Mage: The Podcast19 Apr 2025

Some Tips for New Storytellers

Adam’s riding solo on this one, and he’s pulling a bundle of helpful tricks and tips out of his Storyteller’s saddlebag—especially for folks just starting out running Mage games. If you’re a veteran, you might hear some familiar ground, but if you’re new to the Storyteller’s seat, this one’s a gold mine.

Show Notes

🔍 Mysteries in Mage
How to prep, run, and avoid dead-ends in investigative stories using the Three Clue Rule, leads vs. evidence, and flexible scene design.
📉 Failing Forward
Why a botched roll doesn’t have to mean failure. Let the players move forward with consequences instead of slamming the brakes.
🎲 Let It Ride
One roll covers an entire scene—less stress, more fun. A simple rule to keep the tension without constant dice-checking.
🏙️ Portraying Cities with Flavor
Bring your setting to life! Split the city into districts, add landmarks and “scenic encounter” tables to make your urban Mage game sing.
⏰ Faction Clocks
A slick little tool to track what NPC factions are up to, using clocks to show progress and raise stakes in the background.
😈 Villain Advice
Three time-tested tips:
- Let worthy foes emerge from play
- Keep villains offscreen and safe until the big showdown
- Don’t be afraid to let bad guys run away when things go south
📚 Source of Inspiration
Much of this wisdom comes from Justin Alexander’s book So You Want To Be A Game Master and his legendary blog The Alexandrian, with Mage-friendly tweaks and examples sprinkled in.
🎧 Related Episode
Missions, Mysteries, and Magick: Paranormal Investigation in Mage - Using weird ⁠artifacts⁠, team dynamics and investigations that make sense in the World of Darkness.

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