Editing User:Bill/Everybody Knows (section)

==Background==
Mage the Awakening is on the surface a game about discovery and exploring an ancient world hidden from the view of normal men and women. It's a game about folks who are able to force their will upon the world battling forces beyond the comprehension of mere mortals.

Strip away that simplistic veneer though and you'll see a much darker game. A game about power. Power over other magi. Every token that a mage can gather from another of his or her kind grants her a little more power over a rival. A former possession, a bit of hair, a drop of blood, each of these reduce a mage's defenses and make it possible to attack he or she from a greater distance. 

Behind the pretty game of exploration is one of psychological manipulation and detective work. A game where, if the players don't watch their asses they'll be somebody's bitch faster than they can say, "real name". And what's worse, sometimes it's just easier to kill a mage than control them. 

Effectively the game becomes a spy thriller where everyone starts off an independent operator until they're forced to join a larger faction or die.