Campaign Title: Roof of the World
Game System: Ars Magica, 5th Edition
Players Wanted: 2-6
Deadline: Play starts when I have enough interest. Within one month if possible, although the holidays can delay Play-by-Post games significantly, so I will be flexible.
Posting Rate: 2-5 times per week.
Combat: Cinematic, with multiple rounds going off per post by the SG and PCs outlining general strategies for upcoming rounds in their own posts. If the situation demands more control we may occasionally go round-by-round.
Dice: If you want you may roll your own and just state the results. If you don’t (or don’t say anything), I will roll.
Advancement Rules: As written. Players will start up to eight years post-Gauntlet, and advancement will be relatively fast during play.
Special Rules: Anything and everything published for 5th Edition.
Absences: Please inform the troupe beforehand if you intend to be absent for more than a few days.
Formatting Expectations: Basically, whatever makes you comfortable. I will make relatively little use of colors for differentiating dialogue, OOC, languages, etc, but you are free to do whatever you like.
Style: This will be an action packed, character focused game with space for all kinds of stories. Expect suspense, intrigue, combat, mystery, humor, exploration, character development, and more. The framework of the saga will have a longer in-game timeline, and advancement will be generous. The nature of the scenario will, I think, produce a more "high fantasy" feel that I personally enjoy, although I will accommodate all interests.
Description: Located in the rugged, autonomous Aosta Valley, at the intersection of the Greater Alps, Rome, and Provençal, the Covenant of the White Lady is sedate, beautiful, and silent as the mountain on which she rests. Her history is proud and bloody, and many a cold, white tower now lies desolate and crumbling, its occupant fallen to time or the heat of passion. The current magi are ancient now. They bicker constantly among themselves and other covenants, maneuvering carefully around the strict rules of the tribunal. Several younger magi are rising, inheritors intended to be pawns in a great game, but one that they can win if they are strong enough. They will come into their power, but they must survive the intrigue, enemies and mystery they will face. Can they succeed where others have failed? Can they dance with the White Lady?
Can I play a Flambeau magus?
I'll sign up...as long as there are no Flamebeau 
Can ya'll deal with a newbie coming on board?
Yes!
You’ll just have to certamen then. 
Absolutely! New players are always welcome.
(ouch!) 
I have just had my online gaming schedule open up a bit - I might toss my hat in the ring if that's acceptable...
That's a wide variance, and that pace is one of the make/break factors for many players - myself, at least. Too slow, too fast, and it just doesn't fly imo. It's like a "weekly" game session - a player that doesn't show up on time slows everyone else down, ~if~ they're all up for it as scheduled. Otoh, if everyone is flexible, then "late" is only a problem for those who twitch about it - unfair the other way to complain or expect perfect timeliness.
What is the GM's expected posting/reply rate, that will determine the rate the game will progress? (Be realistic - the GM's preferred rate is the one that should dictate the pace, not the other way around.)
If the above turns out acceptable to all parties, I might like to explore an ice mage - we can talk about that if and when.
I'm ribbing Marko. We are in another game together.
Sounds like fun to me.
A Flambeau and an Ice Mage, huh? Sounds like we got the elements covered.
Not familiar with this region of Europe. What's the predominant language at this point in history?
If it’s your taste, welcome.
I can understand your concern. My expected posting rate is as advertised – two to five a week. There will be some weeks where it’s slow (1-2 in a week), and that’s just the way things go. Hopefully not too many, and if I see them coming I’ll try to warn you in advance, but they will be there. On average, I hope to keep to 3-4 a week, but this should be considered more of a monthly average than a contractual obligation.
Great!
From the sources I've seen, it's not entirely clear. I suspect each side valley had its own dialect, or nearly. My plan so far is to chicken out and say "Italian (Franco-Provencal)", but we're in the northwestern side of the valley, so Langue D'Oc and Rhaetian should be common as well.
Also, to any lurkers or other interested parties: I've had another interested player contact me privately as well, which means one more (ish) is about all I can handle.
That "another interested player" is checking in - I'll be playing a noncombatant old ex misc witch.
I ran a saga here (immediately adjacent to the Aosta valley, in fact!), and ran in another, and Falls is right - it's unclear.
Not that no one knows, but it varies. There is no one "ancient local" tongue. The Romans built a road over the St. Bernard Pass over 1000 years before our time period, and since then (and before!), the eastern French, southern German and northern Italian cultures (and their sub-dialencts!) have all migrated up the slopes and tended to clump together, and some of the terrain makes even short travel an effort between adjacent valleys, so if you are not on the actual pass road (and even then), "local dialects" are the rule, not the exception. It's a salad bowl rather than a melting pot.
Unless we want to ignore all that, there is no one language that can cover the general area. Our covenant would interact and learn one of them (whichever is in our valley), and in each burg and hamlet there would be a translator or three who is more traveled and "worldly wise". Or the local priest, who can speak latin, and hopefully the local as well (tho' that last is never guaranteed.)
"The Aosta Valley is like an island surrounded by Europe’s highest mountain massifs and by prestigious "fourthousanders*" like the Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Gran Paradiso, Monte Rosa and Grand Combin..."
(* 4000m or more, peaks over 13,000'.)
(CG image of typical Aosta terrain: jwstephens.com/google-earth-sirio.JPG)
It does make for some interesting challenges, but actually none that are not, "realistically", found almost everywhere in Europe at this time. We can also ignore awkward realism and just label our area "Northern Italian dialect" and call it good - that works too.
Nice pictures!
This option. You may well need a translator on longer journeys, but only if it makes for a more interesting story.
cool, I am in then. I have some interesting ideas.
Thanks Hound. I got to get to Switzerland some day.
I've got a Criamon concept I'm working out. What's the next step then?
Neat, I like House Criamon a lot. As for what to do next, a forum request has been submitted. As soon as that’s up we’ll move over there.
If you want to kick concepts and things around in here, feel free. Otherwise, hang tight until we get our forum up.
Awesome. 
Make sure Michelle Nephew knows your preference re players "editing" their own posts. It's not the default mode, and it's up to the game owner to request otherwise.
As for specific concepts and details of CharGen, it would help to know what you have in mind for the Saga. The Alpine Tribunal is one of ice and politics, but, being central to the geography, almost any other Tribunal challenge can become our own.
"Intrigue, enemies and mystery" - leaves a lot of ground to cover. Any preference on which we, as a saga, might focus on? (Any individual can focus on one or another, but in my experience a saga will ~tend~ to move in one direction more than another.)
I'm either going Guernicus or spell casting Mercere. I'll decide after I reread them again.
Sounds good to me.
Yes, exactly. The new forum is up, so I’ll put my reply over there.
Is there any space open in this campaign? I am hoping to try play by post so that I can get a better feel for the game. Admittedly I have little experience with the game but would try to contribute to the overall character (pun intended) of the saga.
Angado, wizard of Cymril of the Seven Kingdoms 