Straight Sixes with Jerry Wargate - Mage: The Awakening Player's Forum

Our new video segment has now debuted on our YouTube channel!

Straight Sixes with Jerry Wargate will be a monthly feature in 2014!  Each season, we will publish both a Player's Forum and a Supply Review segment.  Various topics will feature, and we'll have a plethora of interesting guests to talk about gaming in general.

Basically, the Player's Forum is a place for our veteran gamers to sound off on the latest games we've been playing.  In this installment, Jerry Wargate rambles on with our own Captain Video about why they like the new World of Darkness line, and why Mage is now the breakout supernatural favorite.  Jerry brings up the heated topic of murder-hobos, and the Captain lets us know why you get penalized for that sort of behavior in an investigative setting.

Jerry will be back again next month with a Supply Review segment!  If you have ideas for a Player's Forum or Supply Review, let us know in the comments section, on Facebook or even on the YouTube channel!  We're also looking for interesting guests with something to say, so if you want to appear as a guest on an installment of Straight Sixes, contact us on Facebook or by email.  Thanks for all the support!

Asleep No More Campaign Log

Asleep No More

A Campaign for Mage: The Awakening

Dallas, the Free City

We now take our first steps into the Free City of Dallas, the Free Council's shining gem of cooperation and innovation in North America.  For mages, it's either a wondrous place of progressive ideology or it's a terrifying reminder that a New Atlantis cannot be built.  Yet for the Free Council, Dallas and most of the American Southwest is a promise of a new future.

Here, the Free Council congregates from many disparate places across the globe.  The Order has built this place from the ground up since it's inception, and unlike many places in the World of Darkness, hope seems to well up from the ground.  Though the Atlantean Orders would love nothing more than to see the whole thing collapse and the Free Council scattered, they have agreed to the Free Council's terms for a relative peace.  However, the price for that peace was great indeed.

The Assembly and the Consilium

The Free Council Assembly in Dallas comprises roughly 20 mages (though there are currently 23) at any given time.  However, support from all over has rolled in since the announcement of the creation of the Free City - a place where the Free Council would raise up through it's arts, and the arts of the Sleepers that lived there.  The Order quickly assumed control of the local Consilium, and the Silver Ladder and Guardians of the Veil moved to squash this new threat.  The politics of the Awakened in the Southwest had changed, however.  This provoked the Unseen War, a quick and deadly battle that played out between the Guardians (with their allies the Silver Ladder) and the Free Council.  The year was 1959.

A powerful cabal of Strategos formed, and organized the normally disparate Free Council into a column (a Free Council military term) that gave the Atlantean Orders the battle they thought they would never face.  Only one Order, the Adamantine Arrow, supported the Free Council's battle against the other Orders - for according to the Laws of Atlantis, the Free Council was in control of Dallas and in this case, the Arrow did owe the Free Council many oaths.

Though the opposition was great, even involving forces outside the Southwest, the Stratego cabal - known as the Executors of the Resolutionary Agenda - successfully guided the Free Council to victory against the Atlantean Orders and expelled them from the city.  The Consilium was dissolved, and the Free Council began to conduct Assemblies, bringing in mages from across the entire Southwest...and sometimes from even further.  As the support for the Free City increased, so did scrutiny from the Atlanteans.  Yet the Adamantine Arrow supported the Free City, and brokered an arrangement with the other Orders.  Wishing to maintain a presence in Dallas without having to fight for it every day, the Orders ceded Dallas, and accepted the following arrangements for their stay.

• The Free Council Assembly is the final word on the Awakened in Dallas.
• A new Consilium was created, with one member of each Order including the Free Council.  The Hierarch of this Consilium was originally a Free Councilor, and has been ever since.  This was a peace offering to the Atlanteans - the Free Council would, largely, act in accordance to the ancient customs.
• Rather than be left to pursue plots against the stability of the region, the Atlantean Orders created cabals that would fit into the framework of the Resolutionary Agenda.  The Orders quickly found a niche for themselves.

The Test of Time

Even though tensions flare between the Atlanteans and the Free Council at times, largely it has been a successful experiment in new government for the Awakened.  However, the mages face many great challenges to their stewardship of the land and the sanctity of their city.  Monsters, other mages and other threats must constantly be kept at bay.  Against all probability, the Free Council has maintained the solidarity of vision they shared so long ago.  Werewolves and vampires are a known quantity in Dallas, as well as spirits, ghosts and other more uncommon supernaturals.

However, the greatest threat to the Free City is the Atlantean Orders themselves, most notably the Guardians of the Veil, and to a lesser extent the Silver Ladder.  Ever since the creation of the Resolutionary Agenda, they have worked both covertly and overtly to subvert the tenets of the Free Council and destroy their work.  In their eyes, Dallas and the Agenda are a danger to the Awakened like no other.  More than once, a concerted effort has been made to destroy the Free Council in Dallas.  Yet they have always been repelled, usually ending with the destruction of the interloping cabals.

