Review: Postmodern Magick

As anybody who has ever talked to me about games for more than a few moments is sure to know, I’m a big fan of Atlas Games’ Unknown Armies. Ever since I read my friend’s laser-proof, I’ve loved the game and I’ve picked up all the supplements so far (although there are, admittedly, only four, including Postmodern Magick). The gritty, realistic and visceral feel the game has in its clutches easily makes it one of the best games on the market, but sometimes that very interesting mystery also makes it hard to develop some elements of the game. Magick, in particular, was one of the few places that I had any real problems with the game, and that was more in a “I want more of an explanation” sense than not actually liking what was there. Magick in Unknown Armies (those unfortunately unfamiliar with the setting) are built upon the power of Obsession and Paradox. To utilize the power of the universe, you have to be obsessed with something to such a degree that you act almost like a paradox. It’s kind of hard to explain, which is why I want more information. The basic book, beyond descriptions of some of the most common schools of magick, had little about magic in general or how to create new schools other than a page on the elements they must contain. Paradoxes in particular can be difficult to come up with in a way that they are both useable and stylish. When I heard about Postmodern Magick, I was hoping as much for a whole section on how magick works as I was for new schools to tool with. I was slightly disappointed by the general information, but the schools (and artifacts and creatures) were so surprisingly interesting that the book still impressed me.

The book opens with a short story from John Tynes, which can be said to be “very UA-ish” in that a secret conspiracy of fast food employees save the world from self-destruction, with the proper style and subtlety of course. Better than the fiction running through the basic book, I’m not sure it’s better than the opening fiction to Lawyers, Guns and Money, which has such an element of oddity that it’s hard to surpass.

Chapter one is devoted to “Magic Theory,” and it was where I was hoping to find that nice discussion of the generalities of magick and how to properly craft your own school, but I was disappointed, at least in that regard. Instead, the chapter talks about how adepts lives, why schools of magick seem to varied and lays flat-out just how insane people obsessed enough to do magick are. While I liked that last section a lot, the others were much less dear to my heart. The section on “Why are there so many schools of magick these days?” came from left field for me, since I had never thought that there were an oddly large number in the modern setting of Unknown Armies. The information about the daily life, however, I found surprisingly lacking. While there were some interesting insights into what an adept has to do now that he has access to his new power, there is too much of an issue made of the solitary nature of magicians. While I accept that the obsessive don’t make the best socialites, some do organize (most notably the Pornomancers and the Cryptomancers) and there is little attention given to them. While it may be an immature desire for convenient, nifty and crunchy “splats” on my part, I don’t think that’s all of it. Coupled with what I found to be a slightly grating writing style, I found much of the Magick Theory chapter (except for the information on insanity) to be far below the standard I’ve found in other Unknown Armies books.

That disappointment continued a short way into the next chapter, Magick Practice, as I encountered the rules for creating formula spells. Okay on the whole, I didn’t particularly like the limit on how many you could learn before your talent at random magick wanes, partly because I never saw formula spells as real spells, more as the most common effects of the school. It’s just how a pen makes a better writing utensil than a bag-opener. It can do both, but it’s just better designed for one, even though there is no special ritual involved. When I reached the rituals, however, the game I loved came back in full force - each one, almost without fail, were brilliantly conceived. The detail and style of rituals in Unknown Armies always impresses me, as do some of their modern natures, such as the ritual “Recorded for Posterity” involving the ultimate power of VHS. Following the general rituals is a nice long section on the special subject of proxies, of linking two people together metaphorically so magick takes them as one. There is a lot of potential here, and is another case of an interesting idea taken out and developed just as it should. The rest of the chapter (a sizable portion of the book) holds the secrets to eleven new schools. Some are older ideas that have been mentioned before and have been expanded now (such as Bibliomancy) and others are simply brilliant new ideas, like the two variants of Cryptomancy (both of which are genius). On the whole, most of the schools are solid, interesting and workable. A few, like the aforementioned Cryptomancy, blow the reader out of the water with how great they are, while a few others, like Annihilomancy, have great concepts but just seem a bit off in execution. Altogether, the schools are worth the price of the book, as long as you are planning a metaphysically packed game. There was one other problem with the section, however, and while not totally condemning, the sometimes spotty editing and formatting became really annoying, especially when some schools were missing entire sections, like the major effects possible with Cryptomancy.

The two following chapters are showcases of unnatural beings and mystic artifacts. The creatures were okay, although the faeries were an interesting twist on and explanation of the old legends and the illustration for the carnals is now infamous for getting some stores to put Postmodern Magick behind the counter as an “adult book.” The artifacts are generally much more odd and interesting, especially the Alter Tongue, which is an infectious language, not really a physical item. The Knocking Box and the Cardboard Palace are also two gems in a collection of shiny coins. The last chapter in the book holds the “supporting cast” and serves as a showcase for the scope and variety of the game as much as it is actually a bunch of usable NPCs. The Grail Knights, in particular, show the talent Unknown Armies has for taking the past and twisting it through time to the present. Team Salvation, on the other hand, seems to divide people into two camps. I find it amusing as a case of “Gamers Get Superpowers! Film at 11!” but a friend of mine feels differently, saying “Exactly, it’s a geek gamers wet-dream, and we don't need any more encouragement!” In the end, I liked the chapter, and the game line continues to be one of the few that can keep almost all their NPCs interesting enough to read through.

Visually, Postmodern Magick is actually better than the other Unknown Armies books, the layout is the same but the art is generally better. Richard Pace does the best cover so far, and Andrew Baker’s work is definitely quite nice, smooth, detailed and evocative. Matt Harpold also does some very nice pieces, and on the whole, the art is of a higher level than the basic book. The writing itself is generally good, except for the first part of the Magick Theory chapter, as I mentioned earlier. Postmodern Magick is another quality product from Atlas Games.

In the end, although the book didn’t have the particular information I was looking for, it did have a metric ton of damn useful information and great ideas. Starting off kinda wobbly, it quickly picked up and ran with me, showing me this, that and another thing. This is definitely a very valuable resource for anyone who wants to use magick (or the unnatural) extensively in their campaigns. And those who haven’t looked at Unknown Armies should take this opportunity to go out and fix that right about now. You’ll be doing yourself a favor.

Rating: What? You don’t have this already? Go get it now!