Mage: The Ascension

Tabletop role-playing game

Mage: The Ascension

Revised Edition cover

Designers| Stewart Wieck, Christopher Earley, Stephan Wieck, Bill Bridges, Sam Chupp, Andrew Greenberg
Publishers| White Wolf Publishing
Publication|

* 19 August 1993 (ed. 1)
* December 1995 (ed. 2)
* March 2000 (Revised Edition)
* 23 September 2015 (20th Anniversary Edition)

Genres| Supernatural fiction

Slipstream genre

Technofantasy
Systems| Storyteller System
Synonyms| MtA

Mage: The Ascension is a supernatural fiction tabletop role-playing game first published on August 19, 1993, by White Wolf Publishing. It is set in the World of Darkness universe.

## History

[edit]

Following the success of Vampire: The Masquerade, Mage: The Ascension was released as the third of four games within White Wolf's shared universe. The first chapter of the Mage series was launched by White Wolf Publishing at the Gen Con gaming convention[1][2] on August 19, 1993. A second edition followed in December 1995,[3][4] with a revised edition released in March 2000.[5] In 2005, White Wolf Publishing merged with CCP Games. Following company layoffs in October 2011, White Wolf's Creative Director, Richard Thomas, founded Onyx Path Publishing to continue publishing Tabletop role-playing games.[6][7] Onyx Path Publishing later introduced the 20th Anniversary Edition of Mage: The Ascension in September 2015,[8] representing the game's fourth iteration.

## Game setting

[edit]

Mage: The Ascension is set in the fictional World of Darkness, a fictional modern Earth wherein supernatural entities clandestinely manipulate everyday life. Players and major characters are "Mages", normal people who "Awaken" to be able to manipulate reality, usually in an expression of gnosis. The metaplot of Mage: the Ascension involves a four-way struggle between an alliance of Mages called the Nine Mystical Traditions; the New World Order of the Technocracy, which relies on its technofantasical "paradigms" versus the Marauders, a disparate group of insane Mages; and the Nephandi, a coalition of Mages serving evil cosmic entities in the pursuit of cosmic oblivion.[4] Later editions of Mage: the Ascension introduce non-aligned Mage factions such as the "Hollow Ones", a group of Goth chaos magic practitioners.

## Rules

[edit]

A key feature of Mage is its unique magic system. A character's magical expertise is described by allocating points to nine different "Spheres" of magical knowledge and influence: Correspondence, Entropy, Forces, Life, Mind, Matter, Prime, Spirit, and Time. Magical effects are largely spontaneously proposed by players and adjudicated by the game master, informed by the level of 'expertise' in the relevant Spheres of the effect; this is as opposed to the popular system of magic in Dungeons & Dragons, which relies upon predetermined descriptions of magical spells.

## Reception

[edit]

Mage: The Ascension, 2nd Edition was given an 8/10 by Arcane's Adam Tinworth, who called it "good for those who enjoy involved and challenging games." He noted that while it could be difficult for new players to grasp the game's background, develop their style of magic, or figure out how the magic worked; the gameplay system itself would be easy to understand.[9]

Mage: The Ascension was ranked 16th out of 50 in Arcane magazine's 1996 reader poll of the most popular role-playing games of all time. The magazine's editor, Paul Pettengale, commented: "Mage is perfect for those of a philosophical bent. It's a hard game to get right, requiring much thought from players and referees alike, but its underlying theme—the nature of reality – makes it one of the most interesting and mature role-playing games available."[10]

### Awards

[edit]

* In 1994, Mage: The Ascension was nominated for the Casus Belli Award the best role-playing game of 1993, finishing in fifth place.[11]
* Mage: The Ascension, 2nd Edition won the Origins Award for Best Role-playing Rules in 1995.[12]

## Reviews

[edit]

* Dragon No. 202 (February 1994)
* Shadis No. 27 (May 1996)
* Pyramid for Second Edition Revised[13]
* Rollespilsmagasinet Fønix (Danish) No. 12 (Mar/Apr 1996)[14]
* Envoyer (German) No. 27 (Jan 1999)[15]
* Australian Realms #14[16]

## See also

[edit]