The Seers of the Throne take a great delight in the situation, and take advantage of it whenever they can.  The Free Council is more organized and militant here than in most other places across the globe, and their attention is focused on the Atlantean Orders and their attempts to wrest control of Dallas away from them.  However, the Seers are the more dangerous threat in everyone's eyes and are guarded against vigorously.  For this reason, a Consilium exists in Dallas - even if it's rather neutered in it's power because of the might of the Assembly.  However, the Hierarch is a Free Councilor and the Free Council has always maintained that position.

Today the Pentacle exists in sort of an uneasy truce, where the other Orders have ceased (for now) the more violent attempts to destroy the Resolutionary Agenda.  They realize that it would take a horrible disaster to dislodge the Free Council here, and for the way it works the plan is not exposing too many Sleepers to direct evidence of the Supernal.  It's more of a controlled funneling of information into mainstream media, and the Atlanteans have more power in the global world.  TV shows from Dallas might have Supernal clues in them, but there would be serious hurdles to take that program worldwide.

Yet a strange foreboding has descended upon the Free City.  Atlanteans and Councilors alike feel this uneasy dread, and many mages have looked for portents and signs of what might be on the horizon.  A great spiritual power has come to the city, and the beings of Twilight and Shadow have become active in greater numbers than ever before.  Whatever happens next might be of great impact to the Free Council, it's shining city of hope and all the Awakened within.

---

Caine Funeral Home, located on Elam Road at the edge of the Great Trinity Forest.

Mandating a New Cabal

In response to the upsurge in spiritual energy, the Executors of the Resolutionary Agenda, acting with their allies in the Adamantine Arrow and the Free Council of the Dallas Assembly, created a new cabal for the express purpose of maintaining a greater watch over the city's spirits and verges.  Many gave their own apprentices, and an old sanctum was repurposed for the cabal's use.

This was nearly two years ago.  Now, the Gatekeepers (named for their responsibility of keeping a watch on the verges) have established themselves as capable and honorable, despite the fact that they are a mixed cabal.  This isn't an issue for most in the Assembly, but the other Atlantean Orders frown upon it.  Despite that, the Gatekeepers are integral to the smooth maintenance of the Dallas area and the Orders know it.

The Gatekeepers tend to attract Sleepwalkers.  Some of close acquaintance are even inducted into the knowledge of the existence of the Awakened, and bound to the cabal through oaths.  This is generally regarded as a good thing, as the increased level of Sleepwalkers in the city points to the effect the Agenda has had on the populace.  However, other Awakened are still leery of other cabal's Sleepwalkers.

Today, the Gatekeepers are working on relations with other Atlantean cabals and reaching out to some of the more powerful cabals in the Assembly.  Though they have a great deal of support, theoretically any of the cabals in the Assembly or the Consilium can call upon them - though the other Orders are loathe to do this.  However, the Gauntlet seems to be weak and the city is bursting with verges.  It may only be a matter of time before their expertise is called upon, but as always the Atlanteans can't always be trusted.

---

The Cabal

• Big Chief - Adamantine Arrow Obrimos
• Johnny Arcane, Jr. - Adamantine Arrow Moros
• Jonas Stone - Free Council Thyrsus
• The Breeze - Free Council Acanthus
• Libram - Free Council Mastigos (Deceased)
• Detective Danko - Southeast Division Homicide Thyrsus
• Art Jones - Paranormal Radio Host, "The Truth" on KWAC AM
• Wang Chung - Free Council Mastigos

Allied Cabals

• Executors of the Resolutionary Agenda
• This Free Council cabal is the most powerful politically.  Under it's supervision, the Gatekeepers cabal was formed.  A hereditary cabal, it has made manifest the Free Council's agenda in Dallas over the last fifty three years.
• The Fist
• John Arcane, Sr. belonged to this cabal of Adamantine Arrow enforcers.  The remaining members are of the older generation, and their position is challenged by the Dragonmourn Chantry.  The members of this cabal mentored the Arrows of the Gatekeepers.
• Southwestern Paranormal Outreach Program
• This Free Council cabal was the first to offer assistance to the Gatekeepers during their formation, and the alliance has held ever since.  Drake Bracken is a member of this cabal, and the tutor of Jonas Stone.
• The Mainstream Media Movement
• This cabal of Free Council mages is a powerful group of media magnates operating radio and television stations in and around Dallas.  Chrysanth, the tutor of Libram, is a member of this cabal.
• The Reliquary
• Dallas' cabal of rather "open minded" Mysterium mages, they serve as guardians of the city's hereditary Communal Library and the mysterious Vault within.

Neutral Cabals

• The New Digital Order
• This Free Council cabal has evolved the use of the internet in techne.  They foment and advance the use of digital media for the Awakened.
• The Lighthouse
• In Dallas, the Silver Ladder's representatives comb the area for signs of new Awakenings.  Though they usually try to induct those they find into the Ladder, they perform a valuable service for the Awakened City.
• Dragonmourn Chantry
• Strictly traditional Adamantine Arrow cabal that has recently relocated to Dallas.  Fiercely devoted to the Consilium, the Chantry has focused on removing one of the pillars of political support to the Free Council - the Fist.  They are the next generation, and see themselves as replacing the Fist as the Arrow in Dallas and in so doing restoring the Consilium to true power over the Awakened.

