Mage: The Podcast

Adam swims with the sharks to bring you information and ideas to help you add the Rokea, the shape shifting sharks of the World of Darkness, to your games. What are the Kahu hiding?  What lies at the bottom of ocean trenches? Why don’t sharks floss? Tune in and find out.

📄 Transcript of Crossover: Rokea in Mage

Show Notes

• Rokea – Immortal weresharks, ancient sea-born shapeshifters who form Slews, use electric “Sending,” heal in saltwater, and ally with Mokolé.

Executive Producers

Oracles

Bad Company • Buck Gregory • Christopher Phillips • Derek Semsick • DrawnCap • DrunkDez • Jason Vines • Rebecca Pool • Sean Gallagher • Spartacus • The Krewe of Erebuss

Archmasters

Berto • Brad-O-the Blue • Dan Svensson • Glacial Indifference • Jeffois • Leroy Bryce • Morgan Aran • Wolf Larryson

Acolytes

Aleks • Alexia • Ambiversion • Anders S • Ben Bandelow • Blaise Hebert • Bruno Teixeira • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Chartan • Cig • Curtis Hendricks • Darren Hennessey • Daniel Cuppen • Daniel Scribner • Dan Svensson • David Röhe • Ean Robertson • EBG • Eric Schwenke • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Stewart • Ia Bull • James B • Jason Kennedy • Jenna F • Jeremy Z • Jervis Johnson • Kathleen Hailperin • Kevin Fitzpatrick • Khris Kinner • Leslie Weatherstone • Lolz & stuff • Loren Jensen • Manel Canós • Matthew Proehl • Maurice Hopkins • Melissa Krause • Michael Parker • Nebero • Nikita Kleymenov • Patrick McNamara • RobH • Ryan • Ryan Kendy • Ryan Stray • Samuel Tobin • Sev Nessus • Shell Konch • Starfish • Stefan Carton • Tyler Bryan • Will Vincent • Ygard

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Adam talks about Emmy Allen’s Stygian Library, the library that doesn’t end. Will your players find the knowledge they’re looking for? Can they evade the mysterious librarians and their super computer? The sister volume to Gardens of Ynn is full of ideas that may find a place in your Mage games. Just watch out for the ink blots. They stain.

Show Notes

• Stygian Library overview (DriveThruRPG) – A strange old place, part haunted mansion, part endless library tucked outside the world.
• Coins and Scrolls – OSR procedural dungeon design basics
• Mage: The Ascension (White Wolf overview) – At its heart, Mage is all about the long road to Ascension. Nt just for one soul, but for all of humanity. Trouble is, nobody’s pinned down exactly what that means or how you get there.
• Umbral Realms & High Umbra concepts – Folks also call it the Spirit World, the Shadow, or the Velvet Shadow, one of those places that’s right there beside our world, even if you can’t quite touch it. It runs alongside the everyday, separate but close, like a reflection in a dark window just waiting to be noticed.
• Procedural generation in RPGs (design concepts)– “Xandering” a dungeon means designing it like the old-school masters did (full of branching paths, secret routes, and meaningful choices) so players truly explore and shape their own adventure instead of being led down a straight, railroaded path.
• Ternary computing background (for Virtual Adept ideas) – A ternary (sometimes folks say trinary) computer is just a machine that counts a little different than most. Instead of using the usual on-or-off binary way of thinking, it works in threes. So where regular computers use bits, these use “trits,” giving them an extra option to work with each step of the way.

Executive Producers

Oracles

Bad Company • Buck Gregory • Christopher Phillips • Derek Semsick • DrawnCap • DrunkDez • Jason Vines • Rebecca Pool • Sean Gallagher • Spartacus • The Krewe of Erebuss

Archmasters

Berto • Brad-O-the Blue • Dan Svensson • Glacial Indifference • Jeffois • Leroy Bryce • Morgan Aran • Wolf Larryson

Acolytes

Aleks • Alexia • Ambiversion • Anders S • Ben Bandelow • Blaise Hebert • Bruno Teixeira • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Chartan • Cig • Curtis Hendricks • Darren Hennessey • Daniel Cuppen • Daniel Scribner • Dan Svensson • David Röhe • Ean Robertson • EBG • Eric Schwenke • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Stewart • Ia Bull • James B • Jason Kennedy • Jenna F • Jeremy Z • Jervis Johnson • Kathleen Hailperin • Kevin Fitzpatrick • Khris Kinner • Leslie Weatherstone • Lolz & stuff • Loren Jensen • Manel Canós • Matthew Proehl • Maurice Hopkins • Melissa Krause • Michael Parker • Nebero • Nikita Kleymenov • Patrick McNamara • RobH • Ryan • Ryan Kendy • Ryan Stray • Samuel Tobin • Sev Nessus • Shell Konch • Starfish • Stefan Carton • Tyler Bryan • Will Vincent • Ygard

Become a supporter of Mage: The Podcast.

Contact us at magethepodcast@gmail.com with feedback and comments, and please help extend the reach of the show by sharing it with friends.

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Pooka and Lee discuss Such Pain, the first Mage novel published in 1995.  Can novel-length stories help you envision the world of Mage?  Did the author hit it out of the park with this one?  Hear Pooka and Lee’s review of the book.  Their commentary highlights how the World of Darkness was a little different during Mage’s first edition.

Show Notes

• Such Pain – Playboy Aaron Barry inherits an empire, fires his father’s allies, courts a reporter, and returns to a haunted home he fears.
• Don Bassingthwaite – Born in Ontario, Bassingthwaite excelled in school, won awards, studied anthropology at Toronto, and began a publishing career while playing D&D.
• Truth Until Paradox (short story collection) – Reality is mutable; mages shape it. In a dark mirror of our world, stories explore power, truth, and rival visions of Ascension.
• Mage: The Ascension (RPG) – ou play reality-bending mages using belief to shape the world while battling rival factions and risking paradox.
• Dragonlance Chronicles – Dragons return to Krynn, bringing war. A band of friends—knight, mage, and more—rise as unlikely heroes to seek the legendary Dragonlance.
• The Holy Mountain – 1973 surreal film by Alejandro Jodorowsky, funded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono; shown at festivals like Cannes Film Festival. A Christ-like thief meets an alchemist, joins seekers, and climbs a holy mountain, only to learn the quest is illusion and reality lies beyond.

Executive Producers

Oracles

Bad Company • Buck Gregory • Christopher Phillips • Derek Semsick • DrawnCap • DrunkDez • Jason Vines • Rebecca Pool • Sean Gallagher • Spartacus • The Krewe of Erebuss

Archmasters

Berto • Brad-O-the Blue • Dan Svensson • Glacial Indifference • Jeffois • Leroy Bryce • Morgan Aran • Wolf Larryson

Acolytes

Aleks • Alexia • Ambiversion • Anders S • Ben Bandelow • Blaise Hebert • Bruno Teixeira • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Chartan • Cig • Curtis Hendricks • Darren Hennessey • Daniel Cuppen • Daniel Scribner • Dan Svensson • David Röhe • Ean Robertson • EBG • Eric Schwenke • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Stewart • Ia Bull • James B • Jason Kennedy • Jenna F • Jeremy Z • Jervis Johnson • Kathleen Hailperin • Kevin Fitzpatrick • Khris Kinner • Leslie Weatherstone • Lolz & stuff • Loren Jensen • Manel Canós • Matthew Proehl • Maurice Hopkins • Melissa Krause • Michael Parker • Nebero • Nikita Kleymenov • Patrick McNamara • RobH • Ryan • Ryan Kendy • Ryan Stray • Samuel Tobin • Sev Nessus • Shell Konch • Starfish • Stefan Carton • Tyler Bryan • Will Vincent • Ygard

Become a supporter of Mage: The Podcast.

Contact us at magethepodcast@gmail.com with feedback and comments, and please help extend the reach of the show by sharing it with friends.

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Pooka and T.L. Webb crack open Truth Until Paradox, Mage’s first fiction anthology. They chat why tie-in stories matter, then speed-tour 17 wildly uneven, very ’90s tales—Technocracy vs Traditions, Nephandi schemes, HIT-Marks, odd Wonders, and fan-fic energy.

