How did you learn to run or play Mage?

[aramis erak]

Um, no.

The architects of Modernity are the Technocracy, which the Sons of Ether left because they were so stodgy they voted to erase the luminiferous ether from consensus reality.

The Sons of Ether, overall, are mad scientists. They are generally far more interested in making cool stuff than in controlling anyone.

The cool stuff should have allowed them to dominate the Technocracy... which is part of the WTF? element for me.

 

[Staffan]

The cool stuff should have allowed them to dominate the Technocracy... which is part of the WTF? element for me.

Thing is, the Technocracy doesn't want cool stuff. They want safe, useful, and boring stuff. The Technocracy doesn't want flying cars, they want cars that get half an MPG more. They don't want a world with free exchange of ideas, they want a world where propaganda makes everyone believe the same thing.

 

[Umbran]

The cool stuff should have allowed them to dominate the Technocracy... which is part of the WTF? element for me.

The rest of the Technocracy has cool and scary stuff, though.

Underlying the split was a philosophical difference - the Sons of Ether mostly just want to play with their very neat toys and figure out cool new stuff. The rest of the Technocracy are the ones who want to dominate minds and existence. Ergo the Sons of Ether weren't going to dominate anyone, because domination really isn't what they want to do.