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Mage: the Ascension
Guide to the Technocracy
Embracing Science for All Mankind
We are the Greatest scientific minds of the world. We influence every aspect of human society. We protect the Earth from the aliens without and the deviants within. Through order, science and technology, our conventions shape the course of the furure and catalog the wonders of the cosmos. We are there whenever someone uses a tool. We create the advancements that protect and comfort humanity. We decide how tomorrow improves beyond today. If you are ready to shape the world and willing to sacrifice yourself for humanity, you can be one of us.
One World, One Union
All the information needed to run a Technocracy - based Chronicle: Technocracy characters, new Abilities, Devices and Procedures, Technocratic organization and more. Explore the defenses of Technocratic bases, their corridors of political power and their hopes for the future. Discover how they deal with supernatural threats and what wonders they uncover. Learn the Union's beliefs and goals, and how it plans to empower all of humanity.
We are the Greatest scientific minds of the world. We influence every aspect of human society. We protect the Earth from the aliens without and the deviants within. Through order, science and technology, our conventions shape the course of the furure and catalog the wonders of the cosmos. We are there whenever someone uses a tool. We create the advancements that protect and comfort humanity. We decide how tomorrow improves beyond today. If you are ready to shape the world and willing to sacrifice yourself for humanity, you can be one of us.
One World, One Union
All the information needed to run a Technocracy - based Chronicle: Technocracy characters, new Abilities, Devices and Procedures, Technocratic organization and more. Explore the defenses of Technocratic bases, their corridors of political power and their hopes for the future. Discover how they deal with supernatural threats and what wonders they uncover. Learn the Union's beliefs and goals, and how it plans to empower all of humanity.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 22, 2019
Guide to the Technocracy is one of the best Mage books published, and is essential reading for anyone looking to run Mage. The only way this will change is in the event of Technocracy: Reloaded being as good, but updated.
More specifically, this book is an in-depth guide to the world of Mage from the perspective of the Technocracy. It allows you to turn Mage from a Fantasy game into a Science-Fiction game, but still recognizably the same setting. It breaks down in more detail:
Prologue - The opening fiction isn't particularly strong, but it isn't bad. It shows an Amalgam taking out a Chantry, and the aftermath.
Introduction - The introduction sets the tone spectacularly, making it clear that (from the point of view of this book) the Technocracy are the misunderstood heroes, that the Traditions are the bad guys, and that the stereotype Technocrats of 1st Edition are not what the Union is. It hits the standard notes, and already begins adding depth, pointing out schisms within the Union and playing up a feeling of desperation for the Union...they may be winning, but Reality is still on the brink, and needs to be rescued.
Indoctrination - The first full chapter elaborates on the ideas in the Introduction: Reality is a mess, we need to save it, there are internal problems to go with the external ones, and that's why we need the player characters.
Enlightened Science -Chapter two is a deep dive into the Technocratic paradigm, or rather, the part of it that is consistent between Technocrats of various Conventions. It talks about the spheres, paradox and much of the Mage cosmology in these terms, explaining everything in scientific terms.
History Lessons - This chapter has a lot of meat in it: the Technocratic view of the history of the world, particularly the history of the Union. We see some of the schisms in action, following up on the Technocracy: New World Order book's discussion of interpretive lenses for history, though more concrete as is appropriate for what is functionally a core book (except for mechanics).
Protocols - Here's where the rules that Technocrats must live by are, such as the Precepts of Damian and the mechanics of Social Conditioning. It covers a lot of the day-to-day of being a Technocratic operative.
The Conventions - Five conventions, a bunch of methodologies, and a collection of examples fill out this chapter to help see the humans behind the technology and the masks of soulless uniformity that make the Technocracy so feared by the superstitionists.
Character Recruitment - Character creation, fairly standard. Includes rules for creating constructs, though they've largely been superseded, I believe.
Storytelling - This chapter covers how to run a Technocratic game, including what sorts of conflicts both internal and external are good for driving the drama, what sorts of resources the PCs get access to (by default), etc.
The Arsenal - BIG pile of Procedures and Devices.
Appendix - Recommended reading.
More specifically, this book is an in-depth guide to the world of Mage from the perspective of the Technocracy. It allows you to turn Mage from a Fantasy game into a Science-Fiction game, but still recognizably the same setting. It breaks down in more detail:
Prologue - The opening fiction isn't particularly strong, but it isn't bad. It shows an Amalgam taking out a Chantry, and the aftermath.
Introduction - The introduction sets the tone spectacularly, making it clear that (from the point of view of this book) the Technocracy are the misunderstood heroes, that the Traditions are the bad guys, and that the stereotype Technocrats of 1st Edition are not what the Union is. It hits the standard notes, and already begins adding depth, pointing out schisms within the Union and playing up a feeling of desperation for the Union...they may be winning, but Reality is still on the brink, and needs to be rescued.
Indoctrination - The first full chapter elaborates on the ideas in the Introduction: Reality is a mess, we need to save it, there are internal problems to go with the external ones, and that's why we need the player characters.
Enlightened Science -Chapter two is a deep dive into the Technocratic paradigm, or rather, the part of it that is consistent between Technocrats of various Conventions. It talks about the spheres, paradox and much of the Mage cosmology in these terms, explaining everything in scientific terms.
History Lessons - This chapter has a lot of meat in it: the Technocratic view of the history of the world, particularly the history of the Union. We see some of the schisms in action, following up on the Technocracy: New World Order book's discussion of interpretive lenses for history, though more concrete as is appropriate for what is functionally a core book (except for mechanics).
Protocols - Here's where the rules that Technocrats must live by are, such as the Precepts of Damian and the mechanics of Social Conditioning. It covers a lot of the day-to-day of being a Technocratic operative.
The Conventions - Five conventions, a bunch of methodologies, and a collection of examples fill out this chapter to help see the humans behind the technology and the masks of soulless uniformity that make the Technocracy so feared by the superstitionists.
Character Recruitment - Character creation, fairly standard. Includes rules for creating constructs, though they've largely been superseded, I believe.
Storytelling - This chapter covers how to run a Technocratic game, including what sorts of conflicts both internal and external are good for driving the drama, what sorts of resources the PCs get access to (by default), etc.
The Arsenal - BIG pile of Procedures and Devices.
Appendix - Recommended reading.
August 27, 2007
The Technocracy is possibly one of the old World of Darkness line's best-written antagonists. They are the tool-using anti-mages who control the world. They are power, they are control, and they have your best interests at heart... Any player of Mage: the Ascension is familiar with the Technocracy as the shadowy organization that can freeze your assets, reposses your car, brainwash your friends, destroy your life, and blast you with plasma cannons, all in the name of progress. This book opens the Technocracy up as a flawed, dangerous, but ultimately sympathetic organization, plagued by the consequences of their own success.
A near necessary addition to any Mage player's library, whether you want to present the Technocracy as sympathetic villains or even run an all-Technocrat game.
A near necessary addition to any Mage player's library, whether you want to present the Technocracy as sympathetic villains or even run an all-Technocrat game.
February 5, 2014
This is how you make the proverbial bad guys into the heroes of the game. In the line of X-files, Nikita, Men in Black and many others, this is the accesory when you get to play with the infamous "them": the power masters, the power behind all thrones, those who define your reality. Awesome!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews