Mage: The Podcast

August 1, 2019July 3, 2021

Upcoming Projects and Gen Con 2019 Part 2: Politics in Mage, Writing and Editing, and Growing the Mage Community

The second and final Gen Con 2019 interview show, but first some updates on Mage: The Podcast projects!

Duplicity, the Mage: The Podcast Twitter Chronicle has finished its third week and you can read it here. Talk to Ira Grace @magestoryteller if you want to get involved or follow the action.

Join the conversation on our Discord server.

Friend of the show Charles Siegel has released Sources of Magick, a supplement which gives you way more than you ever thought you wanted about nodes.

Mage: The Podcast is starting to record instructional audio/video for how to play Mage through winter of 2020. Stay tuned for more information.

Interview with Victor Kinzer of the Walking Away from Arcadia podcast
- Politics introduced in Changeling Players Guide
- Noam Chomsky and Anarcho-Syndicalism (all structures of power must be continually justified)
- The Haymarket Affair (bombing that took place during a labor demonstration)
- Bedlam in Changeling, a kind of fae madness
Interview with Carol Darnell, game editor who’s worked on Mage: The Ascension
- Hire Carol!
Interview with Matt Webb of Jackalope Live Action Studios
- Elysium Chronicles a Jackalope Prestige LARP
- Jackalope Studios on Facebook
- L.A. by Night, popular Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition actual play
- Mage: Eclipse and options on how to advance the Mage metaplot
- “Changelings are the dreams and nightmares of it, werewolves are the anger of the world, and vampires are death. Mages are the hope of the world.”

Executive Producers

Alexia • Aleksandra J • Alexander G • Alexander P • Ambiversion • Andrew E • Anders S • Andrew • Andrew E • Andrija J • Anon Ibid • Bdurfy • Benjamin B • Berto • Blaise H • Blake R • Bo • BoogersBoogersBoogersBoogersBoogersBoogers • Brad M • Brandon • Bryce Perry • Bubba, The Pale One • Buck Farmer • Chris B • Chris Z • Christopher P • Cinshadis • Connor G • Cromwell The Archaeologist • Curtis H • Dan Svensson • Daniel C • Daniel S • Darren H • David M • David R • DrawnCap • Dennis O • Derek S • Ean R • Eli l • Entropy_Prime • Eric S • Fragarach • Freddy • FriedrichOwl • Gabriel P • Garga L • George L • Gray -Trilug- H • Guy Conan S • GuyWithPuns • Henry Craft • HugoTheBogPerson • I Jaye S • Ian • Illara S • Ira Grace • Isabel CL • J Gatsby • Jason B • Jason D • Jason K • Jason V • Jason Vines • Jeffois • Jenna F • Jervis Johnson • jj225000 • John • John Hillerup • jj225000 • John Magnuson • John W • Jolyne A • Joshua Hillerup • Justin • Karl H • Kathleen H • Kevin F • Khris K • Larrendias D • Leroy B • Leslie W • Lexiconjurer • Lolzandstuff • Manel C • Maurice H • Matthew P • Melissa K • Michael C • Michael Parker • Mikael S • Morgan A • Nathan W • Nebero • Neil P • Nikita K • Oliver S • Patrick M • Patrick Mc • Paxcow • Pooka G • Rachel G • Ralf S • Regina O • Ren M • Ricardo • Richard “Bat” Brewster • Rob D • Rob H • Ruben J • Ryan H • Ryan K • Ryan S • Samuel T • sbloyd • Schnabeltierkrieger • Sean G • Sev Nessus • Simon S • SorcererSanguine • Sean Ryan K • St U • starfish • Stefan C • Steve Winyard • thatsrealneeto • Tyler • Tyler B • Vince H • Vincent • Walter • Warmstarter • William M • Wolf L • ZakRulz

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August 1, 2019February 2, 2021

Duplicity: A Twitter Chronicle

This month we launched Duplicity, a Mage chronicle on Twitter with Ira Grace as the Storyteller. If you’re interested, follow the hashtag #DPLCTY to see how the story unfolds. If you’d like to hear the backstory of the chronicle you can listen to Terry Robinson’s interview with Ira.

