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[Michael]

I hadn't really given it much thought but you're right, it does suggest a different approach....

[Michael]

What's your reason for thinking that's the way it was cyphered?...

[Michael]

You know, it never occurred to me. But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some hidden Easter egg there.

[Michael]

I didn't say it was impossible, simply that the level of paranoia in the Pentacle makes it very difficult. Like, unless your players are playing particularly credulous characters, they're not going to fall easily for the tricks of a Seer. In fact, as soon as the word Seer appears, violent paranoia tends to spike.

Also, I think there's a difference between knowing Seer opponents and rivals, and really having a grasp of their characters.



Unless I've missed a big change, that's not true. The SL book is pretty blunt that they view all Seers as traitors worthy...

[Michael]

I was referring to the complex characters and deep motivations of the Seers; and that the Pentacle aren't the best position to see that complexity....

[Michael]

Come to think of it, this is probably why the Seers are a player faction now.

Complex characters and deep motivations are all well and good, but the Pentacle aren't generally the best position to see that from.

[Michael]

I think the point of the old/newlife is specifically to avoid this kind of problem.

I don't doubt that the Technocracy looks out for operatives' families, but it's probably best if they are kept safe with simple anonymity.

Also, a big facility like a boarding school is both a big target, and probably a big drain on resources for defence.

That said, it wouldn't be wildly unrealistic if the Technocracy had such a place.

[Michael]

I think I've said this before on one of these threads, but NWO. I find something weirdly fascinating about their original convention book; possibly the extent to which that book just lifted from 1984.

By no means claim that that's a good thing.

[Michael]

It's a tough assignment you've given yourself, but if you can pull it off it could be real cool.

I like the idea of playing around with the pseudo-supernal magic that non-awakened order members have.

[Michael]

Probably hibernation on the simple principle that Abyssal entities are tricky like that....

[Michael]

My present game uses the Boston Unveiled setting, though I altered it a fair bit.

I knocked Numa off the council and added in Epee, a thearch master mastigos from Keys to the Supernal Tarot. (I've implied that the Nemean is behind this in order to block Khumeia from taking the seat.)

I also bumped Hydra and Potestas up a fair bit as the two are implied to have been mages for sixty-ish years.

I also left the Acanthus seat on the council unfilled because the Nemean hadn't seen fit to push for someone to fill it yet, though he had plans in motion to invite one...

[Michael]

I'm not sure we've ever been given a definite idea. I mean, we've got examples but how they're supposed to interact with the systems is a bit vague.

Like, mysteries aren't terribly rare, but mages are supposed to care about specific big ones.

The only way I can think to make it work is that big mysteries tend to allow for a build-up of resources that start to perpetuate the society.

So, maybe not everyone (or even most people) in a consilium cares about the big mystery, but the people at the centre of that society probably do, and they tend to bring more...