WodenKrait wrote:
I'd also like to stress that some, perhaps all, mediaeval magic (such as qabala) espoused the notion that magic actually arose from God so was anything but unholy. Perhaps in Legend they are right.
I think the Player's Guide adopted the correct, open stance on the subject. Prior to the book's release I was worried that it would take the burning pitchforks perspective which has become popular with some DW enthusiasts here and elsewhere, despite I think scant support from the original books.
Even the Malleus Maleficarum acknowledged that witchcraft required consent from God, but it didn't do much to stop the witch-hunts in Europe (the publication of the MM had quite the opposite effect).
I liked the treatment given to sorcerers in the Knight's Tale - if they were sanctioned by a Lord, then they were OK (although the peasants might not like it); otherwise, they were just dangerous Devil-worshippers who deserved to be hunted by adventurers and burned at the stake (I'm oversimplifying, but you get the idea). I can recommend A Dangerous Enemy by John Whitbourne (and, in fact most of John Whitbourne's books) - essentially an ambitious fey-touched demon-summoning necromancer joins, and is sanctioned by, the church so becomes accepted by the civilised world (again, I'm oversimplifying - read the book, and others by JW and I promise you won't be disappointed!)
Different countries will have different cultural biases towards magic. However, in Ellesland, where magical practice is common among pagan religions on the island, it might have been a tactical play on the part of the church to denounce magic as deviltry in an attempt to weaken the pagan influence.
So long as the GM is consistent with his approach to magic in the game, and the players are aware of any (if any) consequences of using magic openly, then I say go for it. I tend to run a low-magic and low tolerance to magic campaigns, but equally enjoy campaigns set in more accepting societies (more as a player than as a GM, though). As for the Players' Guide - it's a very good publication, but I wouldn't go so far as to consider it canon. Yes, it's been published by the current licence-holders, but it wasn't penned by the original contributors to the game, so it has the same status to me as any of the rest of the fan-produced material out there.
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