The Inside Scoop on Gaming

I have long been in the market for a 'Big Book of Paradigms' for Mage and when I heard of Dead Magic, I thought that it might be what I was looking for. Just having gotten through it, I think it might have been a little closer with a bit more forethought and better editing, but as it stands, it is a fairly useful guide for inserting a bit of mystical history into a campaign.

The Prologue details one mage's attempt to use the much maligned lichedom rote presented later in the book and actually does a fair job of describing the motivations and state of mind required to choose this road. Part of its use is to decribe the character's perspective, since the first reaction to the costs and limitations implicit in lichedom have made a lot of people wonder why anyone would choose such a state.

The Introduction gives the requisite rundown of what is (and isn't) in this book. One of the things left out is any treatment of the Orient, since this is promised for the long awaited Dragons of the East book due out any day now. It also has the usual Black Dog disclaimer. The book itself, we are told, is to interject ancient rotes into a modern campaign. A spell book, basically, with a bit of historical background to put the rotes in context. As I mentioned earlier, this isn't quite what I was looking for, but it does a passable job of fulfilling this goal.

Before I go on, I should comment on the layout. Each chapter begins with a long piece of fiction, usually in the format of a journal or academic paper, followed by a more objective treatment of the culture. The second half is the Mage specific material and includes two or more of the following: rotes, wonders, creatures, and sacred sites.

Chapter One: The Lands of Nod - Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter delves into Africa, the presumed birthplace of humanity. The fiction which opens up this chapter (and the fiction takes up a sizeable chunk of each one) is a bit annoying. The 'author' spends far too much time griping about the Technocracy, but does manage to wedge a decent amount of history of the people of the region and their legends. As with every chapter, the focus is less on actual history (which is sparse at any rate) and more on legends, myths and the oral tradition. This being Mage, most of these can be taken at face value, which is the best route. You can find the real life interpretations at any library. Most of the information in this chapter is in the fiction. There is only a half a page in addition to it and then it jumps into the second half.

The rotes are quite good and stick to low sphere levels (none go above three) which means they might actually be useable in most campaigns. Nor is their discrimination towards practical magic, many of the rotes are purely for flavor or have only a consequential use. I like this, personally, as it makes for good RP but other people might find it a waste of space. The artifacts which follow also add a lot of cultural flavor and are a bit more practical (as is to be expected). The chapter closes out with four creatures (two of which are just normal animals with special properties and one which may just be the African conception of the vampire) and a couple mythic places.

While everything here was good, I would have liked a few more specifics on exactly what the beliefs of these people were, particularly where magic was concerned, but there is still a lot here. I've already started using this material in my own campaign, handing it to one of my players who is playing an African 'witch doctor' for inspiration. A varient of the Walk to Too'ga rote has them all trying to explain to friends and family why they are all missing their pinky fingers.

This chapter rates a 4 on Substance and a 3 on Style.

Chapter Two: The Cradle of Civilization - Mesopotamia

The fiction opening this chapter is much shorter and devoid of useful content than the previous. It is more similar to what we are used to in opening fiction, it sets a mood and gives a hint of what is to follow. What does follow is a history of the Mesopotamian region from Sumer to Babylon, complete with a map which is more annoying than useful since it fails to note half the locations mentioned in the history and fills in the gap with places never even noted. This is true of the maps in each chapter.

The next section concentrates of Babylon durings its ascendance and, as it admits, takes a few liberties with the historical record (spotty and contradictory as it is), choosing to focus more on the biblical perception of the city than any of the more reasonable or archaeologically well-supported theories. This, again, I can agree with. Given that the World of Darkness diverges greatly from the real world historically (in that myths and legends are suppressed truths rather than embellished truths and superstitions) it doesn't make a lot of sense to go with the straight anthropological approach. So, Babylon is a city full of demons and infernalists, corruption and decadence, the archetype of Christian sin. Even the Tower of Babel (the great Babylonian ziggurat) has been corrupted into a conduit for allowing demons from beyond the pale to enter the world and sate their evil passions. Basically, Babylon is made into the birthplace of the Nephandi.