Rival Cabals

• Los Nombre Cinco
• An Apostate cabal (mages who do not belong to an Order), these nasty and criminal mages from Mexico perform all sorts of nefarious deeds in the Southwest.  It is unknown the true nature of their magic, whether they are Scelesti or just criminals.  However, they are a known danger and enemy of the Awakened in Dallas.
• The Progressional Forum
• The Guardians of the Veil have settled into the Awakened City and used their clout to assume control of much of the Sleeper civil police and even many popular politicians.

---

Asleep No More Chronicle Log  
Total Time: 66.5 hrs  (12.1.13)

Awakenings

Total Time: 25.5 hrs  (9.8.13)

1. Paths & Orders (8.4.2013) Total Time: 4 hrs - The characters are created and we glimpse each of the cabal members Awakenings.  The vast prehistory of the world, and other mystical secrets considered to be known by those inducted into an order are discussed and the Sanctum is created:  the Caine Funeral Home, near the Great Trinity Forest.
• The Gatekeepers are a newly formed cabal based around the legacy of an older one.  They were formed to keep a watch on the city's verges, and deal with spirits and other anomalies when they arise.  (4 hrs)
2. Spells & Spellcasting (8.11.2013) Total Time: 4 hrs - Our new cabal comes to grips with their power over the Arcana, and we see their first spells as well.  The character's nimbus' are explored, along with other facets of magic such as rotes, sympathetic casting, vulgar vs. coincidental and even the dreaded Paradoxes.
• Art Jones and Lt. Danko share some of their backstory, and we find out how many connections there are between these Sleepwalkers and the Gatekeepers cabal.  The mages learn how their magic works, and we witness a relatively minor Paradox that doesn't really harm anyone - but serves as a horrible warning of what can happen when magic is used carelessly.  (4 hrs)
3. Cabals & Consilium (8.18.2013) Total Time: 5 hrs - The cabal is inducted into the workings of the local Consilium.  The cabal learns of the many uses of mana, as well as the mechanics surrounding their hallow.  Things are not well, and Johnny Arcane Jr. steps into the position of provost to a councilor of the Consilium and sponsor of his own cabal, Erzebet of the Fist.
• Art Jones has a segment on his show about ghosts, which segues into discussion of a phenomenon known as "shadow people".  The mages decide to "nudge" Jones, and an outreach is made to the radio station through friends in the Mainstream Media Movement.  Meanwhile, Detective Danko is obsessed with old files and cold cases.  He is visited by a strange fellow interested in his most obtuse of old cases - the brandings, where the only evidence was a pile of bodies marked with strange symbols burned directly into the flesh.  Forensics couldn't determine the nature or source of the burns, and no pattern could be discerned from the marks.  Everyone tunes in to Art Jones, who has gained some local celebrity.  The cabal arranges to pose as a "paranormal investigation" team and sets up a meeting with Art and his producer to plot Art's next ratings boost - a series of ghost hunting trips starring himself and his new "expert" friends. (5 hrs)
4. Twilight & Shadow (8.25.2013 through 9.1.2013) Total Time: 8 hrs - The cabal begins it's foray into ghost hunting with radio host Art Jones in tow.  The cabal meets with Silverflash, a member of the Mainstream Media Movement, who takes them to a private lunch with Art and Reggie.  After planning out the first expedition, the cabal heads to the House of Dark Shadows.
• As the cabal abjures and experiments with the ghost of a little girl, Lt. Danko gets a file thrown on his desk.  It reads 'missing persons', but he's informed that they are considering homicide, which is where he comes in.  Danko heads to the missing guy's address, but only finds one lead - the guy in the apartment one level above him seems a little unhinged.  They speak briefly, but the young man becomes agitated and enters his apartment, bidding Danko to leave.  Danko attempted to get a warrant, but instead broke down the apartment door and entered.  Danko was shot twice, and incapacitated.  Neighbors called paramedics while the young man exited his apartment and fled.  (4 hrs)
• Danko wakes up in a hospital, with his captain and Internal Affairs breathing down his neck.  Turns out there isn't much to conflict with Danko's story, as they can't find Terry Fenner (the gunman).  The cabal gets with Art Jones, and during the investigation some connections are made.  Danko shows up on the scene, and they begin searching Darkplace apartments.  After a tense investigation involving interviewing the young couple that is the subject of Art's segment, EVP's and some camera work they can find no trace of the Shadow People, but do startle some drug addled teenagers! (4 hrs)
5. Threats Upon Threats (9.8.2013) Total Time: 4.5 hrs - The cabal finds itself thrust into Awakened politics as the threats to their position begin to make themselves known.
• The cabal is visited by Hester, of the Dragonmourn Chantry, who demands an audience with the Councilor Erzebet.  As Provost, Johnny Arcane Jr. attempts to contact her, and she responds by implying that the Dragonmourn can wait until the next Consilium.  The cabal brings Art Jones to the sanctum, and plan the next segment of their documentary.  Reggie extracts a strange video from Terry Fenner's laptop, and it depicts what appear to be Shadow People taking an offering - a sedated victim strapped to a hospital gurney.  After the Free Council Assembly, the cabal goes to the last haunted house in an abandoned housing tract.  There, they find a gremal spirit, and discorporate it after it crosses from the Twilight into the material world via Johnny Arcane's Ghost Gate.  Satisfied they have plenty of great footage, they pack up and head back to the sanctum.

