Game Design Lessons from Occult Magic ◾ 219
metaphysical rather than physical, so its spaces tend to be conceptual,
symbolic, and psychological rather than concrete. One of the strengths
of Mage: e Ascension and Mage: e Awakening is the development of
elaborate cosmologies from which the various aspects of a spell draw their
energy and form (see Chapter 4, Section 4.9). Locations like the Umbra,
the Gauntlet, the Silver Ladder, and the Watchtowers are not physical loca-
tions, but rather mental placeholders for a particular type of energy or
eect. e same is true of the Invisible Labyrinth in Neil Gaiman’s Books
of Magic, the Fade in Dragon Age, or the planes in Dungeons & Dragons
and Magic: e Gathering. To map out these locations ...