The last section in the first half details Babylonian astrology, its place in their society, how it works, and how to apply in to the modern world. It also adds an extra-secret form of divination which only applied to the Enlightened and which offers a means to track the mechanitions of supernatural entities (particularly Nephandi and other corrupt entities), which ties into the introductory fiction where a Hermetic was looking for this lost work in order to better hunt a Nephandus. This part closes out with an explanation of why they chose their 'colorful' interpretation of the cradle of civilization and a rundown of what modern Traditions are sitting on Babylonian lore and what interest they have in it.

The second half begins with rotes and they are not nearly as well done as those in the former chapter. To start, their first bunch are labelled 'Commonly Used Magic'. The first rote in this section uses Life 4 and the description notes that this rote 'is not a common one'. Further, many of the rotes have their spheres seemingly determined by their foci rather than their effect. So, we have six divination rotes which don't use Time. Apparently, you can predict the future with Correspondance, so long as you are measuring things. These sorts of mistakes are inexcusable. Nonetheless, many of the concepts are very good, particularly those which deal with treating illness by trying to placate the gods and rid one's self of demons (two of the primary causes of illness in Mesopotamian thought).

This part closes out with rotes which are not Babylonian but are adaptions of Babylonian magic and a couple of monsters, the latter of which are relatively uninspired. Stories are given about each creature but little is speculated about their motivations or any keys to RPing them. They are just disembodied plot hooks. There is also a sidebar on common foci which just lists them, without any reference to what they represent in Mesopotamian thought or what applications they are thought to have, which makes them about as useful as the context-less lists of foci previously offered, which is to say not very useful at all.

This chapter gets a 2 for Style and a 3 for Substance.

Chapter Three: Fire in the Jungle - Mesoamerica

The opening fiction to this chapter is spoken by what seems to be a Justin Achilli Giovanni (that is, an aspiring gangsta rapper) and it is difficult to take anything presented within seriously. Nor is there much to take seriously, as the historical outline amounts to little more than pointing out when and where each Mesoamerican people lived and then pointing out what rotten bastards they where. Following this is an eight-page 'sidebar' on the Mayan calendar which could have been squeezed down to an actual sidebar instead of indulging more of that same 'look ma, aren't I witty' masturbation. Finally, after twelve pages of fluff, we get an actual attempt at communicating information intelligently, which lasts all of half a page before we move into the rotes. Granted, there is some information scattered throughout, but it doesn't get very far in depth and concentrates on the 'wow, these guys are really fucking evil' perspective. A lot of useful information was missing, like a list of gods and what the represent and which cycle they are dominant during. Or even a mention of the Cults of the Mummy in Peru and how they allowed the dead to own property and would put them through the motions of life (can't tell me there isn't a plot, or at least a rote, in there somewhere).

As for the rotes, it was disheartening to see that the first two required no sphere under 4. Yeah, a Life 5/Matter 5/Prime 5 rote is going to be really useful in my game. There are some neat rotes in here (or ideas at least) and there is a sidebar that makes a valiant attempt to actually delve into the Mayan mindset by pointing out that they firmly believed that without slaughtering people in regular sacrifices, the world would just end, but it is really too little too late. Of the two items presented, one is just a named spellbook and the other has no real use beyond a very specific plot device. Finally, the Mystic Places section offers a cursory glance at a handful of locations which offer some rather interesting plot hooks.

This chapter gets a 1 for Style and a 2 for Substance.

Chapter Four: Pillars of Philosophy - Greece and Rome

The opening fiction to this chapter follows the same character as the first and it keeps up the higher degree of substance, offering a scattering of notes, interviews, and journal entries which not only delve into the mysteries of Greco-Roman culture but offer some interest insights into the history of the Accordance War and exactly how long it has been going on (if you guessed the Rennaissance, you're wrong). Following this is a hearty section on Greek and Roman history, focusing on prominent figures, mystical schools of thought, and the spread of its philosophy. Much is mentioned of the roots with many of the traditions and conventions have in the Mediterranean, from the Cult of Ecstasy to the Order of Hermes and the Order of Reason.

After the strict history, the shift focuses more on the myths and legends, which leads to an unfortunately flippant and condescending two-page sidebar on the Greco-Roman deities and heroes. There are, however, lots and lots of plot ideas buried in all this material. The Daedalean League, for example, may be the last holders of the true agenda of the Order of Reason, or they may be a bunch of deluded poseurs. If there is a single flaw, it is that the author attempts to introduce too much interesting material and does bring it together to give a cohesive picture, but this is a minor point, particularly since the point of the book is to give little nuggets to seed modern games, not present the background necessary for a historical game.

