Caste Book: Eclipse

The "Castebooks", the first character-type-specific entries in the Exalted game line, were of varying quality. Castebook: Eclipse stands out as the most interesting of the five, if not the most sugar-coated.In Exalted, a caste represents a character type, suggesting a role for the Solar Exalted belonging to it. While specialized castes like the Dawn and Twilight emphasize the arts of war and sorcery respectively, the Eclipse caste is comprised of facilitators, travellers, and bureaucrats. In a game of kung-fu, mythological pastiche, and giant-robot-on-demon combat, finding a place for the Eclipse character is a tall order.This book addresses this problem by fleshing out five very interesting and mold-breaking characters, including a desert admiral, a faceless agent provocateur, and a reindeer-riding emissary to the Fair Folk. Each has a compelling story to tell, and each is compelled by somehow sympathetic motives. More importantly, each illustrates just how world-shaping an Eclipse-caste Solar Exalted can be; rightly, the social skills of the Solars are feared (and treasured by players) as much as or more than Solar swordplay or sorcery.Less interesting in the Eclipse book than in the other castebook are the mechanical cookies given to characters who focus on Eclipse skills: creating magical boats and horses ex nihilo can be interesting, and the Mantis Form martial art is actually my favourite Solar style, but the other castebooks (not to mention the extraordinary Outcaste book for the Dragon-Blooded) are replete with more potent toys and magic. That said, on the whole Castebook: Eclipse was the most *needed* of the books, fleshing out a hard-to-grasp role. It fills the niche admirably and enjoyably.One further note: the structure of the Caste books is closer to that of a "background" supplement than a "gaming" supplement. If you pick this up, be ready to read more in-character story text than game rules. With that in mind, it's an excellent read.