Mage: The Podcast

Adam and Pooka crack open a lost treasure — Mage: The Ascension, Zero Edition, a 1993 manuscript that shaped the game’s future. They share laughs, lore, share their thoughts on what was best left behind and what is ready to drop into your game, and a few “what were they thinking?” moments, from cosmic origins to dream magic and immortal mages. Don’t be a Copernicus.Show Notes Stuart Wieck’s original cosmology: The Prime, Quintessence, and Dynamic Force Dream magic, the Near Umbra, and Dream Lords Early lore links to Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Ars Magica The origins of Avatars (“Gift Spirits”) and Essence Families The role of Pure Ones and their echoes in later Mage editions Differences between Zero Edition and Mage: The Ascension (First Edition) The concept of Evolutes — the five stages of Ascension Technocrats as self-aware mages upholding the “cold lie of science” Copernicus and the cosmic betrayal that started the Ascension War Early versions of Quiet, Mindscapes, and the origin of Boogeymen and Dark Births TryItCon2: TerryCon – Online convention honoring Terry Robinson, November 8–9, 2025

Pooka and Bryce crack open Victorian Mage: Bizarre Tales and Unusual Characters. From ghostly X-ray photos to occult artists and Umbra conspiracies, what stories and characters wait around the globe for your players to discover? Plus, TryItCon 2: Terry Con Edition is set for Nov 7–9 on Discord & Zoom, honoring Terry Robinson with games and a Twitter Pig charity auction.Show Notes TryItCon 2: Terry Con - online convention dedicated to the idea that there are great games yet to try, great people yet to be met, and great ideas yet to be learnedVictorian Mage: Bizarre Tales and Unusual Characters Expanded adventures: “Wee” Brazil’s vanishing island, Le Fleur du Mal’s decadent occultists, “Voice of God” cosmic horror Umbra exploration: conspiracies in the Fortress of Government, the River of Language, Victorian values embodied in the Spire of Modern Virtue

Adam and Pooka explore the wild world of Paradox, those cosmic smackdowns that keep Mages humble. They chat about realms where magic bites back, share tales from the table, and review Never-Real Worlds, a Storyteller’s Vault toolkit full of roll tables to spark your own strange Paradox adventures. Grab a seat, pour a drink, and join the ride toward Ascension (without all the headaches).Show Notes What Paradox is and how it shapes the Consensus. Paradox Realms as teaching tools, not just punishments. Inspiration from Groundhog Day and TTRPG history (like the Dread Gazebo). ⁠ShadowCity: Blood and Neon - A gothic punk roleplaying game with a ShadowDark-inspired approach that throws players into instant action and drama.

Welcome to Reality Deviants Movie Club! Pooka, Adam, and Jenna dive into Sneakers (1992), a techno-thriller packed with heists, hacker mages, and Mage: The Ascension plot seeds. From Virtual Adepts vs. Technocracy to teamwork and codebreaking wonders, we break it all down—plus ideas for running this as a chronicle.Show Notes Sneakers - This flick is a ready-made low-Arete chronicle or intro arc to a Virtual Adept campaign. Sneakers Trailer on YouTube. Cosmo’s quote: “It’s not reality that counts—it’s the perception of reality” is textbook Mage philosophy. Some Tips for New Storytellers - Adam pullsa bundle of helpful tricks and tips out of his Storyteller’s saddlebag for veterans and folks just starting out running Mage games.

Adam and guest Amena dive into Laws of Ascension Companion, the last Mage live action role-playing game (LARP) book. From Technocracy quirks to oddball factions, wild rotes, and Umbra adventures, they cover what works, what’s weird, and what’s worth borrowing for your Chronicle. Plus, Amena shares how she built a thriving local LARP scene from scratch.Download the transcript for today’s show here.Show Notes Overview of Laws of Ascension Companion — content, factions, rules, rotes. Technocracy chapter breakdown and faction quirks New groups like Wu-Nung; merits, flaws and LARP-usable skills Standout rotes and optional rules for PvP, paradox, crossover play Locations on Earth and in the Umbra for LARP use Amina’s journey from online LARP to running live Sabbat and Mage games Tips for starting and sustaining a LARP community One Word by Night Amena’s game

Adam chats with 4 guests about 3 projects.  Mage 20 system reference document, Book of Common Magicks and Darkness Over Dallas fiction series.Mage 20 SRDhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1_GzPNZoPabVMAKxk_y1aBpl0jic5QD8Y1TyLpCQUuKgBook of Common Magickshttps://www.storytellersvault.com/product/462226/Book-of-Common-MagicksDarkness Over Dallashttps://www.storytellersvault.com/browse.php?author=T.L.WebbMage 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

In this spirited dive into Séance on St. James Street, Pooka and Josh Heath dissect the Victorian Mage jumpstart—what works, what misses, and whether it’s a fitting intro for new players. From ghostly redemption arcs to wonky stats and page-layout sins, they unravel the spectral threads of this quickstart. Is this séance a slayance, or should it be buried with a stake in its heart?Show Notes Séance on St. James Street: A Victorian Age Mage Jumpstart M20 Victorian Age Mage - Josh didn’t back the Kickstarter Praise for Gene Gaydos’s surreal photomontage art Mendoza the Sahajiya gunslinger and Birgit the Sámi shaman stand out Hopepunk works best when it’s not yelling at you.

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.

This 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