[Mage] Boston Unveiled, anybody?

[2trick]

I can't get the book for a while, and I was wondering if it was any good.

Folks who have it: What do you think? What's great? What's awful?

I must know.

[sbca1995]

Wow. No immediate purchases. Is the industry in trouble?

[2trick]

Wow. No immediate purchases. Is the industry in trouble?

*laughs* Ah, doomsaying... makes me feel right at home.

There are probably plenty of purchases. Just lots and lots of a) lazy people, or b) people too busy absorbing the book to respond, that's all.

[Numanoid]

Just got it today. Here are my initial responses.

- full breakdown of Boston cabals, similar to the breakdown of werewolf packs in Hunting Ground: the Rockies. The Shadow Chorus is probably my favorite, just because I like cryptic masked weirdos.

My big complaints are that the Orders are still undefined in terms of organization and, thus, seem rather generic, and that so many of the character descriptions basically read "this person had a good/lousy childhood, then Awakened and got superpowers, and is now a badass wizard". Would it have killed them to give some description as to how or why they Awakened, or did they all just get bitten by a radioactive spider?

- details on antagonist mages, like the Banishers and Seers of the Throne. Once again, lack of details hurts - the Banisher descriptions seem to read "guy grows up, Awakens, gets superpowers, then starts flipping out and killing other mages"

Lots of interesting stuff on the Tremere liches - they have a particularly pervasive influence on Boston, having used the Danvers Insane Asylum as their personal buffet until recently.

- "Off the Map" is probably my favorite chapter, detailing weird shit in the Boston area - an Awakened ghost from the Revolutionary period, Native American monsters, bizarre "ghost golems" called necroamalgams (say that five times fast), and a cannibal cult inflicted with The Hunger from WoD: Antagonists.

I'm not finished yet, but it's really helping a lot of things gel together in terms of my perception of M:tAw

[DrFaust]

I opened it at random in the FLGS and was hit in the face by the existence of a pirate mage cabal. Returned the book to the shelf.

[Numanoid]

I opened it at random in the FLGS and was hit in the face by the existence of a pirate mage cabal. Returned the book to the shelf.

*shrug* Mages are an eccentric bunch. The Dead Wrens fish for relics in Boston Harbor. Not suprising they'd use pirate imagery.

If I put a gaming book on the shelf every time I saw something I didn't like, I'd have no collection.

[2trick]

I've heard that there are no new Orders or Legacies.

But are there cabal-specific rotes?

[Numanoid]

I've heard that there are no new Orders or Legacies.

That's right.

But are there cabal-specific rotes?

Unfortunately, no. There are some new Artifacts and few examples of detailed Oaths created by the cabals. But in general, there's very little in terms of crunch in Boston Unveiled, at least for players.

[DrFaust]

If I put a gaming book on the shelf every time I saw something I didn't like, I'd have no collection.

And if I didn't use some kind of filtering process, however arbitrary, I'd own every game book in the world. Or be well on my way, at least.

[2trick]

Unfortunately, no. There are some new Artifacts and few examples of detailed Oaths created by the cabals. But in general, there's very little in terms of crunch in Boston Unveiled, at least for players.

Hmm... I rather like crunch, though. That's kind of disappointing.

Oh well. I like the cabals a lot, so I may still give this book a chance. The info on the Tremere sounds intriguing.

[Mailanka]

When it comes to setting books, there's only one thing that really matters to my mind:

Does it help you when coming up with your own Mage setting?

New Orleans showed me just how to layer mystery atop of mystery to have the sort of twenty-layer intrigue a good vampire game demands. Likewise, Denver is filled with fueding packs and tons of screwed up monsters for the heroes to clean up.

Does Boston offer as much help for a mage game?

[Numanoid]

When it comes to setting books, there's only one thing that really matters to my mind:

Does it help you when coming up with your own Mage setting?

New Orleans showed me just how to layer mystery atop of mystery to have the sort of twenty-layer intrigue a good vampire game demands. Likewise, Denver is filled with fueding packs and tons of screwed up monsters for the heroes to clean up.

Does Boston offer as much help for a mage game?

