Doing Stuff
Most times, it’s a good thing to try and roleplay out the process of trying to do something. This is what makes LARP fun. Instead of saying to someone "My character is going to try and intimidate you into getting out of that chair," do it instead. In general, try to avoid saying "my character does this" Try to avoid even saying "I do this." Just do it!

But sometimes your character just has characteristics that you don’t, and sometimes what you want to do cannot be acted out (like punching someone). So if you’re not getting the effect you want by roleplaying, you can go to a "test."

A test means you use the traits on your character sheet to try to do something. What those traits are will vary from action to action, but most commonly it will be "Attribute + Skill" - perhaps Strength + Brawl for punching someone, or Intelligence + Computers for hacking into a secure network. You sum up these ratings to get your bonus, and then add or subtract modifiers - for instance punching someone might subtract the Defense of the person you're punching, or already having root access might give a bonus to your hacking attempts. The end result is your bonus or test pool.

You then generate a random number between one and ten(most people use dice, but you can use cards or finger signs too). If it is a 1, your action fails. If it is a ten, generate a number again and add ten to it(although a ten on this second roll is a zero, resulting in total roll of ten). Add this roll to your pool. If the result is 9 or more you succeed.

Sometimes how much you succeed by is important - in these cases, for every three above nine you score, you get another "success". If the math annoys you, here's a table:

Total:	8 or less	9-11	12-14	15-17	18-20	21-23	….Every +3
Successes:	Failure	1	2	3	4	5	+1 success

Extra effort
Sometimes it is vitally important that you succeed in a roll. For these occasions, your character has Willpower points. Once a turn, you can spend a point of Willpower to add +3 to your test pool, or it can subtract three from an opponent's roll that is directly against you. You can't use this bonus on rolls to harm or incapacitate other characters, though. Willpower is precious, and is only easily regained by following your character's Virtue or Vice, so spend it wisely.

Consensual Death
No one likes it when a character dies a random or pointless death. In Saskatoon by Night, that only happens if you decide it is appropriate. By default, characters(including Storyteller characters) are assumed to have "script immunity" that will rescue them from death or permenant incapacitation. There are three ways this can be revoked. The first is if you, the player, decide to give it up. The second is if you and your fellow players agree that "death is on the table" for a scene - the stakes are high, the tension is palpable, and anything can happen. The last is if another player gives you an ultimatum, usually something like "Do X or death is on the table" and you refuse. The "do X" part must be doable by your character in the current scene, but it doesn't have to be comfortable. If you accept, you give up that concession and you keep your "script immunity". If you refuse the ultimatum, you're saying the issue is important enough to your story that it is worth your character killing or dying for. In that event, death is also on the table for the person who originally made the ultimatum.

Spellcasting
In a game about modern magic, chances are you'll want to cast some spells at some point. The first step in doing this is to determine whether you have the proper Arcana to cast a spell - consult a rulebook or the Arcana PDF at the bottom of this page for help. Then you've got to figure out things like who it affects, how long it will last, and all the rest - you might want to consult a Storyteller for help. If the spell is Vulgar(it breaks the laws of reality) you then need to talk to a Storyteller to check if it produces Paradox - a type of mystical interference that can cause spells to go haywire. Then you make a spellcasting test - for an improvised spell it is Gnosis + Arcana, although if you are casting a rote you know it will be Attribute + Skill + Arcana instead. Success or failure is calculated as usual.

Permutations and Complications
Mage: The Awakening can be the most complicated of the World of Darkness games, rules wise, and a number of house rules have had to be made in order to make the game suitable for LARP. If you want, you can check out the MET Book, the Mage core book, and the House Rules section on the webpage, but for most new players all you need to know is "things might be more complicated than they appear" and ask a Storyteller if you have any questions.

Downloads
Mage: the Awakening Character Sheet (PDF)
Editable Mage: the Awakening Character Sheet (PDF)
The Arcana of Creative Thaumaturgy (PDF)