Check back here from time to time if you’d like to read the digest version of Duplicity.

July 27, 2019July 3, 2021

Tomes of Magick: Sons of Ether

The Sons of Ether are seen as crazy technomancers but the true history of these explorers go back far farther. Adam and Terry explore their history and ideas from Greek philosophers to the last modern remnants of Victorian explorers and pulp actions heroes. Along the way, find out how the nature of scientific discovery has changed across editions and, as always, Adam’s story ideas.

Show Notes

We’re more than half way through the original Tradition books. Yay!
Etherites have no consistent history at least up to the Renaissance and House Golo.
Gentlest induction so far. Give em’ a book and see if they get a new idea from it.
No necessity for them to be scientific. Their belief is in the power of human creativity.
Acts of wonder that don’t aid the Consensus are merely magick and not True Science
Anders Mage Page 2.0 on the Sons of Ether.
Anders Mad Scientist page.
Superceded Theories of Science.
Pathological Science.
Hugo Gernsback, Luxembourgish-American inventor, writer, editor, and magazine publisher, best known for publications including the first science fiction magazine.
Doc Savage.
Philosopher Parmenides.
Artist Quinton Hoover.
Books:
- The Smokey God or A Voyage to the Inner World by Willis George Emerson.
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Puffin Classics
- Etherspace
  - Lensman series and Skylark series by E. E. “Doc” Smith.
- Victoria Station
  - The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells – Penguin Classics.
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – Naval Institute Press (the edition is important!) and Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne – Signet Classics, updated translation by Jacqueline Rogers.
- Hollow Earth
  - At the Earth’s Core, Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.
Gernsback Continuum
- The Complete Works of Stanley Weinbaum.
- The Best of Edmond Hamilton.
- If you can find them, check out The Collected Edmond Hamilton from Haffner Press.
Other authors

Executive Producers

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July 20, 2019July 3, 2021

Joseph Finally Plays Mage, Types of Apocalypses and Future Projects

Joseph Aleo launched Mage: The Podcast because no Mage podcasts existed. That was almost a year ago and only now has he actually gotten to play. How did it go? What was his character? Is “Joseph” just a front for something more sinister? Also find out how Joseph got his start in broadcasting and some ways in which you can roleplay the apocalypse.

Show Notes

Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles comic book series
SoundCloud Rap Scene
- 6ix9ine
- XXXTentacion
Pirate radio
Fresh Air with Terry Gross
Podcasts
Books
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
- Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
- Neuromancer by William Gibson
Game Systems
- Fate Core
- Powered by the Apocalypse

Executive Producers

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.

Listen

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July 13, 2019July 3, 2021

Tomes of Magick: Akashic Brotherhood

The Akashic Brotherhood has a storied history both in game and out of game. These experts in the Mind sphere were also inspired by the Hong Kong action films of the ‘70s through ‘90s and turn their bodies into Awakened weapons. Find out how this Tradition was brought to life in Tradition Book Akashic Brotherhood as Adam Simpson brings his expertise and Terry Robinson brings his ignorance to the question of “how do the Akashics line up with actual East Asian practices?” Adam also provides a reading list that the book didn’t, all the while Terry nods, faking like he knows what’s going on.

Show Notes

Zen kōans
Daoism
Akashic Brotherhood section on Anders Mage Page 2.0
- Deleted content from the Akashic Brotherhood
- Hand cheese with music
- Wuxia fiction
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- The Book of Five Rings
Adam’s Reading List
- Te-Tao Ching by Lao-Tau translated by Robert G. Henricks – The Modern Library 1993 ISBN 0-679-60060-4
  There are many translations available but this one makes use of more recent archaeological finds in the 1970s and has a nice commentary. A good place to get an overview of Akashic thinking. Please don’t confuse with the Taoist folk religions and Taoist magical traditions that came later.
- Chuang Tzu The Inner Chapters translated by David Hinton – Counterpoint 1998 ISBN 1-887178-79-1
  A short book and rather cryptic. This is later Taoist thought than the book above. A great place to find odd quotes to put in the mouths of older Akashic NPCs.
- The 3 Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment by Roshi Philip Kapleau – Anchor Books 1989 (1965) ISBN 0-385-26093-8
  As good a book as any to get an overview of Zen thought. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing you’ll still get some mileage out of the 10 Oxherding Pictures with Commentary at the back.
- Orion by Masamune Shiro – Dark Horse Comics & Studio Proteus 1994 ISBN 1-56971-019-8
  Not really a good example of Akashic thought or practice but a great book for Mage and full of East Asian flavor. If you get inspired to create an alternate technomagick based on “psycho science” you wouldn’t be the first.