Yes, it does.

Like Denver and its packs, Boston Unveiled gives a complete rundown of mage cabals in the city and the role they play, along with how they are organized in the Consilium.

It also gives a seperate section for the activites of antagonist mages in Boston (like the Seers of the Throne and the Tremere).

Most importantly, it contains an entire chapter of weirdness specific to Boston for mages to deal with and provides oodles of inspiration for ST's to add their own supernatural influence to a campaign.

There's also a neat sample adventure involving hunting down a rogue spirit.

I'd say Boston is easily the equal of New Orleans or Denver in providing a complete setting and a font of ideas.

And the Cult of the Red Word is fucking brilliant.

[Christian A]

Are there as many story hook sidebars as in Rockies?

[Numanoid]

Hmm... I rather like crunch, though. That's kind of disappointing.

Yeah. It's really more of an ST's sourcebook. The crunch comes in the form of new monsters and locations and ways to fuck with the player's cabal.

Oh well. I like the cabals a lot, so I may still give this book a chance. The info on the Tremere sounds intriguing.

I agree. For me, it really solidified the Tremere as a group of mage antagonists.

And the Danvers State Hospital, which was their home base in Boston for a while and still remains haunted by their ghostly victims, was in RL the set for the movie Session 9. So I already have some great, creepy information.

[Numanoid]

Are there as many story hook sidebars as in Rockies?

Oh yes. One for each cabal, and a metric assload of them in the "Off the Map" chapter.

Really, it's that chapter that's had me sold on this book. The cabal stuff is all well and good, but it's that chapter that makes it pure gold.

[Grimn]

And the Danvers State Hospital, which was their home base in Boston for a while and still remains haunted by their ghostly victims, was in RL the set for the movie Session 9. So I already have some great, creepy information.

Here's some more creepy info. The whole thing is being turned into luxury loft apartments.


Who says the tremere have left... :)

[Numanoid]

Here's some more creepy info. The whole thing is being turned into luxury loft apartments.


:eek:

After seeing Session 9, I'm not coming within 5 miles of that place. Who'd want to live there?

...

Oh, right... Tremere...

[Tar Markvar]

Here's an odd question: How useful is it to someone who is not running Mage set in Boston?

I'm running in San Francisco, which has some eerie similarities to Boston, but it's not Boston. Would this book do me enough good to justify buying it?

[Yo! Master]

And the Cult of the Red Word is fucking brilliant.


Details please! :)

[Numanoid]

Here's an odd question: How useful is it to someone who is not running Mage set in Boston?

I'm running in San Francisco, which has some eerie similarities to Boston, but it's not Boston. Would this book do me enough good to justify buying it?

Yes. Even if Boston's not your city, it's a great model for "what mages will be doing and the weirdness they have to deal with" in any city.

And the sample adventure can easily be modified for use in any city.

[Numanoid]

Details please! :)

O.K.


In ancient Egypt, a demon from the Abyss was summoned by being bound to a collection of blashphemous hieroglyphs detailing a horrid alternate history. These writings survived Egypt's fall and managed to spread, piecemeal, into various occult circles.

The demon was essentially composed of the inverse of Time magic, a sort of "anti-history", a time-line that never was. It represented an entire alternate history of Earth in which it ruled supreme over a demon-haunted wasteland (think Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath meets Naked Lunch). For example, in the anti-history Boston is in fact Rukhavira, the City of Broken Eyes. The demon is known either as the Blasphemous Scribe or the Prince of 100,000 Leaves.

When the Ebon Noose arrived in Salem, they were beset by cabals of native mages and the cannibal spirits under their command. In desperation, they called upon a ritual which would summon part of the Prince's anti-history upon the area, effectively erasing the native mages from the time-stream. While it left the area free for the Noose to inhabit, one of the mages went insane, for when the ritual was cast, she forever possessed a dual memory of both our history and the anti-history of the Prince.

She used it to found a cult, The Red Word, devoted to finding the pieces of the Prince's history, now scattered throughout the world in various writings. For when a large enough tract describing the Prince's history is collected, reality is altered and the timescape changes according to what is written. So, for example, a Red Word cult in Howard's Rock had pieced together a text which describes a tower corresponding to their position in Rukhavira. Because the history of the tower has been gathered, it manifests in our world, effectively replacing the area's original history.

