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Storytellers, Aspiring Writers, Gaming Bloggers! Genres: Urban Fantasy, Modern Sorcery, Occult, Paranormal Horror, Cyberpunk,
Alternative/Augmented Reality, Lovecraftian lore, Creepypasta and stranger things. Games: Mage: The Awakening 2e, Chronicles of Darkness,
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Monday, June 6, 2016

[Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Media that Inspired Search This Blog
Mage
Search

Inspirational Media for MtA & MtA 2e

Mage draws on stories of obsession, conspiracy, mysteries, and the occult. It’s a popular fusion of Home
fantasy and horror fiction is replete with occult detectives, wielding magic against mystery. Here’s
some of the media that inspired this game:  My additions are in blue!

Labels
Recommended Mage Media:
MtA 2e (143)
Hellblazer graphic novel series, published by Vertigo comics.
John Constantine, nicotine-stained, trench-coated asshole demonologist Dethroned
Queen (101)
and mage, has been the character other occult detectives are measured
against for decades. His jackdaw magical style fits Awakening’s mages, Mage: The
but it’s his sheer inability to let a mystery go despite the ever-increasing Awakening
fallout for those around him that really makes him stand out. (45)

Read the first volume and couldn't get enough, I plan on collecting Chronicles of
Hellblazer in the near-future. Darkness (24)

Chimera (23)

6th
Watchtower
The Invisibles graphic novel series, published by Vertigo comics. (15)
The titular magician-terrorists assign “cabal” roles by symbolism, take on
Shadow Names, and fight the forces of universal oppression in a world Jack (15)
that’s a hologram between larger, Supernal realities. The story’s
San Diego (12)
antagonists were a primary inspiration behind the Seers of the Throne; an
early arc even has what Mage calls Profane Urim in it. HtV2e (11)

This is actually the first time I am hearing of this series but it sounds really LA (11)
good.  I plan to order and read the first volume to check it out.
Abyss (10)

Storytelling
(10)

The Night Watch book series, by Sergei Lukyanenko. Light (6)

This series Deals with a gritty Chronicles of Darkness-like Moscow with
a many- layered magical world underneath, only the shallows of which Vampire: The
are accessible. If you need a hand understanding the Fallen / Supernal Requiem (6)
Worlds, give it a go.
BtP (5)
I've got this series key'd up on my reading list and have been
Dresden Files
anticipating reading for years.  Long overdue. (5)

Ikiyouyou (5)

Infinite
Macabre (5)

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4/25/2021 The Techgnostic Psychonaut: [Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Media that Inspired Mage
House of Leaves novel, by Mark Z. Danielewski.
Laundry Files
Thusfrom
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statistics, and to detect and address abuse. VtR 2e (5)

I've had this one key'd up for a long LEARN MORE

time.  Too OKavailable on
bad its not WtF 2e (5)
audiobook or kindle :(  I really want to read it soon!
CtL (4)

Horsemen (4)

Chimera 666
(2)

The Dresden Files book series, by Jim Butcher. DtD (2)

This epic series describes a supernatural noir world inhabited by
The Secret
Chronicles of Darkness-like monsters and a wizard private eye who
World (2)
means well but often ends up hurting himself more than the bad guys.
Fallen London
You better believe I've read this series three times over, highest (1)
recommendation.
God-Machine
(1)

GtS (1)

Indra (1)

Marla Mason book series, by T. A. Pratt Mage: (1)

I love me some Marla.  She's a pragmatic and morally loose Chief Sorcerer
and her world is filled with a million creative ways that other mages perform Secret World
their craft.  The world very much resonates CoD and the stories told in the Legends (1)
series are captivating.
TBT (1)

Rivers of London book series, by Ben Aaronovitch.

These are the adventures of Peter Grant, a young officer in the
Metropolitan Police; who, following an unexpected encounter with a ghost, Blog Archive
is recruited into the small branch of the Met that deals with magic and the
supernatural. ►  2020 (3)
►  2019 (10)

Alex Verus book series, by Benedict Jacka ►  2018 (26)

Dresden + UK + MtA and you get yourself some Alex Verus.  He's clearly ►  2017 (68)
an Acanthus that uses heavy amounts of Time and Fate but essentially
only acts as a Diviner, having no flashy magic to assert himself. But being ▼  2016 (109)
able to predict what is going to happen through possible futures is an ►  December (6)
incredibly understated and potent power.  This series is a joy to read.  He
►  November (20)
breaks the mold.
►  October (11)
►  September (8)
►  August (15)
►  July (9)

The Secret World video game, by Funcom.   ▼  June (7)

Sweet Jesus this game is so much like Mage in concept, story, and [Mage: The Awakening
design that it feels like MtA a lot of the time.  You join one of three 2nd Edition] Sophia:
Orders, form Cabals and participate in global plot.  I started playing this Hubris a...
MMORPG in 2012 and I haven't stopped! [Mage: The Awakening
2nd Edition] Gnosis &
Mana
[Mage: The Awakening
2nd Edition] The
Experience S...
[Mage: The Awakening
2nd Edition] 16-Step
Characte...
Non-Mage Media:
[Mage: The Awakening
2nd Edition] Media that
True Detective television series, created by Nic Pizzolatto, is an anthology TV series, each season
Inspi...
showing a different cast of damaged, obsessed individuals chasing a terrible Mystery.  I may have to
check this series out... [Chronicles of Darkness]
More on Storytelling
Dark City movie, directed by Alex Proyas, initially looks like it might be Mage Media but veers into a [Chimera: Class of 666]
different genre by the end. An amnesiac suspected of murder tries to discover the secrets behind the 1.5.4 | Part One
strange, night-time city he inhabits.  This is one of my favorite movies of all time, it is super magey. "Waking U...

Inception movie, pretty clearly some great dream or astral stuff going on there... ►  May (4)

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4/25/2021 The Techgnostic Psychonaut: [Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Media that Inspired Mage

►  April (10)
The Matrix
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analyze We traffic. Your IP address and user-agent
are all stuck in a with
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are shared with Google along and security quality of service, generate usage
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statistics, and to detect and address abuse. any bells? ►  February (5)
LEARN MORE OK  Sure, ►  January (3)
The X-Files television series.  What can I say about a classic?
while its heavy on the alien stuff and a clear predecessor to
►  2015 (82)
Supernatural (Which I'd include if this was a HtV inspirational media
list), the X-Files never gives you all the answers when you deal with the
paranormal and you walk away feeling like you know less than you did.
 Loose ends firm up or remain loose and its hard to duplicate the
mounting sense of paranoia.  Government conspiracies and old secrets
make for great game-fuel.

John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders books, by David Wong, depict the mind-
bending possibilities of the Supernal World, as two layabouts take a drug that peels away the barriers
of perception.I really enjoyed reading them.

Miriam Black book series, by world famous (at least to me) Chuck

Wendig! Very Moros.  But also her struggle with fate and destiny, trying
to change things, and eventually realizing she is a tool to destroy vile
serial killers.  Miriam is a drifter who sees the death of anyone she
touches. Violent, sweary, and funny along with the horror. 

The Shadow Police book series, by Paul Cornell. 

This is a great new series about a group of Police in London who are
essentially granted Mage Sight and decide to start taking on the night.

TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of

Information essays,by Erik Davis.
A collection of essays about the spiritual implications of technology and
myths that dreamed up the information age.  It's also
great inspiration for both the God-Machine, the Lie, and the Exarchs.

Previously published by Onyx Path/White Wolf:

Although this book contains everything needed for the game, we’ve published many other books for
the Chronicles of Darkness that can enhance your Mage chronicle.

This is basically the writers telling us that the below materials are generally accepted as canon even
though technically they are MtA first edition stuff.  Well, they did pick some great ones, the Order
books, especially GotV, are excellent!

The Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook is a definitive handbook for

the rules, including expanded systems and character options.
Citations to the Rulebook in this volume refer to the second edition.

The six Order books detail the inner workings of their subjects,
going in-depth into their history, philosophies, and factions:
- The Free Council
- The Guardians of the Veil
- The Silver Ladder
- The Mysterium
- The Adamantine Arrow

Left-Hand Path details those mages proscribed and pushed away by the
Orders: the heretics, apostates, Mad, Scelesti, and Reapers.

The Fallen World Anthology contains twelve short stories of Mystery

and magic. It’s a good way to immerse yourself in the Chronicles of
Darkness, and gain inspiration for your own Mage stories.

Three Shades of Night cool nWoD fiction that takes place in Chicago

and is organized in three parts telling the stories of the Kindred, Uratha
and Mages of the city trying to deal with a shared problem that could
destroy the city.

The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology because how can you

introduce the Chronicles of Darkness corebook and God-Machine Chronicle without a collection of
stories about the machine that runs and ruins the world.

I open this up to you for the comments threads: what media inspires your Mage gameplay?  By no
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4/25/2021 The Techgnostic Psychonaut: [Mage: The Awakening 2nd Edition] Media that Inspired Mage
means is the above an all-inclusive list for me.  There is tons more I could add!  What didn't make my
list that you
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More Inspirations LEARN MORE OK