Show Notes

• Truth Until Paradox (Mage anthology, Feb 1994) – Tucked inside are seven tales from the World of Darkness, a place that looks a lot like our own, except the supernatural is real, and shadowy forces are always moving just out of sight. They’ve been chosen and edited by Stewart Wieck, the creator of Mage: The Ascension and co-creator of the World of Darkness.
• Key faves: “Silver Nutmeg, Golden Pear” + “Grim Reminders” (Penny Dreadful)
• Concepts: Ascension War vibe, coincidental magic, backstabbing, Wonders, Paradox oddities
• T.L. Webb on Bluesky and Tumblr

The most powerful skill in Mage is uncovered at last.  Join Adam and Pooka as they lay bare the stone cold facts about Stone Lore.  The mystic qualities of malachite, how to use Stone Lore in your games and the merits of marrying Spanish dancers are all discussed as your hosts try to penetrate the deepest secrets of Ascension.

📄 Transcript of Stone Lore

Show Notes

• Geologist’s Primer⁠ – A friendly, picture-packed guide that mixes myth, folklore, old-school magic, crystal lore, and real science, giving writers and game masters everything they need to make rocks, metals, and gems feel alive in fantasy worlds or modern tales alike.
• ⁠Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones⁠ – Told through art, myth, power, and a bit of hard science, this wide-ranging tale follows sixty unforgettable stones to show how rocks shaped human history, and how our hopes, work, and wants shaped those stones right back.
• ⁠Amulets and Superstitions⁠ – This old-school, picture-filled classic by Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge shows how folks across the ancient world leaned on stones, symbols, numbers, and amulets to heal the sick, keep bad luck at bay, fend off evil, and make sense of fate and the unseen.
• ⁠ Gemlore: Ancient Secrets and Modern Myths from the Stone Age to the Rock Age – This down-to-earth guide rambles across cultures and centuries, mixing the hard facts of geology with myth, symbols, and old stories to show how gemstones have both shaped our beliefs and mirrored the way people make sense of the world.

Executive Producers

Oracles

Bad Company • Buck Gregory • Christopher Phillips • Derek Semsick • DrawnCap • DrunkDez • Jason Vines • Rebecca Pool • Sean Gallagher • Spartacus • The Krewe of Erebuss

Archmasters

Berto • Brad-O-the Blue • Dan Svensson • Glacial Indifference • Jeffois • Leroy Bryce • Morgan Aran • Wolf Larryson

Acolytes

Aleks • Alexia • Ambiversion • Anders S • Ben Bandelow • Blaise Hebert • Bruno Teixeira • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Chartan • Cig • Curtis Hendricks • Darren Hennessey • Daniel Cuppen • Daniel Scribner • Dan Svensson • David Röhe • Ean Robertson • EBG • Eric Schwenke • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Stewart • Ia Bull • James B • Jason Kennedy • Jenna F • Jeremy Z • Jervis Johnson • Kathleen Hailperin • Kevin Fitzpatrick • Khris Kinner • Leslie Weatherstone • Lolz & stuff • Loren Jensen • Manel Canós • Matthew Proehl • Maurice Hopkins • Melissa Krause • Michael Parker • Nebero • Nikita Kleymenov • Patrick McNamara • RobH • Ryan • Ryan Kendy • Ryan Stray • Samuel Tobin • Sev Nessus • Shell Konch • Starfish • Stefan Carton • Tyler Bryan • Will Vincent • Ygard

Become a supporter of Mage: The Podcast.

Contact us at magethepodcast@gmail.com with feedback and comments, and please help extend the reach of the show by sharing it with friends.

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This week we’re back on the PAX Unplugged floor with a second round-up of lively, occasionally dusty-but-still-gold interviews from 2024. Terry chats with some absolute heavy hitters and indie darlings of tabletop RPGs about gods with day jobs, Afrofuturist sci-fi, cozy cosmic horror, zines, libraries, and why games should be played—not locked behind glass. Pull up a chair and enjoy the noise, the passion, and the love of the hobby. We’ll see you behind a table at PAX this coming December.

Show Notes

• PAX Unplugged
• The interviewees, in order:
  • Eloy Lasanta (Third Eye Games)
    • Part-Time Gods Second Edition
  • Chris Pramas (Green Ronin)
  • Eric Portney (Alexandria RPG Library)
  • Jason Cordova (Gauntlet RPG, Brindlewood Bay)
  • Spencer Campbell (Gila RPGs)

Executive Producers

Oracles

Bad Company • Buck Gregory • Christopher Phillips • Derek Semsick • DrawnCap • DrunkDez • Jason Vines • Rebecca Pool • Sean Gallagher • Spartacus • The Krewe of Erebuss

