Salutations Reader!
I know this the first time we have met. My name is Mr. Nick, and you and I will be going on a little journey together today, hopefully to learn more about games, magic, and magic in games. We'll likely talk about Roleplaying Games, Video Games, Board Games, Movies, Films, Novels, Novellas, Short Stories, and little doodles you made on the margins of your paper of fanciful hats.
But when talking about Magic, we are of course talking about.... those people that do magic.
Never to sure what to call them to be honest. Magic-User is fine. It is what D&D started with in '74 after all (its fighter was also 'Fighting Man', which shows you that they wanted you to know exactly what type of game-play you were getting into). But I have always found it a bit... vague.
Sure, it says exactly what you mean to do- but it doesn't have any flair or flavor to it- Magic User carries no weight or history, it is a clinical term, and like most clinical terms, it is not trying to have any flavor because it is afraid of slanting your judgement with its history and pretense. Life however, is a flavorful thing, and explains why even D&D switched to the term 'Mage' for there 2nd Edition Rulebook (Though they did also have 'Illusionist' already, an important distinction, I feel).
Ah, Elminster. Truely you sir were a Mage-
Beard. Pipe. Hat. Sick-ass braids. He don't GIVE A FUCK.
Of course, Mage has some connotations, to be sure. After all, White Wolf (whom, to us desert-dwelling folk, reside in the majestic jewel of the east, Georgia) kinda has that name on lock. And rightly so I feel- its progressive feel from its progenator, Ars Magica is ever present, and Ars Magica, for those not in the know, in terms of just organization of a Magic System, has one of the best layouts and methods of doing pretty much whatever you like (I'll talk about it more in the future). Dat Sweet Catagorical Magical Taxonomy. MMMMM!
IT BEGINS
ReplyDeleteIn your opinion, Mr. Nick, what game has come closest to the Occult in terms of magic?
ReplyDeleteTough Question, but really comes down to what your interests are.
DeleteChaos Magic? Best to look at Unknown Armies.
Classical Hermeticism? Ars Magica
That being said, in my very limited research (as there are quite a few indie RPGs out there), Witchcraft RPG (http://www.edenstudios.net/witchcraft.html) seems to take the subject desperately seriously, and I have always respected it for its interest. Of course, it is mainly focused on wiccan, so you are not gonna see any Temple of High Magic, Thrice Great Hermes references, but is pretty serious as far as contenders go from what I am seen. But it is big about its Invocation and Evocation (which is mainly what much of my own esoteric experiences seemed to revolve around. Promethian: The Created had some pretty spot on Alchemical Symbolism.
Kind of humorous when you read all those old tracts about D&D linked with Satanism when it was laughably even based on any sort of traditional occult practice. Then again, absolutely mirroring real-life practical esoteric practices might be too subtle if one is looking to chuck a fireball around. Mage: The Ascension is a great example of this. Not very accurate to anything in particular, but great magic system. But it is not gonna get you any points in an sort of Golden Dawn Discussion Group.
Hope that helps?