These sources didn't make the character/page count but were recommended by the developers and
creators of Mage: The Awakening and MtA 2e.
Comics & Graphic Novels:
Lots of people use film and television metaphors for roleplaying games – they “cast” their
player and Storyteller characters and insert act breaks. I tend to think rpgs are a lot closer
to serial comics – they have a somewhat elastic sense of continuity when they go on too
long, and break down into chapters/issues that group into stories which are themselves
part of larger arcs.
1.      Promethea - an Alan Moore comic about a woman who merges with the Astral
incarnation of magic. It features a Tarot- and Kabala-steeped otherworld that’s
inspirational for the Astral Realms.
2.      The Books of Magic - Neil Gaiman’s take on a modern-day mage. Ignore Tim
Hunter’s close physical resemblance to another boy wizard (this came first
anyway), and take a look at the initial miniseries if nothing else. Among
meditations on the nature of magic, mystery, and choice, Gaimain
utterly nails Atlantis in a single page.
3.      Locke and Key, by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), shows a bereaved family go up
against magical family secrets, a house of secrets, and what could easily be an
Abyssal entity.
      4. Kill 6 Billion Demons 
Literature:
1.      Umberto Eco - is good at dissecting the motivation of mystery-seekers; 
2.      The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum are both appropriate for
different reasons. The Weird History fiction of Tim Powers mixes occult research
with real events and spins yarns of magic crawling under the world’s skin.
3.      The best three books for Awakening are The Anubis Gates, Declare, and Last
Call.
4.      The Illuminatus! Trilogy and the Historical Illuminatus by Robert Shea and Bob
Wilson mainline the kind of twisting, societies-as-mysteries we’re after for the
Orders.
5.      The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte shows the main character’s descent
through a Mystery Play, and if you read the book instead of watching the movie
you aren’t supporting Roman Polanski.

5.      Carter & Lovercraft novels by by Jonathan L. Howard is a Pandora's Box loaded

with all of the wonderfully twisted stuff I love, including a two-fisted homicide cop
turned P.I., warped realities, a mysterious bookstore, the Cthulhu mythos, a dash
of romance, and creepy fish-men. 
6.      Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk depicts a particularly violent and strange Thyrsus
Awakening. You shouldn’t die without any scars.
7.      The Great and Secret Show and Imajica – by Clive Barker.  They show off
different facets of Awakening’s world, with rival magicians, layers of reality and – in
Great and Secret Show – something close to what Awakening means by “Atlantis”.
8.      The Dark Tower series – by Stephen King.  I know I use his multiverse quite a bit
in my Chronicles. Most Stephen King books could take place in the World of
Darkness.  If I listed all the good ones (IMHO) I'd have to make an entire separate
post.
9.      The Hellbound Heart – by Clive Parker.  Also the Scarlet Chronicles, anything with
a Cenobite is awesome.
1.      Constantine is a frustrating adaptation — it ignores most of the character of the
original, but is surprisingly faithful to the plot beats of the story it’s adapted from
(“Dangerous Habits”, volume 5 of the current reprint drive, if you’re curious).
Ignoring where it came from, it’s a perfectly good modern-occult film, and has one
of the best depictions of Mage Sight committed to film.
2.      Donnie Darko  - If Fight Club’s a Thyrsus Awakening, then Donnie Darko is an
Acanthus’ mystery play. Caught in a time loop punctuated by his own unjust,
random death, a young man starts seeing time. The scene where people’s
timelines extrude out of their bodies like silvery threads is pure Acanthus Mage
Sight.
3.      Memento and The Prestige - The other non-superhero works of Christopher
Nolan are all meditations on obsession in puzzle box world. There’s something
for Awakening in all of them – a quote from Memento opens Fallen World’s
Sleepers Chapter, The Prestige warns of rivalry turned to hubris and murder.
Television Shows:
1.    The Lost Room -  deals with the aftermath of reality going wrong in a lonely desert
motel room, transforming everything in it into a powerful artifact now sought after
by occult conspirators.
Video Games:
1.    The Assassins Creed games - feature rival conspiracies (one dedicated to
freedom, the other control) astrally-projecting back into history to seek clues to the
vanished magical civilization that created humanity and left potent artifacts behind.
You can get all kinds of inspiration for Awakening from it, especially if you’re using
a historical setting. The Stanley Parable is short, but is The Lie in a three-hour
experience. It’s also very, very funny.
Non-Fiction:
1.    Atlantis and the Cycles of Time - If you’re interested in where Atlantis came
from in a modern occult setting, try Joscelyn Godwin’s Atlantis and the Cycles of
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Time, a survey of the 19th and 20thcentury occultist movements Awakening’s

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3.    The Encyclopedia of Symbolism - If you’re interested in the Supernal World, get
your hands on this book.
4.    The original Awakening team recommended The Magician’s Companion: A
Practical and Encyclopedic Guide to Magical & Religious Symbolism by Bill
Whitcomb.
5.    Ken Hite’s Suppressed Transmissions are also an excellent guide to the weird.
Ken wrote on Secrets of the Ruined Temple, early in Awakening‘s line, and this
series (originally written for Steve Jackson Games’ magazine) is worth the difficulty
you’ll face in finding it.
Music: - Try this on. 
More inspirations here....

By Techpsycho - June 06, 2016

Labels: MtA 2e

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