Mage: The Podcast

Adam and Bryce dive into Laws of Ascension, Mage’s guide to live-action roleplaying! They chat rotes, rubber rats, and rock-paper-scissors magic, with plenty of laughs and a dash of heartfelt critique. Whether you’re LARP-curious or just love mage lore, this one's for you. Also, Bryce shares news on a KULT: Divinity Lost deep dive over at Darker Days Radio. Truth until paradox, baby!Show Notes Adam and Bryce take on Laws of Ascension, Mage's core LARP rulebook for the Revised era. Bryce shares LARP anecdotes and kicks off the show with news on his KULT: Divinity Lost 4th Edition deep dive on Darker Days Radio. LARP 101: Mind’s Eye Theater system explained—no dice, lots of rock-paper-scissors, and many index cards. Safety rules, public play etiquette, and why dressing up as your mage shouldn’t get you arrested. Adam reflects on Nordic LARP vs. Laws of Ascension’s American-style sandbox. Bryce volunteers to LARP in his backyard… as a ghost.

Writer, musician, and game designer James Curcio joins us for a warm, wide-ranging chat on magic, myth, and RPGs. From Dungeons & Dragons to Mage: The Ascension and Modern Mythology, we talk play, storytelling, and the mystery of it all. Oh, yeah, and we also shoot the breeze about goblins, game systems, and why magic might just be another name for imagination.Show Notes Generation Hex - Editor Jason Louv brings together a batch of wild and thoughtful voices from the edge of things—a generation of young folks dreaming up bold new paths for spirit, soul, and what it means to grow as human beings—including an essay by James Curcio. Blades in the Dark - A tabletop role-playing game about a scrappy crew of daring scoundrels chasing fortune and stirring up trouble on ghost-filled streets. Fate Accelerated - Folks just call it FAE—is a slimmed-down, easy-to-learn version of Fate Core that still packs all the punch and flexibility of the full game. It’s quick as a whip to pick up, and before you know it, you and your pals can be off adventuring in the world of your favorite book, movie, or show—or cookin’ up a brand-new world of your own. Best part? Setup’s a breeze. You can go from idea to dice-rollin’ in just a few minutes. Alan Moore and his latest book, The Great When, a spellbinding new series full of murder, magic, and mayhem—set between two Londons: one picking up the pieces after World War II, and the other a hidden world brimming with mystery and wonder. Grant Morrison and his comic book series, The Invisibles, a scrappy little cell of The Invisible College—a secret bunch fighting the good fight against all kinds of oppression, using time travel, magic, meditation, and (when needed) a good ol’ fashioned scuffle. The Expanse - a role-playing game brings the big, bold world of James S.A. Corey’s hit sci-fi books right to your tabletop. Built on Green Ronin’s trusty Adventure Game Engine—the same one that powers Fantasy AGE, Blue Rose, and Modern AGE—this game drops you into a future where Earth folks, Martians, and Belters are all jockeying for power and resources out in the stars. But something old and alien is waking up, and the story of humanity’s future is fixing to take a wild new turn. Modern Mythologies, a podcast exploring mythmaking and mechanics in RPGs. You can find James’ work at: jamescurcio.com fallencycle.com modernmythology.net Operation Watchtower - a podcast rooter in Kult: Divinity Lost, set in the wake of 9/11 and launches September 11, 2025.

Mystic SyndicateThis is the final two-hander episode featuring the brilliant and sorely missed Terry Robinson, recorded with Pooka before Terry’s passing. In this deeply personal and intellectually rich conversation, Terry and Pooka dive headfirst into the mystic heart of the Syndicate , exploring its layered portrayal across Mage: The Ascension editions—from Mafia caricature to modern myth-makers of the market. Revised & M20 era implications:Syndicate in charge—but how and when did that happen? Bourdieu’s Capital Theory: Economic, social, cultural, and linguistic capital in Mage terms Roland Barthes & Jean Baudrillard: Semiotics, simulation, and consumer ritual as hyper-sigil work Pierre Lévy’s Anthropological Spaces: Syndicate mages as avatars of the Commodity Space Control, Blindsight & Data Visualization: Facial recognition as magical parsing; the uncanny art of market faces Tate Modern installation: A stock ticker + Greek lament = sublime Syndicate paradox realm? The Syndicate as potential chaos magicians of the Technocracy

In this episode, legendary occult historian and ex-Blondie bassist Gary Lachman joins us to talk magic, Crowley, meme sorcery, and the reality-bending weirdness of the 21st century. From shared dreams in 1970s New York to egregores, astral hobos, and the dark gravity of Trump as a Tulpa, Gary pulls no punches.Show Notes How a hit Blondie song was inspired by psychic experiences Colins Wilson’s books The Outsider and The Occult His involvement with Ordo Templi Orientis Why Crowley’s followers creeped him out Gary’s book, Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump The occult revival of the 1970s (and how it compares to today) Why reality itself is up for grabs—and what that means for Mage: The Ascension players The movies Dark City, The Matrix and Forbidden Planet Gary’s forthcoming memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult, scheduled for release on November 18, 2025, by Inner Traditions. Plus: what happened when he contradicted David Bowie at a party

