This is a review of the Deluxe Printed version, both the physical copy and the content therein.
This edition of Mage is a love letter to dedicated fans, and succeeds at that with flying colors. If you loved ANY edition of Mage: The Ascension, then you will be thrilled to put this volume on your shelf. The various sidebars throughout the opening chapters lay out each previous edition of the game and how to incorporate those themes into M20. When you're buying this ultimate volume, know that what you are purchasing is "Build your own M:tAs." Veterans will be able to jump in with both feet to the familiar themes and rules, and from what I have read the Spheres are far more comprehensible than they were in some of the previous editions.
As a NEWCOMER, I can say that reading all 696 pages is a tad overwhelming. The first third of the book contains at least a novel worth of fluff text(that may be necessary to grasp the spirit of Mage, but is ABSOLUTELY fluff text). The reading experience becomes more interesting when you start to delve into the spheres, and even more so when you delve into the various Traditions and their counterparts. Character creation, the gamemastering portion, and everything else is fairly standard. It is definitely tolerable, but please note that this book is EXTREMELY FRONT-HEAVY.
And finally, regarding the physical copy...
I have never purchased a Deluxe Physical copy from DriveThruRPG.com, and I was simultaneously impressed and concerned when I received this book. The art, paper, and everything about the core book is magnificent. It truly feels like a high-quality 21st century Roleplaying Game. Until you get to the binding.
The binding is abysmal. When I previously said: "...you will be thrilled to put this volume on your shelf." I actually meant horizontally. There is no possible way that if I put this hulking volume on my shelf straight-up, that the binding (which is already not having a good time) wouldn't die a slow, painful death. It is not possible to place this book spine-flat on a gaming table. I am required to gingerly cradle the book on my bed, holding the front face with my other hand. I cannot read it lying down with the book vertically on my chest, due to the fact that the glue binding will fall out. Frankly, I paid around $132.00 including shipping, and in my mind I should be able to read a book how I want without it dissolving in my hands.
Overall, it's a great volume, but the horrid binding is not worth the ridiculous price. Pick up your volume digitally, lest you be staring at a discordant pile of pretty pages when the damn thing ships a month later.
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