Mage: The Ascension [ハードカバー]

yes, I gave it five stars, and I will get to the why. But I do believe, like other reviewers, that this game might not suit everybody, and it is certainly not easy to either explain nor play without running into some quite peculiar pitfalls. I started out with RPGs when I was 12. I have read, played and "directed" at least 10 different RPG systems. Fantasy, star wars, star trek, marvel superheores (anyone whot thinks I was waaay to deep into it is absolutely RIGHT, I was positively addicted). I even wrote a short monthly column on RPGs for an "alternative culture" magazine for a while. So when my best friend and companion in roleplaying introduced me to White Wolf games (with a copy of Mage as a birthday present), I was openly distrustful. (Mages with computers? you gotta be kidding me!). However, I overcame my first impression and read it, read it and re-read it. I was hooked! What was going on with this game was REAL MAGIC! All the other RPGs I have played and directed have the same problem: magic is a static thing, confined to the stereotypes which are known by all: wizened old men, reading out of musty old books, recipes including bat dung and frog eyes. Interminable list of spells, some of them useless, some inaccessible until the characters were incredibly powerful already, and the eternal problem of mages being weak and useless once their spells were spent. Mage: the Ascension is my favorite RPG (out of, like I've mentioned, many others I've met and struggled with for a while). But, it's not for everyone. It's not a game you can throw at the players out of the blue. It's a challenging game for the Storyteller. Yes, it's White Wolf as far as the basic system is concerned, but the Storyteller must do extensive homework ,and at least skim some of the reference works and recommended further readings given by the authors (some of which, BTW, are very good). Otherwise any chronicle will look and sound bland. I agree with other reviewers in that the designers reach out for much and leave a lot of spaces and gaps: I believe this to be intentional. The flexibility implied by a game where reality is "up for grabs" does not allow any hard-and-fast rules regarding the nature of the stories or the possibilities of what the players might do. For example: the Technocracy's struggle can (in my opinion) be seen as equally "noble" than the one from the traditions, in that they can be understood as seeing themselves as protectors of humankind from "what's out there". They can also be insane megalomaniacs out for world domination, will ye or nay ye, but it's another thing the Storyteller must decide beforehand. The Traditions are another kettle of fish: in my opinion they are more guidelines than models to build characters upon. For example: the Akashic Brotherhood is way too big, attempting to encompass many different real-world beliefs in one page of description. Again in my opinion, an Akashic can be fashioned after Indian yogis or Tibetan ascetics just as they can be made to look and act like your regular action-film martial arts master. I tell my players not to delude themselves into thinking that all Akashics are bald, and assume kung-fu stances, and that not all Dreamspeakers wear loincloths and beat drums. The Avatar is another thing that most people I know who've played Mage seem not to understand. It's a great tool for the players to relate to their character and for Storytellers to keep the pace of the story in moments when the players seem to lose track of everything that's going on under their noses, but, again, if the Storyteller is not consistent with the Avatar thing, it either gets left out altogether, or the players see through it and cry foul when the Storyteller turns their Avatars on them. As for the system: I believe it to be a blessing, through and through. White Wolf's system really lets you forgo dozens o dice rolls, and its by far more "realistic" than any other RPG system in my experience. All the White Wolf books insist on it: tell stories first, roll dice only if it helps the story. Because, despite the occassional confusion in interpreting this or that (or finding stuff in the index: I agree, it's dreadful), can anybody deny that a magic system like this would be flat-out impossible to run with any other set of RPG rules? It's a great game, folks, but in order for it to be truly enjoyable and all that it can be, it does require more careful attention and input than other RPGs. Take the contents of this book as GUIDELINES, to be greatly expanded upon, and more than any other RPG let a lot of you into it. Do not be afraid to innovate, to discard what you don't like, and I venture to say that it will prove an unprecedented, exciting experience for all RPG enthusiasts, players and gamemasters alike.

Let me start my review by saying that I view all White Wolf games (at least the 5 main games) as being equal. That's right, I'm not going to promote one book over another. The beauty of all White Wolf games is the "Golden Rule:" The game is up to the storyteller and players. If you don't like an idea, change it or ignore it completely. This works quite well with small groups if you feel comfortable with table top or LARP. However, when you get to larger groups (esp. roleplaying online) it's more difficult to decide on which rules are practical and which ones aren't.

This edition of Mage *does* have a slight problem with clear definition of rules and systems, and I've yet to see any of White Wolf's books completely cover the systems as they pertain to other games (for example, can a hedge wizard be discovered as such using the gift "Scent of the Trueform?"). As with all of White Wolf games, I think this is a game best played with a small group of close friends.

Now a little more about White Wolf and specifically Mage. I don't know how many have noticed this, but all of these games probably seem like they're shaped after Myths or other real-world beliefs (no matter how obscure). The reasoning for this: They are! Take a look through the bibliography of a White Wolf book and marvel at the resources. This is one area where I would promote Mage above the other books (although I said I wouldn't) because in reading through this you get a small glimpse at the beliefs of so many other cultures. What's even scarier - notice how people of different cultures seem like they live in "another world?" If you really think about it, the Mage concept isn't hard to follow at all. We see this in everyday life. We believe things to be one way, and that's true for us. Others believe differently, and that makes their reality. What happens when the two collide? Disagreements, fights, all-out wars (think of the Inquisition)... It's really a great game to get into, but if you're not all that much of a roleplaying fan it's just nice to read and ponder the concept. Great little quotes and mini-stories, too!

If you want a game to melt your mind, pick up Mage. This is the third of five lines of game books in the World of Darkness, and the one with the most hope. In Vampire, Werewold, and Wraith, you play the monster. In Changling, you play the doomed to die crazy hero. In Mage you wrestle with Reality. Your views shape the world around you. You are fighting other views, that clash with yours, to the point where your magic can be harmful to you. Overall, this is a great game. The layout is average, the system is standard White Wolf. The philosophy is fantastic. The world is what you make it. Literally. Things exist and happen because people believe they do. Your job is to change or survive people's beliefs. On the negative, the index is one of the worst I've seen. 1st Edition Mage had a much better index. The index is too short and not nearly complete enough. It even lacks the normal page framing, making it look like the authors forgot to do it before sending it to the printers, and just whipped something together. If you use this book and this game, make sure to use sticky notes for your most common rules...