Tribulations

Total Time: 23.5 hrs  (11.3.13)

1. The Harvesters (9.15.2013 through 9.23.2013) Total Time: 3 hrs - Faced with many enemies and challenges, the cabal decides to focus on the enemies that the Free City faces.  Apostates, Banishers and Seers of the Throne are dangerous external threats, but the cabal must also be wary of mages within the Consilium.
• Commissioned by the Reliquary to retrieve an artifact known as the Cell, the cabal heads out of town to the I-20 Donut Hole.  There they meet Christie Reese, a fence who has a lead on the artifact.  However, a short while later they receive a text message from Christie, who has apparently run into trouble.  The cabal heads out to the motel where they were supposed to pick up the artifact, and find Christie's car.  After talking to the lone tenant of the motel, the cabal strongarms the desk clerk and find out that the men at the rest stop across the interstate might have something to do with her disappearance...  (3 hrs)
• As Danko and Art Jones pow-wow on what they think the cabal might really be into, the characters continue their hunt for Christie Reese.  The cabal crosses the street to enter the small rest station, and finds some guys inside the store.  Big Chief pulls a gun and starts asking questions right about the time that Johnny Arcane clubs his friend stacking beer in the back.  The two men end up dead after a brief gunfight where everyone but Libram and Stone are hurt.  Stone leaves immediately and calls a cab to get back to town.  Big Chief and Arcane hide the bodies in a ghostgate, and call Danko to come help.  Libram watches from the shadows as the sheriff arrives, and the bloody Arrows come out of the convenience store.  The sheriff is confused, and orders them onto the ground...but the next few moments leaves the sheriff dead after being run over with his own truck and then executed point blank by Danko after he arrived.  The session ends with the cabal split up between two different cabs and Danko's car, headed back into Dallas and nursing gunshot wounds.  (4 hrs)
2. Tribulations (8.29.2013 through 11.3.13) Total Time: 20.5 hrs - The cabal makes amends with the Reliquary, and begins to move into full production of Art Jones' show.  Danko returns to active duty, and the cabal faces a new threat...a Banisher!
• After meeting with Mr. Sleet and reaching an understanding with the Reliquary after losing the artifact, the cabal begins to track the suspected Banisher.  After some serious sleuthing, the cabal enters her supposed home in the twilight...and they think someone there could see them!  (4 hrs)
• Entering the house in the real world, the cabal begins to do some snooping but finds the home very bare.  Trace evidence reveals some sort of temporal enchantment and resonance, but they are unable to pierce the occultation with their scrutiny.  Soon after, armed men arrive to make the home very uncomfortable for the cabal.  In the escape, Johnny Arcane is wounded severely and the Breeze takes a hit, but the cabal escapes the home and the armed men.  Later that evening, plans are made with Danko and Jones - and the cabal decides it's time to let them in on the secrets.  Aided by Tyrok and Erszebet of the Executors, the cabal begins to take Danko on a journey through astral space to find his watchtower!  (4.5 hrs)
• Wrestling with their own fears and inexperience, the cabal enters astral space and find Danko on his Oneiros.  Running through several scenes of the shared dream, the cabal manage to negotiate the dangers of astral space and get close to the threshold of the supernal.  After encountering strange astral creatures, including Danko's daimon and a guardian of unknown origin, the cabal wakes up in the spirit hallow, and Danko goes on to truly Awaken!  (2 hrs)
• Danko is taken to Macedon's safehouse, and a meeting is called.  The cabal deals with their newly Awakened charge.  Art Jones' radio station is picketed by the New Commandment Fellowship, and shortly thereafter armed men bust into the studio.  Art is roughed up, and the program director of the station is murdered.  (2 hrs)
• The cabal hunkers down to prepare for the next leg of the unfolding events.  Danko joins the cabal formally, and when presented to the Consilium raises some concern with the Progressional Forum and the Lighthouse.  Danko doesn't hide his old name well, and many different mages from different factions seem to know it.  The Progressional Forum flexes it's muscles and gets Danko removed from duty over some of his recent decisions - mainly choosing the Gatekeepers over the Progressional Forum!  (2 hrs)
• The cabal is attacked in the night by sniping gunmen again, and Johnny Arcane is wounded.  The team holes up for a day or two, drawing in their resources.  Art Jones is made aware of the spiritual war as Detective Danko is attacked by what was revealed to be the Banisher Susan Reed.  Big Chief met with Terminus of Dragonmourn Chantry, who warns of the coming upheaval and makes overtures of co-operation in the "changing of the guard".  Later, the cabal gets a hot tip about where their Banisher foe is hiding - a new church of the New Commandment Fellowship.  The cabal makes a move and heads to the church, but a fight breaks out pretty quickly.  Susan Reed and another woman are killed, and the rest of the church escaped, even hurt badly - Johnny Arcane, Big Chief, Libram and Art Jones are dying.  Jonas Stone does what he can and stabilizes them, but Libram dies of his wounds.  The cabal limps home and calls Erzebet for help.  (6 hrs)

