Mage: The Awakening

PrinceofLowLight · Post by **PrinceofLowLight** » 2005-09-07 06:42pm

Saw the new book sitting in the local games shop.

Any good?

Never got into Mage, though I did read the Guide to the Technocracy cover to cover at a friend's house. The setting was pretty cool, though the mechanics left something to be desired.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2005-09-07 07:39pm

It's Vampire Lite, just like the new Werewolf.

I'm sorry, it's simply that. Even has built in healing.. Which is identical for burning blood points to regenerate. And you have the silly moral system from Vampire.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-08 12:24am

From what I've been told, the older ediction of Mage (The Ascension) is better in most regards. It's out of print, but you can get it for about $40 from Amazon.com stores.

I've certainly enjoyed it. (Going to be playing a Mage game with some Penny Arcade people via OpenRPG starting this Saturday.)

Maybe I should post my character here?

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-09-08 01:21am

Ascension was good. But from all reports the 1st ed (I think) of Mage was FAAAAR better. I know of a lot of long-running mage gaming groups who universally thought that the 1st ed was better, but that 2nd ed had its merits if you are new to the setting.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-08 01:31am

Well, most of my group is new to the setting.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-09-08 01:52am

Mage went through 3 editions before the craptastic reboot. Never played third and thought 2nd was better than 1st. Stayed far away from the reboot. You can get a dumbed down starter adventure complete with characters at the White Wolf web site. The magic was . . . . *breaks down and cries*

Sorry. The nerf bat was liberally applied. As for Vampire, the Old World of Darkness for me.

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-09-08 01:57am

Yeah, the nerfed magic is just sad. I liked magic with both great potential and GREAT consequence.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-08 04:14am

Get the books while you still can, I guess...

I've decided to post my character description/bio (not going to bother with stats unless you really want to see it).

Name: Robert Mathieu
Age: 23
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 160 lb
Demeanor: Caregiver
Nature: Celebrant
Essence: Questing

Description:
Slightly pale complexion. Blue eyes and dark brown hair, which is curly and always at least a couple inches in length. Wears long-sleeved shirts, with a t-shirt (usually with some RPG character on it) over it, with jeans and a pair of sneakers. Carries around a backpack at all times which contain some snacks, his notes from class, his orderlies (if he's going to be interning that day), an aluminum baseball bat, and bandana with the Japanese character for "hero" written on it.

Bio/Awakening:
Robert has always loved playing RPGs. Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire, Dragon Warrior... you name it, chances are he's beaten it- several times. He barely made it into the nursing program, and his grades weren't all that spectacular, but saving the world is more important than community college, right?

However, Robert has become bored with the standard RPG fare. His very love for the games has caused him to burn out on them- he can no longer get himself to sit down for four hours to collect enough experience to beat the secret boss to get the special weapon. But he can't just give them up entirely, so he's decided to live his life as an RPG.

It all started innocently enough, but then he noticed... changes in everyday life. He started finding spare change and cans of soda underneath stones and inside mailboxes. Being able to go an entire day with only a few hours of sleep. Then, one night while driving home, he saw a deer lying on the side of the road. He could tell it had been hit by a car, but it wasn't dead. He stopped and knelt next to the maimed animal. Then he saw a sign, hovering in the air. HEAL. Right below the word was a small bar indicating the deer's HP. Robert, imagining a controller in his mind, selected the sign. He heard himself mumble a short incantation, as if he'd known it by heart all this time. The deer's HP was replenished, and the animal got up and dashed off into the night. He saw another screen. Side-quest completed.

Before his Awakening, Robert was training to become a nurse, because he wanted to help people- but now he knows that he'll be making a bigger difference than he ever thought possible. He's going to conquer the evil forces and protect the innocent from said evil forces' dastardly plans... assuming he ever figures out how to start the main quest. In the mean time, he'll keep living out of his parent's house.

To keep himself in shape for his upcoming quests, he plays softball once or twice a week. When he was a child, his mother forced to take ballet lessons, which had the welcome side-effect of giving him exceptional balance and quicker reflexes.