Archmasters

Berto • Brad-O-the Blue • Dan Svensson • Glacial Indifference • Jeffois • Leroy Bryce • Morgan Aran • Wolf Larryson

Acolytes

Aleks • Alexia • Ambiversion • Anders S • Ben Bandelow • Blaise Hebert • Bruno Teixeira • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Chartan • Cig • Curtis Hendricks • Darren Hennessey • Daniel Cuppen • Daniel Scribner • Dan Svensson • David Röhe • Ean Robertson • EBG • Eric Schwenke • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Stewart • Ia Bull • James B • Jason Kennedy • Jenna F • Jeremy Z • Jervis Johnson • Kathleen Hailperin • Kevin Fitzpatrick • Khris Kinner • Leslie Weatherstone • Lolz & stuff • Loren Jensen • Manel Canós • Matthew Proehl • Maurice Hopkins • Melissa Krause • Michael Parker • Nebero • Nikita Kleymenov • Patrick McNamara • RobH • Ryan • Ryan Kendy • Ryan Stray • Samuel Tobin • Sev Nessus • Shell Konch • Starfish • Stefan Carton • Tyler Bryan • Will Vincent • Ygard

Become a supporter of Mage: The Podcast.

Contact us at magethepodcast@gmail.com with feedback and comments, and please help extend the reach of the show by sharing it with friends.

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This episode scuttles into the World of Darkness to talk Ananasi, the shape-shifting were-spiders from Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Adam covers the Weaver, the Triat, creepy spider lore, and why these eight-legged schemers make surprisingly good allies for mages. From Umbra webs to spider rebellions, we look at why bringing were-spiders into Mage games can be strange, spooky, and downright fun. 🕷️

Show Notes

• Ananasi – This book’s got all the know-how you need, whether you’re spinning up a full-blown spider crew, sneaking a few extra legs into an ongoing Werewolf chronicle, or showing vampires that they’re not the only ones who know their way around a good blood meal.
• The Wyld – Creation, chaos, possibility, raw dynamism.
• The Wyrm – Entropy, decay, corruption, destruction.
• Digital Web – Much like the Internet itself, the Digital Web isn’t really anywhere you can point to on a map, but it still matters. Think of it as a crossroads without a crossroads sign, the kind of place Correspondence loves to hang its hat, even if there’s no dirt under your boots.
• Autochthonia (Iteration X Realm) – The Realm of Binding by Hermetics, is a Shenti of Stasis controlled by the Technocracy, a gigantic manifestation of the Weaver.
• Malfeas (Realm of the Wyrm) – The mad Shenti realm of the Wyrm located in the Deep Umbra.
• The Science Incarna – Science subsumed by systems and industry.

Executive Producers

Oracles

Bad Company • Buck Gregory • Christopher Phillips • Derek Semsick • DrawnCap • DrunkDez • Jason Vines • Rebecca Pool • Sean Gallagher • Spartacus • The Krewe of Erebuss

Archmasters

Berto • Brad-O-the Blue • Dan Svensson • Glacial Indifference • Jeffois • Leroy Bryce • Morgan Aran • Wolf Larryson

Acolytes

Aleks • Alexia • Ambiversion • Anders S • Ben Bandelow • Blaise Hebert • Bruno Teixeira • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Chartan • Cig • Curtis Hendricks • Darren Hennessey • Daniel Cuppen • Daniel Scribner • Dan Svensson • David Röhe • Ean Robertson • EBG • Eric Schwenke • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Stewart • Ia Bull • James B • Jason Kennedy • Jenna F • Jeremy Z • Jervis Johnson • Kathleen Hailperin • Kevin Fitzpatrick • Khris Kinner • Leslie Weatherstone • Lolz & stuff • Loren Jensen • Manel Canós • Matthew Proehl • Maurice Hopkins • Melissa Krause • Michael Parker • Nebero • Nikita Kleymenov • Patrick McNamara • RobH • Ryan • Ryan Kendy • Ryan Stray • Samuel Tobin • Sev Nessus • Shell Konch • Starfish • Stefan Carton • Tyler Bryan • Will Vincent • Ygard

Become a supporter of Mage: The Podcast.

Contact us at magethepodcast@gmail.com with feedback and comments, and please help extend the reach of the show by sharing it with friends.

Follow Us

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Listen

Subscribe to Mage: The Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, and YouTube.

Join our Discord server.