Systematic Understanding of Everything: An Exalted Podcast

But I really like this show.

Great hosts and overview of Exalted and it’s history. Keep up the great work!

Firstly, one of the things I love about Exalted, is that it is setting that is inclusive of gender and race. That’s the right way to approach a game, and Exalted is better for it. Monica and Chazz seem to love that too, but it feels like that’s all that Monica loves about it. And she doesn’t really love that, much, about it either. This podcast is, supposedly, about the lore and background of Exalted, but all they really cover is Monica’s views on gender and race and Chazz gets dragged along for the ride. Like Chazz, I don’t disagree with anything Monica says, but that’s most of what she says, and it becomes tedious and repetitive after a while. Every discussion of the politics and agendas of various characters is derailed into a diatribe on their sexuality or what their sexuality should be. Politics and political goals? Nope. Allies and alliances? Nope. Personality and worldview? Nope. In the effort to be inclusive, they reduce the characters to nothing but a one-dimensional presentation of their sexual identity and trivialize even that. I got as far as episode 6 and gave up, there is meaningful content but it is just too thin on the ground. Chazz, also hosts The Story Told a great podcast about Exalted that drops lots of interesting lore, has a fun plot, and is also LGBTQ and racially inclusive. Listen to that and give this show a pass.

After two episodes this has been a good introduction to the Exalted setting, even as a long time player I picked up a few details about the changes in the third edition that I didn’t know changed. The discussion about “consequences of success” was interesting food for thought. I would like to hear more about the spiritual bureaucracies. Great work, keep it up!