The Red Word is also a cannibal cult, who not only devour their victims but also their very existence in history. So, if cultists ritually kill and eat a person, within a few months anything that indicates the victim even existed disappears - birth certificates and records myteriously vanish, close relatives lose any memories of the victim, etc.

(Side note: Because of its cannibalistic practices, The Hunger from WoD: Antagonists has spread through certain sections of the cult, with victims in the final stages used as "Temple Hounds")

The Prince can also invoke itself through Manifestations caused by Time magic Paradoxes, releasing corrupt Abyssal spirits from its anti-history.

[Patrick O'Duffy]

*snip explanation of The Red Word*

Holy jesus, that's fucking brilliant.

I just picked up Mage this week, and it didn't grab me particularly hard. But if it can be used to explore ideas like that, I love it more than cocaine and ice cream.

[Numanoid]

And anti-China has GIANT CENTIPEDES!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Patrick O'Duffy]

And anti-China has GIANT CENTIPEDES!!!!!!!!!!!!

That I can take or leave. But a game that can be run as Borgesian fantasy with occasional action-adventure... mighty god, I'd want to have that game's babies.

[The Watcher]

That I can take or leave. But a game that can be run as Borgesian fantasy with occasional action-adventure... mighty god, I'd want to have that game's babies.And in the anti-history, you did.

[Stephenls]

The Red Word is cooler than the Mirror Flag.

(The Mirror Flag, of course, is cooler than the coolest thing ever.)

It looks like Mage is going to go the way of Werewolf, where the very first supplement transforms my vague ambivalence and slight annoyance into wholehearted enthusiasm.

[Mathew Lankard]

Wow that does sound awesome. Any chance you could give a few examples of the creepy stuff in the Off The Map chapter?

[Numanoid]

The Red Word is cooler than the Mirror Flag.

(The Mirror Flag, of course, is cooler than the coolest thing ever.)

It looks like Mage is going to go the way of Werewolf, where the very first supplement transforms my vague ambivalence and slight annoyance into wholehearted enthusiasm.

I, for one, welcome our Giant Centipede Overlords.

But seriously - I do recommend this book highly, Stephen. I'm sure you'll have the same complaints I did, but there's so much cool stuff in here and it really solidified my idea of what an Awakening game is about.

[Numanoid]

Wow that does sound awesome. Any chance you could give a few examples of the creepy stuff in the Off The Map chapter?

Well, it details the old Copp's Hill Cemetery, which has developed a darker-than-dark reflection in the Shadow Realm due to the sheer amount of corpses buried under such a small space. It's also inhabited by necroamalgams, which are basically "ghost-golems" created from the fused spirits of the dead whose corpses were crushed together to make room for new internments.

There's the Wood of Empty Houses, a Shadow Realm which emerges in dense, wooded areas and is inhabited by the conceptual spirits of cultures who were pushed aside by colonization and development, like Indian cultures and early colonists. Needless to say, it is not a fun place to be.

Then there's Black-Eyed John, an Awakened ghost who was one of the last victims of Europe's witch burnings. Because of his power and because he died regretting that he did not have the chance to reach his full potential, he wanders Boston protecting the Wood of Empty Houses, using his Death Arcana to manipulate his fetters and possess the living.

[Numanoid]

Something else I should mention: the Boston Unveiled art is not "all Kaluto, all the time" like the M:tA corebook was. It's got a good variety of artists that really capture the creepy ambience of Boston's "Old World meets New" theme.

My particular favorite is Vince Locke's picture of the Abyssal tower on Howard's Rock.

[Glamourweaver]

The Red Word is cooler than the Mirror Flag.

(The Mirror Flag, of course, is cooler than the coolest thing ever.)

It looks like Mage is going to go the way of Werewolf, where the very first supplement transforms my vague ambivalence and slight annoyance into wholehearted enthusiasm.

Mirror Flag... my memory's on the fritz... whats that a reference to?

[Amado G]

O.K.


