unknown armies

the occult underground rings with the battles of unknown armies, and sides are being drawn...

The world spins madly on its axis, plunging us headlong towards yet another apocalypse. the cosmos will die and be reborn. next time, reality might be more of a nihilistic shit hole of pain and suffering or it could be para-para-paradise.

someone gets to decide. might as well be you. too bad lots of people have the same idea.

WHAT WILL YOU RISK TO CHANGE THE WORLD?

what’s unknown armies

unknown armies is a role playing game of mystical humanist horror, postmodern occult intrigue, furious action, power and consequences.

let’s unpack some of that:

• mystical humanism
  • reality is intimately connected to human consciousness and belief.
    • magick = obsession + action
      • obsessions are the nuclear energy that power magick.
    • the supernatural reflect aspects and actions of humanity
  • the invisible clergy are living jungian archetypes that shape human experience and thus reality itself.
    • members of the invisible clergy empower channel their powers through people that embody the societal role they represent .
      • a person that embodies the role more than the archetype will replace that archetype.
      • change the archetype, change the world.
        • this is how you win at unknown armies!
• postmodern occult intrigue
  • postmodernist thought says
    • reality is subjective
    • reality is malleable
    • reality is fluid
  • occult
    • noun:
      supernatural, mystical, or magical beliefs, practices, or phenomena.
  • intrigue
    • cabals fighting for control of the next reality
• furious action
  • violence is gratuitous and definitive.
    • characters and NPCs will die will die when the guns come out.
• power and consequences
  • power, mundane and magical, is a double-edged sword.
    • everything you do carries the risk of madness, corruption, and unintended consequences.

what do you do in unknown armies game?

• pursue your obsession to its extreme conclusion.
• set a goal for your cabal based on that obsession.
• overcome the obstacles the gm puts on your path to those goals by
  • exploiting forces you can't even begin to understand.
  • fighting people like you with obsessions that contradict yours.
  • defending yourself from people like you.

who are unknown armies characters?

• broken people
  • people who are exposed to shittiest that reality has to offer.
    • this is a good thing.
      • they can power through the horrors of violence, the unnatural, isolation, self, helplessness.
    • this is a bad thing.
      • become too desensitize and they lose their selves; which will prevent them from using their powers.
• two different kinds of occultists; generally speaking
  • obsession-driven mages.
  • living embodiments of jungean archetypes.
• members of the occult underground.
  • a collection of misfits who organize around cabals and bizarre conspiracies.
  • The occult underground is also a catch all term for all the weirdness in the world.
  • Occultists in the Occult Underground are one of three things:
    • Chargers: Those who have real influence, knowledge, and importance within the occult underground.
      • oligarchs
    • Checkers: Up and coming occultists. More than likely the Player Characters.
      • crypto bros and crypto gals
    • Ponies: The people who get taken advantage of by Chargers and Checkers.
      • jobbers to the stars

themes

these are the most prominent themes; i think.

• obsession
• reality as a construct
• power and its consequences
• paranoia
• corruption
• belief

last modified: 11 months, 2 weeks ago