Opinion on magick as a feature of the game

[MeTekillot]

I've noticed quite a few posts that seem that air a rather negative opinion on magick, magick use, and magickers in general on the GDB. I am wondering if this may be a vocal minority, or if the playerbase is for whatever reason taking to a dislike of magick in general, or if I am just making assumptions. What is your opinion on magick's place in game and how frequent it is?

[Jingo]

Would you quit armageddon of magickers were nuked from orbit?

[RogueGunslinger]

I don't bump into magickers often in a way where they change what I'm doing or effect my play. When I do I feel they fit the setting and are generally well played.

[Rokal]

i've not experienced magic yet - but i will say, I want to see more magic in the game.

I dont know, maybe people have gotten used to the IC idea of hating magic they take it onto the GBD.

But a fantasy world that has a history of magic, even if its hated, feared, and the users hunted.

Removing magic from the game would eliminate a major 'mystery' element of the world.

if anything, I'd want to see -more- magic, more things happening from magic. More plots involving it. (possibly stemming from my lack of having SEEN any.)

just the -presence-  of magic can spice up any plot, in my opinon.

[Down Under]

Magick has it's place in the mythos of Zalanthas. I think the level it is at is just fine.

[Bast]

Notes that most of the options on the post are anti magick... You know I get magick was overboard in 2007 but now its totally swung the other way. The code for magick in this game is out fucking standing. If they ditched magickers I would seriously stop playing. I have hands down more fun running around with mages than I do doing anything else in this game

[Majikal]

I feel a lot of the people that hate magick, hate it because it's no longer a mystery to them.

[Malken]

I feel a lot of the people that hate magick, hate it because it's no longer a mystery to them.

Yeah, and there's simply a part of me who flat out refuse to be awed/afraid when I play mundane #3512562363 and I see spell X for the 3513636326419 time in my Armageddon life.

[Jihelu]

I've never had a character thats fucked around with magickers, that being said all of mine had been up in Tuluk at some point, but if I had a plot come up that was like "There was some magic fuck over here" I'd probably get right the fuck out of there. Magick is scary to characters most of the time, and while oocly I'd like to play around, my character would probably rather fight something twice his height with his bare hands before he messed with one.

Though I like the idea of magic in the game as a whole.

But I might get bored of it if I interact with it on a character for a lot, like all things.

[Marauder Moe]

I've noticed quite a few posts that seem that air a rather negative opinion on magick, magick use, and magickers in general on the GDB. I am wondering if this may be a vocal minority, or if the playerbase is for whatever reason taking to a dislike of magick in general, or if I am just making assumptions.

It's just the hate-cycle turning.

[Erythil]

I never played during the much reviled Gemmed Power Rangers period of the game, and I think if anything things have tilted too far in the opposite direction.  I'd like to see rare reaches and other unusual spell related things come back into the game.

On the other hand, I don't really like the fact that there's a godlike superclass aristocracy of magic users (black robes/kings) that are so far above players as to render our collective efforts meaningless if they decide to stir from their collective slumber.  Maybe they could all die fighting ancient aliens or something.

[Barsook]

I'm the other, but I meant "I'm fine with the current amount of magick in game".  I missclicked

[Bast]

I've noticed quite a few posts that seem that air a rather negative opinion on magick, magick use, and magickers in general on the GDB. I am wondering if this may be a vocal minority, or if the playerbase is for whatever reason taking to a dislike of magick in general, or if I am just making assumptions.

It's just the hate-cycle turning.

Ikr Shame there isn't more of a place for mages in the game. The staff that did code for this have my eternal love. Swoons for Morg and Xygax (im guessing)

[Bast]

I never played during the much reviled Gemmed Power Rangers period of the game

The gemmed where not the twinkest of mages in the game during that period just saying....Nor do I approve of being called a power ranger. 

[MeTekillot]

people who think magick isn't a mystery anymore probably don't know as much about magick as they think they do, and i am including those people who learned stuff about magick in illicit ways OOCly. just saying.

[solera]

Outside my delf clan I have only seen majick  cast once. No twice, if you count His whatever He does as that. And after effects less than ten.
Speaking from the pov of nonmilitary pcs. And I work during most HRPTs. My one witch never manifested but her spells looked juicy.
One of the joys of (some) tribal clans is having 'gickers for friends.

[Jingo]

It's almost unfortunate that it's up to players of magickers to make magick mysterious. Not that I'm really into critiquing roleplay, but it's something I don't often see being played up. From what I see magickers have a tendency to either play normal and make friends or go the petty villain route and while I'm not actually against it, I feel like it's a shame that there feels like a much more mystical variety ever seems to crop up.

Come to think about it, it might just be the nature of the game we play. As we write our characters, we are both author and protagonist. How do you play a mysterious character when it is no mystery to the player itself?