* List of Mage: The Ascension books
* Sphere Sigils from Mage: The Ascension

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Varney, Allen (December 1994). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon. No. 212\. TSR, Inc. pp. 90–91.
2. ^ McLaughlin, Tom (May 1993). "Get ready—here comes the 1993 Gen Con Game Fair!". Dragon. No. 193\. TSR, Inc. p. 83.
3. ^ "White Wolf". Casus Belli (in French). No. 91\. Excelsior Publications. February 1996. p. 14.
4. ^ a b "Mage : The Ascension (1-56504-400-2)".
5. ^ "2000 Release Schedule". White Wolf Publishing. Archived from the original on 3 March 2000. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
6. ^ "Gaming Industry Innovators CCP and White Wolf to Merge". GamesIndustry.biz. 13 November 2006. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
7. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions – Onyx Path Publishing". Retrieved 16 March 2024.
8. ^ "Now Available: Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition!". 23 September 2015.
9. ^ Tinworth, Adam (April 1996). "Mage: The Ascension 2nd Edition". Arcane (5). Future Publishing: 62–63.
10. ^ Pettengale, Paul (Christmas 1996). "Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996". Arcane (14). Future Publishing: 25–35.
11. ^ "Trophées Casus Belli 1993 du jeu de rôle". Casus Belli (in French). No. 80\. Excelsior Publications. April–May 1994. pp. 16–17.
12. ^ "1995 list of winners". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
13. ^ "Pyramid: Pyramid Review: Mage Second Edition Revised".
14. ^ "Anmeldelser | Article | RPGGeek".
15. ^ "Mage The Ascension &2124; Article | RPGGeek".
16. ^ "Australian Realms Magazine - Complete Collection". June 1988.

## External links

[edit]

* Onyx's Path's Mage Page
* Wayback Machine archive of White Wolf's Official Mage page
* GURPS edition cancelled

* v
* t
* e

World of Darkness

Tabletop games|

* Vampire: The Masquerade
* Werewolf: The Apocalypse
* Mage: The Ascension
* Wraith: The Oblivion
* Changeling: The Dreaming
* Vampire: The Dark Ages
* Inquisitor
* Mage
* Werewolf
* Werewolf: The Wild West
* Kindred of the East
* Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade
* Wraith: The Great War
* Hunter: The Reckoning
* Mummy: The Resurrection
* Victorian Age: Vampire
* Demon: The Fallen
* Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom
* Orpheus

Chronicles of
Darkness|

* Vampire: The Requiem
* Werewolf: The Forsaken
* Mage: The Awakening
* Promethean: The Created
* Changeling: The Lost
* Hunter: The Vigil
* Geist: The Sin-Eaters
* Mummy: The Curse

Supplements|

| Vampire|

* Ashes to Ashes
* Book of the Kindred
* Chicago by Night
* Clanbook: Lasombra
* Dark Alliance: Vancouver
* Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand
* Fall of London
* Ghouls
* Giovanni Chronicles
* Necropolis: Atlanta
* Sabbat: The Black Hand
* Second Inquisition
* Under a Blood Red Moon

|

Werewolf|

* Axis Mundi
* Book of the Wyrm
* Caerns
* Chronicle of the Black Labyrinth
* Dark Alliance: Vancouver
* Freak Legion
* Gurahl
* Mokolé
* Rage: Warriors of the Apocalypse
* Tribebook
* Fianna
* Red Talons
* Under a Blood Red Moon

Mage|

* Beyond the Barriers
* The Book of Chantries
* The Book of Crafts
* The Book of Shadows
* Digital Web
* Loom of Fate
* Tradition Book
* Celestial Chorus
* Cult of Ecstasy

Wraith|

* Charnel Houses of Europe
* Guildbook
* Haunters
* Pardoners and Puppeteers
* Sandmen
* Spooks and Oracles
* Haunts
* Necropolis: Atlanta
* Renegades
* The Risen

Changeling|

* Book of Lost Dreams
* Dreams and Nightmares
* Immortal Eyes
* Land of Eight Million Dreams
* Nobles
* The Shadow Court

Dark Ages|

* Book of Storyteller Secrets
* Constantinople by Night
* Libellus Sanguinis

Others|

* Hunter
* Survival Guide
* France
* Time of Judgment
* A World of Darkness

Video games|

| Vampire|

* Redemption
* Bloodlines
* Jeanette Voerman
* Ocean House Hotel
* Coteries of New York
* Shadows of New York
* Choice of Games series
* Bloodhunt
* Swansong
* Bloodlines 2

|

Hunter|

* Hunter: The Reckoning
* Wayward
* Redeemer

Others|

* World of Darkness (canceled)
* World of Darkness Preludes
* Werewolf: The Apocalypse
* Heart of the Forest
* Earthblood
* Wraith: The Oblivion
* The Orpheus Device
* Afterlife

Literature|

* The Book of Nod
* Vampire: Netherworld
* Mage: Such Pain
* Werewolf: Conspicuous Consumption
* The Fragile Path
* Revelations of the Dark Mother
* Vampire: The Masquerade (Vault Comics)

TV and web|

* Kindred: The Embraced (1996)
* L.A. by Night (2018–2021)
* NY by Night (2022)

Related|

* GURPS Vampire: The Masquerade
* Mind's Eye Theatre
* The Masquerade
* Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
* 3rd Edition
* Darkness Unveiled
* Rage

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