Brilliant and a fun read. Neverland works on to amazing levels. First, it exemplifies the power of taking older content that might been seen as problematic by modern readers and reframing it in a new and interesting way. This reframing leads to the 2nd level that come from Stuart Hall’s work on reception theory. All entertainment from books, TV, and films, to TTRPGs are an interaction between the encoders (the writers, actors, etc.) and the decoders (audience, readers, etc.). TTRPGs are unique even beyond things like fan fiction in that the decoders, as players and GMs, are simultaneously decoding and reencoding the content of TTRPGs. Neverland offers an amazing insights into how content can be reencoded for a modern audience. Top notch stuff that I can’t recommend highly enough.

Another nice-looking book for my all-time favorite RPG setting. I have bought every core book for the first two editions and see no reaosn to stop the trend now.

I do have one beef: Earlier editions of the game had more influence from India, SE Asia, The Indian Sub-Continent, and even Meso-America, even within the Realm (Mount Meru, Buddhist and Taoist ideas, and the First Age writing system and architecture to name a few). Some of this remains, some seem to have been downplayed. I hope to see more of these other aspects come back. However, I am happy that there is still deep inspiration from China, as games with heavy Japanese influence tend to dominate Eastern based fantasy, not that there is anything wrong with that, it is just that there are so many Nipponophiles out there that the rest of Asia often gets the short end of the stick in fantasy settings--with a few notable exceptions. Often, the default seems to be that if it is not a Japan analog, it borrows from China. I hope that forthcoming products will include more art and themes that encompasses flavors from these other reigons. Again, such is to be expected from the Realm and there was some art that does fit my bill (page 27 comes to mind), and I hope to see more in that vein in upcoming books.

All in all, a very minor gripe, over an admittedly specific personal peeve, but even at that an awesome book.

Not a bad attempt at a class not over powered like some but as casting class the lack of cantrips is problematic, to say the least.

Let me preface by saying that Exalted is my favorite game in my nearly 40 years of table top gaming. I own all of the 1st and second edition books and eagerly awaited the 3rd edition. I have to say overall I am impressed and I have to agree with their reviews here the systems are solid and streamlined. I love the addition of new Exalted types and the massive amount of info they crammed into this book, even if it did take a long time, too long for some, to get to market.

The is one key issue I have to address which is not enough to make it fall short of 5 stars for me. I know my gripe may seem small to so but they say the devil is in the details and there is one detail related to the setting I can't get past. I apologize if it takes a bit to explain. the vast majority of fantasy settings conform to the archetypes of either Western Europe or Japan and/or China. One of the primary reasons I was initially drawn to Exalted was that while it leaned heavily of the Japan/China archetypes it had ample influences from Tibet, Africa, India, SE Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc.), and even Mesoamerica (mostly in the Old Realm writing and the architecture). So imagine my chagrin when almost all of the background layout art evoke, China and Japan, primarily the latter. In fact, none of it would be out of place in a Legend of the Five Rings book (a game I also love). While Exalted draws much from wuxia and anime those two setting types have a ton of representation in the hobby. Now I would never expect Oynx Path to not use such archetypes to some degree, they are too popular to ignore. But it would have put this game over the top if those other influences had been more evident in the art. You can’t remove them from the game, they are embedded, but if I had picked this book up all those years ago rather than the 1st ed. Book I would have written it off at frost glance as another in the very long line of wuxia and/or anime games. Again I know the gripe seems small and nitpicky and to be fair maybe it is. But since the accepts which made this game may favorite have been pushed aside, at least visually, I feel a bit justified in the complaint. All that off my chest the setting is still amazing and worth every bit of praise it gets. Some have decried the art but other than the above I sort of like it. The combat system seems an improvement over past incarnations, though it needs a bit more test driving before I can be fully sure. However, that is true of even the best games, you need to give them a good amount of runtime to find any cracks in the system, as they relate to your particular play style.

Lastly, I’ll comment on the Red Rule. I am not sure whether to be happy it is there or deeply saddened that it needs to be. I all my years of gaming I have been lucky enough to play with some amazingly mature gamers who handle adult situations well (even in my younger days, not to say would could be sophomoric from time to time but nothing of an adult nature was ever done without a player’s consent), but I also realize there are those out there who just don’t---Sigh.