The first half of this series
looked at a lot of the historical facts of the Battle of Britain, and how they
could be adapted for Their Finest Hour, a World War II setting for the
Victoriana role-playing game. Last week we dipped our toes in the more fantastic side
of the setting, but this week, we dive into the deep end to talk about magic. Fortunately
for us, there is no end of weird magical folklore and conspiracies attached for
World War II for us to play with.
In Victoriana’s 1850s setting,
magic wanes from its strong, primal antediluvian origins. Miracles became
spells practiced only by a learned few, as the industrial revolution spread
across the world. By the Battle of Britain, radio, automobiles, telephones,
electric lights, airplanes, and other conveniences take magic’s place. Scientists, mystics, and priests strive to rediscover
and recapture magic’s lost might, some by examining magical formula with modern
scientific theories (such as Albert Einstein), and others by embracing tabooed
occult practices (such as Alistair Crowley).
The Axis war effort seems
to have overcome whatever universal law causes magic to dwindle. Refugees of the Blitzkrieg tell
stories of magicians able to change the battlefield with ease, conjured
creatures of legend, and sorcerous machines of war. None of the
Allies know the source of this raw aetheric power and rumors spread quickly of its
origins. Some of the rumors circulating through England include:
-During the 1939 German
expedition to Tibet, Nazi mystics learned ancient forgotten methods to harness
Vril from an ascended Master in Shamballa known as “the King
of the World”.
-Nazi musicologists discovered the potent mythic reality suggested by
Wagner’s operas. Through their fanaticism and skill, trained spell
singers (called Fächer) gain strength from Germanic myth cycles and Aryan
folksongs.
-The Race Office of the SS bred
magically adept children through the Lebensborn (fountain of life) project. SS
officers kidnapped Polish and Russian children gifted with psychical abilities
from occupied territories adding to their breeding stock.
Worried
by the Axis’s magical superiority, Allied forces try to close the gap. Magical
practices previously dismissed by the Guild, such as conjuration, become the
subjects of careful study. Scientists and hermeticists exiled from their overrun
countries add their expertise to the war effort. The Guild strives to harness Britain’s
few magical resources and discover powerful treasures long lost. Some groups,
such as the Ancient Order of Druids (of which Prime Minister Winston Churchill
is a member), hope for a miracle from the past. Old legends say Avalon will
appear when again England needs King Arthur, and when has their need been
greater?
Magic in 1940
Victoriana gives their magic a
great sense of the period through names. Because Their Finest Hour takes place
90 years later in the 1940, some of the terms seem a bit behind the times. Instead
of magnetists empowered with magnetic abilities, psychics with psychical
abilities sounds a bit more modern.
Likewise, Quintessence is fine
for Englishmen, but magical energy is called Vril by the Nazis.
To reflect the waning power of
magic plaguing the earth, all characters in Their Finest Hour have four pips on
their Quintessence dice instead of six.
This series has been a blast to
write. We’re heading into the end of the series with only three or four posts
left to go. It’s been great diving into the setting, and I’m really looking
forward to the upcoming adventure ideas post.
No comments:
Post a Comment