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10 The Book of Mirrors: The Mage Storytellers Guide

dont lose sight of where the mirror ends and our fingers

begin, dancing with our reflection can be lots of fun.

Enough pretensions. Lets talk basics.

This is a practical guide. A personal guide. A collection

of suggestions, not a tome of rules or Wisdom from on High.Sure, theres lots of official stuff to be found in thisparticular book character stats, background informa-

tion, answers to puzzling questions, and more but this

books main purpose is to make you think. To inspire you.

To help you through sticky situations and offer a fewoptions you probably hadnt thought of before. This Book

of Mirrors is an endless hallway. Every turn and corner

should bring you new ideas. And when the name of the

game is reality, you can use all the ideas you can get.

Running a Mage GameAs we all know, Mage looks like an intimidating game

to run. The sheer complexity of the setting, the esoteric

nature of the subjects and the potential for rules abuse make

the bravest Storyteller cringe at the thought of running an

extended Mage chronicle.

It doesnt have to be that way. Really.

Mage is, at its heart, a simple game. The rules are easyto remember once youre familiar with them, and the epic

conflicts merely offer a setting for some very human stories.

Stories of sudden power, progress and survival. Mage simply

asks: What if you had the power to change the world? What

would you do with it? And what would it do with you? Every-

thing else springs from that basic idea. The four greatfactions merely demonstrate what some people have cho-

sen to do with the power they possess. The setting merely

reflects the world theyve made with it. A world that you,for better and worse, have inherited.

Thats it. Simple. Things really dont look that simple

when you heft a Mage book, though. Wow. What a pile of

stuff. So many options. So many realities. Where do I go

from here?

Valid questions when youre beginning a game. Afterall, when you get right down to its foundations, thats what

Mage should be. Agame. Fun. Playable. A pastime, not a

chore. Hence, Id rather handle this book with a matter-of-

fact approach than with the usual reality-skewering thatcomes so naturally to Mage. Lets put aside the subjectivity

and artifice for a moment and talk about the game itself.

Lets put aside the bells and whistles and speak plainly. Lets

discuss practical things and leave the theory for anothertome. Lets talkMage, you and I. We have plenty to discuss.

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11Introduction: Smoke and Mirrors

How to Use This BookAs always, weve tried to keep this book simple and easy

to use.

Chapter One: Anatomy of a Chronicle presents a

semifictional chronicle, from its inception to its eventualend. Using the game as a forum, Deena McKinney and

Wayne Peacock pass along step-by-step advice for the

feeding and caring of an extended Mage game.

Chapter Two: The Storytellers Corner brings us to

the game developers table to discuss some common ques-tions about rules, details, errata and the journey of

transformation that marks a mage of any kind.

Chapter Three: Behind the Scenes of the Ascen-

sion War explores the factions who they are, how they

work, who they control and what they think of everyoneelse.

Chapter Four: Supporting Cast details animals,spirits and common folks, and addresses their potential

roles in your chronicle.

Chapter Five: Alternate Chronicle Settings sug-gests a variety of different backdrops, a few system guidelines

and a range of source material.

Chapter Six: Observations from the Field offers

advice on a variety of subjects, from symbolism and magickal

style to sex and gender roles. Enjoy!

Appendix: Indicesoffers reference indexes for rotes,

Effects, Talismans and rules, as well as a suggested readinglist.

Once More, With FeelingI shouldnt have to keep saying this, but some people

never get the message. Here we go again:

Mage will not teach you magick. It will not make you

Awaken. It will not teach you what to do if you did Awaken,

so dont freak out, join a cult, cut up kitties or call yourselfa Verbena. IfMage inspires you to keep an open mind,

great. If it offends you, ask yourself why. if it makes you want

to apprentice yourself to the Grand Master of Flowers or

something equally stupid, quit playing and get professionalhelp. Magick, if it does exist, does not come through the

pages of a game. Keep an eye on where your fingers touch

the glass, and avoid bumping your nose on mirrors, okay?

Most of all, have fun. We do. :-)Lets go.