The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I was extremely disappointed by Authentic Thaumaturgy. The author, Isaac Bonewits, is a practicing magician who supposedly received a degree in Magic from the University of California. In the book, he describes himself as a neo-pagan, Santeria-initiated druid.

I was hoping, therefore, for a well-researched supplement about "real" magical practices and beliefs, and how they could be implemented in roleplaying games. That's how the book is advertised, and that's what Bonewits promises in the introduction -- how to use "real" magic in your games, magic that is logical and follows actual magical principles. I saw this as having two possible applications; occult or historical games where you want magic to behave as it is (or was) believed to behave in the real world, and "realistic" fantasy games where magic is not an arbitrary, fantastic force, but behaves in a manner that doesn't stretch your disbelief too far.

Well, AT might be usable for these purposes, but unfortunately, you'll have to use the extremely complex magic system Bonewits created in order to do so. He has not created a generic magic meta-system that can be ported into other games, as I was hoping. He's simply created his own magic system which he hopes you will use in your game (he offers very sketchy guidelines for "converting" a magic-using character from another game, and pretty much assumes that game will be AD&D or something similar.)

The AT magic system is a percentile-based spellcasting system with dozens of tables, acronyms (MCL = Magical Clarity Limit, ProSPer = Probability of Spell Persistence, MPC = Mana Point Cost...you get the idea), attributes, and modifiers. If you want a magic system where you have to perform algebra in order to figure out all your attributes and spells, here it is. (The formula for a "Create Light" spell is relatively simple: MPC = 5 x the desired intensity in lumens x the duration in minutes, divided by your FF -- Focus Factor. Of course, that just gives you the basic MPC, you still have to figure out the process of performing the spell and your chance of success...refer to about a dozen other tables.) It is the most complex magic system I've ever seen, and accomplishes nothing worthwhile that I can determine, for all its complexity. After all the work you do to get there (many, many steps), what you arrive at is a Mana Point Cost and a percentage chance of successfully casting the spell. How innovative.

Is AT useful for other game systems? Can you adapt his magical principles into a more playable magic system?

Maybe. Somewhere beneath the calculator-fodder are a few decent notions that you might want to carry over into another magic system. The only really useful part of the book is chapter 6, the Laws of Magic. This is a detailed description of all the laws of magic that magicians in the real world believe in, and for creating a magic system based on supposed "real" magic, they are a handy reference.

You may notice I keep putting "real" in quotes. Let me say up front that I am a skeptic and an atheist. I don't believe in real magic. (Though I do not have an "emotional or financial stake in disbelieving," as Bonewits claims is true of anyone who doesn't believe that magic and psychic phenomena have been proven to exist.)

Bonewits does believe in magic. He believes very strongly in magic. And he believes very strongly that anyone who doesn't agree with him is an ignorant, paranoid bigot. Throughout the book, he slams atheists, skeptics, and science (and takes a little swing at feminists too: supposedly feminist covens will take 10 times longer to decide what to do about any situation because of their "politically correct" rules of consensus democracy). His special venom is reserved for Christians, however. In almost every chapter, he manages to find time to dwell on the "Religious Reich," and how narrow-minded and wrong monotheistic religions are. As a reader who places no more credence in a pantheon of deities than in One True God (as Bonewits constantly and sarcastically uses the term), his sophomoric jabs and statements of his own personal religious beliefs as being proven truths struck me as more than a little ironic.

He also assumes that since this is the way magic works, it's how magic should work in any RPG. He doesn't offer guidelines for adopting his system to other styles of magic; he tells you how other styles of magic should be retooled to fit into his system.

The book is not very well written. Bonewits' writing style is amateurish, it's full of lame jokes, and it would have been annoying even if Steve Jackson had edited out his diatribes. I don't understand why he didn't. AT is more a soapbox for Bonewits' views than a gaming supplement.

