8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cultural Magic of All Shades, May 24, 2008
This review is from: Mage Magical Traditions (The Awakening) (Hardcover)
For those who complained about the 'lack of cultural depth' in Awakening, this supplement will change all of this misconceptions. Magical Traditions introduces the idea that at least some Mages draw on real world occult practices, whether out of genuine belief or sheer pragmatism. The first section of the book, in fact, goes into detail about how (and why) to incorporate various mythologies, occult traditions, paranormal phenomena and folklore into your Mage game, as well as introducing options for changing the setting. Most important is the Magical Tradition Merit, which gives concrete benefits for adherents of a particular Tradition.
The rest of the book is filled out with several sample Traditions, but the guidelines are easy enough that with a bit of research (even just wikipedia or your local library) you can easily make up new ones wholecloth. Each section includes not only details on the belief system (adapted for the cosmos of Mage) but also some new Rotes and a sample NPC as well. First we are presented with 'traditional' beliefs, those from ancient times such as Hebrew kabbalah (complete with golems and correspondences on the sefiroth) and Taoist alchemy. Next it moves on to more modern beliefs such as Santeria (which recieved a very well-detailed chapter, I might add), the secret rites of the Knights Templar, and THEOSOPHY! Finally, the book closes with two 'fringe' Traditions - Appalachian Hoodoo and New Age ethnogenic cults... The former being the rich folklore and superstitions of the South, while the latter is hippie psychodelia, McKenna-esque shamanism, and even UFO cults.
All in all, a very well done book in my opinion. It certainly adds another layer of complexity to Mage. And aside from giving more than enough detail to make your own Magical Traditions (which should be able to cover any belief your players could want, from Tantric Hinduism to Mayan astrology to Haitian Voudon to medieval alchemy), the book also comes with several Traditions that can be used straight out of the box, or adapted with some work. And whats more, each comes with details on occult correspondences and new Rotes to boot. This book will almost certainly add to any Mage chronicle.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Magical Traditions Review, April 1, 2009
This review is from: Mage Magical Traditions (The Awakening) (Hardcover)
This book offers up a lot of great discussion for players and STs who want a Full Fledged Mage trained in an Occult Tradition and still have accesss to the Atlantean magic and wisdom.
There's several traditions discussed with rotes tailored or unique to them and a few merits to help with flavor or fluff and some new Magic Items.
I wouldn't look to this book if you're expecting to get a lot of "cool new rotes and magic items" as much of what's presented here is a lot of fluff and a lot of very good fluff.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting look at potential origins for multinational characters, September 9, 2011
This review is from: Mage Magical Traditions (The Awakening) (Hardcover)
Magical Traditions isn't a focused book, per se; it's a breakdown of many different cultures and religions that a Mage can use as background.
Although there's a lot of variety here(included cultures range from Appalachian Hoodoo to Taoism and so forth), there still isn't a great deal of depth here. There's some neat spells and interesting ideas here, but it doesn't feel as fleshed out as it could be.
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