I like magic that seems "magical". Anything that adds to the mystical feel of using magical in the game appeals to me, but it can be tricky to add to the rules for magic without making the system overly complex and ruining someone's fun. Under the Vancian system outlined in White Box each spell caster, Magic User or Cleric, memorizes a number of spells per day and can cast each once. Once cast the spell is gone from memory and must be memorized again in order to be ready for use. Casters have books in which the spells are stored and which must be consulted in order to memorize each spell. Each caster's ability to memorize spells is limited and increases as the character gains levels. New spells can be acquired through research, or copied from other spell books or scrolls.
The Advanced game adds some new spells and the concept of spell components - items which are required to be used in casting the magic and which are usually consumed in the process. Spells are still limited in number and must be memorized prior to casting. The act of casting releases the spell from memory just as in the White Box rules.
Incorporating "magical" power sites into the formula appeals to me. Toting one's tomes of magic into the dungeon or along dusty roads in order to be able to memorize spells again once they are cast has always seemed a bit problematic. Too many hazards await those precious depositories of magical knowledge when taken into the wilds. Of course, only a fool would fail to keep copies of such valuable books in a safe place back home, still the logistics of carrying them around, worrying about them getting wet, or worse, seems awkward. Limiting the spell caster's supply of spells to only those memorized prior to the start of an adventure also seems severe, however.
I do like the idea of preparing (committing to memory) spells while located in a "place of power" such as a laboratory, a temple, a sacred grove, etc. Clerics who prepare their spells in a place sacred or consecrated to their alignment greatly appeals to me. Magic Users who recharge their spell lists while studying and making ready at a location steeped in magic power also has a certain magical feel. It is the little details like this that seems to make the magic in the game seem more tangible, more mystical and more believable. Pointing one's finger and shooting a lightning bolt makes more sense when I imagine the Magic User having drawn electricity from supercharged air at a magical location, bound it with certain skill, and stored it for release at just that moment.
The Cleric who prays, meditates and/or sacrifices at a sacred shrine or temple is granted access to a magic spell, a sort of miracle perhaps. The Druid who performs certain rituals under the moon and stars while standing amid sacred stones or trees is charged with magic ability in the form of certain spells which can be cast later. Imagine the witch stirring her cauldron, adding a bit of this and a pinch of that in order to create a charm or potion which can be activated to produce an effect like casting a magic spell, or the Evil High Priest who communes with evil entities which manifest in unholy places is granted a portion of that entity's power in the form of dastardly spells to be later cast forth in their service. Whether it is drawing a circle or pentagram, lighting a few candles and burning some incense, or some other "colorful" ritual, I like to imagine the act of acquiring new spells as being something more than the sort of behavior exhibited by a student studying prior to an exam.
So much of the magic of the game comes from the way we imagine and describe things to be. If we don't settle for mundanely following the rules as written, but rather choose to add in some imaginative detail, the game can be much more than pen and paper and dice. White Box is written rather sparsely with regard to these "coloring" elements, but this only makes it that much easier to individualize the game with whatever imaginative details we choose. Drawing inspiration from literary and other sources, why not accept the invitation to openly imagine how you would like it to be and make your game just so.
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