[nauta]

It's almost unfortunate that it's up to players of magickers to make magick mysterious. Not that I'm really into critiquing roleplay, but it's something I don't often see being played up. From what I see magickers have a tendency to either play normal and make friends or go the petty villain route and while I'm not actually against it, I feel like it's a shame that there feels like a much more mystical variety ever seems to crop up.

Come to think about it, it might just be the nature of the game we play. As we write our characters, we are both author and protagonist. How do you play a mysterious character when it is no mystery to the player itself?

Implicit in there is a great character concept: a gick who goes around freaking herself out from her own spells - a mystery unto herself.

[Marauder Moe]

Meh.  The helpfiles kind of suggest against playing your magicker as a mysterious stereotype rather than a person.

[Zoan]

I think the magick is fine as-is in game. What I don't want is to be a mundane and see magick used. Ever, if I can help it. Unless I'm running around with a Templar's warband, or I'm being killed by it.

[Pale Horse]

I think the magick is fine as-is in game. What I don't want is to be a mundane and see magick used. Ever, if I can help it. Unless I'm running around with a Templar's warband, or I'm being killed by it.

To clarify things for me, are you saying that you are fine with magick as a concept and in the hands of the "almighty-sorcerer kings-black robe-Glass celling NPCs," but that it is not an experience you want in the hands of other players?

I can understand the appeal of playing a non-powered individual in a society that is subjugated by the powerful; essentially this is the "base" game.

Or, are you saying that you prefer there not being a use/display of it outside of the arcane version of killing someone with a bone sword?

Edit: As for myself, I did play during the Power Ranger period and had both Gemmed and Un-Gemmed magical characters involved in the high-magick plots of the time.  I also played during the "Great Karma-Off" where a number of players gave up their magicker karma options as a sign of support for lowering the amount of magick there was IG (I can't claim I supported that movement; I'd given up my magicker karma of the time because I felt I was just a shitty mage-player and was afraid I'd have it taken from me if I continued to play them the way I had been).  Both periods were enjoyable in their ways and each had someone calling for a return or at least an increase in the presence of the other.  "Too Much" is only, IMO, too much when it is the dominate feel IG by the majority of the player-base instead of a few discontented posts on the GDB.

[Lizzie]

I don't know how much magick is in the game currently, so I don't know whether or not I want more in it. My perspective, for what it's worth: I've played several mages, some gemmed, some rogue, one desert elf in a clan that "specialized" in a certain type of magick. I have had characters who had significant interaction with mages, even if mine weren't mages themselves. I've had characters killed by mages, and killed because of mages. I've seen most of the spells on most of the spell lists, and all of the spells on a couple of them. I've seen room reach before it was eliminated and I've seen sorcery and have had my own mage character's magick "shifted" to something other than what it started with (too IC to explain further, but it has nothing to do with branching spells, sorry).

I LIKE magicks in my fantasy gaming experience. It'd be pointless without it, might as well be just another dreary detective game. I'm not so fond of the whole group-hunt buff and spellup sessions, I like that magicks are intended to be scary and its use to be uncommon.

By uncommon, I don't mean rare. There could be a kajillion mages - but if they're secret mages, then their magicks become uncommon. That is to say, not commonly seen or known about. Daily interaction with magicks, by non-mages, should be rare.

I'd like to see full-blown sorcery returned as playable. I'd like to see room reach returned. I'd love to see clan role sponsorship posts from the staff NOT specify "mundanes only" anymore. I'd love nothing more than to discover - in game - that the head of Kadius is a psi-sorc. Or that Lord Jabooboo Fale is actually a mindbender. Or perhaps -not- discover it - but also not know for absolute positive that it isn't possible, because the staff keeps saying "mundanes only."

For me, that's where the mystery lies. Not in the magicks themselves (since that mystery is mostly gone for me) but the discovery - or inability to discover - who is, who isn't, and which kind of witch.

[Tetra]

I've noticed quite a few posts that seem that air a rather negative opinion on magick, magick use, and magickers in general on the GDB. I am wondering if this may be a vocal minority, or if the playerbase is for whatever reason taking to a dislike of magick in general, or if I am just making assumptions.

It's just the hate-cycle turning.

Ikr Shame there isn't more of a place for mages in the game. The staff that did code for this have my eternal love. Swoons for Morg and Xygax (im guessing)

Wouldn't it be interesting if there were a city-state where only magickers could be nobles?   

[MeTekillot]

Half-giant magicker noble.

[wizturbo]

I'm shocked to see these pole results...  I was expecting a lot more magick hate when it came to a vote...i guess the magick haters are just a vocal minority on the GDB.

This thread is making me really happy, because I think magick is one of the things Armageddon does amazingly well.  There's just SOOO much depth to the system.  It's filled with secrets, dangers, and little awesome nuances that still surprise me to this day.