ones but have freedom to swap around stuff to reflect that they have changed since leaving school. During the Xmas break the players are given a list of the events which have passed and asked to detail to what extent their characters have been involved. The power lists also change somewhat but certain people are still there. The players are now definitely one at least one power list.

A standard campaign happens in this term, possibly two stories seperated by a few years but definitely more cohesive than Michaelmas, Arc-plot from Michaelmas becomes apparent.

Easter


The Characters have served their time to the empire and have retired. And all that retirement entails. New characters, new power lists (the PCs should be fairly high up in at least one by now and appear on a few others). More on what the character has done during downtime and such.

Arse is kicked, Arc-plot is brought to a climax and there is much posing to be done as the graduating class of <insert year and name here> prove that there is is nothing scarier than a rampaging hoard of old gits with big swords and nothing to lose but their honour.

==Comments==

I think that they should have to Exalt whilst at school, it would be more fun - and from what I recall of the books ikkle Dragon Blooded usually get packed off to school before they Exalt.  It would be even *cooler* if someone Exalted as *something else*.  Though obviously rather unlikely it would be awfully fun to Exalt Abysal in the middle of a Dragon Blooded school doncha think? --Naath
I'm not sure I could get away with the 'Dynast who exalts as a different type after leavign Primary School' thing for a third time... -- Senji
Worth pointing out that it's Primary school they Exalt at, and they are well and truly Exalts by the time they enter Secondary school. But yeah, an arc set in Primary school would be cool; not sure the Anathema need show their face, except as a bogeyman. -- TI
Somebody might like to correct me but i exalting as an abyssal might actualy be out due to the timing, also it's only the dragon bloods that exalt this young isnt it? Anybody that knows dragonblooded campagns are fully aware that you dont need any other enemies as there is no reason at all for the party to work togther actually it would be in there best interests not to work togther so they can grab even more power at this early stage of history. (Wahhoo could actually play an Iselsi in the open and be the orginial sneaky bastard) -- Artan
I refer you to Shoat of the Mire, Dusk caste, aged 10. Dragon-Blooded Exalt between 12 and 16, Celestials Exalt between 10 and 60 or so. --Requiem
Dragon Blooded have been known to exalt as late as 17, some of whom will be at Secondary School.  Also later, under stress. -- Senji
I'd rather like to run a primary school campaign with dynasts.  I have a tiny fraction of a plot (which would be unrealistic even by Exalted standards - we're moving into Famous Five territory here, but I don't view that as a problem), and no tuits to do anything to it. -- NickTaylor

[This] gives some fairly nice rules for chargen at school.


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