Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice

by Jeff Howard

Make More Immersive and Engaging Magic Systems in Games Game A Designer’s Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice explains how to construct magic systems and presents a compendium of arcane lore, encompassing the theory, history, and structure of magic systems in games and human belief. The author combines rigorous scholarly analysis with practical game design advice in the form of a magical recipe book (grimoire). The book gives you an in-depth understanding of the history and structure of magic to make your games richer and deeper. It shows how to set up tables of correspondences and spell components as well as how to write programming code integrating these components as part of game mechanics. It also illustrates how to divide a simulated world into domains of influence (such as alteration, conjuration, and necromancy) and how to use specific rule systems to simulate powers within these realms. Showing you how to weave compelling magic into your games, the book is interspersed with examples that illustrate how to design and program magic systems. Working examples are available for download on a supporting website.

Genres: Game Design, Games

337 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Alper Yılmaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even after having finished it, I question how effective this book will be to its stated target audience. It purports to be geared towards game designers, those interested in the occult, programmers, etc. However, I can't imagine someone getting much mileage out of this book if they aren't just one, but all of these things. Luckily, I do happen to be all of those things, so I was able to acquire quite a lot of salient information for my practice and interests: The games and occult traditions cited were quite well considered and well explained, and aside from the rather list-like structure of the whole book and the admittedly sloppy occasional errors (Earth was not one of the seven planets according to ancient thought, the neglected Jupiter was the seventh...), it turned out to be a very well-executed and high-level look at the intersection between magic and games in the digital age. If only this book would get another edition, now that games like Potion Craft, Outward and Elden Ring exist, as games like these would contribute at least 50 more pages of useful insights to future readers; that's the curse of writing in an active field I suppose.

[John Pennycook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely learned something from this book -- specifically, the importance of magic existing outside of battle and ensuring it "feels magical" -- but I didn't enjoy the structure. The book tries to target too many audiences simultaneously, and I ended up skimming some of the less interesting chapters.

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read and well researched. If you want to create a magic system for your game check this out.

[Francis Wiget ii]

Damned useful for novelists, occultists, tabletop gamers as well as for video game designers and writers.