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Underground > Temple >

zip up your fiction suit- gaming + magick

Mr Wolfe

16:16 / 16.09.01

so, in an ongoing quest to keep away from the same auld fuckers + the same situations- I'm going over to the local university to meet the gaming society.

I need some advice on how to maximize crossover b/w the creative, magickal process in gaming + 'real life'.

undoubtledly there's going to be a bit of 'coaxing the gnostic Xtians out of the cellar' with these kids- unless they're already cool- but I've found that my few gaming experiences since adolescence have been really positive, exciting, social. mostly b/c I feel some weird influences when projecting that different personality.

my only thoughts right now, in terms of magick, is that the gaming process is most rewarding when whatever persona taken on develops from simple to complex, weak to strong, ignorant to illuminated- things I'm certainly persuing in 'real life'

01:33 / 17.09.01

I just joined two games, first time in several years I have played. In one, there are 3 20 somethings, 2 30 somethings and one guy who is probably in his 40s. It is a nice, mature group.

In the other, the GM is in his 30s, and I, at 22, am the eldest player. The rest I think are in high school. This is weird, and has a totally different energy than the other game. The kids hardly settle down, but it is still fun.

Gaming sort of introduced me to magic. I used to play those awful CCG's. In the early days of this accursed industry, Steve Jackson published a Illuminati CCG which had a list of conspiracy references. Among these was Wilson and Shea's Illuminatus! Trilogy. I read it, read the sequel and devoured the rest of Wilson's books, in which he makes references to Aliester Crowley.

And it was all down hill from there.

-Jesse

PS: Exalted, published by White Wolf is a very cool game.

15:36 / 17.09.01

I to this day am still amused to find Magickal concepts in my studies which I first happened upon in gaming. There are even some gaming books I consider works of Magick at this point. That they are an RPG is only the medium. We're all familiar with this having been done with comics

RPGs can be fine Magick, if you have a good group that knows how to take advantage of it.

And yes, Exaulted is way cool

20:02 / 18.09.01

Hrmmm...

haven't done any real GAMING is AGES!!!
<<sigh>>

16:51 / 20.09.01

I need some advice on how to maximize crossover b/w the creative, magickal process in gaming + 'real life'.

My magikal studies grew greatly out of my experiences in Live Action Role Playing. While this game was special (over 80 players, 50% female) there are some important general things you can learn while gaming.

Dr. Vital himself was born in the game. He's grown since then...

1) THE GAME IS NOT REAL

Use your powers of influence, manipulate your friends, show no mercy, change the world. Be a backstabber or a super hero.

Become the occultist you always imagined you might be...

Gaming is an arena without consequences. There is no death, there is no pain.

2) BEND ALL THE RULES

Don't be a lawyer or a whiner. Simply attempt whenever you can to use the rules to your advantage.

Games often assume that there is a deterministic reality behind our own. Use your magikal knowledge to your advantage and break the walls of this false reality!

Do this in such a way that as often as possible it opens up the experience of the storyteller and the players. You will be seen as a hero.

3) PAY ATTENTION

Everyone in the game is playing a character, but in some ways it is an insight into who they really are because their actions are open and considered.

This doesn't mean the villain is secretlyh evil, but if you want to discover what archetypes they use to view the world, just watch them as they play.

17:02 / 20.09.01

If magic = art, and vice versa, pay attention to the craft of your game. Borrow techniques from improv theatre and oral storytelling.

Give characters strong direction and motivations, but don’t overwrite; leave plenty of possibilities open for the characters to evolve, gain complexity and shift focus over time.

Share the spotlight with other player’s characters.

Don’t identify with your character so much that you are adverse to seeing him/her suffer. Accept that an interesting character death is preferable to a dull character life. Think Hamlet.

Ming, you’re in Chicago too, right? What system or genre are you trying out?

Mr Wolfe

09:06 / 21.09.01

yes duck we're in the same pond- I'm actually up with the Depaul gaming society, DRAGON, huk! Its not a pretty picture but they're may be women players, + a variety of folks + games. Right now this cat is trying to get me to play 'Unknown armies'. you should come thru.

09:06 / 21.09.01

I wonder how many entities here didn't start their magic career gaming?

(You can't start the count with me I'm afraid)

I also have not played a game in a very long time. I too find playing can be a powerfully magical experience. I need some fresh blood. Our old group dried up after too much Vampire. (har har)

If anyone in Melbourne wants to play let me know

Imaginary Mongoose Solutions

22:14 / 23.09.01

quote:Originally posted by merciless_ming:
Right now this cat is trying to get me to play 'Unknown armies'. you should come thru.

UNKNOWN ARMIES should be right up your alley. Fucking fantastic game with a magick system that borrows heavily from the concepts behind Chaos Magick.

22:38 / 23.09.01

Alright I started gaming years ago. I started with the Timelord system. However it was not until I forgot the system that magick started happening for me. It all depends on who you play with. For magick to happen within a game forget the bloody rules. Let the characters go where they want. Let your players introduce situations, for magick to happen all the players must be on the same page and ready to contribute to the story. All my players have many different characters that they play, this has kept the game going and fresh for a long time now. That's just my two cents.