The rotes are pretty good, for the most part, although some of the modern 'adaptions' are ill-conceived. For example, the Spontaneous Generation rote gives a version for producing inanimate objects, which utterly misses the point of the theory and would be exceedingly vulgar to the Greco-Roman line of thought. Four pages are devoted to the aforementioned lichedom rote and, since it takes up so much space and has been the target of much derision, I'll dwell on it for a few lines.

Granted, it isn't an ideal way to live forever. Your Arete can't increase, you are stuck in a rotting body you need to apply constant magic use to in order to keep fresh, and you don't know if it will work until you try it. However, consider it from a character's perspective. You are going to die. The limitation on Arete likely insn't mentioned in the ritual itself and is probably too abstract to communicate anyway. Sure, it is clear as a game mechanic, but in the eyes of the character it is intangible. On a scale of one to ten, how 'enlightened' are you? Please. The other things are problematic, but you are going to die otherwise. A person can put up with a lot of inconvenience to avoid immanent death. Also, who needs an Arete over five anyway? You have eternity to master all your spheres. Lastly, it is actually well executed. I like that it is attributed to a Greek corruption of the Egyptian Spell of Life (which makes mummies) and I like the mechanics of it. It's a brutal sacrifice, but it is one I can see people making, either for their Art or out of sheer fear of death and oblivion.

The Bygones section of this chapter is also particularly good, with a cornucopia of mythical beasts, monsters, and beings. Many are variants of ones published already in The Bygone Bestiary, a bit darker and more brutal, which makes me very happy. I have never been a big fan of downplaying the vicious nature of most mythical beasts to the Disney level. Lastly, the Oracle at Delphi is given a very interesting detailing, down to a modern sect which professes to be continuing the ancient traditions. It is always nice to see mages being immoral and unethical even when they aren't Nephandi, though I was amused at the sidebar 'apology' which is as long as the text itself and says that people aren't obliged to use this interpretation. Well, duh.

This chapter gets a 4 for Style and a 4 for Substance.

Chapter Five: The Top of the World - The Arctic Circle

The opening fiction of this chapter details a mage's attempt to get in touch with Inuit magic by hiking out into the tundra to live like a hunter-gatherer and almost dying of exposure. It sets the tone well but doesn't communicate a lot. The chapter then sets about in a slightly different path than the previous ones, by spending little time on actual history and delving into the lifestyle and view of magic of the Arctic tribes. This makes me very happy. You get a much better feel of the hows and whys of their magic than you did in many of the previous chapters and the myths given do much more than history would in expressing how the realities of everyday survival effect their view of the world and how it functions. The only bit which hurts a little is that many of the indigenous terms for things are not in the handy little glossary and so it is a bit tough to follow in spots.

The rotes are all really interesting and, like the first chapter, many are less in here for practical use than they are for color and to express the culture. Sure, ideas are given in some spots on how they might be adapted for modern use, but the focus is on how the original worked (rather than in the Babylonian chapter, where many of the rotes were purely adaptions). However, were I to play a character from this culture or an inheritor of their mystic tradition, I'd get a lot of use out of these rotes, just in expressing my character's lifestyle. Thus, they aren't a waste of space by any means.

The beasties given next are interesting but would have been served well by a bit more detail. The Mishtapeu, in particular, are supposed to be mystical guides and helpful spirits that help to contact more powerful ones, but they are given as so variable that it I have no idea what they should be like. A story or two would have been nice, or some specific examples. A couple of wonders are also given, one a simple non-specific charm and the other a creepy little harbinger of death. Very cool. The chapter closes out with a short bit on the Northern Lights, a haunted island, and the spirit world.

This chapter gets a 5 for Style and a 4 for Substance.

