Exceptionals
A downloadable game
In A World That Hates and Fears You, Living Becomes an Act of Rebellion.
Exceptionals is a game inspired by x-men about and for the spaces and communities marginalized peoples make for themselves. Play as a Geno, one of little less than 0.5% percent of the population that has gone through a mysterious process called Claremont-Simonson mutation, as you try to navigate a world that won’t make room for you. Exceptionals is a game about what the mutant metaphor means to you and the different lenses through which we view it. Punch back and build something of worth together in this narrative tag-driven tabletop role playing game.
Features
- Open-Ended Character Creation
Mix and Match between (23) open-ended but guided protocols. Answer questions to create high concept and unique super powered characters where the only real limit is your imagination. Get invested in who you make as a whole person, and not just a set of powers. - Build a Community
Create a living and dynamic community space full of colorful characters. Grow your base as an anchor for other geno and help fill it with the resources they and you need. Understand how your actions effect others and gain trust through the bonds mechanic. It’s a game where you get stronger by growing your community and heal by being part of it. - Comic Book Storytelling
Play as a creative team of writers and editors working to tell the best version of the story you can over time and storyline-based experience to model changes of the status quo and creative direction. Enjoy panel based action pacing and the ability of characters of all power levels to coexist and carry the same amount of story weight. - Not Pain Tourism
While Exceptionals offers a number of places to push back, we understand and recognize that the most important part of a punching bag is that you choose to hit it, even if it’s not at all. We recognize not everyone gets to set the issues that the mutant metaphor is used to talk about down when they leave the table and offer many ways to tell stories outside of a lens defined by pain. We also put an emphasis and mechanical weight on the importance of joy and celebration.
KUDOS
-As featured on; io9/Gizmodo, Kotaku, Listen to Theses Nerds, Team-Up Moves, Yes Indie'd Pod, Team-Up Moves, The Queer XP, and The Voice of Dog,
-#1 Best Seller and Popular on Itch.io in both Analog & RPG Games, Sept 2021
-#5 on the top 8 superhero TTRPGs on The Gamer
Listen to the Team-Up Moves AP Here!: https://teamupmoves.com/runs/exceptionals
"Exceptionals is a beautiful, brilliantly designed superhero RPG. It's truly a masterpiece, and if you haven't checked it out, do yourself a favor." -@PartyOfOnePod
"This thing COOKS, Sahoni doesn't just tap into the queer/minority readings of mutants, but also ties in the weirdness that really gets my mind racing when it comes to X books." -@froondingloom
"A refreshingly different game, that strikes a good balance between unlimited player freedom and solid guiding handrails. Really gets at the full potential of what the ;mutant outcast heroes' genre should be about: found family, building communities, and lives lived to the fullest despite being lived in defiance." -@guywhowrotethis
"The whole game oozes love for its inspiration while also going further than they dared...." -@Phoenix24Femme
"Astonishing! Uncanny! All-New! And all other X-Adjectives available.
This book gets why one would want to play the Mutant Metaphor in an RPG. It cleverly weaves the power fantasy of powerful individuals with the drive to do good for one's community. It's well-researched, well-written and, well, so much fun to play!
This is the superpowered game I've been wanting for a long, long time. I can't wait to tell an Exceptional story of my own!" -@Kokiteno
Credits
Written and Designed by: Gar Atkins
Edited by: Gar Atkins
Cover by: Gar Atkins and David Fernandez
Icons on pages (54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 92, 96, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124,128. 132, 136, 140, 144), DNA boarder, and X-Logo by: David Fernandez
Interior Art on pages (28, 44, 45, 148-150, 158, 168, 188, 198, 214) by: Gar Atkins, (240) by: Alexis Royce
Posters on page (96, 104) by Luke Herr
Poster pictures provided by: (70) Camilo Jimenez (92) Sam Moqadam, (112) Brett Jordan, The Creative Exchange, Abhay Padikar (120) Hrayr Movsisyan (128) Edward Howell, Noah Smith (132) Dieny Portinanni, Science in HD, (140) Jonathan Tomas
Corkboard bg: Josephine Bredehoft (54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 92, 96, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124,128. 132, 136, 140, 144, 215)
Additional Contributions: Enku, Kenneth Hyman, I. Aronson, Heather Rusk
Interactive Character Sheets by https://twitter.com/Occoris
Special Thanks: This game wasn’t made on a budget of 0 dollars. The supplies, computers, programs, and fonts that went into this were because of a loving community that believed in me and what I was making. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. All I can do is give you words. So take these words and know that I poured just as much love back into them.
