Initial Ideas

[Ron Edwards]

Sean,

For your big-business idea, I suggest retaining the basic sorcerer/demon metaphor, rather than simply using the mechanics in a non-magical context. I think it would be rather hard-hitting, fun, and full of good play potential.

In other words, go the whole Sorcerer prep route, defining Humanity, sorcery, demons, descriptors, rituals, etc.

Best,
Ron

[sdemory]

Ron,
   Groovy. Keeping the demon-sorcerer mechanic makes vast quantities of sense. I'd definitely want to keep it non-magical, but the stuff is all there...
  I'll probably throw this onto its own thread in a few days, once it's had a weekend to fester.

Sean

[Ron Edwards]

??

I think that was a classic miscommunication. I am saying that I think the idea works best to keep the entire Sorcerer schmeer: demons, rituals, booga-booga, the whole thing. Demons. Magic. Somehow, I think you read my post to say the exact opposite.

Best,
Ron

[Henry Fitch]

I think I misread that one too. Rather than saying that he should keep demons, rituals, etc., it sounded like you were advising him to keep the terminology of demons, rituals, etc.

[Ron Edwards]

To all,

By "the Sorcerer metaphor," I am referring to demons, magic, rituals which work, and similar. I trust that most of us do not consider these things to be other than a metaphor.

To retain the metaphor = to use demons, magic, rituals, etc, as in-game imaginary elements. This is the way the game is written.

To abandon or discard the metaphor = to use the mechanics, but to be dealing with (say) alliances and conflicts among people rather than sorcerous interactions with demons.

Best,
Ron

[Joe Murphy (Broin)]

I'm a little late in on the thread, but here's a couple of things that popped into my head on first reading Sorceror.

One of the earliest ideas was Modern Things, where all technology everywhere is a demon. Sorcerors were people who were unable to cope with the world, were ejected, and who then gained the ability to pervert technology for their own aims. I've written a few thousand words for Modern Things, but it's missing *something* at the moment, and I'm not sure what.

I also liked the idea that demons were insanities. Sorceors could call various demons into nearby people, either by evoking the person's own phobias/obsessions or forcing a foreign, alien entity to express itself. Mostly, I liked the idea of random people going completely nuts. Plus, sorcery was clearly an *awful* thing to do. It's one thing to sacrifice a cat. It's quite another to make a person schizophrenic.

And then there was the Pokemon idea. Pretty obvious, really, but I'd run a session of Unknown Armies where the characters encounter magicians who summon spirits of dead babies into toys and junk, in a twisted, underground cockfighting league. It spooked me just enough to want to do that again.

Joe.