In ancient Egypt, a demon from the Abyss was summoned by being bound to a collection of blashphemous hieroglyphs detailing a horrid alternate history. These writings survived Egypt's fall and managed to spread, piecemeal, into various occult circles.

The demon was essentially composed of the inverse of Time magic, a sort of "anti-history", a time-line that never was. It represented an entire alternate history of Earth in which it ruled supreme over a demon-haunted wasteland (think Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath meets Naked Lunch). For example, in the anti-history Boston is in fact Rukhavira, the City of Broken Eyes. The demon is known either as the Blasphemous Scribe or the Prince of 100,000 Leaves.

Wow.

See...if they had even HINTED at stuff like this being a part of nMage in the core, man...I would've actually kicked my own teeth in about nMage.

[Numanoid]

Mirror Flag... my memory's on the fritz... whats that a reference to?

Mirror Flag is one of the signature characters from Exalted in Castebook: Eclipse. She's an actress and spy who uses her skills to maintain multiple identities across the kingdoms of the East, using he influence to slowly craft a nation state which will serve the Solar Exalted and her agenda.

She was one of the cooler bits of Exalted. Which make's StephenLS's comment a very bold statement in my eyes.

[Mathew Lankard]

Well, it details the old Copp's Hill Cemetery, which has developed a darker-than-dark reflection in the Shadow Realm due to the sheer amount of corpses buried under such a small space. It's also inhabited by necroamalgams, which are basically "ghost-golems" created from the fused spirits of the dead whose corpses were crushed together to make room for new internments.

There's the Wood of Empty Houses, a Shadow Realm which emerges in dense, wooded areas and is inhabited by the conceptual spirits of cultures who were pushed aside by colonization and development, like Indian cultures and early colonists. Needless to say, it is not a fun place to be.

Then there's Black-Eyed John, an Awakened ghost who was one of the last victims of Europe's witch burnings. Because of his power and because he died regretting that he did not have the chance to reach his full potential, he wanders Boston protecting the Wood of Empty Houses, using his Death Arcana to manipulate his fetters and possess the living.


So the Wood of Empty Houses is mobile? Either way, you just sold me on the book, despite my dislike of Boston.

Thanks!

[2trick]

When the Ebon Noose arrived in Salem, they were beset by cabals of native mages and the cannibal spirits under their command. In desperation, they called upon a ritual which would summon part of the Prince's anti-history upon the area, effectively erasing the native mages from the time-stream. While it left the area free for the Noose to inhabit, one of the mages went insane, for when the ritual was cast, she forever possessed a dual memory of both our history and the anti-history of the Prince.

Were they really called cannibal spirits in the book? Because I don't know if I really like that, casting the native mages in such a light.

But that certainly explains the lack of tribal orders, and it's an intriguing concept as well.

[JustJo]

That sounds brilliant!

(adds it to the Xmas list)

[Numanoid]

Were they really called cannibal spirits in the book? Because I don't know if I really like that, casting the native mages in such a light.

It's important to note that the spirits were angered by the arrival of the Ebon Noose for some reason, and the native mages simply took advantage of that. Cannibal spirits aren't exclusive to the New World.

But that certainly explains the lack of tribal orders, and it's an intriguing concept as well.

The ritual invoking the Prince didn't wipe out every native mage, only the cabal that was at war with the Ebon Noose.

[Glamourweaver]

Were they really called cannibal spirits in the book? Because I don't know if I really like that, casting the native mages in such a light.

But that certainly explains the lack of tribal orders, and it's an intriguing concept as well.

Accurate reflection of the mythology & shamanistic traditions of the North-Eastern Nations actually. This is the area where "Wendigo" Myths come from afterall.

[Johnny Amiable]

O.K.


In ancient Egypt, a demon from the Abyss was summoned by being bound to a collection of blashphemous hieroglyphs detailing a horrid alternate history. These writings survived Egypt's fall and managed to spread, piecemeal, into various occult circles.

(snip)

I had strongly considered using nMage to do a version of The Cult Of The Unwritten Book from Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol. This, however, is far cooler even than that.

The book sounds superb. I'll find out for myself next week.

