Welcome my fellow magi.
Gather around and tell us about you research and exploits or just enjoy the warmth of the fire.
Ars Magica thread, because it's a great system.
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Why is it a good system?
Because it's clear about what it wants to be. A game about a group of people led by mages in a magical land. The default is a magical quasi-historical version of medieval Europe, but can just as well be a bunch of telvani Mages in their towers.
The interesting thing is that each players controls a set of PCs, but usually only one at a time, to further the goals of the mages or their less magical right hand men.
The average session is usually narratively driven by the player characters wants and needs.
So a newly established group of mages might be fresh out of apprenticeship with their followers of diverse and skilled handymen with some fighting people mixed in.
A game set in established mage group might have the players start as apprentices, with the mundane characters being spies and maids.
In my experience it's suited to a world where the players get a footing before deciding with whom they want to tussle.
But long term styles of okay are preferred, where months, years and even decades can pass between adventures.
Current example; players are a bunch of green mages, who are till to form a covenant to secure magical resources, but the issue is that somebody stole their money and they have to find a way to survive till a solid source of income is found.
They decide to help the local lord with his bandits problem in turn for aid.
Then they scouted, gossipped, and stalked till they found the bandits and planned a triple step attack on their camp with different magic support and mundane bravery.
Was the first adventure of my latest campaign
I've always wanted to play this game, but it is not possible to find players in my country, my language and my schedule.
Does it work well as a solo with an oracle like Mythic?
I really don't know.
What I know is that foundry has a really good module for it that eases a lot of the book keeping.
Which is the biggest crux of the system.
But I have my doubts about playing it solo. The whole thing is build around taking with each other, what they want to do, pooling resources, trading and politics.
I think the general DnD playstyle would have an much more clear cut measure of success and more linear storytelling.
BC the most fun Ars Magica story lines look like plate of pasta.
I guess I was thinking I would have one or two characters , maybe even one, and the rest of the covenant would be from the GME, I would self insert myself in it or something like that, well, will be worth a shot maybe it's fun.
I wish you best of luck!
The fact that you have a hydra of interests is the spice of ars magica
How does that system even play?
What's an average session like, what do the characters do in fiction?
What kid of worlds is the system suited to.
Also right now I would say that having a comfy world, in a place the players are deeply familiar with, was the best possible choice.
Sure they might be poor, shunned and have the ire if the neighbouring local lord.
But they have each other, some friendly faces and good ideas.
So things will work out.
Great magic system, interesting concepts like Troupe style play to reduce Forever GM problems. Intriguing setting, awesome downtime laboratory system.
Downsides include shitty combat system, Soak is fricking moronic. and this problem is further aggravated by a shitty Bestiary where the average bear can completely absorb indefinite crossbow and longbow shots, sword blows, and even a mounted lance charge with no damage.
But doesn't roll advantage add to damage?
Meaning a guy skilled with a rock could bash one to death, especially if he's exerting himself and is surprising the bear?
Whenever Ars Magica is brought up, I feel like practical examples of play would benefit the discussion. Same thing with Mage.
What great timing, I just started re-reading Ars. Unfortunately, it's forever filed for me under 'dream game and setting I'll never be able to get a game going for', but as a system and underlying lore it's one of my absolute favs.
Just speaking the magic system is worth it.
In my experience you curate a list of players that are open to the idea of AM and save their phone number till you have your ideal group of cool dudes. Posting interest in you local gaming community also helps.
Showing people the magic rules filters them quickly.
The second filter is explaining them the troupe plax style.
Anybody who still shows interest is worth playing a test run with.
I am interested in Ars Magica but damn the rulebook is pretty extensive. I play Burning Wheel regularly so I should be able to handle it, but Ars feels like a different kind of crunch. There is a lot of lore to learn to run the game and a lot of rules, and I know my regular groups aren't the type to like this sort of game. Maybe one day.
>pretty extensive
It is, but more in the sense of covering most eventualies.
The first season will likely be covered by reading books, writing books and in general trying to get better at magic, solo practice is kinda mid if you don't have anything to boost it kind sweet, sweet vis.
Auf like teaching, harvesting Vis, experimentation, familiars, getting an apprentice are for this magi who are established unless they start somewhat specialised for it.
Same with creating magic, once you have a grasp on it, it just becomes checking general effect, adjust for modifiers and write some fluff.
