Full Version: [SoA2064] SOTA Magic
| QUOTE (Synner) |
| Since I've got a vested interest in the Euromagic section I'll kick off by asking for opinions and constructive criticism on that section. |
I give you the shadow of the doubt for this, but...
Almost every mention of Hermetic paradigms in North America was focused around MIT&T (formerly MIT&M), which is patently absurd.
Now, granted, part of this has to do with the fact the CFS screwed the pooch on magic in Los Angeles, but who are we kidding here? As much as it pains me to give UCLA any credit for anything, there should be no reason why UCLA is not still the most prestigious Thaumaturgical program on the planet. It's the Harvard of Magic, and the teaching of Hermetic theory is AFAIK based on the UCLA model, making it the Harvard Law School eqv. of Magic Schools (The HLS standard created over 100 years ago is the teaching model for virtually every US law school).
It's bad enough for Kenson to think Boston and everything around it is badass, but it amazes me that people forget that it was UCLA that had the first Th.D program anywhere in the world. Virtually every first generation magical theoretician studied there. The Kano-White Eagle Theory of Metaphysical Phenomena (the one that won the Nobel Prize) was borne out of their work leading the UCLA Study of Magical Phenomena for five years (although Kano went to CalTech to get her degree).
But MIT&T gets singled out, and Atlanta (Georgia Tech) and Washington are mentioned, but... the omission of UCLA is particularly hard to believe, especially since at the least Renewed Hermeticism was basically created there.
It wasn't an intentional oversight, I assumed that the instability in the CFS in the last two or three years had disrupted UCLA's programs and cramped its popularity in magical circles. There's also the fact that at least one of the founders of Renewed Hermeticism has moved on to UMT (and probably taken part of the UCLA curriculum in that direction - which is where the real omission was).
Well, just a suggestion for anyone who work on magic in the future that the world does not revolve around Boston, no matter how much some people wish it to.
But I can see your point, to a point. Had they not felt like making Los Angeles' astral space FUBAR in CFS, it'd make more sense not to worry about it. But I don't see how one semester's worth of events could have so thoroughly shaken its prestige.
But I can see your point, to a point. Had they not felt like making Los Angeles' astral space FUBAR in CFS, it'd make more sense not to worry about it. But I don't see how one semester's worth of events could have so thoroughly shaken its prestige.
Don't expect *anything* done with the CFS to make any kind of sense Crimsondude; it'll only cause you pain. 
The entire area's history only makes sense if you assume that both the entire UCAS and later the CFS went on several country-wide benders, waking up months later to find out they had 1) cut off a state that has an economy larger than the majority of the world's countries, 2) cut off a port city that handles trillions of dollars of goods a year, not tomention all the lucrative businesses and millions of people that live inside it, all because of the acts of a small decker terrorist group, 3) didn't notice a gigantic elven army amassing and trainning on their northern border, and then didn't notice the Japanese fleet wafting in to the west, etc etc.
UC Berkeley and Stanford, for instance, were completely ignored when universities were building up their magical studies programs, despite Berkeley having more top-ranking liberal arts programs than any other college in the world, and Stanford folowing close behind. With all the environmentalists and the like in that area, I could totally have seen Berkeley becoming a major academic Shamanism hub, but for some reason it never materialized.
There are lots of issues with Calfree getting screwed over by the developers, mostly so Seattle can remain the central hub of the world for no good reason.
(Edit): Sorry for that rant. I just read the Calfree sourcebook not too long ago, and the whole thing still rankles a little. What did they do to my beautiful state?
The entire area's history only makes sense if you assume that both the entire UCAS and later the CFS went on several country-wide benders, waking up months later to find out they had 1) cut off a state that has an economy larger than the majority of the world's countries, 2) cut off a port city that handles trillions of dollars of goods a year, not tomention all the lucrative businesses and millions of people that live inside it, all because of the acts of a small decker terrorist group, 3) didn't notice a gigantic elven army amassing and trainning on their northern border, and then didn't notice the Japanese fleet wafting in to the west, etc etc.UC Berkeley and Stanford, for instance, were completely ignored when universities were building up their magical studies programs, despite Berkeley having more top-ranking liberal arts programs than any other college in the world, and Stanford folowing close behind. With all the environmentalists and the like in that area, I could totally have seen Berkeley becoming a major academic Shamanism hub, but for some reason it never materialized.
There are lots of issues with Calfree getting screwed over by the developers, mostly so Seattle can remain the central hub of the world for no good reason.
(Edit): Sorry for that rant. I just read the Calfree sourcebook not too long ago, and the whole thing still rankles a little. What did they do to my beautiful state?
Yes, yes. I know.
| QUOTE (Crimsondude 2.0) |
| Almost every mention of Hermetic paradigms in North America was focused around MIT&T (formerly MIT&M), which is patently absurd. ... |
You're probably right and you can probably blame me. I don't know s**t about the positions of NorthAm universities. I've heard the name of the most prestigous of course, but that's it. But I wrote about Euromagic based on what got left out of SoE.
Still it doesn't make any sense that the academic conflict between Hermetic paradigms are limited to Europe. Or that Wicca is in the Euromagic chapter.
Good point.
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