[Patrick O'Duffy]

It turns out the Cult of the Red Word - and, indeed, the whole 'Off the Map' chapter - was written by Malcolm Sheppard.

Now it all makes sense.

[Ubermonkey]

It turns out the Cult of the Red Word - and, indeed, the whole 'Off the Map' chapter - was written by Malcolm Sheppard.

Now it all makes sense.


Sold on the book.

[Dawgstar]

It looks like Mage is going to go the way of Werewolf, where the very first supplement transforms my vague ambivalence and slight annoyance into wholehearted enthusiasm.

I've just got to echo this. For me, Vampire was bleh until Bloodlines: The Hidden. Werewolf, I admit I was a little more into right off but Hunting Grounds: The Rockies really brought the coolness home.

Boston does the same thing.

[Numanoid]

It turns out the Cult of the Red Word - and, indeed, the whole 'Off the Map' chapter - was written by Malcolm Sheppard.

Now it all makes sense.

I'm actually not as familiar with game developers as I should be... what else has Malcolm Sheppard done?

The name's familiar, but I can't put it to anything specific...

[Amado G]

I'm actually not as familiar with game developers as I should be... what else has Malcolm Sheppard done?

The name's familiar, but I can't put it to anything specific...

In my opinion?

The best work in oMage.

He did Traditionbook: Akashic, Traditionbook: Euthanatos, big chunks of Rouge Council, big chunks of the ST's guide (the essay on why running Mage in Revised is important to the point of Mage)...

[Stephenls]

He also did the Judgement scenario in Ascension.

[Amado G]

He also did the Judgement scenario in Ascension.

Muttermumble.

Which shoulda filled 3/4s of the book.

[The Scribbler]

Wow. Red Word sounds beyond kick-ass.

It's stuff like that which has my buying stuff like Mysterious Places and Antagonists.

[ssheftall]

Well...you've all actually done it. I had no interest in Boston and was going to wait for Chicago to buy a "city book"...but now...Looks like I'll be grabbing Boston.

Go grab your commissions.

[Charlequin]

On the one hand, this book transformed Boston from something I had barely even acknowledged the existence of to a pretty much must-buy (since I am going to use the Red Word in my upcoming Mage chronicle.)

On the other hand: it leaves a pretty huge pair of shoes to fill for future Mage authors who aren't named Malcolm Sheppard.

[Numanoid]

In my opinion?

The best work in oMage.

He did Traditionbook: Akashic, Traditionbook: Euthanatos, big chunks of Rouge Council, big chunks of the ST's guide (the essay on why running Mage in Revised is important to the point of Mage)...

Cool.

Let's hope we see more of his work in future M:tAw supplements, then!

[jeff_vandenberg]

Interesting..

Also of note, is that this seems to be about one of the sharpest turn arounds of opinions i've seen for a while for a game.

I will now move this from the 'get because I probably should' to my 'get because i'm interested' list.

How much does it play up or play down the atlantean bit?

The description of the Red Word sounds very much on its own, without needing to depend on any other particular parts of the cosmology that the Mage book described.

[Christian A]

Also of note, is that this seems to be about one of the sharpest turn arounds of opinions i've seen for a while for a game.

Happened after Hunting Ground: the Rockies too. Seeing the setting in an applied context often makes it easier to grok it. I know I began to appreciate Werewolf after Rockies.

[Thunder_God]

Interesting..

Also of note, is that this seems to be about one of the sharpest turn arounds of opinions i've seen for a while for a game.

I will now move this from the 'get because I probably should' to my 'get because i'm interested' list.

How much does it play up or play down the atlantean bit?

The description of the Red Word sounds very much on its own, without needing to depend on any other particular parts of the cosmology that the Mage book described.
Boston is focused on Cabals rather than Orders.

[jeff_vandenberg]

Happened after Hunting Ground: the Rockies too. Seeing the setting in an applied context often makes it easier to grok it. I know I began to appreciate Werewolf after Rockies.

I like rockies alot and could run three stories from the book alone, but it never exactly did 'it' for me, the same way Predators did. Though I think I also read Predators before I read the Rockies book.

