I would be very interested in any authors which explore meta-magic, as you might guess it is a long-term interest of mine. The mystery and 'occult' element associated with a lot of books on magic ('real world', fantasy literature, or RPG) tends to annoy me, as I'm looking for the 'nuts and bolts', the underlying mechanics from which you can do "magical engineering".
If that is Kenneth Hite, of GURPS Cabal fame, I'm afraid I found him leaning a bit too much towards a "World of Darkness" perspective. A bit too much ritual and hermeticism, not enough generality, and non-flashy uses of magic. However, I might be misjudging this, as I've only skimmed and don't own a copy.
Yes, Bonewits can be dry in places, but in "Real Magic" he approaches the problem with an intellectual rigor that I've seen in almost no "real world" occult books. The only comparable author that I'm familiar with is Colin Wilson, "The Occult":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Occult:_A_History
though his work is much more heavy on mythology, with overtones of the 'new existentialism' (and 'peak experiences') that Wilson has written about for decades.
The big problem with almost all magic systems that I've seen written-up is that they drag-in their own cosmology, their own world view (and therefore tradition), and this includes almost everything I've seen for RPG.
The only exception I'm familiar with is using the "Hero System" meta rules to do points-based design of magic, where you ideally start with a concept, then implement it using the mechanics of Powers, Advantages and Limitations. That means you use whatever tradition you agree with the Referee can work in the world or setting of your game. Looked at carefully, the mechanics is disconnected from the actual magic, it's just a means to implement something which is (hopefully) then playable; the magic is the 'special effects'.
I'd not mentioned Hero System in this context because the core rule books (I use version 4 or 5) are just that, mechanics, and aren't, I think, suitable for either a UTM, or traditions.
Just because Bonewits actually believes in his theory of magic doesn't mean that his stuff isn't useful.
I certainly wouldn't recommend a RPG based on a strict use of his "Authentic Thaumatergy", the RPG version of "Real Magic" - the hour-long casting of newly developed rituals could put a crimp on a lot of gaming. But he makes it clear which bits of magical logic can be treated as optional, and not as part of an author worldview that you need to buy into to read his work.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind
If that is Kenneth Hite, of GURPS Cabal fame, I'm afraid I found him leaning a bit too much towards a "World of Darkness" perspective. A bit too much ritual and hermeticism, not enough generality, and non-flashy uses of magic. However, I might be misjudging this, as I've only skimmed and don't own a copy.
Yes, Bonewits can be dry in places, but in "Real Magic" he approaches the problem with an intellectual rigor that I've seen in almost no "real world" occult books. The only comparable author that I'm familiar with is Colin Wilson, "The Occult":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Occult:_A_History
though his work is much more heavy on mythology, with overtones of the 'new existentialism' (and 'peak experiences') that Wilson has written about for decades.
The big problem with almost all magic systems that I've seen written-up is that they drag-in their own cosmology, their own world view (and therefore tradition), and this includes almost everything I've seen for RPG.
The only exception I'm familiar with is using the "Hero System" meta rules to do points-based design of magic, where you ideally start with a concept, then implement it using the mechanics of Powers, Advantages and Limitations. That means you use whatever tradition you agree with the Referee can work in the world or setting of your game. Looked at carefully, the mechanics is disconnected from the actual magic, it's just a means to implement something which is (hopefully) then playable; the magic is the 'special effects'.
I'd not mentioned Hero System in this context because the core rule books (I use version 4 or 5) are just that, mechanics, and aren't, I think, suitable for either a UTM, or traditions.
Just because Bonewits actually believes in his theory of magic doesn't mean that his stuff isn't useful.
I certainly wouldn't recommend a RPG based on a strict use of his "Authentic Thaumatergy", the RPG version of "Real Magic" - the hour-long casting of newly developed rituals could put a crimp on a lot of gaming. But he makes it clear which bits of magical logic can be treated as optional, and not as part of an author worldview that you need to buy into to read his work.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind