One of the key ideas that Dark Reich supposes is that Magick is a reality. This is a strange mix of European mysticism and down-right flashy high fantasy wizardry.
Most people don’t know about magick, and most people would not believe it even if they were to witness the most vulgar expression of such power. Simply put, the minds of most humans are so channelled into the safe worldview of the mid-20th century that they cannot perceive anything so far outside of it. Reason cannot perceive the fantastic unless it is really made to focus upon it. Instead, the brain will block the memory and erase the vision.
Some in the Dark Reich setting, however, understand that reality is fundamentally malleable. What is “real” is actually like putty in the hands of those who can warp the universe around them through the power of their will. In simple terms, these people can somehow draw the raw etheric energy of the universe into their bodies and channel it through their minds, creating alterations to the pattern of reality.
In 1938, magickal practitioners are hidden. Magi are members of elite groups and not readily accessible even by governments. Only one nation takes seriously the power and potential of the rising etheric tide, and that nation is Germany. Two forces within the Third Reich are vying for magickal supremacy: the Nazi SS, and the secretive Brandenburg-X.
As the war progresses, key magickal events unfold which open the doors for more and more humans to both perceive and practice the power of this magick. The rising tide of etheric energy, also known as the Dark Tide, threatens to transform the world into a realm thrashing with magickal power. Only brave heroes will determine whether this power will be used for the good or ill of humanity.
I like this whole idea! I wonder why you never mentioned it to the rest of us at the club? This looks like a well-detailed, well thought out plan, and it sounds really interesting!
Thanks, Drolak!
As for why I kept things quiet at club… well, there is a time for everything. Would you like to get involved with the development of the setting and game? If so, you’re off to a great start because what I need is constructive comments from people just like you.
What is it that you particularly like about the magick?
I like the fact that magick is a constant, and that even though only certain individuals can use it, it’s the fact that this force, now untapped, is threatening to flood the world. the typical fact that humans unlocked a force they don’t understand. And unlike most RPG’s, you’ve stated that magic is ambiguous, whereas in most other RPG’s, it’s categorised and so forth. The ambiguous approach is truly original!
Secret cabals playing around with mystic forces as the populace go about their business sounds great. I like the idea that as more magick is thrown around, as the German state look into turning it into a weapon, this could affect the world as a whole, a bit like chaos theory?
I would like to see Nazi zombie troops being forced into battle, as the SS and Brandenburg-X groups try to cut each other off from the magick, sabotage each other, and generally try to impress the Generals. And slowly, reality is slowly destroyed in and around Germany.
Alternity (Dark Matter) and Mage had a good spin on Magick – seeing it could affect people’s minds, and shake up reality.
Would throwing out fireballs cause more of a issue in this setting than creating a portal to escape an area? Would we have a system where the bigger the magick effect – the more flashy, and out of Reality, the harder it is to cast?
But I do like the threat of a Dark wave with the casting of magick!
Ian.
You could have somone who is very linked to the magik and end up having problems with it.
What kind of problems would you envision, postbrett?
Maybe the problems could be that he is turning into etheric energy and as he gets more powerful he ends up fading away at times, or the edges of his physical form are faded, ghost-like, or like when Biotics power up in Mass Effect.