The Laws of Magic

There's a tendency in RPGs to codify magic very tightly - there are eight schools of magic and everything must neatly fit into those categories; or all magic comes from The Weave, with absolutely no exceptions no way no how; or whatever.

A large part of this is that an RPG needs rules, and a natural consequence of those rules is that they codify what can and can't be done - and indeed allow for extrapolations from what can be done now to what might be done.

However, I think it's a mistake to become too prescriptive about this.

There are three reasons for this:

Firstly, by declaring "this is the way things are", you cut down sharply on the possibility for exceptions. Want a character who knows only a few spells, but can cast any of them at will? Well, in 2nd Ed AD&D you can't, because that's just not how magic works. Want a character who blends 'arcane' and 'divine' magic (and maybe psionics, while we're at it)? Again, no go - the universe doesn't allow it.

It also cuts down the wonder of the thing. If you can look at the magical effect, break it down into specific building blocks, and analyse it to the nth degree, it's suddenly less impressive than if you just have to accept it as-is. Don't look at the man behind the curtain!

Finally, if magic is codified and locked down, then it has another name: technology. It may be highly advanced technology, but it's technology just the same. Far better, IMO, if magic is just a somewhat-understood thing... and technology is something else. The art of the possible versus the art of the impossible, if you will.

It's worth noting that I'm not saying there shouldn't be some rules, and especially where PCs are concerned (since balance remains a consideration). But those rules shouldn't necessarily be all the rules, and they probably shouldn't be the physics of the game world.

(Incidentally, one consequence of that is that I'll no longer be placing a "magical university" in my homebrew settings. There will be universities, where appropriate, but they'll teach science (and pseudo-science), not magic.)