So my mind was wandering about and came to a dangerous conclusion.

So my mind was wandering about and came to a dangerous conclusion.

So my mind was wandering about and came to a dangerous conclusion. I want to play Mage: The Awakening 2e on Blades in the Dark mechanics.

Did somebody thought about it before? I don’t want to reinvent the wheel so I’m asking.

Thanks in advance.

21 thoughts on “So my mind was wandering about and came to a dangerous conclusion.”

  3. You can check out my Blades in the Brokenlands hack. It started as brainstorming some playbooks for modern fantasy. I have 4 flavors of mage, a psychic, and a demonologist. I also have some rules for making fae and shapechangers. Right now, it is more geared towards high fantasy, but it could work for modern. Of course, it doesn’t have the Mage: The Awakening magic system…

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MDt7vZYtdKchBtO49Vgxn7GxsUVKZ7243bqTAi-NjB0/edit?usp=sharing

  4. Interesting. It seems to me like the first challenge would be having a good reason for bringing Mages of different schools together into mixed gangs/groups.

  5. Andrew Mayer my take is not that they are different schools, but different gifts. So, they can be brought together just the same as a cutter and a lurk. Druids are the hardest conceptually because of their stereotypical ethos in fantasy, but I look at it more as Atticus in the Iron Druid series. (Which would make for an awesome hack).

  6. On the surface, blades in the dark would be perfect for mage. Heck, Heat is just screaming to be named paradox. However, I’m stuck with how to do magic in a way that feels big enough.

    Since Mage has freeform magic, you would need to think through the special abilities as a way to allow for limiting power and scope. I think it becomes a balance issue, especially if you have non-mages in the group.

  7. So, I had a lot of time to think today @ my daughter’ band competition. It actually shouldn’t be too hard to balance freeform magic with non-magic characters. Dresden style is probably easier though.

  9. I’m with Kris Green on this.

    If you’re interested, the game Sorcerers of Ur-Turuk by Graham Bottley has a great mechanism for mixing mages and mundane characters (and a broadly freeform magic system). It’s cohort play and completely different to what you’re proposing here, but – genuinely, check it out. It’s fun.

  11. What would you think of an Ars Magica style where each player had 2 characters? A powerful circle of mages and the operatives that work for them? The operatives grow like standard Blades, but the mages grow only by tier.

  12. Eric Brunsell that’s exactly how Sorcerers of Ur-Turuk plays out, too. Players have a mage, a soldier and a servant (maybe something else as well, I forgot the specifics) that they can pick to go out into the world with. It’s phased play (mission/downtime) too – very like BitD in that respect. It’s interesting that it’s close to what you’re thinking about here.

    Cohort play is kinda fun with BitD because experience is gained in such a sideways way compared to other RPGs. Being able to pick and choose between your PCs can be really interesting.

  13. Sorry guys for not participating in my own discussion. I had an intense week. Also thank you for all your input.

    What I’m looking for is a freeform magic system that spans from hidden magic tricks to powerful reality changing spells. It must be able to represent it in adding dice and changing positions and outcomes. Add some risk factor that makes Reaching for more potent effects more dangerous. The rest is secondary for me.

    Eric Brunsell I am definitely going to check out your hack for inspiration. Even without your advertisement I was going to.

    A great work that is the closest thing to what I’m looking for.

    That said, if you have some ideas that could work for Awakened in the Dark (:P) I would appreciate it very much.

  15. Eric Brunsell M:tA 2e is my number one favorite system. I love the discussions about what you can do at what practice with what arcanum. I kinda love those mechanics with Reach and Paradox.

    What I don’t love is the length of a round and that if you roll nothing you do nothing and nothing happens in the fiction. I tried to hack Storyteller system to suit my needs but it was a monstrosity and I stoped the project.

    PbtA was a strong contender for a system thats faster and more “everything happens at once” but it lacks the crunch needed for this kind of magic to feel tangible. I’ve read BitD and I knew that it is the closest thing I can get.

    I have some ideas but to be honest I haven’t played BitD yet and I feel reluctant of hacking something I havent tested yet. My first game will be in a week or something – after that I will be more than happy to collaborate with you.

  16. I’ve developed a hack for my own mage game. Take a look. It as initially designed on monster of the week but I’ve since changed it for blades. It’s rough. I’d appreciate any assists. I’ve only got 3 arcana fully fleshed but should have more by next week.

    docs.google.com – MOTW Mage

  17. Jason this looks great. I like how you did reach. I’ve been playing with a magic system using the magnitude rules & tying it to stress. Just need to invent a balanced way to eliminate stress during a “score”

  18. Eric Brunsell I was planning on using willpower as the inverse of stress- such that when your will is 0 it is analogous to your stress maxed out. I automatically restored all will during downtime for our group but you can hack the BITD rules. Let me know what you think

  19. I saw your willpower mechanic & liked it! I have been tinkering with stress, but it adds up quickly! I also like how you treat the arcane “skill.” Your mechanics are a great fit for a “mage” feel. I’m trying to get more of a Dresden feel. But, I have it too complicated right now.

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