MagicSo I wanted to talk about my personal opinions of the magic system here.
Personally, I like it. I've heard people complain that the system is 'broken', the complaints ranging from magic as a whole to the specifics of certain disciplines. Maybe it is, to a degree. But, even then, its FAR better than what I've seen on other sites.
The other sites I used to be on had no "standardized" systems. People chose their magic/powers/abilities, wrote up their own descriptions, and it was up to the Mods to approve or not. But without any standards to hold people to, it was just up to each Mod's opinion, and they tended to have massively different standards.
Take Fire magic for example. On my old site, one character would get approved for a power that has mild fire manipulation (equivalent of a Novice Fire Reimancer). Another would get approved for a mixed set of fireballs/heat manipulation/magma bursts, etc. And yet another would me an Arch Mage with a whole slew of spells up to and including summoning a huge Fire Elemental and casting fireballs big enough to take down a small building.
No consistency. No standards.
Maybe the magic system here has 'flaws' as some people say, but it has standards too. Everyone gets held to the same Lore. But at the same time, it gives lots of creative leeway.
Continuing on the subject of Fire magic, I've seen players
throw fireballs,
summon flaming swords, or even just
light campfires with their magic. It allows a lot of creativity in how people interpret and use the power, but they have to follow the same rules and standards of the lore. While no system is perfect, I like the balance this system gives between standardization and creative freedom.
Likewise, my Animation magic is open to a lot of interpretation. There aren't as many active Animators on the site, but those that are here do things ranging from
snake scarves, to
doors, to
toy butterflies, to, well,
strange contraptions.
I like the creative freedom we have in that regard. One person might want to Animate a sword or crossbow for combat, another person might want to make an animal predator golem and another might just need
a shovel.
If I was more well-versed in other magic types I'm sure there are tons of other examples. Summoning, Familiary, Leeching... people probably have a lot of different personal "interpretations" of these magics, which allows everyone to be unique. Sure, there are dozens of Reimancers on the site, but I bet each one does it a little differently from everyone else.