‘Real Magic’ for gamers! How to incorporate real world beliefs about magic into your favorite FRP game.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #608027 in Books
• Published on: 1998-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Review
A book that has influenced countless game designers since its first publication. 4 "stars" (Daniel Harms) -- RPGnet: the Inside Scoop on Games

The rich effects achievable by this very flexible system are well worth the effort. -- Answers.com

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Customer Reviews

Nice, fun, very opinionated
Does this let you do real magic? No. At least, I hope not...

What, then, is this for?

This is written as a guide by a self-styled Real World Magician on how to translate the magic he knows of into gaming terms. Bearing in mind this is his perspective, and that what is "real" is not necessarily the best thing, this is actually a useful book.

He basically goes into magical laws (of which Murphy's has been included), the relationship between magic and psionics (see The Psionics Handbook for D&D3 for a similar view), cultural references, and, finally, a rump magic system that's very calculation-intensive.

Is this for everyone? No. Mr. Bonewits has some very, ah, strong opinions that some might find irritating, offensive, or otherwise bad. It also might not be useful to everybody, given that I know very few people who actually make up their own systems. I bought it, but am not going to ever use it for anything other than reading material. However, I am glad that I bought it. You may want to do some quick perusing in the store first, though.

Every magician needs a copy - For gamers, it's a resource,
If written today, this would be a simulation program - and it desperately needs one, ideally written to run on a Palm.

As a workable simulation system for role-playing, it just sucks; it's far too complex. It's far more accurate than any comparable system, but if you play it, all you will be playing IS magic.

As a workable simulation system to explain the process of magic in non-mystical terms, it is truly unique, and near as I can tell, accurate within the bounds of experimental error.

So as a means of developing a workable "spell list" for a campaign or a character, to then be expressed in other terms - magnificent. Likewise, it's great for designing effective rituals. (Um. This might be a "danger, will robinson, danger" moment for gamers - as it IS great for designing effective rituals.)

Authentic Thaumaturgy begs to be revisited and turned into a true gaming engine. It also begs to be revisited and turned into a resource aimed at truly pragmatic real-world spell design.

But until that's done, it's a great resource book, and the ideas it contains aren't easily found in any other single place.

BTW, I considered Bonewitz's uncensored opinions about nearly everyone under the sun to be hilarious, even when they annoyed me.

Isaac; "A spell is a THING, not a process!"
Don't confuse the spell with the ritual that produces it.

RITUALISTS! [snort]

A valuable addition to any gamer's library
If you've ever wondered about the theory behind the magic systems used in your favorite RPG, this gem will surely enlighten you. Bonewits talks about the origins of the magic systems used in various games, shows how they are different from "real world" magic theories, and presents alternative approaches that will make your favorite game even more exciting. While he's obviously not a gamer himself, he gives those of us who are plenty of tools to modify our current games or create new ones. This requires work and imagination, but anything worthwhile does.