rpg – Page 2 – Synecdoche

Razors and Thunderbolts: The Ksirafai

On today’s show Travis Legge joins us to talk about his release for the Storytellers Vault, Razors and Thunderbolts: The Ksirafai. We discuss my locksmith who plays Dungeons and Dragons; how Travis got into role playing games; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness; the Satanic panic; how he became a game publisher; the shows and games he releases on YouTube and Twitch; the tools he uses to manage his career; what are the Ksirafai; the appeal of Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade; Serenity; some of the characters featured in Razors and Thunderbolts: The Ksirafai; the Scroll of Firearms book he wrote for Exalted, Bloody but Unbowed and Clanbook: Nahema for Vampire: The Masquerade; advice for writing for the Storytellers Vault.

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Tomes of Magick: First Edition

Adam Simpson discusses the four editions of Mage: The Ascension and which ones are the best; Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and Basic Expert; Satyros Brucato; Anders Mage Page; the Traditions and the Technocracy; Sleepers; Quintessence; Nodes; Talismans; the Umbra; power and politics; making Mage personal; people who become Mages; the Society of The Burning Wheel; Neil Gaiman’s Vertigo The Sandman comic book.

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Lessons from the Windy City: A Mage Chronicle

Adam Simpson discusses his Windy City Mage Chronicle he ran online; expectation of characters and Storytellers; side plots run amok; minor villains who become major villains; allowing players to shape the Chronicle.

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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.

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

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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Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.

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.

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

Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.

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.

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

Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.

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.

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

Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.

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.

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

Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.

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.

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

Follow our Mage Chronicle on Twitter #mtrpg.