Executive Producers

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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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July 6, 2019July 3, 2021

Worlds of Darkness: Mage/Werewolf Crossovers with Josh Heath

Mages fight for Ascension but other Night-Folk fight for the survival of the planet in the face of the corrupting Wyrm. The warriors of Gaia are the Garou or werewolves and they consider themselves the chosen to remove rot and corruption but what do they think of those that can rewrite reality? Are they slavering murder hounds, Gaia’s chosen or the best lacrosse players on the earth? Terry had no idea so he called in Josh Heath of Werewolf: The Podcast and storyteller for both Mage and Werewolf to discuss the basics of how werewolves work and how they can fit into a Mage Chronicle.

Show Notes

Josh Heath’s Projects
- High Level Games – A firm that will help you take your ideas and turn them into games
- Josh on DriveThruRPG
- Werewolf: The Podcast
- Archons of Niku, anthropomorphic animals fighting over things
Werewolf Terms
- Tribes – A group of werewolves with similar totems, agendas, and worldviews
- Forms – Sifferent things a given Garou can turn into
- Fera – Other changing breeds
- Rage – The primal anger that werewolves use to power their abilities
Boooks!
- Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition – learn to play!
- Rage Across the World – Whole bunch of locations plus info on the supernatural activities in each
- Book of the Weaver – Outline of how technology play out in the Umbra
- Axis Mundi: The Book of Spirits – Big book of Umbral spirits
- Rage Across the Heavens – Book outlining the celestines and incarnae of the planets and the angry planet that was the asteroid belt

Executive Producers

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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June 29, 2019July 3, 2021

Tomes of Magick: Book of Madness: Whispers Without, Chaos Within

The Nephandi, Marauders, infernalists, and dark Umbral entities are spoken about in hushed whispers at meetings of mages but, well, how do you use them in a chronicle? Adam Simpson and Terry Robinson walk through Book of Madness: Whispers Without, Chaos Within which vastly expanded the details and systems for the main Mage antagonists as well as the slippery concept of paradox. Also included: an handy dandy appendix for quick reference.

Show Notes

The term Gpsy in the Euthanatos episode. Terry found out it was derogatory and says he’s sorry.
Redbubble’s Technocracy shirts are marked as adult probably because they have guns on them.
Terry’s book A Magickal Fiasco: Full Tilt Story Creation for Mage is out on Storytellers Vault.
A quote by Emily Dickinson.
Terry cuts loose on why barrabus shouldn’t be italicized.
How to pronounce “Widderslainte.”
The Zigg’raugglurr.
The Malfeans.
The Outsiders.
The K’llasshaa.
We learn Adam’s second law of storytelling: any worldview where the phrase “we need to go kill those babies” probably requires reflection.
Qlippothic Magick.
Al-Aswad, the Nephandic Oracle.
The Marauders.
The diaeresis in zöoterrorism.
The Quiet.
Ranks of the Umbra.
Can you kill an idea?
Temple of the Raging God.
The Ruby Labyrinth.

Executive Producers

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.

Listen

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June 22, 2019February 2, 2021

Duplicity: A Twitter Chronicle

Mage: The Podcast will launch a Twitter Chronicle, Mage: Duplicity, in August and is headed by our teammate, Ira Grace. How do you run a Chronicle by Tweet? We’re not entirely sure but we have some ideas! Ira outlines his vision for Mage: Duplicity and how he plans to run the Chronicle.

Want to play Mage: Duplicity? Of course you do! Tweet @MageStoryteller or send and email to invertedavatar@gmail.com and Ira will get you started or follow the Chronicle on Twitter by searching #DPLCTY.

Show Notes

Terry’s A Magickal Fiasco: Full Tilt Story Creation for Mage on the Storytellers Vault
Hacking Dungeons & Dragons
Exarchs
Tweetstorms and threaded Tweets
Mage the Ascension: Refuge as inspiration (listen to our interview with Refuge’s author, Karin Tidbeck)
Asynchronous Storytelling
25 Years of Vampire: The Masquerade – A Retrospective’s Curse of Caine Chronicle (listen to our interview with the co-host, Robert Batton)
The theme and setting of Mage: Duplicity in Washington D.C.
Marcus Vitel, Anarch King of Washington D.C.
Council of the Nine Mystic Traditions
Roling up a character for the Chronicle
Nordic LARPs
How Twin Cities by Night’s Chris Zac runs an online Chronicle (listen to our interview with Chris Zac here and here)
Powered by the Apocalypse and Blades in the Dark
Paradox and hard moves
Dice Bots

Our executive producers are:

Richard “Bat” Brewster
Michael Parker

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.

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

June 15, 2019July 3, 2021

Compelling Storytelling with Robert Batton of 25 Years of Vampire: The Masquerade – A Retrospective

Robert Batton, co-host of the 25 Years of Vampire: The Masquerade – A Retrospective podcast, has been running Vampire Chronicles from the intimate tabletop environment to the grand LARP for nearly 25 years. Recently, he’s added Mage: The Ascension to his offerings. Hear this veteran podcaster and Storyteller’s advice for your Mage Chronicle, reminders of what makes the game unique, and find out what really makes Mage the sexiest game involving wizards.

Show Notes

Time-Life Books’ Mysteries of the Unknown series.
Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition – The current tome of Vampire.
HoL: Human Occupied Landfill – If you’ve played this, then you’re officially a WW fanperson.
Fiasco – One end of the “how structured is your game” spectrum.
Shadowrun – A cybermagic future where people are actually out at night.
The collected works of Stephen King – Guy’s written a loooooot.
Shadowguiding.
Wraith: The Oblivion – Listen to our Worlds of Darkness: Mage/Wraith Crossovers episode.
Call of Cthulhu RPG.
Cthulu prop guild, Propnomicon.
The Baali – Demon worshipers of Vampire.
The Beast.
Mage does not need a morality system as the world functions as a morality system.
Mage is the game where you get to be the genie.
The idea of a power structure is daunting, if you can change reality, why would you listen to anyone?
If you run into a character that doesn’t know what to do, work through it with them, ask what their options are and help them pick one. If they can’t and it keeps happening, maybe it’s not their game.
One of the most terrifying things you can do as a Storyteller is just let a player do what they want, even if it’s overpowered without batting an eyelash and giving them the subtle knowledge that something is going to come stomp their face in.
Utility Muffin Labs’ 25 Years of Vampire: The Masquerade – A Retrospective on Patreon.

Photo by Nosferaboo.

Executive Producers

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.

Listen

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June 8, 2019July 3, 2021

Tomes of Magick: Verbena

Among the Traditions, the Verbena most understand the cycles of power of sacrifices required to keep them going. The Verbena also may know best the sting of the Inquisition and what was lost at the end of the Mythic Ages but the wheel turns and what was old is new again. Listen in as Adam and Terry talk about where the Verbena got their start, their understanding of the founding cosmology of the World of Darkness, and how little they’ve changed over time.

Show Notes

The “mature” shirts of the Redbubble store for Mage: the Ascension
Comparison to first edition in ignoring Sleeper concerns
Wheel of the Year and a shared Google calendar of them
List what your character can’t do
Once the player has proven they’ve done their homework, lean on them to fill in your ignorances
Cutting off the top of the roast
Magic doesn’t need to follow real world practice
The Egyptian Book of the Dead
Valdaermen from Dark Ages: Mage
Cernunnos as mentioned in Adam’s Adventure Ideas
Tradition Book: Verbena (1st Edition)
Traditions Gathered: Blood and Dreams
Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade’s Witches and Pagans
Big Book o’ Lilith Revelations of the Dark Mother
The Asatru
Baphomet
Anders Mage Page 2.0 Verbena

Executive Producers

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.

Listen

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

Join our Discord server.