>All the WoD elderly players tell me I should play Ars Magica
>No one else among them or adjacent playgroups wants to play it
Sad
Sucks to be you. Time to find some online playgroup.
Yeah online play is where it's at with such expansive games in our post COVID world.
The much larger pool of players also helps
ars requires a lot of planning (both game wise and lore wise) and bookkeeping, it is very daunting and niche because of this
but the benefit you get from it is also commensurate to the effort you put it, playing ars feels like eating a dry aged steak over shitty microwave burger, but yeah you have to prepare it in advance.
the freedom/creativity is immense but it also creates a sandbox environment where you have to design/make your own fun
the system is also very creative, complex and you can fine tune anything but this also creates extensive bookkeeping. Yes you can train an apprentice, bind a familiar, brew potions, and also try to summon an angel but all of these will have seperate rules seperate requireents and seperate things to track
Yeah, that's the price for great games, that you have to sit down before everything starts and do the big think.
What helps is starting with the troupe playstyle from the first minute. Sit down as a group and start planning things out.
What also helps for me if the fact that we took a real location we all know at least on passing, just the legends from there and fitting historical figures and relations to fuel the day to day happenings.
But that's the upside of being an old world ars magica player, you can place the covenant down the street
Found a old fanzine by timothy fergenson on Mythic Cathay. Would love to play a Cathay game. Crimping it into 5e should be pretty easy.
I'm amazed Atlas Games stalls, not making a 6th edition. 5th edition is almost 20 years old, the last book came almost 9 years ago. Yet they keep making shitty boardgames that no one wants, its not like they are good or groundbreaking, mostly mediocre games.
I don't get it, most of their forum posts are about ars magica, I assume there is a demand, but something must be amiss for them to ignore Ars. I guess they couldn't find a new line editor?
>Research and Exploits
For me of the House Merinita, it is quite simple and a long term plan to spread the nuances of fae magic.
Write all I know down in tracta.
Haggle with my house, of which i am an outcast, for the secrets of fae creation/summoning
Create a fae and make it my familiar, preferably use pieces of my own body to improve the chances of the fae to be open to the idea of being my familiar
Get all my arts to 10
Get some apprentices
Spread the good word of fae magic and teach them that House Merinita is full of fricking "dommy mommy" simps that should be disregarded and left alone in their bloody containment house
Good you give me example of low level play vs high level play using some bog standard builds?
>Magic Knight
>Paladin
>Straight up Wizard
>Social Wizard
>Ordinary Knight
I understand that this system is more social, historical interaction, narrative type of thing. But, I would like to know what higher level characters end up doing vs lower level ones.
AM to me is a lot about dealing with the consequences of your and your fellow players actions, in good and bad.
Some might go into politics, others want to frick up local Fae, spells blazing and then some want to explore the cloud ocean to seek a hidden grand treasure.
What your group is willing to put up with us really the only limit.
Magic Knight: starting out you'll likely rely on innate magical powers you get though circumstances or heritage. Or you are a mage from the house of fire obsessed battle idiots and like hitting things with your sword as much as magic and magic is really sick already.
Late game is buffed with all sorts of stuff. Powerful innate powers, custom made artifacts and in case of a mage some sick spells. Fighting off mundane arms men in the dozen and battling mythical beasts.
Paladin: pray to God, protect pilgrim, try to misinterpret the word of the church is they are used upset with your name friends, enjoy some innate protection from the supernatural if your have the true fate.
High level: political power, possibly your own order of faithful warriors with support and buildings. Shrug off demons and low level mages with your pecs she faith.
Wizard: do what your want, live with the consequences
Social wizard: see e above
Knight: fight good, have some actual property, keep the bloodline going.
Late game is similar to paladin, fight frickos, enjoy artifacts from Chad mages, try to marry the highest level of nobility you can get away with.
If you can be more specific in your questions, I could be more specific in my answers
>party makes a bunch of grogs
>nobody actually uses them and just plays as their mage instead
Make everyone play on less sleep so they're all groggier
>Talk with them about it
>Place a weekend with magic resistance 10 against them that punches averagely.
>Travel in the adventure for a few weeks, crippling their lab work
>Don't forget the gift exist, so everyone gives them the side eye and is a bit of a dick to them because they are weirdos.
Or just lean into it and see where it goes
Our GM went with options 3 and 4 and we still all played our mages. It was simply more fun.
Sounds fine to me then. That's the only goal of the whole thing.