Wordman/ReferenceStandard

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Introduction

The Exalted Reference Standard (ERS) defines a system for referencing Exalted products. The idea is to provide a method for web authors and internet posters to cite references to Exalted books in web sites, net.books, posts and even databases and other software in a way that is:

  • Unobtrusive. References should be as short as possible so they do not distract from the main text and take as little screen space as possible.
  • Unified. Everyone using the system should use the same system, eliminating confusion.
  • Flexible. References should be able to specify a page in a book, but also have the ability to site exact paragraphs and page ranges.

While this sounds a bit anal, the ERS was born from a need to fit page references into tables with very narrow columns. It suits this purpose very well, compressing a lot of information into a small space. I've used this system for a long time, mostly encoding page numbers into XML files and character sheets.

It should be mentioned that this system is not endorsed by White Wolf in any way.

System

Each Exalted product is given a four-letter code. This code is used to indicate the book being referenced. This code is followed by a ".", then by a page number or a page range. If a single page is specified, it can also be followed with a comma and a column number. This can optionally be followed by another column and a paragraph number. The resulting syntax is as follows:

 {code}.{page}[-{end page} | ,{column}[,{paragraph}] ]

This is easier to understand by looking at a view examples:

||Code||Meaning|| ||ex2e.189||Exalted Second Edition Core Book, page 189.|| ||ex2e.189-192||Exalted Second Edition Core Book, pages 189 through 192.|| ||ex2e.189,2||Exalted Second Edition Core Book, page 189, column 2.|| ||ex2e.189,2,3||Exalted Second Edition Core Book, page 189, column 2, paragraph 3.||

In practice, column and paragraph references are used very rarely, bordering on never.

Sidebars on pages are counted as columns that always come after columns of standard text. So, a reference like ex2e.189,3 would refer to the sidebar on page 189 of the 2E core book labeled "Charm Concept: Elsewhere". Sidebars are counted starting at the top left, then going down, then going across.

When a paragraph is specified, heading or section lines are ignored, as are statistic lines. Only full paragraphs are counted. That is, a paragraph is only "in a column" when its first letter is in that column. So, the ex2e.189,3 reference above refers to the paragraph that begins "Essence multiplies the force...".

First Edition Codes

abys - The Abyssals
ab_a - Aspect Book: Air
ab_e - Aspect Book: Earth
ab_f - Aspect Book: Fire
ab_v - Aspect Book: Water
ab_w - Aspect Book: Wood
auto - The Autochthonians
bstn - Bastions of the North
bone - Bone & Ebony
bull - Houses of the Bull God
cb_d - Caste Book: Dawn
cb_e - Caste Book: Eclipse
cb_n - Caste Book: Night
cb_t - Caste Book: Twilight
cb_z - Caste Book: Zenith
coin - Manacle and Coin
comp - Storyteller’s Companion
core - Exalted Core Rules
cult - Cult of the Illuminated
dbld - Dragon-Blooded
fair - Fair Folk
halt - Kingdom of Halta
game - Games of Divinity
luna - Lunars
outc - Outcastes
play - Player's Guide
ruin - Ruins of Rathess
seas - Savage Seas
salt - Blood and Salt
scav - The Scavenger Lands
side - Sidereals
svnt - Savant & Sorcerer
time - Time of Tumult

Second Edition Codes

blck - Books of Sorcery II: Black Treatise
ex2e - Exalted Second Edition
exab - The Manual of Exalted Power: Abyssals
exdb - The Manual of Exalted Power: Dragon Blooded
exlu - The Manual of Exalted Power: Lunars
exsd - The Manual of Exalted Power: Sidereals
ilot - Imperfect Lotus
isle - Compass of Celestial Directions I: The Blessed Isle
king - Scroll of Kings
land - Dreams of the First Age Book One: Lands of Creation
lord - Dreams of the First Age Book Two: Lords of Creation
masq - Graceful Wicked Masques - The Fair Folk
meru - Dreams of the First Age: Meru
monk - Scroll of the Monk
ocdx - Books of Sorcery III: Oadenol's Codex
rgd1 - Books of Sorcery IV: Roll of Glorious Divinity I
rgd2 - Books of Sorcery V: Roll of Glorious Divinity II
sesc - Second Edition Storyteller’s Companion
tdea - Compass of Terrestrial Directions III: The East
tdsl - Compass of Terrestrial Directions I: The Scavenger Lands
tdwe - Compass of Terrestrial Directions II: The West
undr - Compass of Celestial Directions IV: Underworld
whit - Books of Sorcery II: White Treatise
wola - Books of Sorcery I: Wonders of the Lost Age
wyld - Compass of Celestial Directions II: The Wyld
yush - Compass of Celestial Directions III: Yu-Shan


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