Introducing the RPG of Renaissance Wizardry: Magonomia

[Andrew Gronosky]

Hello ENWorld, I have a newly started publishing company, Shewstone Publishing. I'd like to announce our first product: Magonomia, the RPG of Renaissance Wizardry! (https://shewstonepublishing.com/magonomia) [hl][/hl] In Magonomia, everyone plays a wizard whose magic is based on authentic sixteenth-century European lore. You choose one of the five magical Sciences: alchemy, astrology, theurgy, sorcery, or witchcraft. Together you explore mysteries in an enchanted version of England much like the world of Shakespeare's plays: you might encounter witches like in MacBeth, the ghosts like in Hamlet, or elemental spirits (and vengeful sorcerers) like in The Tempest. [h1]What's new and different in Magonomia?[/h1]

• Everyone plays a wizard. A few games have done this before but in Magonomia, magic is part of society. Magicians don't live alone in isolated towers; they advise royal courtiers (if they are lucky), find lost property, guide voyages of exploration, or travel the highways peddling their wares.
• The magic system is based on sixteenth-century grimoires, legends, and literature. That means wizards don't throw fireballs, but it would be a mistake to call this world low magic. Our historical inspiration is full of spells the let the wizard turn invisible, fly through the air, conjure spirits to obey their commands, and curse their enemies.
• We chose Queen Elizabeth's England as a setting and then infused it with the folklore of the period. The result may surprise you. Yes, there are ghosts, but did you know that ghosts are corporeal? Faeries aren't like in Disney movies; even the bright faeries are eerie and treacherous, and the dark ones are downright terrifying.
• We have an innovative approach to divination, where your wizard can consult the stars or the spirits for help and guidance, but the GM remains in full control of what the spell reveals. This lets them always frame the result in a way the advances the story, but doesn't spoil the plot.

[h1]Development Progress[/h1] Magonomia is based on Fate Core System mechanics. We've made an effort to explain Fate in a beginner-friendly way and to show why it's a good fit for the storytelling experience we're trying to create. Development is almost done. Our demo game went very well at Gen Con last year (sorry, this year's Gen Con games are already fully booked!) We're finishing up the fourth round of playtesting this month. The Kickstarter is planned for later this summer. [h1]Try it out![/h1] If you're into wizards, historical fantasy, Fate, or European folklore, I hope you'll give Magonomia a try.

• The playable Starter Rules are available now for pay-what-you-want on DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/273361/Magonomia-Starter-Rules
• Our first adventure is also pay-what-you-want: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/278876/Curse-of-the-OneEyed-Witch

We're just starting to get the word out, so it would really help us if you could write a review and/or like the game on social media. I'll be following this thread and I'd be glad to answer any questions!