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Exalted Manacle and Coin *OP
Merchant Princes of Creation
Many hate and revile them, yet none turn away their visits. They are members of the Guild, a mercantile organization whose caravans and trading ships cross the face of Creation. They care not for the will of princes or Exalts, but only for profit. Some despite it, while others idolize it, but in truth, the Guild cares not if it is loved or hated, so long as those who do business with it pay their bills in full.
Masters of Jade and Commerce
Manacle and Coin details the Guild, the greatest of thet world of Exalted's commercial organizations. Inside are the details of the Guild's structure and methods - and of its abominable trade in addictive drugs and slaves. Manacle and Coin also includes an explanation of the monetary systems of Creation, for Storytellers and players desiring a greater degree of realism in their Exalted games.
Many hate and revile them, yet none turn away their visits. They are members of the Guild, a mercantile organization whose caravans and trading ships cross the face of Creation. They care not for the will of princes or Exalts, but only for profit. Some despite it, while others idolize it, but in truth, the Guild cares not if it is loved or hated, so long as those who do business with it pay their bills in full.
Masters of Jade and Commerce
Manacle and Coin details the Guild, the greatest of thet world of Exalted's commercial organizations. Inside are the details of the Guild's structure and methods - and of its abominable trade in addictive drugs and slaves. Manacle and Coin also includes an explanation of the monetary systems of Creation, for Storytellers and players desiring a greater degree of realism in their Exalted games.
Paperback
Published June 30, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 25, 2015
A look at the Guild in the world of Exalted. This book is 95% background/fluff. There are a few mechanical things here and there. A couple items, a few drugs, a price list for goods that can be bought, and a few more odds and ends.
The book has four chapters. The first is the Guild's history and structure. The second is the drug trade in the world of Exalted, the third is the slave trade, and the fourth is a look at money and finance in Exalted. The first three chapters focus on the Guild and the influence it has on the world of Exalted. The last switches focus to the Realm as they have a generally more advanced financial system than is found in the Threshold where the Guild operates.
Overall this is a depressing book. The only "civilized" place in the world that ostensibly bans slavery is also a major hub of slave trading due to deliberate loopholes left in the law. The Guild manipulates entire populations with drugs to increase their profits. The Realm is in the process of destroying what little wealth anyone not in the upper class has as the Houses maneuver to take the empty throne. It's not called the Age of Sorrows for nothing!
This is OK though, because characters in Exalted are powerful enough to try to change things, even on a macro level like this. This book really gives them some massive things to work against. Overturning an entire economic system is far more difficult that overturning a single powerful despot.
Given that this is a supplement for first edition, and that Masters of Jade was published for second edition, is this worth getting? I haven't finished reading it yet, but Masters of Jade seems more focused on applying things to a game, and if you can only get one I'd probably suggest that you get it, despite it being around half the size of Manacle & Coin. I think the two books complement each other, and if you have a character or campaign that heavily involves the guild, you could probably get good value from both.
Edit: after reading more of Masters of Jade, I have to change my position and say that if you can get only one you should get Manacle & Coin. For the reasons why you'll have to wait until I finish Masters of Jade and write my review.
The book has four chapters. The first is the Guild's history and structure. The second is the drug trade in the world of Exalted, the third is the slave trade, and the fourth is a look at money and finance in Exalted. The first three chapters focus on the Guild and the influence it has on the world of Exalted. The last switches focus to the Realm as they have a generally more advanced financial system than is found in the Threshold where the Guild operates.
Overall this is a depressing book. The only "civilized" place in the world that ostensibly bans slavery is also a major hub of slave trading due to deliberate loopholes left in the law. The Guild manipulates entire populations with drugs to increase their profits. The Realm is in the process of destroying what little wealth anyone not in the upper class has as the Houses maneuver to take the empty throne. It's not called the Age of Sorrows for nothing!
This is OK though, because characters in Exalted are powerful enough to try to change things, even on a macro level like this. This book really gives them some massive things to work against. Overturning an entire economic system is far more difficult that overturning a single powerful despot.
Given that this is a supplement for first edition, and that Masters of Jade was published for second edition, is this worth getting? I haven't finished reading it yet, but Masters of Jade seems more focused on applying things to a game, and if you can only get one I'd probably suggest that you get it, despite it being around half the size of Manacle & Coin. I think the two books complement each other, and if you have a character or campaign that heavily involves the guild, you could probably get good value from both.
Edit: after reading more of Masters of Jade, I have to change my position and say that if you can get only one you should get Manacle & Coin. For the reasons why you'll have to wait until I finish Masters of Jade and write my review.
May 14, 2016
★ - Most books with this rating I never finish and so don't make this list. This one I probably started speed-reading to get it over with.
★★ - Average. Wasn't terrible, but not a lot to recommend it. Probably skimmed parts of it.
★★★ - Decent. A few good ideas, well-written passages, interesting characters, or the like.
★★★★ - Good. This one had parts that inspired me, impressed me, made me laugh out loud, made me think - it got positive reactions and most of the rest of it was pretty decent too.
★★★★★ - Amazing. This is the best I've read of its genre, the ones I hold on to so I can re-read them and/or loan them out to people looking for a great book. The best of these change the way I look at the world and operate within it.
★★ - Average. Wasn't terrible, but not a lot to recommend it. Probably skimmed parts of it.
★★★ - Decent. A few good ideas, well-written passages, interesting characters, or the like.
★★★★ - Good. This one had parts that inspired me, impressed me, made me laugh out loud, made me think - it got positive reactions and most of the rest of it was pretty decent too.
★★★★★ - Amazing. This is the best I've read of its genre, the ones I hold on to so I can re-read them and/or loan them out to people looking for a great book. The best of these change the way I look at the world and operate within it.
April 25, 2015
For once, the developer speaking straight to the storyteller. Gread advice, insight and realistic development of such a mature, yet frequent, topics in any fantasy-ancient generated society such as trade, power plays, slavery and drugs.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews