Thaumatology - why should I buy it?

[Kuroshima]

Thaumatology is a book of options, thematically related to magic. If i had to compare it to another book, I would say that it is to magic, as Powers is to the advantage chapter of the basic set. Now, this description is not necessarily of much use, since it's not that accurate, it's just the closest you can get to it.

Thaumatology is many books in one. If there's something to be said about it, is that the chapters are not so unified as other GURPS books. The first goal of Thaumatology, is to update all the magic systems from 3rd ed (except for baseline spell magic), to 4th ed. Thus you've got two chapters on changing the base spell magic system (introducing options like Unlimited Mana or alternate spell colleges [For a while there are an example of color magic here, from GURPS Witchworld, only it was dropped because it could not be a perfect copycat, since the license was expired, because the book was already overlength, and because we already had the celtic tree magic example], from 3rd ed), then a chapter on material magic (Magic items, charms, alchemy), a chapter on path and book magic (3rd ed ritual magic), a chapter on flexible magic (Symbol magic, such as rune magic and ogham magic and Syntactic magic, in two variations: verb+word magic [Ars Magical with the serial numbers filled off] and Realm Magic [Mage with the serial numbers filled off]), a chapter on Powers based magic and finally the standard introduction (What is Magic?) and campaign advice (Games of High Enchantment), plus the appendices containing many useful information that can be used with multiple magic systems, and thus would be out of place in any single one.

Almost all the chapters could have been worked into a standalone product. They are loosely coupled.

Why should you buy Thaumatology then?

• First, if you use the standard spell system, then the two chapters on changing it will prove useful to you.
• Second, if you liked 3rd ed ritual magic or the GURPS Castle Falkenstein system, then you'll find those systems generitized and adapted to 4th ed.
• Third, if you liked the flexible magic options that appeared in third ed (runes, verbs+nouns, the GURPS Mage system) then you'll find those systems updated, and with advice on how to make your own versions.
• Forth, the chapters on material magic and magic as powers are always interesting to read.
• Fifth, you've got the Cabal system of astrological correspondences in the apendices
• Sixth, the introduction and the games of high enchantment chapters are also a very good read, that can be an eye opener for games that use magic in any form.
• Seventh, With each book you purchase, you help SJGames produce more excellent books!

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Hunh? There's nothing about magic in the Campaigns book.

There's a section on enchantment.