Summary

Even though it was not what I was looking for, specifically, there is a lot of useful material to be gleaned from this book. It is a bit frustrating, however, that it isn't more useful and the continued misapplication of the rules in terms of rotes is a constant annoyance.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Dead Magic
Author: Dana Habecker, Jess Heinig, James Stewart, and Chris Tang Category: game Company/Publisher: White Wolf Line: Mage: The Ascension Cost: $19.95 Page count: 136 ISBN: 1-56504-408-8 SKU: WW4045 Capsule Review by Eric Christian Berg on 07/31/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	I have long been in the market for a 'Big Book of Paradigms' for Mage and when I heard of Dead Magic, I thought that it might be what I was looking for. Just having gotten through it, I think it might have been a little closer with a bit more forethought and better editing, but as it stands, it is a fairly useful guide for inserting a bit of mystical history into a campaign. The Prologue details one mage's attempt to use the much maligned lichedom rote presented later in the book and actually does a fair job of describing the motivations and state of mind required to choose this road. Part of its use is to decribe the character's perspective, since the first reaction to the costs and limitations implicit in lichedom have made a lot of people wonder why anyone would choose such a state. The Introduction gives the requisite rundown of what is (and isn't) in this book. One of the things left out is any treatment of the Orient, since this is promised for the long awaited Dragons of the East book due out any day now. It also has the usual Black Dog disclaimer. The book itself, we are told, is to interject ancient rotes into a modern campaign. A spell book, basically, with a bit of historical background to put the rotes in context. As I mentioned earlier, this isn't quite what I was looking for, but it does a passable job of fulfilling this goal. Before I go on, I should comment on the layout. Each chapter begins with a long piece of fiction, usually in the format of a journal or academic paper, followed by a more objective treatment of the culture. The second half is the Mage specific material and includes two or more of the following: rotes, wonders, creatures, and sacred sites. Chapter One: The Lands of Nod - Sub-Saharan Africa This chapter delves into Africa, the presumed birthplace of humanity. The fiction which opens up this chapter (and the fiction takes up a sizeable chunk of each one) is a bit annoying. The 'author' spends far too much time griping about the Technocracy, but does manage to wedge a decent amount of history of the people of the region and their legends. As with every chapter, the focus is less on actual history (which is sparse at any rate) and more on legends, myths and the oral tradition. This being Mage, most of these can be taken at face value, which is the best route. You can find the real life interpretations at any library. Most of the information in this chapter is in the fiction. There is only a half a page in addition to it and then it jumps into the second half. The rotes are quite good and stick to low sphere levels (none go above three) which means they might actually be useable in most campaigns. Nor is their discrimination towards practical magic, many of the rotes are purely for flavor or have only a consequential use. I like this, personally, as it makes for good RP but other people might find it a waste of space. The artifacts which follow also add a lot of cultural flavor and are a bit more practical (as is to be expected). The chapter closes out with four creatures (two of which are just normal animals with special properties and one which may just be the African conception of the vampire) and a couple mythic places. While everything here was good, I would have liked a few more specifics on exactly what the beliefs of these people were, particularly where magic was concerned, but there is still a lot here. I've already started using this material in my own campaign, handing it to one of my players who is playing an African 'witch doctor' for inspiration. A varient of the Walk to Too'ga rote has them all trying to explain to friends and family why they are all missing their pinky fingers. This chapter rates a 4 on Substance and a 3 on Style. Chapter Two: The Cradle of Civilization - Mesopotamia The fiction opening this chapter is much shorter and devoid of useful content than the previous. It is more similar to what we are used to in opening fiction, it sets a mood and gives a hint of what is to follow. What does follow is a history of the Mesopotamian region from Sumer to Babylon, complete with a map which is more annoying than useful since it fails to note half the locations mentioned in the history and fills in the gap with places never even noted. This is true of the maps in each chapter. The next section concentrates of Babylon durings its ascendance and, as it admits, takes a few liberties with the historical record (spotty and contradictory as it is), choosing to focus more on the biblical perception of the city than any of the more reasonable or archaeologically well-supported theories. This, again, I can agree with. Given that the World of Darkness diverges greatly from the real world historically (in that myths and legends are suppressed truths rather than embellished truths and superstitions) it doesn't make a lot of sense to go with the straight anthropological approach. So, Babylon is a