If you are a pagan with a chip on your shoulder and you love using calculators while gaming, Authentic Thaumaturgy is perfect for you. Otherwise, the book has something to offend just about everyone else, and very little for anyone else to use.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 2 (Sparse)

Authentic Thaumaturgy
Author: Isaac Bonewits Category: game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: Independent Cost: $19.95 Page count: 144 ISBN: 1-55634-360-4 Capsule Review by David Edelstein on 04/24/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Historical Horror Generic	I was extremely disappointed by Authentic Thaumaturgy. The author, Isaac Bonewits, is a practicing magician who supposedly received a degree in Magic from the University of California. In the book, he describes himself as a neo-pagan, Santeria-initiated druid. I was hoping, therefore, for a well-researched supplement about "real" magical practices and beliefs, and how they could be implemented in roleplaying games. That's how the book is advertised, and that's what Bonewits promises in the introduction -- how to use "real" magic in your games, magic that is logical and follows actual magical principles. I saw this as having two possible applications; occult or historical games where you want magic to behave as it is (or was) believed to behave in the real world, and "realistic" fantasy games where magic is not an arbitrary, fantastic force, but behaves in a manner that doesn't stretch your disbelief too far. Well, AT might be usable for these purposes, but unfortunately, you'll have to use the extremely complex magic system Bonewits created in order to do so. He has not created a generic magic meta-system that can be ported into other games, as I was hoping. He's simply created his own magic system which he hopes you will use in your game (he offers very sketchy guidelines for "converting" a magic-using character from another game, and pretty much assumes that game will be AD&D or something similar.) The AT magic system is a percentile-based spellcasting system with dozens of tables, acronyms (MCL = Magical Clarity Limit, ProSPer = Probability of Spell Persistence, MPC = Mana Point Cost...you get the idea), attributes, and modifiers. If you want a magic system where you have to perform algebra in order to figure out all your attributes and spells, here it is. (The formula for a "Create Light" spell is relatively simple: MPC = 5 x the desired intensity in lumens x the duration in minutes, divided by your FF -- Focus Factor. Of course, that just gives you the basic MPC, you still have to figure out the process of performing the spell and your chance of success...refer to about a dozen other tables.) It is the most complex magic system I've ever seen, and accomplishes nothing worthwhile that I can determine, for all its complexity. After all the work you do to get there (many, many steps), what you arrive at is a Mana Point Cost and a percentage chance of successfully casting the spell. How innovative. Is AT useful for other game systems? Can you adapt his magical principles into a more playable magic system? Maybe. Somewhere beneath the calculator-fodder are a few decent notions that you might want to carry over into another magic system. The only really useful part of the book is chapter 6, the Laws of Magic. This is a detailed description of all the laws of magic that magicians in the real world believe in, and for creating a magic system based on supposed "real" magic, they are a handy reference. You may notice I keep putting "real" in quotes. Let me say up front that I am a skeptic and an atheist. I don't believe in real magic. (Though I do not have an "emotional or financial stake in disbelieving," as Bonewits claims is true of anyone who doesn't believe that magic and psychic phenomena have been proven to exist.) Bonewits does believe in magic. He believes very strongly in magic. And he believes very strongly that anyone who doesn't agree with him is an ignorant, paranoid bigot. Throughout the book, he slams atheists, skeptics, and science (and takes a little swing at feminists too: supposedly feminist covens will take 10 times longer to decide what to do about any situation because of their "politically correct" rules of consensus democracy). His special venom is reserved for Christians, however. In almost every chapter, he manages to find time to dwell on the "Religious Reich," and how narrow-minded and wrong monotheistic religions are. As a reader who places no more credence in a pantheon of deities than in One True God (as Bonewits constantly and sarcastically uses the term), his sophomoric jabs and statements of his own personal religious beliefs as being proven truths struck me as more than a little ironic. He also assumes that since this is the way magic works, it's how magic should work in any RPG. He doesn't offer guidelines for adopting his system to other styles of magic; he tells you how other styles of magic should be retooled to fit into his system. The book is not very well written. Bonewits' writing style is amateurish, it's full of lame jokes, and it would have been annoying even if Steve Jackson had edited out his diatribes. I don't understand why he didn't. AT is more a soapbox for Bonewits' views than a gaming supplement. If you are a pagan with a chip on your shoulder and you love using calculators while gaming, Authentic Thaumaturgy is perfect for you. Otherwise, the book has something to offend just about everyone else, and very little for anyone else to use. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 2 (Sparse)