Campaign Title: Burnt by the Sun
System: Ars Magica 5th Edition
Players Wanted: 4-6. I'm particularly interested in both inexperienced players and GMs looking for a break as a player.
Campaign Description: A group of young magi are offered a chance to settle on the North African coast. Ancient Roman ruins, competing mundane powers, exotic mystic traditions and the ungoverned frontier of the Order of Hermes are the order of the day. Think Deadwood meets Kingdom of Heaven meets the DaVinci project. I’ll be shooting for a rhythm where role playing and story advancement set up opportunities for multi-season character development.
Posting Rate: Minimum of 3 times per week. I will post every other day or so, and will use my posts to keep things going.
Combat Rules: As per ArM5 Core rules, but resolved by the GM (i.e., me). If combat emerges, I’ll expect that you will post what your character is attempting to do. Once the relevant actors have posted, I will resolve combat outcomes, and post an overall narrative. If it is necessary to continue combat, we’ll repeat the process. During combat, I’ll expect a higher post rate in order to ensure things don’t bog down, so expect to post daily.
Dice-Rolling Rules: I’ll handle the bulk of it, but for key rolls that should be public (say a critical experimentation role on your pet project), we can use Invisible Castle.
Advancement Rules: As per ArM5 Core rules. I’ll be using the core rulebook and the lab improvement options in Covenants as written. I’m hoping to establish a back and forth rhythm between active role playing and multi-season advancement. Anything outside the core rulebook (special House-specific rules, Mysteries, etc.) may be included, but will be subject to approval by me.
Special Rules: Not so much special rules, but some gaming conventions gleaned from here, and past experience.
-
Expect to post. The game dies if people don’t. If you’ve not posted in a couple of days, I will move things along, and your character will either do something consistent with past action / interest or fade into the background.
-
Active / Proactive posting. If I have to prod players, the game dies. If players spend months on a single conversation, the game dies. If things don’t move along, the game dies. As GM, my primary goal will be keeping things moving. To this end, I’ll need people to be thorough when they post. What does your character want? What are they trying to achieve? What are they going to do? Dialogue in character is a plus, but avoid one-line posts like the plague.
-
Hidden agendas. These are entirely within the spirit of the game. If there is something your character wants to achieve, and you can’t post about it openly, pm me and I’ll take it into account when resolving discussions / combat, actions etc.
-
The story is where the action is. At the beginning of the game, the Magi are newly gauntleted, and off to seek their fortune. The understanding is that the group will be willing to act together. If for some reason you do not want your magi participating in a course of action the group undertakes, I’ll expect you to be willing to post as a grog for the duration of the action period.
-
To facilitate this kind of movement, I’ll ask people, in addition to developing a character, to develop a background that tells:
a) where the PC is from, and who they are
b) what motivates them as a magi
c) what the character wants for themselves
d) what the character wants for the Order / covenant
e) why the character is motivated to move to the coast of North Africa
f) as a player, what kind of character you want and what kind of game you find enjoyable (intrigue, treasure hunt, blow stuff up, lab shenanigans, etc.).
Deadline: All potential magi should be pmed to me no later than Tuesday Oct 14 (after the Thanksgiving weekend here). If you are interested, post a reply to this thread, and pm me with your character not later than the 14th. If you've got any questions about character building, post them here. If you've got questions not fit for public consumption, pm them to me. If I get more than six submissions, I’ll pick the six I think will work best for the game I have in mind, and keep the rest on as alternates if someone pulls out.
FMB