Wado, Sahoni
Copyright © 2019-2021 Garrett Atkins
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Community Copies
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copies
These copies have been sponsored by the community in one way or another, either through tips or patronage.
If you are from a poor or marginalized community and can not afford this game otherwise, these copies are for you. Hell, the game is made for you. The only thing I ask for in return is you play it and share the game with others. And, if you can, tell folks where you got it.
I’d really appreciate that.
Development log
- New Character Sheet Options!Nov 03, 2022
- 1.3 More EditsFeb 03, 2022
- 1.2 fixNov 04, 2021
- 1.2Oct 10, 2021
- 1.1 fixSep 14, 2021
- 1.1 is here.Sep 13, 2021
Comments
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any chance of an update with a bookmarked pdf? or a cheatsheet of the barebones character creation and play rules? i really like this game based on my quick read but this book is a beast
Unfortunately probably not unless there is a giant push for a second edition.
This was my first time making a whole dang book so there was a lot I was learning at the time. I was having a hard enough time getting the book out the program. But it's high on the priority list for the new game. I did try to mitigate it a little bit but color coding the chapters for what it's worth!
A wonderful game with a wonderful creator, and a really unique system compared to other superhero TTRPG systems like MASKS. The focus on balancing superpowers with community and activism, and telling a story about what life is like for Genos beyond zocking evil in the face, gives an edge that really showcases the depth of thought and love that went into this game.
Playing this genuinely changed the way I thought about TTRPGs. I'd gotten burned out on the whole medium, mostly because of how frustrated the D&D style of game design makes me, and this was the first time I saw a system that prioritizes narrative freedom over the kind of bending the pass-fail odds that D&D-likes seem to get bogged down in.
Truly loved playing this game. Character creation was such a fun and different take on the process. The mechanics flow nicely and feel intuitive. It leaves so much room open for people to really have whatever kind of experience they want to have in the game. Five stars. 10 out of 10. Thank you, Sahoni!
A truly exceptional game that really captures the feeling of mutant settings without bogging it with crunching many numbers
Astonishing! Uncanny! All-New! And all other X-Adjectives available.
This book gets why one would want to play the Mutant Metaphor in an RPG. It cleverly weaves the power fantasy of powerful individuals with the drive to do good for one's community. It's well-researched, well-written and, well, so much fun to play!
This is the superpowered game I've been wanting for a long, long time. I can't wait to tell an Exceptional story of my own!
The ironic thing about a RPG about comic books focusing on marginalized people is that while it's "problematic" to say it, everyone really knows that Marvel and DC are going bankrupt precisely because they chose to stop producing classic hero stories and focus on social engineering stories instead, exactly what this RPG seems to be about.
Read what you enjoy. Comic books are a medium, there's space within that medium to tell all kinds of stories.
If these are not your kind of stories, it costs you nothing to simply go elsewhere.
Classic hero stories are not only being still produced, but are also turned into far-right shit. You seriously gonna tell me DC is being progressive when Red Hood, who sounds like an actual fascist 90% of the time and is a dog of the CIA toppling foreign governments, has his own book? Are you even reading comics or just came here to be a jerk to indie creator you disagree with?
Ive been waiting for this for so long!!! im so excited and thankful to finally get to explore this world and these mechanics!!!
I find the worldbuilding incredibly unique and engaging. This really is a fantastic system, especially in terms of in-game conflict resolution.