What You Want

[brighoff at lexecon.com]

Craig Neumeier writes:

"I personally would like an explanation for the continuing secrecy of the
mystic
underground that actually works ("the claws of the tiger" is not adequate),
but it seems very likely that none of the characters or groups mentioned in
the book know the answer anyway.  Except Saint-Germain, and good
luck getting an honest answer to *anything* out of M. le Comte."

The impression I got from the rulebook was that the older schools of magic
were weak and esoteric.  As such, they were easily crushed by "the claws of
the tiger," or were so wrapped up in their own studies that they avoided
the world at large.  The newer schools are splashier, but they're new.  How
new is vague.  Only Cliomancy's origin is explained, and that only in rough
terms.  Their practioners may still be testing their limits.  Perhaps
hiding in the shadows is so ingrained that it's hard to break free.
Something I think is mentioned in the rulebook is that since anyone can do
magic if they _really_ want to, it's in the adept's best interest to keep
the masses out of the sandbox.  All that being said, I like the idea of a
campaign where all hell is about to break loose, and the video of the Naked
Goddess _is_ finally broadcast...

Of course, these are just my own ideas on the subject.  I feel that magic
is simultaneously the coolest and weakest parts of the gameworld.  A lot
needs to be filled in.  If _Postmodern Magick_ doesn't do it all, then I
vote for something that will.  Specifically, I'd like to see more schools,
more Avatars (specifically the Mystic Hermaphrodite and Godwalker info), a
better history o' magic (What were the old schools like?  Why'd all but
Mechanomancy dry up?  When and where did the new schools originate?), and
more rules on rituals.  I think rituals have a lot of potential, and not
just the older ones.  I want divination involving Barbie dolls and stock
market charts, dammit!

I also vote for short stories over novels.  Short stories help to expand
the world in several directions, novels make me feel like I'm gaming in
someone else's world.

Ben Brighoff






"Craig Neumeier" <craig at socket.net> on 02/11/99 01:15:10 PM

Please respond to UA at purpletape.cs.uchicago.edu

To:   UA at purpletape.cs.uchicago.edu
cc:    (bcc: Benjamin C Brighoff/Lexecon)
Subject:  Re: What You Want





> From: Gregory Paul Stolze <holycrow at mindspring.com

> Okay, UA fans: you've probably heard that there are a number of UA books
> basically written and in the pipe for development.  However, once those
get
> extruded into your waiting hands, which of the following do you think
you'd
> most want to see?

A citybook would be a good way of showing off the UnAverse, all (well, a
percentage, anyway) of the weird stuff going on in one place just at the
moment.  I would imagine that much of it is only loosely connected, at
least
in most cities.

"Grand Secrets" sounds interesting.

I don't see most of the magical schools as supporting a whole sourcebook.
This is perhaps a bit of a problem since (as we all know) books for
players are typically a better idea than books just for GMs.  I will say
that
I don't have a good handle on what dipsomancy actually lets you do --
the random magic paragraph is unusually vague.  But it seems like that
might better go in some sort of more general magick secrets book than in
a book of its own.

I am surprised that there isn't any sort of avatar/godwalker sourcebook
on the list -- or is that one of the "in the pipeline" elements. Most of
the
reviews I've seen comment that UA is complete in one book.The lack
of any rules (or guidelines, or even hints) for godwalkers is the one
major exception* to this statement.


Craig Neumeier, LHN

* - the absence of the Mystic Hermaphrodite is a minor exception; that may
be it, though.
I personally would like an explanation for the continuing secrecy of the
mystic
underground that actually works ("the claws of the tiger" is not adequate),
but it seems very likely that none of the characters or groups mentioned in
the book know the answer anyway.  Except Saint-Germain, and good
luck getting an honest answer to *anything* out of M. le Comte.