Mage: The Podcast

Mage the Ascension contains all sorts of magickal books, but how do magic texts in our world go from unearthed to on a bookshelf? Translator and RPG writer, Brian Johnson talks paradigms, spells, and library adventures.Brian's freelancer webpageForged by Dragon's Fire - Book containing booksBrian's References:Sophie Page has studied a whole collection of magical texts from the 14th-century library of St. Augustine's abbey, Canterbury; her PhD thesis on the topic is here (access with free registration): https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.340649 see also her published volume, Magic in the Cloister: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-06033-0.html)For a humongous and very colorful example of what a real medieval grimoire could look like, see the Summa Sacrae MagicaeFinally, one that we did mention, the Fasciculus Rerum Geomanticarum, at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (some translated excerpts of which I recently published as Necromancy in the Medici Library, available at all good booksellers)Greek Magical PapyriPicatrixCorpus Hermeticum

All things come to an end but Mage and Ascension, the last Mage book for eight years, provides five such endings. Adam and Terry talk the death of Senex, the return of al-Aswad, asteroid impacts and the Zigg'raugglurr.This book: AscensionThe next book: Convention Book: N.W.O.World of Darkness: Time of Judgment: The book that provided end time scenarios for the other linesNote! Our current plan is to read the four Revised Convention books then review Sorcerers Crusade before reading M20

The Rich Bastard's Guide to Magick adds magick for movers and shakers and two of the authors join us! Lauren Roy as developer and Josh Heath as author talk hypercars, Porthos' grimoire and rich-ass Templars.Get the bookLauren M Roy's other books

Terry ran a Mage one shot for some players with mostly D20 prior experience. The session highlights the power and morality of what a mage does in the hands of new players.Mage 1-page per Sphere references by Mark Hope - You likely need to be a member of the FB group to grab them.The Nine Spheres by Charles Siegel - A more expansive coverage of the Spheres Support the show on Patreon 

The Mage: The Ascension Revised take on the Virtual Adepts mixes fashion, modernity, and a bit of 1e kookiness in with the last published Tradition Book. Adam and Terry talk the Turing virus, the Tesla vaccine, and mid-2000s clothing choices.Show Notes This book: Tradition Book: Virtual Adepts Next book: Ascension

The Technocracy is a staple of the Mage canon but it brings along with it assumptions on how science works. Victor and Terry discuss Occupy Horizon, crowd effects, and six new technomagick Crafts.Executive producers! Check the Patreon or the Discord to vote on which group should receive a write up. Poll runs through November 15th.Shadowbound - Victor's Wraith project

The Verbena Circle introduced in the 90s is now grown and tackles the contemporary problems of some very old practices. Adam and Terry talk deadly healing, the limits of Merlin, and the Paths of the Wyck in Tradition Book: Verbena.Tradition Book: Verbena - This bookTradition Book: Virtual Adepts - Next book

Jason Pitre is a writer and developer whose games often focus on beliefs and the fight to change them which really sounds like Mage. Jason is also a big Mage fan and talks how to adapt his work for your table. Genesis of Legend Publishing - Jason's firmRPG Design Panelcast - A podcast Jason rights on game designM5 Hack - From our Patrick McNamara interview plus what Terry put together.Jason's Game Spark Roleplaying - a game of shifting beliefs Spark Roleplaying on DrivethruRPG After the War on DrivethruRPG After the War in hardcopy on Indie Press Revolution Sig: Manual of the Primes on DrivethruRPG

Seeking to reverse the Curse of Caine, vampires say "dare we spit in God's eye?" while mages grab a hose and say "hold my beer". Adam and Terry talk forbidden texts, Cold War Technocracy, and so many NPCs in The Red Sign.The Red Sign - This bookThe Yellow King RPG - A Pelgrane Press book including four time periodsThe King in Yellow - The short story collection containing the stories that contains references to the play....the King in Yellow

Chaos magic is dissected as a transformative practice, exploring its core principles and community aspects. Key topics include the creation of sigils, servitors, and egregores, emphasizing their adaptability and significance in both magic and gaming. The conversation also highlights the evolution of chaos magic and its integration into storytelling, offering insights into personal empowerment and innovative magical techniques. Mind reading and teleportation are fascinating elements discussed, tying together the art of chaos magic with rich narrative mechanics.