Personality:
Robert is trying his hardest to be the archetypical hero. He loves helping people. Robert is also a bit naive and trusting- but he's also very insistent on maintaining a moral code, and will object to any suggestions of unsavory actions. Constantly being the good guy is hard for him sometimes- if he can't get things to go the way he thinks they should, he may become introverted and subdued for a while.

Paradigm:
Robert believes he has been Chosen by a higher power of some sort, and that it has awakened the Spirit of the Hero within him, allowing him to perform his magic. Any spell he selects requires a specific hand gesture and that he say the name of the spell- because that's how it's always worked in the video games.

Avatar:
Robert's avatar appears to him in the form of an RPG text menu. It is not always present in his vision, but will pop up with messages when things of note occur, and will present a selection screen when he wishes to cast a spell or access his inventory.

The GM sums it up as "lives in a JRPG".

Anomie · Post by **Anomie** » 2005-09-08 08:38pm

It's a horid shell of a great game.

It is as SirNitram said, Vampire Lite. The source for a mages powers in the new system are wraiths, which is treated exactly like bloodpoints. And the powers have been hobbeled to the point of stupidity, as compared to the Ascension system.

Even the story background is shit compared to old WoD storylines, for all the WhiteWolf WoD games, not just Mage.

Tatterdemalion · Post by **Tatterdemalion** » 2005-09-09 11:20am

Anomie wrote: Even the story background is shit compared to old WoD storylines, for all the WhiteWolf WoD games, not just Mage.

I don't know, the new Vampire stuff seems alright, but maybe that's just cause I kind of didnt like the Caine story and thought the Camarilla was to much of a massive all encompassing conspiricy. But yeah, the new Mage and Werewolf seem crap.

As I understand it, the new Vampire got made better, the new Mage and Werewolf were just made more like Vampire.

Oni Koneko Damien · Post by **Oni Koneko Damien** » 2005-09-09 01:26pm

I kind of like the new WoD series because it doesn't employ the (in my opinion) grand, cosmic, Good vs. Evil, vast, overarching conspiracy that the old versions used.

IIRC, Werewolf: The Apocalypse used the good Gaia vs. evil Wyrm scenario, and everything was either on one side or the other, even if they didn't know about it. Vampire: The Masquerade had the 'good' Caininites vs. the 'evil' Antedeluvians, and something about the universe coming to end if the Antedeluvians won. The new series I enjoy more for simple storytelling purposes. There are factions that go against each other, but subjective moral interpretations play a much larger role, as does the fact that the universe 1) Is still by and large unknown, and 2) Does not fit into any of the faction's views of 'good' and 'evil'.

~Damienkitty

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-09 02:19pm

Oni Koneko Damien wrote: IIRC, Werewolf: The Apocalypse used the good Gaia vs. evil Wyrm scenario, and everything was either on one side or the other, even if they didn't know about it.

It was also an eco-terrorists wet dream.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2005-09-09 02:38pm

Oni Koneko Damien wrote:I kind of like the new WoD series because it doesn't employ the (in my opinion) grand, cosmic, Good vs. Evil, vast, overarching conspiracy that the old versions used.

Actually, the producers of the new series wanted to get away from Metaplot and give more control of the game into the hands of the players. So they got rid of alot of the stupid stuff and eventually boiled it down to the necessities. A good deal of the mechanics issues alone are vastly improved over the old setting, though I'll get into that more when I'm not in work and have the time to type it out.

Anomie · Post by **Anomie** » 2005-09-09 04:36pm

General Zod wrote:Actually, the producers of the new series wanted to get away from Metaplot and give more control of the game into the hands of the players. So they got rid of alot of the stupid stuff and eventually boiled it down to the necessities. A good deal of the mechanics issues alone are vastly improved over the old setting, though I'll get into that more when I'm not in work and have the time to type it out.

Actually, I liked the metaplot idea. My only beef with the old system was that rules mechanics didn't mesh for a cross-over. Each game had different rules for agg. damage, soak, etc.

The new WoD is supposed to have streamlined the rules so that you can import Vampire into Werewolf into Mage, etc.

