Currently available in PDF format via RPGnow for $6.45 (100 pages)
http://www.rpgnow.com/product/116426/Majus
More info from the author via his blog:Description:
You are a sorcerer who can trace his ancestral roots to the Sumerian sorcerer-priests who wielded vast power. You are an inheritor of the magical bloodline enmeshed in a conspiracy dating from before human civilization. Battle against enemies in the Old Game, to harness the secrets of the mysterious Skein. You may be a member of a competing Tower, an association or cabal of like-minded Maji, or a renegade with your own motivations.
MAJUS is a role-playing game complete in one volume.
These rules contain:
The game uses the Pacesetter System, the same system as TIMEMASTER and SANDMAN.
- Rules for character generation
- A complete magic system compatible with other Pacesetter games
- Guidelines for playing campaigns in a magic noir world
- Supernatural enemies
- ...and more!
...aand mine just finished printing, so I'm going to get back to poring over itMAJUS is an urban fantasy/film noir RPG that casts the players in the roles of sorcerers descended from the Sumerian priest-kings of antiquity. From the dawn of time, these magicians, known as Maji, have been embroiled in a struggle called the Mehen. The goal of this millennia-long conflict is to control the mysterious Skein and thereby dominate the sorcerous underworld. Standing in the way of the players’ victory are numerous cabals of rival Maji, strange cultists, and supernatural entities that might not be quite what folklore makes them out to be. Expect pitched gun battles amidst ancient Mayan ruins, seedy dealings with South African freighter captains down at the docks, double-crosses by trusted friends, and, of course, Nazis.
One of the strengths of MAJUS is that there is no concrete setting or metaplot, and the CM (Cabal Master) is encouraged to utilize the various elements of the game to create a campaign that best suits his or her and the players’ expectations and desires. With a copy of MAJUS in hand, any and all of the following is possible:
* Battle the evil of the Abraxas, a cabal of demonphages endeavoring to consume the power of the Skein to enhance their own brand of fell magic.
* Seek out ancient, forgotten sites of power known as “labyrinths” and defeat the “minotaurs” that guard them.
* Become embroiled in the schemes of the Projecteers, who plot deep in the halls of government, augmented by black budget funding.
* Search for immortality with the Circle of Saturn—or stop them from achieving their eternal aims.
* Ride with the Witchfinders, an outlaw motorcycle club determined to retain their neutrality in the Mehen.
* Double-cross the Sodality of Thoth Eternal to steal John Dee’s Other Mirror.
* Curse your enemies with a well-placed shot from the Hex Rifle.
* Avoid getting lost in the Slumber and the House of Infinite Rooms.
From two-fisted Saturday afternoon serials a la Indiana Jones to Lovecraftian horror, MAJUS fits a number of play styles. The Skein, the central goal of the Mehen, can be custom tailored to each CM’s desire and a number of different options are provided to help inspire campaign creation. Even the origins of the Maji and the Veiled Masters who might be pulling their strings, are left open to interpretation, giving the game master a wide variety of choices when constructing adventures. You’ll find no metaplot in MAJUS!
MAJUS owes a debt of gratitude to a number of literary, film, and musical sources. If you’re a fan of Hellblazer, Cast a Deadly Spell, Clive Barker, Millennium, Harry Dresden, Carnacki the Ghost Finder, The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, Blue Oyster Cult and other eclectic entertainments, you’ll find some familiar territory in the game.
