Mage: The Podcast

Mage's Second Edition Core Rulebook had a strict page count and clocked in at fewer pages than First Edition. So what were these missing pages and where did they go? Hidden Lore was the collection of all the materials that ran over the page count and for the Second Edition Storyteller it's your best source for additional rotes and systems as well as an entire cabal.  Terry and Adam discuss what to take from it and what to leave behind. in this episode of Tomes of Magick. Troupe play from Ars Magica Dice for gaming on Discord Inphobia Magazine Alternative play styles in Mage A trip to Pike Place Market in Seattle Theater of the Mind Chantry Mages of Note Enlightened Grimoire list of all rotes Sphere handouts for M20 Umbral ships

Not every rule makes sense in every Mage game, but how do you figure out what to change and know when to change it? Monica Speca, developer and writer for Onyx Path Publishing walks through the design considerations for making the rules of the game fit the game you want to play. Learn about mechanics like momentum, stunts, investigation, stress, and relationship tension Jenga towers. Bonus Experience podcast - Monica's podcast along with cohost Rai Cole.  BXP episode 2 on House Rules "house ruling is basically just micro game design for an audience of like six people" Age system - Game with an investigation mechanic and the generic version  Gumshoe games - Game centered around investigation in different settings like: Ashen Stars - Sci fi investigation game Trail of Cthulhu - dark horror investigation game Star Crossed  - Two player Jenga Love Game Stunts in Exalted - a run down of stunts in Exalted Invisible Sun  - A somewhat pretentious but surreal game by Monte Cook that Terry loves a bit too much Planescape for Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition - The best 2e setting Through the Breach - A game Monica likes, not all characters in the game are swol/skinny bitches Apocalypse World - gm doesn't touch dice system Blades in the Dark - A tight system with hard tradeoffs

Second Edition's intimacy and depth is sometimes viewed as a radical departure from First Edition's cosmic stories but what are the nuts and bolts of the differences? Was the change sudden or gradual and how was Brucato's vision implemented in a core book? Adam and Terry talk about how mechanics, mood, setting, and metaplot changed and what you should remember when looking back on Second Edition's groundbreaking release and what got left behind from 2e's strict page count.Changes:Mechanics Difficulties change for vulgar from rolling sphere to rolling arete in all cases Focuses opened up and focus-specific time requirements dropped  Orphans progress at same rate as other mages but require focuses Bonuses for being near a node no longer swing as wildly, capped at -3 instead of -5 Can now re-try failed effects without blowing willpower Damage chart unified and one-off modifiers listed for Spheres (Mind does bashing, etc) Coincidental now process Much of the content of Book of Shadows is baked in More difficulty modifiers introducedMood Game less cosmic interaction of avatars for the metaphysical trinity to something more personal Mage less might-makes-right with mages delivering sleepers from Technocratic control. Technocrats no longer fighting for strict rigid equality. 1e was "conflict between utopias". Utopia not visible in 2e.Setting Pure Ones no longer believed in by all mages Void Engineers no longer viewed as infected by the fae and no longer wish to destroy space Continuum dropped as a term Marauders no longer universally fighting for a return of the Mythic Age and in 2e are generally less sane Fight for Nodes and Quintessence less front and center Penumbra established, no longer just Near Umbra Nephandi no longer strictly star-squid cultists Oracles no longer those near Ascension but those who've stepped back from it No longer one Chantry per Tradition All nine spheres now used in metaphysical cycle rather than just six Essence de-emphasized Rotes change Metaplot Syndicate un-disappeared Amanda revealed to share avatar with former Sennex apprentice who went barabbus Fors Collegis Mercuris evacuated to Cerberus after Nephandi and Technocratic attack

How do you do The World of Darkness in the happiest places on earth? What's magick like when the sun doesn't set for weeks at a time? How does the Syndicate deal with social democracy? What are trolls really like and what is a well-pisser? Karl Erik Larsen Hoftaniska of the Symposium Podcast answers these questions and more.Correction! Erik corrected himself to say that the Nordic countries were Social Democracies but the sound for that portion was garbled.Notes! Kurt Anderson's Fantasyland  - Book on how America has always been a little bit crazy Scholastic movement Sami People - Culture of the way northMage things! Difficulty of being a necromancer - Every line does it a little differently Mage: the Awakening arcana fate vs death Werewolf the Forsaken - Chronicles of Darkness game Exarchs - Possible big from Mage the Awakening A giant discussion of Sorcerer's Crusade Valdaerman - Fellowship from Dark Ages: Mage  Itarajana - Magickal fellowship Spirit-Talkers from Dark Age: Mage Gabrielites or the Cabal of Pure Thought, the precursors to the New World Order Seiðr - Shamanic sorceryOther! Trollhunter movie - They can smell Christians Vices and Virtues - Album by Panic! at the DiscoCreatures! Trolls - Not the ones from Changeling Elves Fossegrim - Water spirit Brunnmigi - Well Pisser, yep, that's what they do Draugr - Pretty well the same in lore Mare or Nightmare - They sit on your chest

The Council of the Nine Mystick Traditions in response to the nascent Technocracy over 450 years. After nine years of squabbling, the Council sent out the First Cabal to spread the message of the Council and counter the Order of Reason but it fell to betrayal from within. Was Heylel a traitor, savior, or insane? Victor and Terry discuss the rise and fall of the First Cabal in reviewing The Fragile Path: Testaments of the First Cabal, Mage's in-world book on those who were there.The Fragile Path - The book we're talking aboutSorcerer's Crusade - Historical setting for MageThe Order of Reason  - Flawed book about the founding of the Order of ReasonAscension - Where we finally learn the identity of Heylel's twinsFishmalk - Problematic types of crazyFurther details on Heylel Further details on Eloine Further details on Akrites Motet - French musical formWorf just getting beaten up Victor's other work:Walking Away from Arcadia - The definitive Changeling: The Dreaming PodcastA Phoenix Rising - a chronicle quickstart built around the reconstruction of the New Horizon CouncilThe Symposium - a rambly podcast sometimes about Mage