city full of demons and infernalists, corruption and decadence, the archetype of Christian sin. Even the Tower of Babel (the great Babylonian ziggurat) has been corrupted into a conduit for allowing demons from beyond the pale to enter the world and sate their evil passions. Basically, Babylon is made into the birthplace of the Nephandi. The last section in the first half details Babylonian astrology, its place in their society, how it works, and how to apply in to the modern world. It also adds an extra-secret form of divination which only applied to the Enlightened and which offers a means to track the mechanitions of supernatural entities (particularly Nephandi and other corrupt entities), which ties into the introductory fiction where a Hermetic was looking for this lost work in order to better hunt a Nephandus. This part closes out with an explanation of why they chose their 'colorful' interpretation of the cradle of civilization and a rundown of what modern Traditions are sitting on Babylonian lore and what interest they have in it. The second half begins with rotes and they are not nearly as well done as those in the former chapter. To start, their first bunch are labelled 'Commonly Used Magic'. The first rote in this section uses Life 4 and the description notes that this rote 'is not a common one'. Further, many of the rotes have their spheres seemingly determined by their foci rather than their effect. So, we have six divination rotes which don't use Time. Apparently, you can predict the future with Correspondance, so long as you are measuring things. These sorts of mistakes are inexcusable. Nonetheless, many of the concepts are very good, particularly those which deal with treating illness by trying to placate the gods and rid one's self of demons (two of the primary causes of illness in Mesopotamian thought). This part closes out with rotes which are not Babylonian but are adaptions of Babylonian magic and a couple of monsters, the latter of which are relatively uninspired. Stories are given about each creature but little is speculated about their motivations or any keys to RPing them. They are just disembodied plot hooks. There is also a sidebar on common foci which just lists them, without any reference to what they represent in Mesopotamian thought or what applications they are thought to have, which makes them about as useful as the context-less lists of foci previously offered, which is to say not very useful at all. This chapter gets a 2 for Style and a 3 for Substance. Chapter Three: Fire in the Jungle - Mesoamerica The opening fiction to this chapter is spoken by what seems to be a Justin Achilli Giovanni (that is, an aspiring gangsta rapper) and it is difficult to take anything presented within seriously. Nor is there much to take seriously, as the historical outline amounts to little more than pointing out when and where each Mesoamerican people lived and then pointing out what rotten bastards they where. Following this is an eight-page 'sidebar' on the Mayan calendar which could have been squeezed down to an actual sidebar instead of indulging more of that same 'look ma, aren't I witty' masturbation. Finally, after twelve pages of fluff, we get an actual attempt at communicating information intelligently, which lasts all of half a page before we move into the rotes. Granted, there is some information scattered throughout, but it doesn't get very far in depth and concentrates on the 'wow, these guys are really fucking evil' perspective. A lot of useful information was missing, like a list of gods and what the represent and which cycle they are dominant during. Or even a mention of the Cults of the Mummy in Peru and how they allowed the dead to own property and would put them through the motions of life (can't tell me there isn't a plot, or at least a rote, in there somewhere). As for the rotes, it was disheartening to see that the first two required no sphere under 4. Yeah, a Life 5/Matter 5/Prime 5 rote is going to be really useful in my game. There are some neat rotes in here (or ideas at least) and there is a sidebar that makes a valiant attempt to actually delve into the Mayan mindset by pointing out that they firmly believed that without slaughtering people in regular sacrifices, the world would just end, but it is really too little too late. Of the two items presented, one is just a named spellbook and the other has no real use beyond a very specific plot device. Finally, the Mystic Places section offers a cursory glance at a handful of locations which offer some rather interesting plot hooks. This chapter gets a 1 for Style and a 2 for Substance. Chapter Four: Pillars of Philosophy - Greece and Rome The opening fiction to this chapter follows the same character as the first and it keeps up the higher degree of substance, offering a scattering of notes, interviews, and journal entries which not only delve into the mysteries of Greco-Roman culture but offer some interest insights into the history of the Accordance War and exactly how long it has been going on (if you guessed the Rennaissance, you're wrong). Following this is a hearty section on Greek and Roman history, focusing on prominent figures, mystical schools of thought, and the spread of its philosophy. Much is mentioned of the roots with many of the traditions and conventions have in the Mediterranean, from the Cult of Ecstasy to the Order of Hermes and the Order of Reason. After the strict history, the shift focuses more on the myths and legends, which leads to an unfortunately