From publisher blurb:
An occult game about broken people conspiring to fix the world.
It's about getting what you want.
Unknown Armies presents magick as it might exist in a world informed by crime fiction and secret histories, as twisting wrinkles in reality created by greater and greater risk, sacrifice, and obsession. As a player, you are confronted by the consequences of your character's actions, and challenged by the implicit threat of a world shaped by the will of those who want something more than you do.
It's about being relentlessly, hopelessly human.
Book One: Play is the book for players. It details:
Obsession and identity.
All of the rules for resolving actions.
The central shock gauge mechanic.
How to avoid fights, and how to deal with them when you're dragged into them anyway.
The magick of adepts and avatars.