Listen – Page 22 – Synecdoche

September 12, 2018February 5, 2019

Storytellers Vault

On today’s show we chat with Josh Heath, Chief Operations Officer at High Level Games and host of Werewolf: The Podcast, joins us again to talk about the Storytellers Vault. We discuss camping; his Rage Across Australia podcast episode; my Marvel Universe theme park dream; what is the Storytellers Vault; the Dungeon Masters Guild; guidelines for the Storytellers Vault; adult content; Black Dog; submitting artwork; High Level Games 5 Reasons to Write for Storytellers Vault article; High Level Games editing services; Dark Shores: Lineages of the Great Lakes; Chronicle Guidelines Or Jumpstarts and why they are so difficult to write for Mage; submitting novels to the Storytellers Vault; Word, Google Docs, Dropbox Paper and Ulysses; Enlightened Grimoire; Dark New England Regional Sourcebook; Razors and Thunderbolts: The Ksirafai; Watch the World Burn; Island of the Dead God; the Onyx Pathcast episodes on freelancing and the Storytellers Vault; the High Level Games Convention in October.

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August 27, 2018February 5, 2019

Adventure Writing Ideas, Part 2

Adam Simpson continues to wax eloquent on writing adventures for Mage: The Ascension. Adam discusses why he prefers to use the term “adventure” instead of “story;” globetrotting adventures; chantries; Neil Gaiman’s The Books of Magic and the synchronicity highway; traveling by ships, blimps and a Deep Umbra craft; collaborative story writing in advantures; jungle adventures; the Hierophant Altar.

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August 19, 2018February 5, 2019

Adventure Writing Ideas

On today’s show Adam Simpson discusses Paradox; Anders Sandberg and Anders Mage Page 2.0; Mage: The Ascension, 1st edition; the Loom of Fate adventure; Samuel Haight; the Chaos Factor adventure; the Book of Chantries, Digital Web, Digital Web 2.0 and Manifesto: Transmissions from the Rogue Council supplements; Adam’s subtractive method of writing adventures; settings and locations; enemies and allies; themes and mood; opening scene; creating characters and assessing their strengths and weaknesses; tailoring your adventure to the characters in your story; ethical dilemmas.

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July 29, 2018February 5, 2019

Ahriman Chronicles: Vile Nature of the Ascension War

On today’s show Panos V. Skordas joins us to share the Ahriman Chronicles: Vile Nature of the Ascension War. We discuss how he got into role playing games; LARPs; what he enjoys about being a Storyteller; what he has learned in 19 years of Storytelling; the influence of authors Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker and J.K. Rowling; how his players changed his Storytelling; the tools he uses to run his Chronicles; how long it takes him to prepare his Chronicles; John Constantine, Hellblazer; how his Chronicle tied into the Ascension War; what made Ahriman Chronicles: Vile Nature of the Ascension War so special; how his Chronicle took a life of its own; orgies as a meta Chronicle; what he learned researching orgies; slut-shaming; the Blue Whale online game; American Gods; Arete.

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July 21, 2018February 5, 2019

Myth in Mage

On today’s show we chat with Josh Heath, Chief Operations Officer at High Level Games and host of Werewolf: The Podcast. We discuss Onyx Path’s Storytellers Vault; why he loves Werewolf: The Apocalypse; how he got into RPGs; Robotech and AD&D; his duties and responsibilities as Chief Operations Officer for High Level Games; Josh name dropped on last week’s Onyx Pathcast; the 25 Years of Vampire: The Masquerade podcast; what Josh has learned re-visiting Werewolf: The Apocalypse; Joseph Campbell’s myth cycle and hero’s journey; the forthcoming Gods, Monsters and Familiar Strangers WoD book Josh worked on; modern mythology and the why of the universe; Roy Scranton’s Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization; Richard Wagner and Norse mythology; Roy Thomas’s The Mighty Thor comic book series; fairy tales; using myth in a group game; myth in Star Wars; mythological creatures, concepts and magic in the modern world; Neil Gaiman’s American Gods; Mage: The Sorcerer’s Crusade and Dark Ages: Mage; Comic-Con.

Join us again next week: Panos V Skordas joins us to talk about his Ahriman Chronicles: The Vile Nature of an Ascension War.

