I think the starting location is part of the basis for the saga, then we can hash all that other stuff out once we get into our actual game forum.
Exactly. The location is part and parcel of the saga's premise, namely at the border of 3 different Tribunals. It does not have to be exactly at the confluence, but close enough that each Tribunal could claim the covenant is in (or encroaches upon) its territory.
The content and precise setup of the covenant (is it in a cave, a castle, a Roman villa or some other form of buildings), the type of resources it has access to (how much and which kind of vis its sources provide, how large a library, how big a turb, how much silver) and the political relations it has with its neighbours (mundane, Hermetic and supernatural) will be decided by the troupe.
I will run some stories, but I hope that most will be run by the players themselves acting as Beta storyguides for each other. Themes for stories will be decided by the troupe. That is why I put that condition on characters:
What I will also do, as Alpha storyguide, is adjudicate any rules dispute and make sure things stay consistent with the troupe's decisions.
I appreciate the clarification. I think I'm up for it. Looking forward to having a board to discuss further.
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If it's not too late, l would like to apply as well.
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It's not too late, welcome aboard Kareatosys! Did you read the expectation that each player will have to act as a storyguide for stories for the others? 
There is still space for 1 or 2 more players. I'll give it another day then we can start discussions.
A forum has be requested.
I am also potentially interested, Starting a game in a few months time would fit my time frame well, along with the pace of posting.
I do have a few questions though:
- how old/experienced do you want Magi characters to be?
- what kind of power level do you expect for the saga?
- are there any restrictions you want to place on things at the outset?
- how do you plan on keeping track of information/detailing the covenant?
I'm not looking for any exact answers, but your preferences or initial thoughts would help a lot in knowing whether or not the game would be a good fit for me.
Most of these questions will be decided by the troupe, so it's hard for me to answer them. Those discussions will be the first point of business when a full roster is finalized.
In my opinion, the magi shouldn't be too experienced. Creating older magi can be very time-consuming and requires a lot of decisions from both the troupe and the Alpha storyguide.
For keeping track of information, the first tool will be a saga forum here on the Atlas Forum. We may also end up creating a wiki as a way to organize some of the crunchier details and for tracking.
One thing I thought I'd add - I don't have any 4th edition material at all. If we use the 4th edition sourcebook for the Alps, I will have a hard time storytelling anything in that tribunal that's not 100% made up.
Cool, that's all I was looking for really. I like to start off on the lower end of the power scale at least, so I'll go ahead and express my full interest in the game.
If money isn't a problem, the sourcebook is available as a pdf on the Atlas website.
If it is, made up can be good. The most important elements in the Gerater Alps sourcebook is the political dynamics and the people involved. If you want to run a story touching on those themes, you can get in touch with me privately and we can discuss how to fit your idea into the published material you don't have.
Last option is to set your stories with characters from the Rhine or Normandy. There is certainly plenty of potential there!
Is it essential for you to set the covenant on the border of three Tribunals? Could we just pick one of the Three tribunals and put the covenant somewhere in that Tribunal that's not on the border?
I actually like the shenanigans that can come from a tri-tribunal area. Forces wishing for us to choose and others preferring to keep us neutral or postpone it. Maybe we have a sworn oath to remain above tribunals - and a lot of our politicking and favors and stories have that as a subtheme.
personally I would prefer a made up alps, though making it up can be intensive...
I like the staid nature of the Alps, it is unlike any other tribunal - very archaic and not functioning too smoothly.
I would enjoy it being a combination of competing (and possibly equally valid/invalid) claims between the tribunals rather than like a literal line in the sand we live on.
Maybe something along the lines that the old magus who previously lived here was a resident of multiple tribunals, and now that he's gone, it isn't clear exactly where the site belongs?
The location of the covenant, including the fact that it is at the border of not just one but three Tribunals, is part of the initial setting. That is not negociable.
What is done with this, however, will be up mainly up to the troupe. You could decide that your covenant petitions to join one of those Tribunals. You could decide to try to straddle the line and play them against each other, all the while defending your resources from raiding.
If you join one of the Tribunals, you'll have to abide by the rules of that Tribunal. For the Rhine it means securing the approval of all the existing covenants. For Normandy, it means losing some of your vis sources to the seven-year competition. For the Greater Alps it means becoming a chapter house for one of the existing covenant (selecting which one and negociating the conditions), since no new covenant is allowed.
At a minimum, I will run an occasional Alpha story about it. It also provides plenty of opportunities for Beta-run stories.
I'd rather not spend a huge amount of efforts making up something when such material already exists...
Understood. That's what I was afraid of. On second thought, I will bow out of the game. There is too much setting material for me to rapidly absorb to be comfortable commiting as an associate storyteller in such a setup.
I understand your discomfort. I would just note that being an associate storyteller allows you to specialize in one type of stories, or stories about a certain area. So complete knowledge of all the setting material is not necessary.
In my vision of things, even someone who has never SGed could take part in this saga.
It seems like the further we get into this the less of a troupe play this actually is.
I wouldn't say it is less of troupe play, merely that Arthur has made a few decisions to base further discussions on.
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