This book was designed to be a supplement to Mage for those who wish to play a historical setting. However, it adds so much to the background and emotional impact of the game, I think it's almost more important than the primary book. Mage is wonderful, but also very complex, and there really isn't enough room in Mage: the Ascension to tell you everything you ought to know. For instance, there is a real history and timeline in this book that gives you a much better idea of WHY things stand as they do between the various factions, and you find out exactly what happened in all those events the first book says so shaped the Traditions' outlooks. Also, this book goes into the Crafts a bit more, and their interaction with the major players in the Ascension War, shows you what life was like for these beings before their powers over reality were restricted (and this is very important, because many still think this way), and because the book is dedicated purely to describing! ! environment and mindset, it can simply devote more space to evoking the atmosphere of the game. Plus, it contains a few character creation aspects the first book lacks, it's wonderfully well-written (almost poetic),and it is an extremely handsome-looking thing. What more could you want in a book?