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July 14, 2018February 5, 2019

Anders Mage Page

On today’s show Adam Simpson interviews Dr. Anders Sandberg of Anders Mage Page fame. Adam and Anders discuss building Mage pages for the early web; being a Research Fellow for the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford; how Anders discovered Mage: The Ascension; the similarities of Mage in science and academia; the movie WarGames; emails and message boards; the Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine; transhumanism; the Order of Hermes; Caribbean magic; Virtual Adepts; Eclipse Phase RPG; coincidental magic; versions of Mage; examples of Paradox; the holy grail; August Strindberg; Longinus; Sven Hedin; Buddhism and the Nephandi; city spirits; Cities on the Edge!; the strengths and weaknesses of Mage: The Ascension; Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman; World of Darkness crossover games; Time Bandits; how role playing games can help your career; using idea lists in your Chronicle; ending a Chronicle.

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July 7, 2018February 5, 2019

Thoughts on Paradox

On today’s show Adam Simpson talks about Paradox in Mage. Adam discusses why magick has limitations; playing Mage without Paradox; X/1999 manga; player knowledge versus character knowledge; how to get rid of Paradox; manifestations of Paradox; Paradox Spirits; Paradox Realms; the Quiet; Domino Effect; The Sorcerers Crusade; the Scourge; Wild Paradox versus Mundane Paradox; examples of Paradox; Marauders.

Join us next week when Adam interviews Anders Sandberg.

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July 2, 2018February 25, 2019

Mage the Ascension: Refuge

On today’s show author Karin Tidbeck joins us to talk about Mage the Ascension: Refuge, a text-based interactive game for iOS and Android with a rich scenario full of plot twists, and the action takes place in a world at the dawn of a political revolution. We discuss how the game was developed; how she got involved with role playing games; Mutant; Lone Wolf; the challenges of writing a Choose Your Own Adventure-type of game; Twine; the difficulties of writing a game based on an intellectual property; Syrian refugees in Norway; accusations of political correctness; pan sexuality and polyamory; the sex magick controversy; LARPs; her books Amatka and Jagganath; the audio featured in Mage the Ascension: Refuge; what she found appealing in Mage: the Ascension; the difficulty of striking a balance in exploring dark themes in the game; freedom of speech versus safety is more important; why she chosen to portray the Technocracy agents holding anti-immigrant beliefs; her views of exploring yourself through role playing games; capturing dialogue; other intellectual properties she would like to write for; her latest novel, which has been acquired by Pantheon.

Join us next week when Adam Simpson returns to talk about Paradox.

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June 23, 2018June 23, 2018

Plot Hooks

Our guest on today’s show is Chris Zac, host of the excellent Twin Cities by Night and we talk about plot hooks you can use in your Mage Chronicles. We discuss the White Wolf RPGs Game Play and Media Facebook Group he moderates; Matthew Dawkins, The Gentleman Gamer; how he got into playing role playing games; Brazilian jiu-jitsu; Vampire: The Masquerade and Vampire: The Requiem; The Brian Diaries and The Brian Bookclub; internal monologues; characters embracing the consequences of their actions; using horror judiciously; Twin Cities by Night, Ultimate Evil and Juarez on Fire Chronicle; character creation; what to do when your Chronicle goes off the rails; what makes a good plot hook; their Victorian Age: Vampire Chronicle; magic as a horror device; H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Rats in the Walls;” Mage plot hooks; Mage 20; Last Podcast on the Left; Jim Jones; Rasputin; the influences of Stephen King, Clive Barker and Aleister Crowley; the sources he uses to develop his plot hooks; The Ultimate Evil: An Investigation into America’s Most Dangerous Satanic Cult and Aleister Crowley: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World; drink cold brew!

Join us again next week. Karin Tidbeck and I will talk about Mage: Refuge, a text-based interactive game that takes place in a world at the dawn of a political revolution.

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June 20, 2018June 19, 2018

Themes in Mage

Adam Simpson discusses themes in Mage: The Ascension and how to use them in your games; Stewart Wieck‘s theme of Mage’s bringing change to society; Woodstock; Pi-hole; the Digital Web; Satyros Brucato’s theme of empowerment in Mage; HIT Marks; four themes in Mage: magic isn’t something you do but something you’re part of, needing to work with others who are different from yourself, transcending your limitations, and overcoming pride and self-centeredness to reach something greater than yourself; introdcuitng mystric weirdness into a Mage’s life after they have Awakened; giving players information they must keep secret from fellow Cabal members; riddles posed by AIs; aiding a security guard; let us know what’s stopping you from running a Mage Chronicle.

Join us again Satruday. Chris Zac, moderator for the White Wolf RPGs Game Play and Media Facebook Group, will talk about plot hooks you can use in your next Chronicle.

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Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.