I love role-playing games (RPG), and in particular the Mage: the Ascension (MtA). There are many podcasts covering different RPGs, but at the start of 2018 there was none dedicated to Mage, so Joseph Aleo launched Mage the Podcast. Joseph explained his reasoning in what I think is quite an attention grabbing pithy introduction.
https://magethepodcast.com/index.php/2018/04/14/what-is-mage-the-ascension/
Impressively the first episode has an interview with the overall main Mage writer and current Line Developer: Satyros Phil Brucato; Satyros has many other writing credits and projects, covering numerous World of Darkness books, as well as other games (Deliria, Powerchords) and numerous fiction. Satyros was quite the scoop for the first show, plus unquestionably the best person to discuss Mage with. I found the interview informative and professional, which I am sure was helped by Joseph’s experience running radio and other podcasts. After this episode I was hooked, each week I eagerly looked forward to the new episode.
I think one of the strengths of the podcast is the mix of hosts. For episode two, Joseph introduced the show’s co-host, Adam Simpson, in a discussion about Mage’s Lexicon. Over time the team was expanded to include Terry Robinson, who has hosted most of the recent episodes, often with Adam Simpson. Other hosts include Mark Hope and Joshua Heath. These different voices, ranging in MtA experience, bring their own take on things. Useful, since the podcast is for a game that typically varies in interpretation from person to person; after all Mage is a vast game about reality and individuality.
“The Podcast that works hard towards Ascension, so you don’t have to.”
The focus for each episode is varied, with a wide-ranging of topics discussed, which I think keep things interesting. One week there is an interview with a Mage writer like Rachelle Udell, another week the guest is Dr. Anders Sandberg the creator of the old Anders Mage Page (new site). An extra noteworthy episode was about Gods and Monsters, with the writers: Satyros Phil Brucato, Hiromi Cota, James Sambrano and Isabella Price all present.
The next episode could be a discussion about cross-over games. For example: Changeling & MtA with Victor Kinzer of the Walking Away from Arcadia podcast. Joshua Heath (Werewolf : the Podcast & High Level Games) discussing Werewolf & MtA. Charles Siegel discussing Demon & MtA. David Herman discussing Wraith & MtA (The Geekly Oddcast). I do love fusing different RPGs, increase that RPG Mental Toolkit, plus helps justify the collection 😉
Something extra dear to my heart is the old White Wolf Street Fighter RPG (SFRPG), so I particularly appreciated the chat with Kris Newton (MegaDumbCast). The chat was about the potential of a Street Fighter cross-over with MtA; a topic I thought I was the only one that cared about. I’ve been slowly running a cross-over game with one of my groups, I’ll write more about this when I am happy with the fusion.
Another week has a wonderful discussion about something typically less focused on in the general Mage chats. For example Darling Rose of the Midnight Express podcast chatting about all things WoD, but in particular Quiet. Terry and Josh discussing Cosmicism (Lovecraft Mythos). Mark Hope discussing running street level games. Or a fascinating chat about Mage and Live Action Role-Play (LARP/LRP) with Matthew Webb of Jackalope Live Action Studios. There are also episodes interviewing the author of a Storyteller Vault product such as: Joshua Heath, Victor Kinzer, or Charles Siegel.
A regular feature of the podcast is to discuss one of MtA books, which there are quite a lot of; the release of Gods & Monsters meant I had to rearrange my games library ;-). This classic episode format for RPG podcasts is always a hit for me, since I have not read some of the books in many years. This review series also helps remind me of the differences between editions, which is extra helpful given some of the dramatic changes over the years; never mind our memory’s tendency to fade and/or summarise things over time.
There was a Mage Twitter game setup by Ira Grace called Duplicity that started in August 2019. I made a character and also offered to help summarise the tweets, which is how I became involved with the podcast team, albeit in a minor way. Since I am not involved in making any podcast episodes, I don’t think this counts as me fanboying myself 😉 this blog post is just to praise something I appreciate and support. You can also join the Mage the Podcast Discord server and chat about all things Mage.
If you are a Mage the Ascension fan, then this podcast is definitely for you. If you are a player of other RPGs but not Mage yet, then definitely check out the podcast’s first episode and learn about what makes this game extra special.
https://magethepodcast.com/index.php/2018/04/14/what-is-mage-the-ascension/
“Until next time, Truth Until Paradox, baby.”
Batjutsu 