What I don't like with the new VtR game is what they did to my favorite clan, the Malkavians. Turning them into a bloodline, rather than a clan. And the rules that keep you from becoming to powerful, I don't like either.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2005-09-09 04:58pm

Good riddance to the Malkavians I say. Far too many people used to make silly bunnyslipper malks or would horribly abuse the Multiple Personality derangement to do whatever the fuck they wanted. Made for far too many idiotic character concepts, imo.

Anomie · Post by **Anomie** » 2005-09-09 05:17pm

General Zod wrote:Good riddance to the Malkavians I say. Far too many people used to make silly bunnyslipper malks or would horribly abuse the Multiple Personality derangement to do whatever the fuck they wanted. Made for far too many idiotic character concepts, imo.

Yeah, it was hard to find someone who could play a Malk correctly, but even so they were still a cool clan, storywise.

My first VtM character was a Malk, my derangement was hemophobia. That was an intersting campaign.

Another clan I liked that is now gone was the Salubri. I loved the whole hunted by the tremer thing that they had going. I hated the Tremer and loved that they kept failing to exterminate the pacifist 'triclops'.

Post by **weemadando** » 2005-09-09 09:19pm

A local vampire GM used to love people who could play Malks properly and HATED and hideously abused those who fucked around with them.

For example, one of people in this gaming group made a Malk with a fear of potatos, because, it was his reasoning that they were fairly innocuous and easily avoided.

So, the GM made EVERY SINGLE GAME have major segments take place in somwhere like a potato chipping plant, or a greengrocers...

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2005-09-09 09:32pm

One of the better Malks I saw LARPed was a doctor with O/C. He wasn't as over-the-top as TV's Monk, but he was *very* intense when it came to his interactions with other characters. The player had a natural tic to his left eye that really made the character.

I've never played Mage, I far enjoyed Werewolf more. What I've been seeing of the Re-Start is just depressing, tho. I can understand they want to make the games more cross-friendly, but they've seriously nerfed the Weres.

Anomie · Post by **Anomie** » 2005-09-09 10:17pm

LadyTevar wrote: I can understand they want to make the games more cross-friendly, but they've seriously nerfed the Weres.

I WW's bid to make the systems more x-friendly and to line their own pockets, they've hosed them all. My friend, who loved the old Mage, has told me how the new Mage is seriously underpowered compared to the old system.

This whole thing is a travesty.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-09 11:31pm

Buy the old books then! Like I said.

BTW, first game session for my group was yesterday. We were just getting used to OpenRPG, but everything's going swimmingly.

Anomie · Post by **Anomie** » 2005-09-10 12:37am

DPDarkPrimus wrote:Buy the old books then! Like I said.

I would if I could afford.

My first gaming priority is to finish off my Aeoniverse collection, THEN I'll move onto collecting oldschool WoD books.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-10 02:07am

Anomie wrote:
DPDarkPrimus wrote:Buy the old books then! Like I said.
I would if I could afford.

My first gaming priority is to finish off my Aeoniverse collection, THEN I'll move onto collecting oldschool WoD books.

The longer you wait, the harder to find, and more expensive, they will be.

Anomie · Post by **Anomie** » 2005-09-10 03:15am

DPDarkPrimus wrote:The longer you wait, the harder to find, and more expensive, they will be.

The same goes for the storyteller system Aeoniverse stuff. It's already impossible to find the Trinity Players Guide and the Aorua Aulstrailus.

Damn WW for not properly handleing the Aeoniverse line!

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2005-09-10 10:41am

DPDarkPrimus wrote:
Anomie wrote:
DPDarkPrimus wrote:Buy the old books then! Like I said.
I would if I could afford.

My first gaming priority is to finish off my Aeoniverse collection, THEN I'll move onto collecting oldschool WoD books.
The longer you wait, the harder to find, and more expensive, they will be.

Worse comes to worse, there's always the ebook version.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2005-09-10 02:04pm

General Zod wrote:
DPDarkPrimus wrote:
Anomie wrote: I would if I could afford.

My first gaming priority is to finish off my Aeoniverse collection, THEN I'll move onto collecting oldschool WoD books.
The longer you wait, the harder to find, and more expensive, they will be.
Worse comes to worse, there's always the ebook version.

200+ page PDFs aren't very wieldly.