You've introduced vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, and even changelings into your chronicle, now what? How about a fellow who learned to electrocute people by watching electric eels or if that's too subtle a psychic madman who's gotten their powers from an ancient meteorite? If those sound good, listen to Kris Newton of the MegaDumbCast go through ways to jam the lore, mechanics, and mood of Street Fighter into your Mage chronicle. Kris's Podcast - MegaDumbCast MegaDumbCast Twitter Penny Arcade Over-the-top Comic Song of the Sorcerlator Palladium Books RPGs Penny Arcade Over-the-top Comic part II Straker - Bullet gun thing Knud Thorsen from Wiki World Warriors, audience-aided character creation Character Sheet for Stree Fighter RPG Vice Story on Street Fighter RPG - World of Darkness Combat Hunters Hunted II why sorcery works M Bison Shadaloo, evil Technocracy The Perfect Warrior - Planned campaign Fan Site sfrpg.com Escrima combat system ("stick fighting") Fight! The Fighting RPG 

Mage is a game of Urban Fantasy in a gothic punk setting and Destiny's Price helps turn a city from merely a backdrop into a character in the story. Adam and Terry discuss how cities and city life has changed in the 25 years since this book came out under the Black Dog Imprint and what has and hasn't aged well regarding drug use, organized crime, and violent crime in the United States. Dropping homicide rate in the US  Dropping property crime rates in the US  Dropping poverty rate in the US (The poverty rate in the US is pretty cyclical and unlike in most countries is tied to an estimate of what it takes to feed a family vs provide basic amenities) Narconomics  Income of low level drug dealers (Income varies by drugs and location. If you're providing cocaine to Wall Street types, you're probably living comfortably, but by the numbers, very few dealers are making that kind of money.) Black Dog Game Factory, the Pentex subsidiary  Other Black Dog Books  World of Darkness: Mafia  Midnight Express Mafia Episode Overview of Organized Crime  Gangs in America  Largest Rat in New York  Sources of heroin in the US  How to Run a Street Level Game 

Mage is a game of infinite possibilities and for some players, at least to start, that's too much. Sebastian Freeman, Onyx Path Contributing Author has written two publications for starting cabals, one Believe in Magick (it's free!) is an introduction for players on the adventures you can have in Mage. The second is The Hallean Effect a first chapter for adventures in Hollow Earth, the realm of conspiracy and pulp fiction. Sebastian's Work: Believe in Magick! - A pay what you want introduction for players The Hallean Effect - An adventure getting to Hollow Earth Pillars of Ma'at - Bringing Mummy in line with the other M20 books Works Including Hollow Earth: Book of Worlds - 2e reference Infinite Tapesty - Revised reference Join our discord server here!

Ascension's Right Hand was all shotguns and robots in dive bars, but maybe some brandy in a high-leather chair while discussion psychic phenomena or an ether frolic after some reading about vampyres*? If this sounds more your speed, get ready for the intrigue, investigation and interior design in Halls of the Arcanum. Adam and Terry guide you through the operations of the Arcanum, a secretive mortal research organization from the London Foundation House house to the lodges dedicated to finding Damcar, secret city of Arabia. Just don't get caught in the war between the White Priests and the Red Priests....that is if there is a war. *-(Mage the Podcast strongly supports the use of dedicated drivers. Consume responsibly and in accordance with local laws and paradigms) References! Year of the Hunter - A year where White Wolf produced mortal or hunter guides for each line. Vampire: The Masquerade The Inquisition Werewolf: The Apocalypse Project Twilight Mage: The Ascension Halls of the Arcanum Wraith: The Oblivion The Quick & the Dead Changeling: The Dreaming The Autumn People The Rosicrucians - European esoteric order Thule Society - German Occultist group Occult episode Cheap maps on DriveThruRPG Call of Cthulhu Chaosium Lost Continents by L Sprague De Camp Next up! Destiny's Price Mage 2nd Edition

The second and final Gencon interview show, but first some updates on Mage: The Podcast projects! Duplicity, the Mage the Podcast Twitter Chronicle has finished its 3rd week and you can read it here. Talk to Ira Grace @magestoryteller if you want to get involved or follow the action. Join the conversation on our Discord Server Friend of the show Charles Siegel has released Sources of Magick, a supplement which gives you way more than you ever thought you wanted about nodes.  Mage the Podcast is starting to record instructional audio/video for how to play Mage through winter of 2020.  Stay tuned for more information. Interview with Victor Kinzer of Walking Away from Arcadia Politics introduced in Changeling Players Guide  Noam Chomsky and Anarcho-Syndicalism (all structures of power must be continually justified)   Haymarket Affair (bombing that took place during a labor demonstration  Bedlam in Changeling, a kind of fae madness  Interview with Carol Darnell, game editor who's worked on Mage: The Ascension Hire Carol  Interview with Matt Webb of Jackalope Live Action Studios Elysium Chronicles a Jackalope Prestige LARP Jackalope studios on Facebook LA by Nights - popular V5 actual play  Mage: Eclipse. Options on how to advance the Mage metaplot  "Changelings are the dreams and nightmares of it, werewolves are the anger of the world, and vampires are death. Mages are the Hope of the world."