Consensus

What Is Consensus? (WoD Foundation)

Consensus is the overriding, collective reality created by the unconscious beliefs of Sleepers (ordinary humans).

• All humans have the power to shape the world with their wills, but Sleepers do so passively and en masse.
• Reality, in practice, is what the majority believes to be possible.

For a mage (or any willworker) to work magic, they must impose their personal vision of reality onto the Consensus—essentially, fighting against the inertia of billions of minds.

• Coincidental magick: Subtle magic that works within the paradigm of consensus is easier, as it "hides" behind what's plausible.
• Vulgar magick: Obvious or impossible magic faces resistance; Consensus "pushes back" in the form of Paradox.

Historical Shifts

• Mythic Age: In earlier eras (before the Enlightenment), Consensus was far more fluid. Dragons, monsters, and fae could walk openly. Mages could perform miracles in front of mortals without the same risks.
• Modern Age (The Technocratic Paradigm): The Technocracy, through manipulation and mass influence, has created a more rigid, scientific, and rational Consensus.
  • Now, even Technocratic wonders must “fit” the expectations of the modern world—an android is easier to explain than a golem, but “impossible” technology can still trigger Paradox if it pushes too far.
  • In these “Final Nights,” even the Technocracy is subject to the strictures of the world they helped create.

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Consensus in Madison, 1985 (Madtown by Night)

The Node and the Fractured Story

Madison is not a typical city.

• The Capitol Node—a metaphysical faultline—means consensus here is unusually malleable but unstable.
• Competing beliefs (modern, religious, occult, scientific, ancestral) are all stronger and more visible, causing frequent reality glitches and making the consensus more likely to warp, fracture, or collapse.
• Here, old magicks, urban legends, and even ancient gods can occasionally “break through” in ways impossible elsewhere.

What This Means for Mages and the Supernatural

• Mages must constantly negotiate the local consensus, not just the global one.
  • What works on campus during a protest might not work at Christmas Mass or in a Native ritual space.
• Technocratic control is strong, but so are the echoes of past myth and new countercultures.
• Paradox is a real and present danger, but sometimes the cracks in consensus allow for brief, spectacular manifestations of the impossible.

For Vampires, Werewolves, and Others

• These beings survive and operate via secrecy and myth, protected by consensus’ tendency to “edit out” what doesn’t fit.
• As consensus collapses, so do these protections—making the supernatural more visible but also far more dangerous and unpredictable.

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Summary Table

Aspect	World of Darkness Baseline	Madtown by Night Twist
Definition	Reality is shaped by the unconscious belief of Sleepers	In Madison, the consensus is fractured and highly unstable
Mages & Magick	Coincidental = safe, Vulgar = Paradox risk	Local pockets of belief can alter what is “coincidental”
Technocracy	Created static, scientific consensus for safety/control	Struggles to maintain control as old paradigms and new glitches surge
History	Magic was easier in the Mythic Age, hard in modern times	Old myths sometimes break through, especially near the Node
Player Impact	Paradox is always a threat; secrecy is survival	Paradox and reality glitches are unpredictable and story-shaping

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Key Points for Play

• Consensus is always present and active. The “rules” of reality are never fixed, and your actions can help shape, stabilize, or further fracture the consensus.
• The most “real” story wins—until it doesn’t. Reality in Madison is always one shock, ritual, or echo away from changing forever.
• Every act of magick, every rumor, and every act of rebellion is a roll of the dice for what the world will be tomorrow.

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In short:

Consensus in Madtown by Night is the living, collective agreement that defines what is real. Here, it’s on the verge of collapse—a battleground where old myths, modern science, and raw fear all fight for the future of reality itself.