Creating a character at gauntlet has the advantage that the rules are very clear.
It has the disadvantage of robbing characters of the chance of adding some personal flair. Even 5 years post gauntlet give a character the chance to create one or two items, two bind a familiar and/or create a talisman, deepen those ablities that are normally quite unpayable at gauntlet (like Code of Hermes 4 or so for a Quaesitor). Add a few signature spells and you get much more diverse results.
The problem of course is if you allow 5 years pg (or 20, or whatever), many characters start min-maxing and calculating, so at 5pg they have no half-finished business.
This is the idea:
This could be countered by making the players clearly state what they do in the last 10 seasons and then roll a d10 to decide how many of those 10 seasons are still in the future. This means characters who are drawn into adventures have half-finished projects back home, which create additional story hooks (and very realistically draw magi back to their labs).
It's an interesting idea and, on the whole, I like it. However, the random element does introduce a danger... a player who rolls a 1 might feel "cheated" and a player who rolls a 10 doesn't have those unfinished projects and lingering hooks that from a big part of the idea's appeal. This might be countered by having the storyguide make (and adjust as needed) one roll for the entire group... putting everyone on an even footing.
Alternatively, you could just "rush through" the first few seasons of the saga... have an uneventful year or two or five go by before the real stories start. That gives everyone a chance to settle into some projects and lab work, which are then interrupted by Events.
I know we're all huge fans of the d10 in this game, but 3d4 seems like the roll to go for here. Range of 3-12 seasons (the last three years PG), with a statistical average of 8. Or for more variance, 2d6. Alternately, you could stick with d10s and say "the difference between 2 d10s." Eg, subtract the lower value from the higher to determine how many seasons of work is done.
Nice idea. We are not actually huge fans of the D10 system, since we play Ars with D6 but the general idea is something I find really interesting.
2D6 or 3D4 for everyone sounds fine. Or you could determine the result less randomly and say "6 seasons", or "10 seasons" or whatwever your troupe fancies.
The main issue when doing this is not lab activities (where you generally assume a +0 lab bonus and a +3 aura) but what are the books available and the teachers available. You basically have to determine the quality and type of advancement that you will allow your players. Some magi might want to study MT or single weapon, after all.
But the basic idea is great. I agree with that. We have used a variant, having a 14-year apprenticeship and a 1 year "graduation project" where the magus had to do lab stuff (no MT study, thank you very much) in a +0 lab in a +3 aura and could bing a familiar, create an item (mandatory for verditius) or invent a couple of spells (invent, not study) on his own. It has worked OK so far. The addition is cool, without being really overpowering. It generally means that people end up with a talisman or familiar as the game starts, something they appreciate.
I agree that a d10 is not the best of all dice, and that rolling once for all characters is fairer.
I also like Xavi's year of Gauntlet concept: It doesn't create a sense of unfinished business waiting in the lab, but it offers a chance to elegantly "flavor" a character.
but the general idea is something I find really interesting.