A great addition to the pacesetter system. Most modern gamers will complain about the "clunky rules" but if you give it a chance runs smoother than most games of a similar concept such as mage the ascension or awakening. it's a solid game.

100 pages, black & white interior, color cover.

Author: Michael Curtis

Majus came out before Cryptworld and after Rotworld. It uses the same Pacesetter system that all three games share with Time Master and 1st Edition Chill. Majus though takes a different path and gives us a world of mages, magicians and high magic. So in sense, everything I have always wanted in my own Chill games. Like Cryptworld and Rotworld, the Pacesetter system is revised here to be quite easy to use.
What seperates Majus from the Cryptworld is not just the magic the characaters can now wield, but also the tone. This is described as "Magic Noir" so think hardboilded detective stories mixed with a global magic conspiracy. Whether you want to use this or not is upto the individual CM (in this case "Cabal Master") but I think you would be missing out on a really great feature of the game.
This game can also provide new background, magic and ideas for your Cryptworld games as well. The monsters in this game are largely a different sort that what is found in Cryptworld, so buying both games will give you extra monsters and features. There is some overlap, but that is mostly system related material.

Another sound Pacesetter RPG. It feels more like a sourcebook even though its a stand alone rpg. The rules for magic use could easily be used for the other Pacesetter game worlds (Cryptworld/Rotworld/Timemaster). On its own though it desperately needs some support products. Its a good game if you like the Blood Shadows, Dresden Files, Cast a Deadly Spell type genre.

Majus is Goblinoid's venture into urban fantasy, specifically Fantasy Noir. It covers much the same ground as Dresden Files or Mage:the Ascension.

Like other games in the Pacesetter line this one is based around the Action Table. A simple percentile dice roll on a one page table determines the outcome and degree of success of almost any action in the game.

The game is truly Old School in that it sketches but does not detail its background for GMs and players. There is a background included in this game, and it is a good one, but it can easily be ignored without causing major problems.

There are separate systems for Paranormal Talents and Magic. This is because they represent different abilities. Paranormal Talents tend to be narrowly focused psychic abilities. Magical "adits" are broad skills at using Magic to alter reality. Because magic is treated as skills there is no need for pages and pages of spell lists, components, etc. the components, chants, props etc used to invoke magic will vary from Mage to Mage depending on their tradition and training. Powerful and experienced mages may be able to cast magic merely by focusing their will upon the desired result.

The descriptions of the background to the Great Game and the Towers of the Maji are worth reading even if this background will not be use as they contain a number of examples of magical items, enchantments etc which will provide guidance for CMs and players to create their own.

The bestiary chapter includes a number of familiar creatures, but with new origins and abilities. These can provide some surprises for players who think they know it all.

A final note is that the game uses the same mechanics as Chill, Rot World, Crypt World and Time Master allowing elements from those games to be brought into Majus or magic to be brought into those games.

The newest game in the Pacesetter line of games from Goblinoid Games treads ground that has been done before and will be done again. Combining the Urban Fantasy and gangster/spy Film Noir genres of the 40s, they have come up with the “Magical Noir” setting of Majus. Players are members of one of several grand conspiracies engaging in the Mehen (Old Game) for the grand prize of the Skein. Select a side, prepare your magical implements, and dive into the world of Majus.

Characters are generated from a random set of stats and choose a small complement of skills, Paranormal Talents (PT), and magical adits to round them out. Neither the PT nor the magical adits hold anything new for the experienced gamer. The character creation chapter also lacks anything about selecting or being inducted into a Tower (one of the grand conspiracies of the setting). The Paranormal Talents and magical adits occupy a very similar space begging the question why weren't they rolled into one core system.

The Pacesetter game system utilizes d10s for everything and a master chart for most combat and conflict resolution. Players can get various degrees of success on the chart which grants them different effects, depending on the task being attempted. The system shows its age with many conceits that were common in the early days of game design but are starting to feel constrictive and a little nonsensical nowadays. The idea of gradated success is the one which I would other games would incorporate directly into their mechanics (a la Alternity).

Majus tries to spread itself across multiple approaches to the setting but fails in the attempt. There are nine Towers and four interpretations of the Skein. Between them they get eight pages in the book. The skills chapter is ten pages. This is the problem with Majus. Too much of the setting is left up to the GM to create from whole cloth. Instead of a fully fleshed out setting we get a bare bones skeleton and an antiquated rule system.

For the retro gamer, the Pacesetter system is there, but there is precious little else in Majus to recommend it. The few nuggets of inspiration are not worth the price of admission. This isn't a bad product, but with the paper-thin setting and the clunky system it doesn't stand out even amongst other retro offerings.