What makes a great Disparate? Adam and Pooka crack open M20 Forgotten and Forbidden Orders to spotlight the most compelling crafts in Mage 20—from the dream-walking Noma to the sandstorm-riding Taftani. Along the way, they unpack what works, what doesn’t. Also in this episode: TryItCon 2, a listener review, and what happens when your RPG expectations go sideways.Show Notes TryItCon 2: Tarragon Edition – Now recruiting Storytellers and GMs for this online convention (June 13–15) in memory of Terry Robinson, $20 donation-based, proceeds go to charity Night Rangers fiction series ready — Technocratic Texas Rangers fiction M20 Forgotten and Forbidden Orders - Final NPC-focused supplement for Mage 20 The Noma - Reimagined Order of Hermes parallel with African roots The Templars - formerly Christian male militants, now inclusive and post-Christian The Taftâni - Strongest faction presence in Dubai, though questioned for realism The Hollow Ones - Introduces five internal “cliques” (e.g., Moles, Sound Wave Masters) The Kahu - Formerly Kopa Loei; modernized, open to diverse recruits

Pooka and Bryce discuss M20 Faces of Magick. One of the final two books of Mage 20, a collection of NPCs, ideas and possibilities.Show Notes M20 Faces of Magick Final NPC-focused supplement for Mage 20 Originally a stretch goal from Lore of the Traditions Kickstarter TryItCon 2: Tarragon Edition – Now recruiting Storytellers and GMs for this online convention (June 13–15) in memory of Terry Robinson

Arden Leigh, a chaos magician and singer-songwriter, shares her transformative journey from trauma healing to becoming Grant Morrison’s magical apprentice. She introduces her Repatterning Project, blending self-help with magic. Arden discusses the ethics of magical identity and the challenges of maintaining control in today’s competitive magic culture. The conversation also explores her creative ventures, including her band Arden and the Wolves and her plans for a podcast and a book on her practices, making magic more accessible to all.

Adam and Pooka discuss Robert W. Chambers' King in Yellow mythos and other stories. Can they inspire Mage stories? Can these two stick to the subject?Yellow Signs: The Decadent Movement and its Influence on Weird FictionBlog article on The Yellow Wallpaper, 1892Free stories onlineCosmic vs. Abrahamic HorrorMage the Podcast social media linksWebsitehttp://magethepodcast.comPatreonhttps://bit.ly/MagePatreonBlueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/magethepodcast.bsky.socialMastodonhttps://dice.camp/@magethepodcastThreadshttps://www.threads.net/@magethepodcastDiscordhttps://discord.gg/7rsy59Zz

Terry and 3 other hosts discuss World of Darkness Hong KongMage the Podcast social media linksWebsitehttp://magethepodcast.comPatreonhttps://bit.ly/MagePatreonBlueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/magethepodcast.bsky.socialMastodonhttps://dice.camp/@magethepodcastThreadshttps://www.threads.net/@magethepodcastDiscordhttps://discord.gg/7rsy59Zz

Adam’s riding solo on this one, and he’s pulling a bundle of helpful tricks and tips out of his Storyteller’s saddlebag—especially for folks just starting out running Mage games. If you’re a veteran, you might hear some familiar ground, but if you’re new to the Storyteller’s seat, this one’s a gold mine.Show Notes 🔍 Mysteries in MageHow to prep, run, and avoid dead-ends in investigative stories using the Three Clue Rule, leads vs. evidence, and flexible scene design. 📉 Failing ForwardWhy a botched roll doesn’t have to mean failure. Let the players move forward with consequences instead of slamming the brakes. 🎲 Let It RideOne roll covers an entire scene—less stress, more fun. A simple rule to keep the tension without constant dice-checking. 🏙️ Portraying Cities with FlavorBring your setting to life! Split the city into districts, add landmarks and “scenic encounter” tables to make your urban Mage game sing. ⏰ Faction ClocksA slick little tool to track what NPC factions are up to, using clocks to show progress and raise stakes in the background. 😈 Villain AdviceThree time-tested tips: Let worthy foes emerge from play Keep villains offscreen and safe until the big showdown Don’t be afraid to let bad guys run away when things go south 📚 Source of InspirationMuch of this wisdom comes from Justin Alexander’s book So You Want To Be A Game Master and his legendary blog The Alexandrian, with Mage-friendly tweaks and examples sprinkled in. 🎧 Related EpisodeMissions, Mysteries, and Magick: Paranormal Investigation in Mage - Using weird ⁠artifacts⁠, team dynamics and investigations that make sense in the World of Darkness.