Shadow People

Total Time: 18.5 hrs  (12.1.13)

1. Action and Inaction (11.10.13) Total Time: 2.5 hrs - The cabal licks its wounds and begins to heal, but are only three men and a sleepwalker as Johnny Arcane has disappeared.  Art Jones' show goes live, and his fame begins to pick up.  Yet something strange happens at the sanctum, and a mysterious stranger appears.
• Black Viper, a mage claiming to be the last member of a cabal called the Dark Fist, appears at the sanctum to steal the map Libram had decoded.  The cabal found him in the catacombs, in an area they've never seen open, placing the token of a defeated mage in the tomb of his long dead friends.  Black Viper stresses the need for secrecy, especially concerning the fact that he's not dead.  He leaves with a dire warning - the wizards he fought were dangerous indeed, and one of their apprentices still lives, and he tracked him to Dallas.  (2.5 hrs)
2. Veils and Ladders (11.17.13 through 11.24.13) Total Time: 10 hrs - The cabal has inner turmoil when Johnny Arcane returns from being schooled in arcane dueling with Shogun.  However, when the Lighthouse offers more support if the Gatekeepers aid them with a problematic verge, the cabal springs into action.
• KWAC is infested with shadowy spirits, and Art Jones is attacked!  Turns out, a mage was there earlier that day, opening a Spirit Gate and drawing malicious spirits through.  The Gatekeepers arrive to check it out, but find only traces of magic and not a functioning Spirit Gate.  Despite this, the show with Dr. Fong Wei is a hit!  The players travel to meet the Lighthouse mages at a donut shop, and are told that dangerous spirit activity was occurring on their turf.  Agreeing to overlook the breach of protocol involving Heckler (Danko) and his awakening, they direct the cabal to an old property to investigate the area and learn the cause of the disturbances.  Inside the old hovel, a run down and vacant duplex apartment, the players find a gurney and a black mark on the wall - one they had seen before in a video.  (5 hrs)
• Shadow people erupt from the black mark on the wall and attempt to take Jonas Stone across the Gauntlet!  They cannot bring him across, however, as his Awakened soul knows better.  They savagely beat him, and cross the Gauntlet to get away from the cabal.  The hospital gurney from the video is identified as the locus, and the players call the Lighthouse to report their findings.  Satisfied, the Lighthouse tells them to lock up and leave, and leave the locus intact for them.  The next day, members of the Progressional Forum call the Gatekeepers back to the donut shop (a shared hangout with the Ladder mages) and explain a verge has popped up in their territory and is causing problems, including several disappearances.  The cabal travels to the verge, a viadock looming like a bird of doom as it shifts - and cracks.  As soon as they step beneath it, they are put through a one way verge and are in the spirit world.  The place is one of horror and loss, and through the dense purple fog they can sense many spirits about, including a terrifying encounter with the Meat Grinder, a spirit train.  The cabal detects shadow people and wisps, and Heckler attempts to approach and speak to them in the First Tongue.  However, they don't seem to be friendly - pouncing on Heckler and incapacitating him.  Stone and Big Chief fight the two shadows and discorporate them, and give Heckler first aid.  They find a mystic circle, with a pair of what appear to be human eyes within.  Scrutinizing the spells, they find that somehow the spellcaster they are chasing forced the verge open for some purpose.  Soon after, a strange spirit, Topak-Omak arrives on the scene.  It resembled a giant owl, with Atlantean runes hanging on little chains all over it's feathers.  After communicating with it and striking a bargain - the cabal is armed with more knowledge about their foe than ever before, and perhaps have made a powerful ally in the spirit world.  (5 hrs)
3. Sanctuary (12.1.13) Total Time: 6 hrs - The cabal visits the spirit world at the Caine Funeral Home, and find a fortress there presided over by a "Lord".  They attempt to gain entry, but are blocked by a guardian and an attendant, who tell them the Lord of the Fortress would "send for them".  Thereafter, the cabal receives a phone call from Mr. Sleet of the Reliquary asking for the Gatekeeper's presence, as they might have a problem...
• The cabal finds the Reliquary strangely unguarded, and after finding a pool of blood inside they become alerted.  Using their magics, they force their way downstairs, past shadows and wisps...in pursuit of a pair of living consciousnesses.  They find their apostate scelestus with a beaten and unconcious Mr. Sleet, and while the shadows close in do battle with the enemy mage.  After subduing him, putting out the fires, repelling the spirits and providing first aid to Mr. Sleet the party returns upstairs for answers.  Turns out the culprit is El Phantasmo Hambriento, and he killed Mr. Snow on the way in.  Snow is buried at the funeral home, and the cabal eases into a new, less threatened routine.  As the chronicle closes, Johnny Arcane finds his token of invitation from the Lord of the Fortress.

