This game is in my top 5 games of this year (2020) already. I anticipate it staying there all year long. The spell system is fun and unique and Batts' signature and stellar layout and design is throughout the book. This is from the first limited printing of the game.
"There are the cities and villages. Then there's the Wastes. Beyond. Where the witches and wizards hide. Kings and Queens lead armies of flying war machines against each other, bombing countrysides into ashy echoes. Soldiers with rifles and bayonets guide tanks down village streets. This is the backdrop for the world, where Spellcasters hone their craft, probe the Wastes, and try to make a difference before the Corruption turns them into monsters.
CASTING SPELLS - Magic is always a bargain. When casting a spell, a magic user declares the intent of the spell and what they hope to accomplish with it. After that, the table talks about how much Corruption should be gained from a spell of that power, magnitude, and reach. Then the bargaining begins. The spellcaster can make counter offers, give up Insight, take on Toxicity, or offer up other things in order to get a good bargain and cast their spell. After the spell is cast, it is lost forever.
WHAT SPELLS? - Magi cannot be tied down by a single list of spells. When a Spellcaster first takes their oath, they choose theit spell source and use it to create their won spells. This can be any text, image, or music from the real world. By spending Insight, a Spellcaster can probe their spell source to produce more spells.
LITERATURE
GRAPHIC NOVELS
MUSIC
POETRY
PHOTOGRAPHY
PAINTINGS
The book itself is just under 70 pages and is filled with the tools and thoughts needed to run this game. Random tables, NPC creation, Potions, Magical Features, Monstrous Traits, How to Run a Shop, and Petitioning to an Ancient Being (me)." - from https://johnbattle.itch.io/the-wizards-and-the-wastes
