Greetings all! While I am not new to PBP gaming in any way, shape, or form, I am a complete noob when it comes to Ars Magica. I once read the 3rd edition book, but I have never played the game. And I really want to.
I am looking for any game that is willing to take on a new player and help teach them the ropes of the system from character creation to mechanics to creating items in the laboratory. I need to learn the ins and outs of the system, and I am more than willing to do whatever it takes to do that. I can take constructive criticism, I'm not above admitting mistakes, and I'm willing to put in whatever hard work is necessary to do this.
If anyone wants to see samples of my PBP gaming writing ability, let me know and I'll give links to existing games.
I would be glad to invite you to Andorra and participate in our new Journeyman/Chapterhouse project (a great start for a new player). But I would ask that you at least obtain the fifth edition core rulebook. Otherwise, if you are a veteran gamer you will catch on quick. But you must learn to unlearn...
:mrgreen:
5th edition is significantly different from 3rd. The rules have been made better (the core book is a marvel, only comparable to Pendragon and the original Vampire book IMO) and streamlined. Now we have a guideline to design spells, something that before was only "gut feeling" for what level a spell needed to be. Magi are more powerful than in 3rd edition, since advancement rules are more consistent in the acquisition of experience.
You can play a 100% good mage with the core book alone. It can be bought online in PDF in several sites. I would still recommend the hardcover version as well. But I am an old fashioned guy that likes paper :mrgreen:
Additional supplements bring weirder rules and more virtues and flaws, but a core book character is perfectly fine. If you are new I would avoid the 4 mystery houses (merinita, bjornaer, verditius and criamon) since they require some fine tuning in terms of rules knowledge to take advantage of their mysteries.
I have the 5E core rulebook, as well as having gone out and purchased Metacreator to help with character generation. So I think I should be all good there, right?
As far as Andorra...awesome! I will read through the campaign as it sits thus far to get a background on what's going on. Beyond that, I will wait for you to let me know if I can join or not, what special topics to pay attention to, and any other information you think I may need to create a character and join up.
I don't run the show all by myself. The troupe decides just as much as I do if not more. However, I see no problems. I suggest you check out this thread, where we are discussing starting up a side deal with a chapter house in Mallorca and entry level Journeymen members
I looked at the thread you posted, and it looks like it's for new characters for the new Chapterhouse if my eyes don't deceive me. I did go through the last page of the OOC thread (table talk), and I think I'm seeing the discussion of said new Chapterhouse there. Starting in about 1235, if I'm correct?
So would you want me to create a character and post him in the thread you've got going? Just post up a concept of the character?
And to be fair, I am going to give you a sample or two of my PBP stuff:
myth-weavers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24197
This forum is for a Vampire 20th Anniversary game I'm running called "The Giovanni Chronicles". You won't be able to read everything as there are some private threads (and I had to take the IC thread private due to player issues), but if you read through some of the threads you'll see my style of being a GM and my writing style.
myth-weavers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18698
This forum is for an OSRIC fantasy game where I'm a player called "Basic Adventures". My character is Zane Lotharius, a neutral thief who tries to provide missile support and, for some reason, gets to be the brunt of the questions of the resident mouthy halfling.
I thought it only fair to give you these samples so you can gauge my writing style and make sure that it fits with what you are looking for in new players. If you can just let me know if I can/should post a character for review, I would appreciate it. I would assume standard character creation, yes?
That is all well and good. Interesting stuff. But I need no audition. It is not about writing skill, it is about fun. Have fun and bring fun to the table. It is a game. Having said that, I am excited that you are an enthusiastic writer that seems to be able to act in a proactive manner. These elements contribute to the overall enjoyment factor. But you can be lacking in some qualities yet strong in others, yet rely on the troupe to cover your weaknesses and become empowered by your strengths.
As for character creation, I am using special House Rules for CharGen
In a nut shell...
Start with Core RAW, add (Native Area) Lore as a free starting ability with Childhood abilities.
During Later Life, you receive 20xp per year
Apprenticeship (Magi only) gives you 300xp and 150 levels of spells
I have a high demand for Area Lore, Order of Hermes Lore, and all the little bits players skip over when they min-max (which is a natural gamer instinct, so I understand). The system states certain minimums and expectations.
I also allow for post-gauntlet development, the system is specifically designed to do a good job with that.
What you first must do though is join the PbP groups (there is a thing in your user control panel about joining groups)
Ok, I joined the PBP Group, so I'm good to go there.
I'm a bit overwhelmed with the extra XP and such, but thankfully Metacreator is customizable, so I don't have to worry about math much. I'm good at math, but having an app for that is a god-send.
I posted my base character concept in the Chapterhouse thread; I hope you don't mind. I do have some questions, though:
Do we start with a lab of any kind? If so, I'm assuming there are rules in the book regarding setting one up?
I don't see any equipment lists in the book for mundane objects. Are there any out there that I should be aware of?
Do we start with any enchanted items or raw Vis? I see that some of the characters have these, but those are established characters.
If you are a prospective player looking to join a specific game that you saw as a lurker, or just wish to put out a general call that you are looking for any game to play feel free to post here what you are looking for on this board as a new topic, and one of the GM's if they are looking for a player will either respond to your post here or private message you.