---

We had a blast this year with Mage: The Awakening, and put a lot of hours into learning how to wield supernal magics.  The World of Darkness and the new line of products are a ton of fun to play, and we've seen they can provide a range of playstyles to suit your game group.  I think everyone has a better grasp of what's involved in an investigative style game now, and I'm sure that will only help mitigate the death toll the next time the Gatekeepers venture into a dungeon of death.

Thanks to everyone who played in the game and devoted their time and energy.  These characters will be back for the next segment of our continuing saga of the Free City of Dallas and our cabal of intrepid explorers of the Shadow Realm.  Next time, all that spellcasting will come naturally - and we can get to the serious business of conjunctional arcana!

Rulebook Ruminations - Mage: The Awakening

Previously, several of my Rulebook Ruminations have involved World of Darkness books.  I hesitate to call it "new", simply to differentiate it from the "old".  It's not new anymore, and the "old" books are ancient history.  So why do I ruminate on these books more than some others?

First of all, it's not secret that I enjoy the World of Darkness line over the "old" line.  It's just better.  I know there are a lot of folks who will gnash and growl at that statement, but for me it's not only true - it's a hands down win for the "new" line.  There is no contest.  I'm not even going to go into all that, as we've already done that before...I just wanted to clarify that bit for anyone who was just joining us.  I believe that almost every aspect of the new line is better...that is, production standards are higher.  The books look nicer, and reading through various titles you get the idea that this was all designed before it was broken into sale pieces such as this volume.  We'll get back to this later.

We've played a couple of chronicles with the new system...but this is the first supernatural chronicle we have embarked upon.  The others were explorations of the system as normal mortals (for the most part), and certainly no one had a supernatural template in Hunting Humans or The Rough Edge of Night.  All that malarkey about vampires or werewolves back in the day is out - and mages are in.  This will definitely color the scope of the system for us in the years to come, and I think this was the best decision.  Nobody really has been into vampires since the 90's, and werewolves went out when Twilight came in.

The new system lends itself well to this sort of play.  Some names are turned around from Mage: The Ascension and the "old" World of Darkness in general, such as Gnosis being a mage trait and the ten different arcanas names and functions.  Yet everything is very familiar if you've come from that older world, and once you have a bit of the newer lexicon committed to memory you'll be flinging spells left and right.  Virtual Adepts?  No sir, we have the Free Council instead.

The biggest part of the book are the descriptions of the actual spells you can do with the various arcana.  However, it's a huge step forward for this type of system.  There's still improvisational magic, and the system for that is beefed up as well.  Yet there are a multitude of "common" spells for each arcana, including all the ones new players might be looking for.  Even masters for whom Ascension is old hat will find these training wheels very helpful in the beginning.

It seems that a lot of the old Mage game was based on having much of the source material outside the main volume, and this line assumes much the same.  There's just too much material for one volume, so it's spread out over the line.  Tome of the Watchtowers and Sanctum & Sigil are necessary reads if you want your game to resemble the "default" World of Darkness game world.

That being said, the new world isn't as couched in metaplot as the old.  I was very excited to get my copy of Ascension back in what must have been 1996.  Yet when I began to read it, I had no idea what was going on.  I couldn't make heads or tails of what it was talking about, and as a result I never ran a game with that volume.  I wanted to, but after reading the book I was so confounded as to what was supposed to be an adventure in that system that I simply went back to being a Dungeon Master.  Which brings me to my real point.

Though the ease of approach to and the general playability of Mage: The Awakening is much higher than its predecessor, the game itself is very different from some other games we play.  Adventure design, awards and penalties, etc. are all very different from the standard "dungeon-delve" paradigm we're used to.  Yes, this is a roleplaying game, but you have to remember there are different genres of rpg.

For instance, there's the staples of Swords & Sorcery, Epic Fantasy, Space Opera, Western and all the rest.  You'll have to learn to look at the system for guidance.  What about Horror games?  I still think of the World of Darkness as a horror system, and obviously it thinks of itself that way as well.  Horror, mystery and suspense are the hallmarks of this system...even though you're wizards, Epic Fantasy Dungeon Murder this is not.

We usually play World of Darkness games, old and new, as the cliche "supers with fangs" or "supers with claws" style game.  Yet I will give you this warning, Gatekeepers:  I do not design World of Darkness games as a dungeon.  Neither do the publishers.  Don't get me wrong, I like dungeon hacking as much as the next guy, and probably more.  World of Darkness is different, and presents much different opportunities for scenario writers like myself.  Much like Dark Heresy and Call of Cthulhu, these games should be about mystery, suspense and horror.

The scenarios you face will have to be resolved without the sort of end that most barking mad dungeon murder-hobos come to.  They aren't designed for that, and the world isn't either.  Too many bloodbaths and your campaigns will come to a screaming halt - unless of course, your Storyteller is doing a "supers with magic" chronicle.

For myself, I'll take my cue from the system.  Players need to be reminded what sort of game you're running, however.  Make sure you're all on the same page before all the mages pull out guns and everyone ends up dead.

The Free City of Dallas

We're back in the World of Darkness this month with a new campaign for Mage:  The Awakening.  Set in Dallas, Texas, this modern day chronicle of modern sorcery will form the cornerstone of the campaign setting.  We'll be using this paradigm going forward, so this is your chance to help shape and change the backstory!

