Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-09-2019, 05:38 AM   #1
Gef
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Yucca Valley, CA
Default Magic Vegas (campaign setting)

This will be useful to anyone interested in the path/book magic system (particularly the effect-shaping version). That system requires decisions about spirits - what kinds there are, what they can do for a magician, and how common they are at what power levels. This setting is a worked example that shows the ramifications from these decisions and also adapts standard rules for tools, including software for "techno" magic. There's a system for generating variant paths based on the portfolio of gods from mythology, plus I add a skepticism mechanic to explain how magic can exist in a world where many reasonable people are sure it doesn't, and a cosmology to explain it all which may be unique, one that allows for seemingly contradictory things to all be true.

Let me start by giving credit to Lameth; this is a collaborative effort that he initiated in 2016. We wound up with two separate versions for our respective urban fantasy campaigns, and what follows is my take on it.

****Magic Vegas has moved to the GURPS Wiki: https://gurps.fandom.com/wiki/Magic_Vegas

Last edited by Gef; 10-16-2022 at 04:09 PM.
Gef is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2021, 03:57 PM   #2
Greg 1
 
Greg 1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Default Re: Magic Vegas (campaign setting)

I find this setting very interesting and hope that you put it up on the Wiki! I particularly like the fact that you are drawing on real-world traditions. A few questions strike me.

Who rules the world?
Who opposes whoever rules the world?
Who rules the USA and who opposes them?
Who rules Nevada and who opposes them?
How much danger am I in just for being a wizard? To what degree am I being hunted?
What does my tradition mean for me socially? How does it affect my relationships with other members of my tradition and with members of other traditions? Are there feuds? Wars? Alliances?
Does my tradition give me any advantages or disadvantages?
Greg 1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2021, 07:01 PM   #3
bocephus
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Default Re: Magic Vegas (campaign setting)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg 1 View Post
I find this setting very interesting and hope that you put it up on the Wiki! I particularly like the fact that you are drawing on real-world traditions. A few questions strike me.

Who rules the world?
Who opposes whoever rules the world?
Who rules the USA and who opposes them?
Who rules Nevada and who opposes them?
How much danger am I in just for being a wizard? To what degree am I being hunted?
What does my tradition mean for me socially? How does it affect my relationships with other members of my tradition and with members of other traditions? Are there feuds? Wars? Alliances?
Does my tradition give me any advantages or disadvantages?
You have to go back and read through the opening explanations, a lot of those answers are there.

In a lot of cases if you're just trying to get a feel for the world, you can sort of generically substitute politician for magician and party for tradition.

There are no "rulers" so theres no direct opposition to "rulers". You're not really in more danger, you're likely just more aware of the increased potentials for danger. An additional vector of danger as it were.

The setting isnt nearly as black and white as your questions seem to assume.

Things arent divided into "Druid Zone" and inside this zone Druids are in charge and if your not a Druid we hunt you... Its like politics... If a republican finds himself in a democrat controlled town he has a few options... try and stay under the radar, be confrontational to every one about every perceived slight, drive through town honking his horn yelling "democrats suck"....
It may well be no one notices a republican is in town, maybe no one really cares, maybe a few people dont like it but other than stink eye...meh, maybe they form a posse and forcibly remove you from the town. More likely than not as long as he doesnt break any rules or start a violent altercation, nothing of note would happen.

There are a lot of reasons that Magicians, even from different traditions might ally, or just choose to ignore each other for the sake of having a good time.

The vast majority of people you meet and interact with are not magicians (or politicians). You might meet some local "low level" ones and never even know it. Politicians some times work together to get stuff done, sometimes they manage to find new dimensions of thing to disagree about (3 politicians can have 26 opposing ideas about a yes no question). Magicians, even within their own tradition dont always agree. Some traditions have very different "rules of decorum" some have none at all. Some traditions get along, some dont, some have no opinion about it till you do something that brings you into the same circle of influence. Some are exclusive, some arent, some have lots of resources, some dont.

Most magicians dont agree on or enforce any rigid morality clause (even within the traditions). So theres plenty of room for drama there.
bocephus is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2022, 04:19 PM   #4
Gef
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Yucca Valley, CA
Default Re: Magic Vegas (campaign setting)

On the basis of years of running this campaign now (hard to believe), I have posted a new version on the GURPS Wiki: https://gurps.fandom.com/wiki/Magic_Vegas

The concept is the same, but the formatting is better and lots of little things are changed or explained based on what came up in play. It's still a showcase for the path magic system, and the Skepticism mechanic has held up well: Magicians use lots of magic but they do so out of sight.

As of this writing, I am in search for another player or two. Game runs biweekly via Zoom, Sunday noon Pacific. We've recently concluded a major story arc, so it'd be a good time to introduce a new character. The format switches between individual and group action, and that has its drawbacks, but it does mean that a new player gets plenty of chances to watch other characters in action to get a feel for the game. PM me if interested. -GEF
Gef is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2022, 04:23 PM   #5
Refplace
 
Refplace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
Default Re: Magic Vegas (campaign setting)

FYI I post about it on my blog using this tag.
http://refplace.blogspot.com/search/label/Magic%20Vegas
I do not post nearly enough though!
And I should try to get permission to post the notes another player writes.
__________________
My GURPS publications GURPS Powers: Totem and Nature Spirits; GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits; Pyramid articles. Buying them lets us know you want more!
My GURPS fan contribution and blog:
REFPLace GURPS Landing Page
My List of GURPS You Tube videos (plus a few other useful items)
My GURPS Wiki entries
Refplace is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:43 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.