This is truly great news and I am looking forward to this immensely now.
There are just a couple of things I’d request to happen in the new book.
Firstly, I’d like some simpler alternatives to point spend character generation. Include a short random system and, especially, just include some customisable pre-generated characters (like they did in 3rd edition). I would just like the entree-point for new players made easier.
Secondly, for similar reasons, I’d like it made clear that you could transfer the OoH concept to any era or setting and that Mythic Earth is the default but not a requirement. This could be handled with just a paragraph - but against moves against the direction of new players thinking they need a lot of research to play the game.
I don't know what Rory had in mind, but personally, the only pregen PCs I have found useful are the ones from the jumpstart kits, for 3ed that is Return of the Stormrider; for 5ed there has been none. The pregens and templates from the core rules lack context and that makes them bland and boring.
I am aware of those paragraphs but there is still an impression amongst the casual audiences that this is not the case. It really needs to be figuratively underlined in this new edition - possibly by bringing the statement into the opening introduction of the book.
Well, what I had in mind was the approach that Ars Magica 3rd edition had which was to have half page templates of pre-generated characters, with pictures. It was simple to just grab a character and play without having to work through prolonged character generation process first - important for new players.
It also gave a very good outline of the types of character you could play (especially for the Mages and Houses) while the collective visual representation was similar to the approach used with Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Careers - that being that it conveyed a sense of what the society was like.
The other pre-generated characters I found useful were in The Medieval Tapestry, which was a book of NPCs for AM 4th edition - but I found useful for providing quick characters to players too.
The other option in character generation is a more randomised system - possibly with some sort of life path generation but this takes up quite a bit of space. Either way, I do feel that we need something more accessible than just the full points spend system that currently exists. I’ve known several players that have given up on the game - despite initial interest - simply because they got bogged down in character generation.
I feel the same way, they do not tickle my fancy at all. I realise that make a full inset for each would be taking a lot of space that could be used for something else, but still.
Additional downloadable PDFs serve a different purpose. The Pre-gens in the core rules need to be customisable archetypes rather than named characters. They should be tools designed for new players to pick up and play with them as if they are their own characters, not examples of characters that other people have previously designed. Important distinction.
Also, the use of illustrative art for each character archetype/template (which they had in 3rd edition) helps them feel less abstract and more interesting.
I’m not suggesting we keep every rule from 3rd edition. I am suggesting that the use of customisable archetypes fixes a problem in the current game identified by many gamers - that the current character generation process is too complex and time consuming.
That was 4th edition.
In the 3rd edition, houses were largely cosmetic, in the sense that they interacted very little with the rules.
The main exceptions were the ones we now know as Mystery Cults.
Well, yes and no. There are currently suggestions for how you could customise but only loose mechanisms for doing so. It is quite a leap from using them towards using the full points build method without any half-way house.
Firstly, I think they should each get a bit of illustrative art and more space - at least half a page as in 3rd edition, but preferably even a whole page with a big picture. Rather than set stats, they could give a choice of three different distributions, and the suggestions for Virtues/Flaws with choices to make (eg choose 3 from 6 listed). The skills should include some automatic entrees and then distribute so many points under these categories.
It is just a light touch where the template provides the basic character details but just having a clear choice on key aspects make the players feel it is still their creation. You still get one archetypal entree for House Jerbiton, but you make enough choices from the template to feel it's your own. It’s the sort of thing used in games like Apocalypse World, but also things like the old Star Wars RPG or Feng Shui.
I've moved this to a new thread, because it is a slightly different topic.
ArM5D is a definitive compilation of the Fifth Edition Rules. If you thought the original Virtues and Flaws chapter was intimidating… By file size, the new one is more than three times the length.
There is no way to create a core book that is a comprehensive reference for established players and an easy introduction for newbies, at the same time. An easy introduction for newbies must not contain too much information, and must be organised to take people through learning what to do. A comprehensive reference must contain all the information, and be organised for ease of reference. These are contradictory requirements.
So.
Ars Magica needs a Starter Set. Absolutely. That is a different project from ArM5D, however.
In this sense, it would be interesting to see how much the ArM5 corebook can be "pruned", and still offer enough of the ArM5 experience that a troupe new to the game can have fun creating a saga of their own.
Of course, help in the form of pregenerated characters, stories, etc. would be needed too. But I think figuring out how to "prune" would be the hardest part. ArM5 is inherently a complex game (unless, say, one wants to remove the Order of Hermes in its entirety, in which case it makes for a wonderful light-weight game), and the corebook does already a very good job at being self-contained without being too big.
