(OT) Mage (the game)

[DarkJester]

Can anyone tell me what this game is like? I briefly (very briefly) looked over the book but didnt get much from it. The little story in the first few pages caught my eye though and I've found myself thinking about it, havnt had a chance to stop back by the book store though.

What's the game like? How does it run? Ive heard it has a great magic system (who would have thought..) Anybody?

 

[clvrmonkey]

I own the books...

**NOTE** This is based on the 1st edition of the game. I've heard there are others out there, which I've never seen.

I never had the chance to play, although it looked pretty good from a creative perspective. I thought the rules were layed out pretty poorly, character generation taking you to several non-concurrent sections and back again.

IMO, it is not a game for people new to roleplaying or acting. Besides character generation, the rules range from free flowing to non-existant. Most of it is up to DM (Storyteller) discretion, and the ability of the player to describe their actions. "I cast firball" could have a large number of connotations and results.

Even though I've never played, I've read the main book a couple of times just because it is an interesting read.

 

[Blackwind]

it rocks!

Yeah, M:tA rocks the house. It is my favorite RPG by far. Any setting is possible, although modern/near future is most common. It tends to have a dark, gritty flavor like most all World of Darkness games. The magic system is extremely open-ended and flexible, and IMHO is the best magic system I've seen in any RPG. PCs are basically all mages (unless you run some kind of crossover game), but come from different Traditions, or factions. The White Wolf website, which I believe to be www.white-wolf.com, has a lot of introductory info about all of their games. Check it out, and if the game appeals to you I highly recommend that you pick up the main rulebook.

 

[Blackwind]

In response to clvrmonkey

In response to clvrmonkey's post, I agree that Mage is not a game for new roleplayers. Mage is more suited to experienced roleplayers, and I definitely mean *role*players and not *roll*players. Mage is not a game for hack-n-slashers.

Also, I have read and played the 2nd edition of Mage, and the character creation rules are just fine now. I forgot to mention that in my original post. In fact, the character creation rules are awesome and allow for a lot of detail and customization. The rule systems for 2nd edition WW games tend to be a lot tighter and better than 1st editions.

 

[PenguinKing]

One should also note that it requires very careful separation of player knowledge and character knowledge. F'rex, as a player, you probably know that a mage doesn't really need the words and the gestures and the foci and the spell ingredients - all it takes, when you come right down to it, is the mage's will. However, your character doesn't know that, and very much does believe that all the pomp and ritual is necessary, 'cause that's just how he/she learned how to do magic.

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[Sigma]

It's an interesting game, though it's magic system's open endedness makes for quite a few bugs. It's freeform with 9 spheres that you have ranks between 1-5 in (starting characters are limited to rank 3, which is generally enough to throw fireballs, although that's not a good idea).

IMO, if you're looking for a good free form magic system, I'd recommend Ars Magica over Mage every day of the week. I prefer more structured games, and Ars Magica has a more solid rules system. That's my personal bias.

 

[DMaple]

Surely this isn't OT as Mage is an RPG and this is the General RPG forum not the D&D Forum.

But the thing that struck me about Mage was the Technocracy always struck me as the Good Guys and the Traditions as dangerous people clinging to power and not wanting to share it with the Sleepers.

Thankfully they published the "Guide to the Technocracy" and proved me right.

 

[Humanophile]

Mage is... well, first, it's a White Wolf game, and WW has a wonderful talent for writing fiction that only seems to fail them when they're trying to write full fleged fiction. So if nothing else, it's a good mine of ideas.

Second, be very careful who you play with. WW games in general give the player more control and trust, with the downside being that it's all too easy for the player to utilize many cheap tricks and be world class in several areas. Additionally, in Mage every player is a minor Storyteller (read: DM), due to a very open ended magic system and the encouragement of Coincidental Magic (magic that "could concievably happen", as opposed to Vulgar Magic that only happens in high fantasy/sci fi. Think having a power line fall on somebody as opposed to having a lightning bolt jump from your fingertips). (As a side note, that may be something to steal, to a minor degree, for D&D games. The spellcaster tries to summon good/bad fortune on themselves or some other target, and depending on the results of a spellcraft roll and other DM decided factors, has some twist on that happen. Of course, that requires advanced players, and is a complete tangent. )

As a game setting, it's kind of interesting. Reality is entirely subjective, changing to suit the beliefs of people. and different factions and alliegances of mages struggle to set their mark on it. "Default" characters believe that reality is too tightly tied together and that magic in its brilliant entirety should be brought back to the Sleepers (nonmagical people; think NPC's and you'll understand exactly how everyone sees them), as opposed to the Technocracy (Lawful types who think that everything should be safe, static, and predictable for everyone), Marauders (Chaotic types who think that the individual will is all important and are all insane), and Nephandi (stereotypical Evil types who either want to destroy reality or feed it all to demons). All while trying to be normal people in a world mostly like our own.

(And JFYI, I do happen to like the game. It's just this side of impossible to find people who'll play it right, and played wrong the atmosphere is demolished. And for all the good I'll say about them, WW has a tendency to forget that its games are most likely to be played by gamers.)

 

[Umbran]

I'll pipe in theat Mage:The Ascention is a wonderful game - in the right hands. The magic system is open ended, and if your GM doesn't know what he's doing, things will go downhill very quickly.

However, if you've got a bunch of creative folks who can keep their own powergaming impulses in check, and a good GM, the system is a hooot and a half. I've played for a number of years, so if you have specific questions, feel free to ask.