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Boston Unveiled
[1-58846-419-9]
$16.99
Publisher: White Wolf
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by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 08/04/2016 12:26:46

Opening with some evocative fiction that tells the tale of a lonely girl on a nasty cold and wet evening, who finds strange people down back alleys she hasn't explored before and the promise of something more, then the Introduction lays out the nature of this work: a setting sourcebook for what is intended as the home and setting of Mage: The Awakening, the city of Boston in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Even if you know Boston well, this is not quite the Boston you know. Building on the information provided in the core rulebook about the city, this book looks behind the scenes at the intrigues of the Awakened world and provides inspiration for many a chronicle, with plot ideas a-plenty. It is a place replete with history and rife with secrets… just the sort of place in which mages can flourish - or perish.

Chapter 1: Maps and Legends takes a look around, but it's not the sort of guidebook that a tourist would find useful. Starting with the local Native Americans, it's naturally a good place for those who would work magic, with ley lines in profusion and other features which any willworker might appreciate. Even once colonists arrived from Europe, there were those who picked up on the local characteristics and began to build their power. But sometimes the landscape itself fought back, and sometimes malign spirits were summoned by accident or intent, not all was well. Yet these early days were exciting ones and many seeds were set and organisations founded and alliances forged that began to shape the landscape of today.

Next, Chapter 2: Cabals presents some of the better-known groups of mages to be found in Boston, along with the politics and enmities that provide for alliances and rivalries. It's a place full of history, with several hundred years of cooperation and conflict setting the scene for today's Bostonian mages. Just as regular Boston society tends to the stiffly formal, so does that of the Awakened. A local mage may navigate this uptight society with ease, but a newcomer will find it difficult, baffling even. Mages who Awaken in Boston are welcomed and nurtured, shown around and properly welcomed by exisiting mages - whilst this is a benefit, it can drag a fledgling mage into local politics before he's really ready or has even had a chance to decide where he stands. There's plenty of detail here, with many groups for mages to join or to oppose, people to ingratiate themselves with, who might become trusted friends and mentors or bitter enemies. Absolute heaven for those who want to play a social game jam-packed with intrigue and political manoeuvering.

Then Chapter 3: Renegade Mages takes a look at some local inhabitants who do not fit into regular arcane society. There are quite a few Banishers - perhaps stemming from the city's Puritan past - who are presented in considerable detail ready to come after your mages. Story ideas are littered through this book, and there's a delightful one here: an old Chinese mage who rarely practises magic these days has just realised that a young relative has not only Awakened but taken up with the Banishers, so to whom will he turn for help? There are other individuals and groups here too. The Scelesti use their magic to their own unsavoury ends, and others follow their own agendas as well. And then there are the Sleepers. Some of them can prove problematic too - there's an overly-curious journalist, for example... be cautious how you deal with her!

This is followed by Chapter 4: Off the Map which explores local spirit realms and other places of mystery. As you can imagine from such a historical place, there are plenty of locations that resonate, and this chapter provides even more plot ideas - overt sidebar 'story hooks' and those that spring to mind as you read over the entries here.

Finally, Chapter 5: Beast of Burden provides some plot to get your adventures in Boston off to a flying start. It's aimed at a young cabal yet to establish themselves (but could be run with more experienced mages if you beef the antagonists up a bit), with a Tibetan student asking for help in combating a monster he says ate his master when an experiment went wrong. Taking the action from the docks and through the streets of the city, there's plenty of mythology to explore as well as fights to be had - a good adventure to get the cabal involved in Boston society as they aren't the only ones interested...

Boston makes a good base for those who want a political game, yet there is plenty of scope for people who prefer more direct action and even those who wish to pursue a scholarly approach to their magic. Indeed, there's something for everyone here... all rooted in the fascinating city that is Boston.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Boston Unveiled
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