flippant and condescending two-page sidebar on the Greco-Roman deities and heroes. There are, however, lots and lots of plot ideas buried in all this material. The Daedalean League, for example, may be the last holders of the true agenda of the Order of Reason, or they may be a bunch of deluded poseurs. If there is a single flaw, it is that the author attempts to introduce too much interesting material and does bring it together to give a cohesive picture, but this is a minor point, particularly since the point of the book is to give little nuggets to seed modern games, not present the background necessary for a historical game. The rotes are pretty good, for the most part, although some of the modern 'adaptions' are ill-conceived. For example, the Spontaneous Generation rote gives a version for producing inanimate objects, which utterly misses the point of the theory and would be exceedingly vulgar to the Greco-Roman line of thought. Four pages are devoted to the aforementioned lichedom rote and, since it takes up so much space and has been the target of much derision, I'll dwell on it for a few lines. Granted, it isn't an ideal way to live forever. Your Arete can't increase, you are stuck in a rotting body you need to apply constant magic use to in order to keep fresh, and you don't know if it will work until you try it. However, consider it from a character's perspective. You are going to die. The limitation on Arete likely insn't mentioned in the ritual itself and is probably too abstract to communicate anyway. Sure, it is clear as a game mechanic, but in the eyes of the character it is intangible. On a scale of one to ten, how 'enlightened' are you? Please. The other things are problematic, but you are going to die otherwise. A person can put up with a lot of inconvenience to avoid immanent death. Also, who needs an Arete over five anyway? You have eternity to master all your spheres. Lastly, it is actually well executed. I like that it is attributed to a Greek corruption of the Egyptian Spell of Life (which makes mummies) and I like the mechanics of it. It's a brutal sacrifice, but it is one I can see people making, either for their Art or out of sheer fear of death and oblivion. The Bygones section of this chapter is also particularly good, with a cornucopia of mythical beasts, monsters, and beings. Many are variants of ones published already in The Bygone Bestiary, a bit darker and more brutal, which makes me very happy. I have never been a big fan of downplaying the vicious nature of most mythical beasts to the Disney level. Lastly, the Oracle at Delphi is given a very interesting detailing, down to a modern sect which professes to be continuing the ancient traditions. It is always nice to see mages being immoral and unethical even when they aren't Nephandi, though I was amused at the sidebar 'apology' which is as long as the text itself and says that people aren't obliged to use this interpretation. Well, duh. This chapter gets a 4 for Style and a 4 for Substance. Chapter Five: The Top of the World - The Arctic Circle The opening fiction of this chapter details a mage's attempt to get in touch with Inuit magic by hiking out into the tundra to live like a hunter-gatherer and almost dying of exposure. It sets the tone well but doesn't communicate a lot. The chapter then sets about in a slightly different path than the previous ones, by spending little time on actual history and delving into the lifestyle and view of magic of the Arctic tribes. This makes me very happy. You get a much better feel of the hows and whys of their magic than you did in many of the previous chapters and the myths given do much more than history would in expressing how the realities of everyday survival effect their view of the world and how it functions. The only bit which hurts a little is that many of the indigenous terms for things are not in the handy little glossary and so it is a bit tough to follow in spots. The rotes are all really interesting and, like the first chapter, many are less in here for practical use than they are for color and to express the culture. Sure, ideas are given in some spots on how they might be adapted for modern use, but the focus is on how the original worked (rather than in the Babylonian chapter, where many of the rotes were purely adaptions). However, were I to play a character from this culture or an inheritor of their mystic tradition, I'd get a lot of use out of these rotes, just in expressing my character's lifestyle. Thus, they aren't a waste of space by any means. The beasties given next are interesting but would have been served well by a bit more detail. The Mishtapeu, in particular, are supposed to be mystical guides and helpful spirits that help to contact more powerful ones, but they are given as so variable that it I have no idea what they should be like. A story or two would have been nice, or some specific examples. A couple of wonders are also given, one a simple non-specific charm and the other a creepy little harbinger of death. Very cool. The chapter closes out with a short bit on the Northern Lights, a haunted island, and the spirit world. This chapter gets a 5 for Style and a 4 for Substance. Summary Even though it was not what I was looking for, specifically, there is a lot of useful material to be gleaned from this book. It is a bit frustrating, however, that it isn't more useful and the continued misapplication of the rules in terms of rotes is a constant annoyance. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 3 (Average)