South By Southwest is the name of the chronicle setting, and this chronicle is titled Asleep No More.  This title and designation differentiates this story from Smokefall Ridge, which shares the same regional setting, but is separated from the events of this chronicle by more than a hundred years (1876 vs 2013).  Both settings will continue developing, and together they will form a dynamic view of our World of Darkness.

The theme behind Dallas in this setting is that of distorted familiarity.  Everything seems so correct, so everyday, so normal and most of all, so close to our location and everyday lives.  Yet nothing could be further from the truth, and everything seems to obscure conspiracies, plots and skulduggery.  More than that, the supernatural elements of the world come to horrible life when framed inside a familiar visage.

What Has Come Before

The Free Council was formed on the last night of the 19th century.   In the 20th century, the Council established a place for itself on the Atlantean Pentacle, and despite all it's fine ideas of freedom and progress was relegated to the obscure fringes of Awakened society.  Since then, the Free Council has spread across the world, but in most places the idea that these mages aren't much more than reckless children skateboarding down the half-pipe of the Supernal Realms to damnation has propagated and taken root.  Unfortunately, in many cases that's the full truth.

The Free Council exists apart from the other Atlantean Orders.  The remaining four are considered "the Diamond" - four points of an ancient tradition.  Even today, the difference between the Atlanteans and the Free Council is pronounced, with many ideas the Pentacle espouses seems at direct odds with the ideas and methodology of the Free Council.  For it's part, the Diamond considers the Free Council a necessary evil - without them, they are weaker - and that's the only saving grace of the Free Council to many Atlantean mages.

The Free Council in other places than Dallas are fringe elements.  There are few Free Councilors out there, and they are almost always the minority.  This has led to the divide between the Free Council and the other orders of the Diamond, but in more recent times a new movement has emerged from the disparate ranks of the Order.  In most areas of the world, the sort of activity that is going on in Dallas would get the Free Councilors in serious trouble with the Diamond...but in Dallas that time has come and gone.


The Unseen War

In the late 1950's, the Free Council came to Texas.  Here, their innovations and support of human technology touched some of the great events of the time.  They drafted their Resolutionary Agenda, a document that has guided the development of the Free City and the Southwest since then.  Science has progressed and times are generally good, but it was not all this way.  As they migrated to the Southwest, the other orders did as well.  When the Diamond attempted to cow the Free Council here, as they have always done elsewhere, something happened:  the Unseen War broke out amidst the orders of the Pentacle.

During this time, the Adamantine Arrow was the only ally of the Free Council in the Southwest.  Their cabals owed many oaths to the Free Councilors who had bled into the foundations of these states, and when the other orders rebelled against a Consilium ruled by the Free Council, the Arrow remained true to these oaths and fought side by side with the Free Council.  Things quickly progressed from "differences of ideology" to "minor ideological skirmishing" to full blown "religous war" very quickly.

The worst hit in 1974, during an event that has come to be known as the Bloodbath.  The Free Councilors wanted to establish an greater assembly, and the order itself came to the aid of the Southwestern cabals.  Soon, there were many Free Council mages and their arrow allies standing firm on their idea of a new future.  Yet the Silver Ladder and the Guardians of the Veil had enough of the upstarts turning the ancient traditions on their head, corrupting them through modernism or simply discarding the laws of Atlantis as tomfoolery.

The Guardians and the Silver Ladder banded together and attempted to exterminate the Free Council.  Many died, but when these unjustified and covert killings began even more Free Council mages arrived from all over the world.  In Dallas, on March 3, 1974, the Free Council made their stand.  The Silver Ladder and Guardian cabals that had come to quell the upstarts were utterly destroyed in a single night of unbridled magical fury.  The Free Council assembly declared that the Ladder and the Guardians had wronged them, and were forbidden to enter the Free City on pain of death.  For many years, it stayed that way - a perpetual state of vigilance and violence.

In 1983, the Executors of the Resolutionary Agenda declared the lifting of this ban, and allowed the orders back into the city if they recognized that Dallas was the province of the Free Council.  If that was not acceptable, the ban would continue as it had for years, and if the Diamond orders did not want the Unseen War back in full force then the orders would respect the Free Council's position.  Reluctantly, the Diamond orders agreed...yet it took a long time for new cabals from those orders to spring up in the Southwest.


The Assembly

The Assembly in Dallas is one of singular purpose.  They are working to widen humanity's paradigm, and expose them (in a controlled manner) to the supernal truth.  This unity is what keeps them strong, as the cabals work together for the betterment of everyone.  Currently more than twenty Free Councilors strong, the Assembly encourages members of the Diamond orders to attend and participate.  Usually, one or two turns out but seldom take part in the proceedings.

Acknowledgement of the Assembly's intent is important to cabals from other orders present in the Southwest.  Many cannot see the reason behind this, and others simply think it's foolish.  Either way, in Dallas it's best to keep those opinions to yourself.

