Second editionsuccessfully crowdfunded in 2024!

The Magus is a solo journaling tabletop RPG that takes you on a sweeping journey for power, ambition, and arcane mastery, at great personal and interpersonal cost.

For the entirety of February 2019, 100% of sales went directly to charity. While that period has ended, every contribution is still dearly appreciated. See update.

About

As a journaling game, you will roll dice, track stats, create spells, and write  imaginary experiences from the perspective of your character: a wizard, newly embarking on their quest for power, their head filled with grand visions of mastery.

I finally mastered the Forge Chain spell. I had to create a pact with a demon -- forgive me Elia -- but it is worth it. It has to be. It's the only way to bring peace to the kingdom...and glory to me.

This RPG is crunchy. You will use several polyhedral dice to manage four traits: Focus, Power, Control, and Scars, which shape how the protagonist overcomes  challenges and meets their denouement after seven, fateful events.
 
     Perhaps they sail to the Enigmatic North in search of the final homonculus.
           Perhaps they burrow deep underground to escape their eldritch overlords.
        Or perhaps they go mad with power, and plunder innocent lives for M O R E

Everything comes at a cost, however: will you spend your scant remaining time to acquire more powerful spells, or nurture the few connections keeping you human?

Overcome fantastic challenges with your fledgling power, meet strange creatures along the way, and fly close to the sweet sun of omnipotence.

Featuring fifty exquisitely-designed pages, The Magus is a memorable experience about sacrifice, loneliness, and the power of magic and pathos coursing through all of us.

Sample Plays:

• A sorcerer's climb to power, and the catastrophe that follow (credit: Kin) http://willkinchlea.com/journal-the-magus/
  
• An ambitious mage finds friends along the way (credit: PercyPropa) https://twitter.com/PercyPropa/status/1355422185343516673
• In which the magus aims for a better world, and finds an ally they truly care for https://twitter.com/PaulCzege/status/1357800664672264192

Recognition

On November 2021, The Magus was awarded with the Giovine Italia medal from Carbonerie Ludiche in Italy.

Folks who interested in buying the physical game in Italian (first edition) may purchase it from NessunDove.

The second edition is coming! Players may preorder via NessunDove (both English and Italian). Release date is April 2025.

A message from momatoes Purchasing this game is deeply appreciated and directly supports me. That said, free copies are also available—no questions asked—simply email me at hello@momatoes.com ───── Other tiny ways to support: Share your play experience! Either via e-mail or thru Discord. Sign up for my mailing list to receive (non-spammy!) updates on games or resources I've made. Share this game on social media, or follow me on Bluesky.