What is Mage?
Imagine a world where reality isn’t fixed, it changes depending on what people believe. In Mage: The Ascension, ordinary people awaken to the terrifying possibility that consensus shapes existence, and that with enough understanding and willpower, they can rewrite reality itself.
Unlike most fantasy roleplaying games, Mage isn’t about memorizing spells or leveling up. It’s about philosophy, belief, imagination, and the consequences of having the power to change the world. Every magical act asks a question: What do you believe is possible?
Whether you’re discovering Mage for the first time or returning after years away, Mage: The Podcast is your guide to one of tabletop gaming’s richest and most rewarding settings. We explore the game’s lore, rules, history, books, storytelling techniques, and the people who helped create it—all with the goal of helping you become a better player, Storyteller, and world builder.
Start with These Episodes
These five episodes are the best introduction to what makes Mage so unique. They cover the game’s core ideas, its origins, practical advice for your table, and some of the most fascinating corners of the World of Darkness.
If you’re only going to listen to one episode, start with What is Mage: The Ascension? featuring co-creator Satyros Brucato. It's the perfect introduction to the game, and to everything that follows.
1. What is Mage: The Ascension?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Start here if you're new to Mage
New to Mage? This is the perfect place to begin. Mage: The Ascension co-creator Satyros Brucato joins us to explain what makes Mage unlike any other roleplaying game—and why, decades later, players are still debating its ideas.
Perfect for: New players New players
2. The Gift, Twilight, and Grogs: Systems and Setting from Ars Magica
Before there was Mage, there was Ars Magica. Join Thrice Great as we explore the game that inspired Mage's DNA—from troupe-style play and Covenants to a radically different vision of magic, wisdom, and consequences.
Perfect for: RPG Historians & Mage Veterans
3. Tomes of Magick: World of Darkness: Sorcerer
Not every magician is Awakened. Discover the hidden world of hedge wizards, miracle workers, alchemists, and occult practitioners as we unpack one of the most versatile, and often overlooked, magic systems in the World of Darkness.
Perfect for: Storytellers & World Builders
4. One Dot Sphere Effects
Think one-dot Spheres are weak? Think again. Charles and Terry break down every one-dot Sphere effect in M20, showing how the smallest magical abilities can become some of the most creative tools at your table.
Perfect for: Players & Storytellers
5. Tomes of Magick: M20 Book of the Fallen
The Nephandi are more than villains–they're the nightmare at the heart of Mage. We explore Book of the Fallen, unpacking their philosophy, terrifying cosmology, and the storytelling tools that make them some of the most compelling antagonists in the World of Darkness.
Perfect for: Storytellers
Beginner Playlist: Learn Mage Without Getting Lost
New to Mage: The Ascension? Start here. These episodes explain the core idea of Mage, how magick works, what new characters can actually do, and how to bring the game to the table without getting buried in 700 pages of lore.
- What is Mage: The Ascension?
Best first stop. It introduces the game with co-creator Satyros Brucato. - Tomes of Magick: M20 Quickstart and Revised Q&A
The core book is huge, so this is a softer entry point through the Quickstart. - Making Sense of Paradigm, Practice, and Instruments
Essential because “how your mage believes magic works” is one of Mage’s biggest beginner hurdles. - One Dot Sphere Effects
Great practical episode: shows new players that low-level magic is still creative and useful. - Tomes of Magick: How Do You DO That?
Helps beginners understand freeform magick without freezing at the table. - Tomes of Magick: Initiates of the Art
Perfect for low-Arete/new mage play: where mages begin and what early power looks like. - Tomes of Magick: Guide to the Traditions
Introduces the main “player-side” factions and the Council's many approaches to magick. - How to Run A Street Level Game
Best bridge from “I understand Mage” to “I can actually run or play this.”
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