Despite this friction, the Orders of the Pentacle are getting along much better in Dallas these days.  Even as the Free Council is apart from the Diamond, together they make the Pentacle.  As the Unseen War drew to a close, and the Order of Forbiddance forced the Guardians and the Ladder to fight an extended bid for control that slowly strangled their resources, the Executors saw the bigger picture.  As a peace offering, the Free Council Assembly offered to reinstate the Consilium of Dallas.


The Consilium

The formation of the Consilium is a long and complicated story of oaths, bonds, promises and secrets.  The Assembly put forth the idea to the Guardians and Ladder, but would only pursue it if one of their Executors were installed as Hierarch.  The orders agreed, and to this day the hierarch has always been a Free Councilor.  It is unlikely that the Assembly would ever suffer a Diamond order in that position.

For the Free Council, the Consilium is a way to unify the intent of all the cabals in Dallas.  While the Assembly has the Free Council behind it, what of the cabals belonging to their allies the Adamantine Arrow or the Mysterium (which remained neutral during the conflict)?  This is a way to make everything good for everyone, almost.  As it is, the Atlanteans are the minority in Dallas.

Adamantine Arrow wields great power here.  They have been allied to the Free Council here in Dallas for a long, long time.  The Mysterium also negotiated for peace in the early days of the Unseen War, and have received quite a lot of support from the Assembly ever since.  It is unlikely that either of these orders will ever challenge the Free Council here.

The Guardians of the Veil and the Silver Ladder are obviously miffed about the whole thing.  One wants to keep Sleepers sleeping, and the other believes that they should rule all mages.  Both are entirely inimical to the mindset of the Southwestern Free Councilor, and there is a lot of bad blood between the orders.  Today, they are both working to re-establish their power in the Southwest and find a way to exist in the framework the Assembly has created - at least until they can topple this new regime and install one with a traditionalist bent.  Naturally, this mindset has increased tensions profoundly.

An Uneasy Peace

The Assembly and the Consilium exist together in a kind of uneasy peace.  Each one distrusts the others' methods and motives, and both sides believe their ideology to be superior.  However, the Assembly itself disregards most of what is decided by the Consilium - it's either already been disseminated to them (since the Hierarch is an Executor) or matters little.  The Consilium's rules still apply to the other Atlantean Orders, however.

Though there is tension, there's not much outright conflict these days.  Seldom does it progress past a "gentle nudge", where the Consilium attempts to overturn or change the details of how or what the Assembly is doing.  These little power plays are taken in stride by the Free Council, but they mean a great deal to some of the Orders, so concessions are regularly made in the name of peace.

Less common is a "hard shove" against the Assembly.  This could take the form of an adroit political power play or even a challenge to the Hierarch.  Though not common, the atmosphere conducive to this sort of threat could be quickly approaching.


Supernaturals

Mages are a surprising lot.  In many places, not much is known about the rest of the world, and the supernatural creatures that live there.  However, in Dallas, the paranormal and supernatural are part and parcel of everyday life.  Spirits are cataloged and documented.  Ghosts are training for Moros mages.  The Twilight and the Shadow are part of what mages are taught, and are a major factor in most of the Agenda's action items.

Werewolves are known to exist.  There are several packs around the outskirts of Dallas, and even more in the Southwest at large.  There isn't much direct contact, but it's an accepted fact that werewolves exist.  What's more on debate here is if they can be trusted.

Vampires also exist, but are not welcome in Dallas.  A few vampires are rumored to live with the blessing of the Assembly (through the Outreach Program) but an interloper will be dealt with swiftly, if he leaves evidence.  For mages, finding evidence is less problematic that for Sleepers.  Vampires in general are regarded as inhuman monsters who would rule all men, Awakened and Sleeper, if they could insinuate themselves into society.  For that reason, vampires are taken very seriously by the Assembly.


The Shape of Things to Come

Things are not as stable as it seems.  Almost every day, the Free City that the Assembly has built lies on the razor's edge.  Threats from within the Diamond are the most pronounced, but there are other threats that everyone seems to have forgotten.  Vigilance is set aside, and new moves by some of the orders are set to ignite the political atmosphere.

If one piece of the puzzle is removed or replaced, a downhill roll could start.  The Free Council could find themselves degenerate fringe magi once again, subjugated by the stifling traditionalism of the Atlantean Orders.  To avoid this, the status quo must be maintained.

The Guardians of the Veil hate the free-spirited sharing of magic, among the other goals of the Assembly.  They revile the Free Council for what it has done and is doing here, and are vocal about that at every Consilium meeting.  Not given to overt action, instead they do as their order commands and attempts to clean up the mess the Free Councilors create.  The problem is, they don't always want the mess cleaned up.

The Silver Ladder maintains it's haughty position that it is they who should rule, not the Free Council.  Every Consilium meeting, the Ladder attempts to undermine the credibility and authority of the Assembly.  Some attempts are more brazen than others, and not all such attempts are effective.  Yet they continue to chip away at the resolve of the Assembly with determined patience.

Amidst all of this, one cold, stark fact stands out.  Everyone seems to have forgotten why the Free Council exists and instead focus on where and how.  This is one lesson it behooves no one to forget, for this enemy is the true foe of the Pentacle.

The Seers of the Throne are out there.