Conflict - Seer of the Throne (Help!)

[ObrimosG'd]

I plan to start a Mage chronicle next week. My idea is simple: A small consilium will have to face a threat of war against the Seers of the Throne at any time. But at the same time the Chronicle will be very "Consilium-centric".

My question is: how could I narrate a convincing way for this consilium to prepare for this conflict? They would be outnumbered and the enemy seems more prepared. How could I come up with ways to get around this and make the chronicle more fun for the players. I need some ideias of what they could do so I can build something out of it.

Thank you in advance. ^^

[Isator Levi]

Have you considered the possibility of Caucus and Convocation being part of the make up here? In terms such as that, even a Consilium with fewer mages centred around a less prestigious Mystery is never truly alone, unless there's some history by which they've isolated themselves.

If they have, then a player cabal with interests in the conflict might work on trying to restore some good relations with the larger community, to help back them up if the Seers should make a move, possibly even cause them to rethink open hostilities. If Consilium-centric then something that might play into that is working with any problem cabals to deal with whatever might have put the neighbours off.

I think Boston Unveiled might be worthwhile there, not so much for the specific example characters but the broad strokes of what might make a Consilium so off-putting to its fellows and some of the things that could be engaged with to rehabilitate the image a bit.

What's the nature of this impending Seer war? Is it that the opposition has effectively identified a lot of the Sanctums, other safe houses and assets that are of value to the mages? Or is it more a case that the operations of the tetrarchy feel sufficiently antagonised that they're on the verge of thinking that these Pentacle cabals are best swept off the board, and would thus need to begin the process of identification to plan assaults?

I'd say that a basic way for a Consilium to make preparations is to develop dedicated bolt holes, spaces that are secure and used for no purpose other than being somewhere a mage under attack can fall back to. Work on recruiting and training Sleepwalker associates who can provide assistance and extra security. Instruct the Sentinel to assess the combat capability of each cabal's members and help to improve the ones with a decent foundation. Encourage the mages to not conduct business alone and in places far out of the public eye. Catalogue their existing assets re: magical items that are useful for attack and defence, communication, transportation and intelligence gathering, and work on trying to get loans of further ones.

[Isator Levi]

Oh! One thing that might be neat is to have an idea of local Mysteries that one side or the other might have a lock on that can be applied for strategic advantages. Like, if a conflict was going to happen in London then the plots would be concerned with arranging ambushes or other confrontations for enemies at the end of runewalks that would provide some benefit to offense or stealth or whatever (bonus points if you managed to lure the target through a runewalk that would weaken them in some manner). That's London's example, but a different Consilium could have something along the same basic principle.

I would also expect that much of mage conflict consists of luring opponents into the traps of as yet unidentified and dangerous magical sights. The lair of deadly spirits or ghosts, a Verge they didn't know about where a strong spell could have been set up for them (maybe even a deadly Supernal Entity), even an Iris to a lethal realm that they can be shoved through. Consider if any Manteions might be appropriate to the area. Scouting out for any such sights that might be under Seer control to watch out for could be a task in the public interest a player cabal might take on.

I also think that one of the most basic kinds of intelligence to manage for a conflict between mages is the nature of a target's Obsessions, because that can be a sure way to dangle a lure that might draw them into a trap or leave them distracted or occupied against some other move being made against them. If the Seers are assumed to have the advantage, a player cabal might take on the unenviable task of determining what the Obsessions of their fellows are (something they presumably will not be forthcoming about) and try to undertake counteractions against those being weaponised against them.