Customer Reviews

Authentic Thaumaturgy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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]

Yar, I'll agree with other reviewers that the author has some rather strong opinions that may or may not be offensive. Take it all with a mountain of salt.

Odds of me actually using the material inside verbatim in a game I run? Not terribly good. But the book itself is AMAZING "GM Fuel". Material good for stoking the fires of a GM's imagination. I'm glad I bought it and glad I read it. I won't go so far as to say it is a "must have" book, but it should be on everyone's list of books to consider.

An treasure for role-playing gamers who are interested in "realistic" underpinnings of RPG magic and the possibility of "magic research".

Bonewits' writing is succinct, sometimes hilarious, and blessedly free of New Age-isms. Although he actually believes in real-life Magick (and his proposed system reflects this "reality"), there is a lot of useful stuff here for non-believers too. He also has some scathing comments for fundamentalists both of the religious and New Age camps.

It's a fascinating paradox that possibly one of the best books on practicing real world magick, (yes, I know that some here will disagree that such a thing exists, but that's an argument for other places), is hidden as an rpg manual.

In this book, Bonewits shows us a method of rpg play that is based upon the practice of actual magick, and in doing so, winds up writing a book on the actual practice of magick. If one can get past the RPG terminology, one finds the book full of excellent tips for spell creation, ritual design, as well as various ways to approach the real world practice of magick. As was mentioned in other reviews, this book actually works better on that level than as an actual rpg system, because of it's singular focus and complex design. Still, it's obvious from other reviews that some people have got it to work enjoyably for them in their gaming. Your mileage may vary...

When people check out my magickal library, and ask what my favorite and most valuable books are, this is one that I show them. It's always amusing when they say, "But this is a gaming book...", to which I reply, "Err, no........ not really.......".

Oh, and on the subject of Issac Bonewits infuriating opinions, I've learned to expect that from him. It's just what he does..... Don't let it get in the way of a fine book.

This 1979 paperback manual is still highly regarded by gamers who practise magick theory and magick role-playing.This book has alot of Isaac's opinions openly expressed.This is Isaac's Book of Magick Playing,and not a standard generic rip-off.There are many acrinyms used to save space and help the reading flow.I wanted to withhold one star,because it has not been currently updated or expanded upon.Yet,i enjoyed Isaac Bonewits' fantasy game system he created.It's his own unique one that does add insight for other budding magickians. This magickal book is still very good.It inspires the reader to seek their own magick system to suit one's desire for personal satisfaction through the use of Magick-crafting.So,Use the Force!

With the GURPS Basic Set, Steve Jackson, the designer of GURPS, went a long way towards making a coherent magic system for a generic fantasy RPG. However, as Mr. Bonewits points out, it has little, if anything, to do with the way most people modern or past think about magic. Authentic Thaumaturgy is, if nothing else, an interesting read about the author's take on describing how a GM might design a "realistic" magic system for any game system, not just GURPS. He talks in depth about how people, past and present, view magic and how it really works, and points out that, for some, it really is a religion or way of life not to be taken lightly. The only real problem is that the book makes no real attempt to provide good examples of how that might be done for a full system -- it is left as an exercise for the reader.

The "magic system" in this book is in no way generic or easily adaptable to anything but Bonewits' personal belief system. It contains complicated formulas for generating lumens, foot pounds per square inch, and so on, and uses tons of acronyms and new stats to track. (MCL = Magical Clarity Limit, ProSPer = Probability of Spell Persistence, MPC = Mana Point Cost, etc.) The result, a percentile system, is not fun, innovative, or even "realistic." It's using algebra and a calculator to model the way Bonewits believes magic really works.

Oh yes, the author believes magic really works. As he repeats over and over again. He also believes that Christians are evil, skeptics are blind, scientists are evil and blind, and he never passes up an opportunity to take a cheap shot at all the folks who don't follow the One True Religion (neopaganism).

As a gaming supplement, it's of minimal utility, and as a book about "real magic," it will probably annoy you more than inform you, unless you happen to share the author's views.

The idea behind this book is interesting, to make a generic magic system based on real world magical beliefs. Boneswits failed miserably.

Bonewits spends most of his pages explaining how anyone who doesn't agree with him is either a fool or a liar. When he does get to game rules, they are too complex. Literally dozens of stats must be calculated, many of them vary from spell to spell and casting to casting. Furthermore, these stats are indexed and crossed referenced poorly or not at all.