Q: Are the 333 Archetypes pre-determined, or are they just the first 333 to Ascend?
A: It's the "first: 333. An Archetype isn't an Archetype until somebody Ascends to it, and no one knows who will Ascend and when. The only Archetype which seems to be guaranteed to be in the IC is the First and Last Man (Il Comte de Saint Germaine). There was nothing to say that there had to be a Masterless Man, or a Flying Woman, or a Mother, in the IC.
Q: What happens when all 333 Archetypes ascend?
A: Opinions differ. Some people favor a literal ending of the world, then a new beginning, complete with a big bang on up (or, perhaps, just restarting before the evolution/creation of humans). In this view, the new world might be wildly different from the old one, with different physical laws or the like.Others view the "ending of the world" as being more metaphorical in nature, and think of it as major social upheaval -- the fall of the Roman Empire is often pointed to as an example of what happens when the Clergy is filled.
Q: Can someone be removed from the Invisible Clergy? If so, what happens to them?
A: Yes, it is possible to be kicked out of the Clergy. A godwalker who manages to embody the archetype even better than the person currently occupying that slot in the Clergy takes over the slot, and the previous occupant is expelled into the House of Renunciation. There the former Clergy member becomes a spirit fanatically opposed to its former archetype, and can possess folks luckless enough to happen into the House, thereby going back out into the world to tear down its former work.
Q: Does the first avatar of an Archetype get channels?
A: This is omething that was clarified on the list, being somewhat unclear in the rulebook. All the archetypes that have names and avatars have already been created by at least one ascension. The archetype does not exist in the Clergy until the first person ascends to embody it. (That's how Amelia Earhart -- possibly -- created the Flying Woman archetype.) That first person has no special powers until the day he or she disappears to join the Clergy, because he/she isn't channeling any pre-existing power. Only after that first ascension can other folks become avatars or godwalkers of the archetype and channel its power in the world.
Q: What's the difference between the Naked Goddess and the Woman Everyone Can Have But You?
A: The Naked Goddess is the pseudonym of the person who Ascended to the Archetype of the Woman Everyone Can Have But You. The WECHBY, in other words, is the name of the Archetype -- even if the Naked Goddess gets displaced, the Archetype will remain the Woman Everyone Can Have But You.
Q: Did the Archetype for the WECHBY (or any other Archetype) exist before the NG (or whoever Ascended first) exist, or was it created by the first Ascension?
A: The first Ascension creates an Archetype. Only avatars of a previously created Archetype recieve channels. Anyone who sets out to create a new Archetype is therefore at quite a disadvantage; they have no idea if they are on the right track or not until they actually Ascend into the Clergy.
Q: Why are Pornomancers Adepts, instead of Avatars of the WECHBY?
A: There is a good deal of debate on that matter. Some people feel that many or most Pornomancers are, indeed, at least low-level Avatars of the WECHBY. Others feel that there is a distinction between worshipping the NG and following the path of the WECHBY.
Q: What UA products are on the horizon?
A: "One Shots," a collection of short adventures, is already in stores. "Lawyers, Guns, & Money" is the sourcebook for Alex Abel's New Inquisition. It is scheduled for release in September of 1999. "Post Modern Magic," which expands the magickal schools, presents new Archetypes, reveals the powers of Godwalkers, and more is slated for delivery sometime in early 2000. For more info, go to the Atlas Games website.
Q: Has UA support appeared anywhere else?
A: There have been a couple UA reviews at RPG net [URLs], interviews with Messrs. Tynes and Stolze by "canon GMC" Ken Hite in his column "Out of the Box" in Mania magazine [URLs], and a few UA-centered articles in Pyramid Magazine (requires a subscription). Hite ALSO writes a column for Pyramid called "Suppressed Transmission" which is chock full of useful material for any UA campaign, including mucho neato info on the Comte himself. Other UA resources can be found in the "Links & Misc" section of this site.