Just a topic for dicussion: if you had to pick one favorite House, what would it be, and why?
My favorite House is Tytalus because I love the idea of a character who is always striving to push his own limits. I like an action-and-adventure style of play and a Tytalus magus fits right into that.
Tytalus. They're smart, good looking, and if you disagree they can kick your butt.
Chuck
Mercere. (Go figure...) I like them because they can be companions that play well with magi, and magi who feel unique (because there's so few of them). I feel like they can do anything they want to do with their magic, and I enjoy the way that they are humble around other magi, which prevents them from stealing the other players' thunder, yet among their own they are always admired and respected.
If I had to choose a House that I am not so intimately involved with, I would probably go with Bonisagus. They also have a lot of the things I like about Mercere, and are especially good at doing things in the lab, which I always enjoy. It's a very hard choice, though.
That is so hard! Ex Miscellanea always appealed, because one can choose a real world magical tradition, and try to play something similar. I play very little, being primarily a storyguide, but I would love to play a Redcap (Mercere) or Bonisagus. However, and based on every character I have ever played so far, it has to be...
House Jerbiton!
I have no idea why I always play Jerbiton, but I do. They range from the Church orientated, to the heretical scholar I played in the last saga I got to play, to my first ever Ars character who was a troubadour. Jerbiton remains my favourite house, and one which I have rarely seen played in any of my sagas, yet with rich promise...
Post the superb The Divine I am thinking of a Jerbiton Abbot of Crowland Abbey in the English Fens as a key character in my next game. It is just a shame that I get to play Ars Magica so rarely, though I get to run it lots! 
And a quick thank you to Erik for pointing me to the new forums!
cj x
Bonisagus for me. I guess the idea of studying hard and being part of a whole that values learning and cooperation within the Order just appeals to me a great deal. Not to mention being privy to some of the greatest learning that the world has ever known.
Still, despite that, Criamon (sp?) is also very appealing to me. My friends already say I am completely unintelligible, so it isn't too far of a stretch... 
You guys are insane ... this forum has been up for like an hour, and you've already got a dozen posts up! 
Michelle Nephew
Atlas Games
Hey Michelle, what's YOUR favorite House?
MERINITA!!!
Faerie blood for me, thank you very much.
I work in front of PC all day and have no life. Sigh
Chuck
w00t! Fae represent!
I also work in front of a computer all day. Luckily, I'm not alone in my love of Ars Magica, so I can distract myself from the work on occasion and geek out about the Houses and whatnot. Thanks for hosting this board, Atlas!
Ex Misc all the way!
Despite the varied advantages of the other Houses ,
the fun of playing a quirky member of Ex Misc has always appealed above all others.
The last game i got to play it was so much fun having the typical Ex Misc with the low 'Speak Latin' score.
"Yes , this is the language to you in which i am speaking"
said slowly and clearly with a bad Welsh accent (bordering somewhat on bad Swedish accent).
Two of us were Ex Misc , i was low in 'Speak Latin' , but ridiculously high in 'Scribe Latin'.
Plus i had Etiquette Skills (much to everyones surprise).
The other Ex Misc player had Strong Writer and various other Literary Merits.
We put our Educated Jerbiton to shame somewhat.
Lots of fun breaking the stereotype.
Can I vote "Don't Know Yet?"
In previous editions it felt to me as though the houses were all too stereotyped, to the point that I wanted to do away with them all. Or I would make characters who were "bad" at being members of their house... the timid Bjornaer who hated changing forms, the Bonisagus with poor Intelligence, the Tremere who had real problems with authority figures...
True Lineages broke those down so well, though, that I really started to feel like you could have almost any personality in a house and it would still work. So, I may have to way a few years until the other Houses of Hermes come out to decide.
Or I could just go Bonisagus. They kick ass. (Actually, after True Lineages I want to run a saga for a covnenat that's all Bonisagi with perhaps a Guernicus and Mercere in to keep them honest.)
Flambeau. They may not be good looking, or all that smart...But they'll still kick your butt...whether you agree with them or not.
All joking aside, My Flambeau Maga of the last 14 years walks a fine line between stereotypes. Not a psychotic fireball tosser, not a sinister mistress of perdo magics... She's just this maga, you know? She's published more than our Bonisagus, gets along better with the mundanes than our Jerbiton magi, and has to deal with the challenge the covenant's primus has set before her... Keep this place secure while I go and turn the Order on it's ear...
Steve
Verditius, Crimon and Mercere.
Great idea to change the forum!
Bjornaer, Bonisagus, Merinita worked best as characters for me so far.
I guess that is because these Houses provide strong backgrounds to which both my SGs and I could relate easily, thus providing lots of common ground for stories.
Kind regards,
Berengar
Bjornaer & Merinita all the way. Druidic shapechangers and faerie magi for the win.
I remember being smitten with those Houses from the first day I was introduced to Ars Magica.
I remeber being most drawn to the Tremere when I first read the House descriptions in 2nd edition (before the vampire debacle).
I've always enjoyed playing Bonisaig lab rats because I so love the lab rules.
Lately however I've twice chosen to play Guernicus so that I could use all of my years of ars geekery to pontificate about hermetic law and history without breaking character.
In my heart though I've got to go with Tytalus. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so I'll be waiting for your thank you letter to arrive any day now." (Especially for NPC's).
I have plenty of time to spend on this forum now I have just been sacked. 
Well made redundant without any redundancy pay!
I am amazed and impressed Tytalus are so popular. i always had a sneaky regard for them: I really look forward to seeing them dealt with in that House Book - is it HOH: Societas?
No other Jerbiton fans yet though!
cj x
I've always been torn between Criamon and Merinita.
I have a fascination with both mysical and faerie lore -- and my longest running characters were one from Column A and one from Column B!