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This is honestly the second half of the Mage 1e Core book. It finishes almost every thought that that book had, and opens the doors to further elaboration, moving the game towards 2e and softening the black & white feel of the original core.
The lease interesting section is the first chapter, which is just a pile of new Abilities, Archetypes, Background and the introduction to Merits and Flaws (which had been circulating in the other lines by this point.) The merits and flaws are particularly fun because some of them seem radically incorrectly priced. I admit, I'm also down on the extra Abilities, because I'm anti-secondary abilities in general with a very, very small number of exceptions.
Beyond that, the book really starts delving into how Mage works and how to actually make it work in practice. Chapter 2 just goes faction by faction, interspersing fiction with a discussion of each one's philosophy. It also includes the first hints of sympathetic Technocrats in the line, which ...
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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Who are the biggest nerds in the World of Darkness? The Technocracy? The Order of Hermes? None of them hold a candle to the Arcanum.
Normally, I'm not a huge fan of the 1st person style for game books: though ambiguity leaves room for creativity, often clarity is what's needed. Here, though, it worked quite well. The story is told through the notes and letter, primarily of a new member joining the Arcanum and learning about it, but also from the founders of the society. The section on the Arcanum's secrets is told from the point of view of a Hermetic mage who has been investigating them. Fitting for such an organization, it leaves everyone in the dark.
Generally well-written (though there are a few cringe moments, like when it describes people with the G-slur, as WoD often did back in the day) the book is a useful companion to Ascension's Right Hand, showing what happens to occultists who don't end up attached to a Tradition but still have a burning need to know....
Rating: [4 of 5 Stars!] |
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![Guide to Coteries [BUNDLE]](https://www.storytellersvault.com/images/1/293199.png)
