Re: Making Magic Mysterious and Eldritch
In pulp fantasy and horror, magic is Other. Few who encounter it are left unaffected; all those who traffic in it are severely affected. The effects in question are always dehumanizing, whether morally, physically, rationally or any combination thereof. Mere mortal death is the least eventuality of concern.
As soon as magic ceases to be Other, it becomes Tool and can no longer be "mysterious and eldritch". At that point, it is a science, albeit one based on supernaturalism rather than naturalism.
As for gaming, I concur with previous posters, because magic in the hands of PCs is inevitably magic as Tool.
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"Despite (GURPS) reputation for realism and popularity with simulationists, the numbers are and always have been assessed in the service of drama." - Kromm
"(GURPS) isn't a game but a toolkit for building games, and the GM needs to use it intelligently" - Kromm
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