Some of you may have some questions about this game.  Here I try and anticipate them.  If there are questions you may have that I have not addressed, feel free to drop me a line.

What are your inspirations?  Will this be like Harry P-

No.  No, this is not a Harry Potter game.  I respect J. K. Rowling, and I apprecaite the fact that she has was able to get a generation of kids to read.  I like most of the Harry Potter movies.  But I am not really super thrilled with the Potterverse.  It is possible some of the things you see in my game might seem Potter-like, if so it might be unconscious, or it just might be because Rowling herself was inspired by the same sources I am.  That being said, it does not mean I am against a player wanting to borrow elements from the Potterverse.  If you as a player have a concept I am more than willing to listen to it. I just want to be honest and up front.

Now, moving on, I am inspired by a great many sources.  The Dresden Files, for example.  Again, not a fan, but Jim Butcher is a good writer and his take on magic is pretty good (and Harry Dresden often packs heat.  I respect a man who is quite aware that sometimes a problem is best solved with some cold iron and hot lead).  Butcher's Codex Alera is awesome and has some very cool magic in it, different than the Dresdenverse's.  Dungeons & Dragons is high up there as are comic book properties like Grimjack, Doctor Strange, Books of Magic, Hellblazer and Shadowpact.  I love the Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde books Children of The Night and Jinx High.  Lord of The Rings is on the list as well, and I have fond, if hazy memories of Piers Athony's Blue Adept series.

Where does all this take place?

The Vindicators super hero universe has been around for a decade and more, it consists of The Vindicators, the core game, and numerous spin offs, some more successful than others (Avant Guard, The Dragon Slayers, Neo Phyters, The Dynamics, Cosmic Enforcers, The Reapers, and one or two...or three others I may have missed).  It is an original super hero game ("original" in that there are no canon characters from other fictional universes.) created by me but tweaked and enhanced by a great group of gamers who have in their own various ways put their own stamp on the place.

What is the game about?

The game is about a group of magic wielding loners and outcasts (and when I say "loner" that does not give one a blank check to make it difficult for the GM to get your character involved.) who for one reason or another find themselves working together towards a common goal.  The game does take place in a super heroic universe and so there will be a touch of four color capery involved, but I will attempt to steer the game towards a different tone, one that involves sorcery, dark things that hide in the shadows.  There are super villains that can cross from one genre to the other and back, some of them might be potential foes.

What is magic, who can use magic and how?

Magic is a mysterious, near indefinable force (because if you define it too much then it is no longer magic, just another form of science) that only a only a very small percentage of the population can use, and of them only a small percentage ever learns how.  Those who seek to learn how usually must apprentice themselves with a sorcerer to learn the gift (there are, as always, exceptions), but even if you find someone willing to teach you, you and they must be compatible.  Meaning, some people have a greater knack for some schools of sorcery than others.  Some are able to open gateways, allowing them to traverse great distances or other dimensions.  Others can brew potions, still others have an unhealthy obsession with the dead...

No, I'm not talking about necrophiliacs.

There are schools of magic but these are largely run by con artists.  However, some are run by legitimate magic users or have magic users posing as teachers and students searching for potential apprentices.

What are the different kinds of magic?

The different types of magic will be addressed both on the NPC and organization pages, and between PCs and myself as we discuss character creation.  But I will break down a few different kinds of magic featured in the game.  These are broad stroke definitions.

Artificing.  The creation of magic items, pure and simple.  Wands, swords, trench coats, feathers, just about anything can be mystically enchanted with varying results.

Alchemy.  The act of transmutation, of altering the nature of matter.  What makes it different from artificing enchanted items usually remain enchanted, while things that are transmuted eventually revert to their original state.  Brewing potions falls under the mantle of alchemy.

Teleportation/conjuring.  Not only the act of being able to instantly transport one's self to another part of the planet, but possibly other worlds and dimensions as well, and to summon objects and people.  While this might seem to be a mere utility form of magic that allows one to get from point A to point B, a master of teleportation can be a lethal opponent in battle.  Imagine a conjurerer

Necromancy.  The act of raising, controlling and communicating with the dead.  A skilled necromancer can create loyal minions from the flesh and bones of the fallen, and often they are the holders of secrets living man was not meant to hear.  Good thing many necromancers can no longer be counted among the living...

Evocation. The act of bringing forth exotic or manipulating more mundane forms of energy for a variety of effects.  Fireballs, bolts of lightning, cones of cold, are obvious examples.  Affecting weather patterns might be a more subtle form.

Summoning.  Necromancers make friends, Summoners draw them forth from other realms.  Ogres, pixies, elementals are just a small example of the myriad creatures a summoner might be able to call upon.

Now, you might look at the list and say "Hey, something is missing!".  Likely it is.  It is by no means an exaustive list, but I think these cover much of the magical effects seen in fiction.  Voodoo fetishism, for example, can been explained by Summoning and Artificing, or even a combination of Artificing and Alchemy.  True, Necromany can even be explained through a combination of Summoning and artificing but I felt the "theme" of necromancy warranted it's own category.