[Kaiu Keiichi]

My impression -

It would have made a hell of a Vampire supplement. On the plus side, it's very creepy, and nails the New England atmosphere down.

On the minus side, there was no differentiation between magic styles, except in the cases of a few deviant Mages. The Arcana these wizards dealt with seemed more like Vampire disciplines than anything else. Further, the pursuit of magic, on the whole, seemed like a secondary occupation for these spellcasters, as opposed to the overall, consuming pursuit of politics, especially amongst the White Putnams and the Ebon Noose.

I also couldn't really tell, motivation wise, the difference between the Seers of the Throne and the Atlantean Orders. This is an issue from the core game, but it was very pronounced here. "We want the sleepers to embrace magic, and believe!" "But we need to hide the mysteries from them!" Which is it, guys? Do you agree with the Seers, or oppose them? You can't have it both ways!

Finally, Order seemed to have made not much of a difference to the characters personalities or motivations.

The Red Word was very nicely done, however. I wonder how it would have been with the humor parts that Malcolm mentioned on his LJ kept intact.

Unless the Legacies book is a knockout, I think that I will be ending my support for this line. Vampire: The Requiem pretty much does everything that Mage does, right now.

CB

[Christian A]

Vampire: The Requiem pretty much does everything that Mage does, right now.

Only for Vampires. ;)


I also couldn't really tell, motivation wise, the difference between the Seers of the Throne and the Atlantean Orders. This is an issue from the core game, but it was very pronounced here. "We want the sleepers to embrace magic, and believe!" "But we need to hide the mysteries from them!" Which is it, guys? Do you agree with the Seers, or oppose them? You can't have it both ways!

As the existence of the Silver Ladder and the Guardians shows, this isn't a binary either-or matter. The goal of the Pentacle is to awaken as many as possible, because it's most likely the best way to battle the Exarchs and their forces. But there's always the dangers of paradox and of sleepers becoming aware of things they shouldn't know. Which is why the Guardians exist.

[jeff_vandenberg]

Boston is focused on Cabals rather than Orders.
Now that's a relief to hear. I like that alot more.. sadly I don't think i'll be able to getthe book till early december at the earliest.

[Ferrinus]

I also couldn't really tell, motivation wise, the difference between the Seers of the Throne and the Atlantean Orders. This is an issue from the core game, but it was very pronounced here. "We want the sleepers to embrace magic, and believe!" "But we need to hide the mysteries from them!" Which is it, guys? Do you agree with the Seers, or oppose them? You can't have it both ways!

No one wants Sleepers to actually witness or learn about magic firsthand/directly, because this weakens magic itself.

The difference is that the Atlantean Orders wouldn't mind Sleepers being exposed to mysteries and the supernatural because they want Sleepers to Awaken (at which point they can be inducted into the practice of magic full and proper), while the Seers of the Throne want no one to Awaken and for the Sleepers to generally wallow in mediocrity and disinterest for the rest of time.

[Numanoid]

Interesting..

How much does it play up or play down the atlantean bit?



Depends on the cabal, really. Some, like the Sanguine Laurel, cling strongly to the idea of Atlantis and the importance of gathering its lore. Others either downplay it or ignore it entirely, such as the Christian White Putnams.

I do think the book could have done a better job of detailing the mystical styles of each cabal, to help play up the "mage" aspect and make mage Arcana seem less like "super-powers" or Disciplines as Keiichi pointed out.

One thing that really helped was the details on cabal Libraries, that pointed out the focus of each one's mystical styles and research.

For example, the Special Media Group, a cabal operating outside of M.I.T., covers the topics of Casino Operating Procedures, Chaos Theory, Computer Coding, Computer Engineering, and Mathematics. This means the cabal's members probably use tools in their magic like calculus equations, gambling paraphenelia, computers, calculators, etc.

In contrast, the Ebon Noose, a cabal focusing mostly on European paganism, has a library covering these topics: History of the Ebon Noose, New England Legends, Paganism, Spirits. Their tools probably involve things like atheme, pagan trinkets, poppets, minor bloodletting, and stuff like that, depending on the mage in question.