My ancestry is Scottish -100%, on my mother's side, my dad's grandfather came from france, when they asked him at immigration what his name was he thought the asked him his job so he answered that (in French), and it became our family name. On my dad's mothers side we have traced our Genology through Scotland, Ireland, France and England and all the way to Charlemagne...
oh and my mother's family clan is McArthur, so I figure there is a connection to Arthurian legend as well, not that anyone would put that in a geneologyâŚ
As for preferred mythology, I personally have a preference for how Greco-Roman mythology connects to Sumerian/Babylonian mythology, as well as how that spins off into Semitic religions... but then again I like my interests complicated...
Thank you for being understanding.
My friend and I have been doing triage for tear gassed protesters and running supplies (water, granola bars, and masks) to protesters. Last weekend we were putting in 11hrs a day and making a real difference.
Right now in my city in the Police were ordered by the national guard to stand down. Since then there hasnât been any tear gas.
We still run supplies, but it doesnât occupy as much time any more since the movement is so large now we run out quickly.
The lgbtq community here has really pulled through raising money and getting donations for us to do the supply runs.
We have a sense of solidarity since the Stonewall riots all started with a black trans woman. That and our most vulnerable in our community are trans women of color.
And now for something completely different...
I seek advice and offer an invitation. I come to you guys directly and personally, because I have been gaming with you for a long time.
Anyways, for the first time in over a decade, I started running a live game. M20 (4th edition Mage the Ascension, by Onyx path). There is a tangential relation, since White Wolf had once owned both games, and they share the original version of the Order of Hermes.
This is not about that. I am just laying out background information. I started gaming with these guys last summer as a Sorcerers Crusade Mage. I want to eventually turn them on to Ars Magica, and I even got them a copt of ArM5 RAW for the library. But I am like, this is my once a week social thing. I wanna do something different.
Anyways, as a GM, I have gotten way overused to the style of PbP. Combat is rare because it can take a month to play out a five minute fight. I can liberally mix improvisation with complex plans. I can come up with a complex idea and sit on it for years until it becomes useful. I can Spontaneously say something, and take a day or more to come up with a rule and negotiate it. I am also used to the troupe style of play.
But most of all, I suck as a voice actor! In PbP, I can contemplate what a character says, rewrite it in a different "voice" after I figure out what they want to say, and I use colored text as a crutch. I feel that it has sharpened my writing skills. But I don't do well with voices or improv (unless focused on one character as a player).
I am thinking of using different hats or something.
You guys know my strengths and weaknesses oh so well. I have been using lots of handouts and such. That helps. My biggest weakness is facilitating the ability to distinguish between different NPCs.
Colored card with the character's face? Put it either in front of you, or slip in in a headband. Of some other prop that you can put in front of you so that the players see that character as you speak.
You can also, without changing your voice, vary your speed, pitch or volume. SPEAK LOUDLY IF YOU ARE THE DRAGON. Oorr slooowly forrr theee annnimmatedd ttreee. All with your normal voice.
Some character can just use different words, or have different speech habits. Like never really finishing their sentence.... Or always ending with a question? Or, you know, always using that same, you know, annoying expression in like, you know, every sentence.
Another thing you can do is borrow the speech pattern from people you know. Or characters in movies you like ("I am Inigo Montoya, prepare to die").
All with your normal voice. Don't try for an accent.
Just note the speech pattern on the character's sheet. "Speaks like Steve" "Laughs often" "Slight lisp"
You can also use hand gestures and body postures. "Stiff and proper" "Slouchy" "Agitated" "Never looks you in the eye"
Practice the character ahead of time, if he is a recurring one. Start with one per session. It will get more natural with time.
It doesn't have to be about the voice. If you can slip into the NPC character a question of mannerisms, speech, and other cues will indicate who you are at a given moment. Of course if you are lousy at all around acting and not just voice, then simply naming each person before they talk will work.
Oh, great! I love Mage, I'm jealous.
And it's a fun coincidence (^^), because, these past 2 months, I've been reading up again old Mage books 
My advice is: Keep it simple. A few ideas:
- Note the prevailing character trait for each character, just one, and keep that in mind when talking. an inquisitive character will ask a lot of questions, an angry one will either get angry or speak about things that anger him (see me above), you get the idea.
- Think of a character you know, and emulate him. For a noble warrior, you may think about either Thor or Captain America, for a socialite, you may think about Tony Stark... Each time you're in character, think about that character, like "What Would Cap Do?"
- Similar, think about a stereotype, like jock, cheerleader, drunk, nerd... and use it.
- Use a prop or a gesture. For example, a character that always tilts his head while listening, one who makes big hands gestures, another who has a cane...
I'd say don't be afraid to overdo it. At least, your NPCs will be easily recognised, and you'll get better in time.
Don't worry, and have fun. Half of live RPG sessions are cracking jokes and eating biscuits, anyway 
During the lay off/quarentine, I have been collecting Ars Magica and Mage books. Mostly on e-bay, some direct from Atlas or Drivethru RPG. I now have a copy of Am3, and I am waiting on a copy of ArM2! The orgiginal Order of Hermes, Triamore, Mistridge, and some ArM5 books too (TME, Apprentices, and new copies of the core RAW).
As for Mage, I have also been collecting both Ascension and Awakening material. Foe Awakening, I found one book that was co-authored by David Chart! With Ascension, I have found soooo many used books in great shape! I have 95% of the entire old run and just about everything from the new edition (M20).
Related to the subject of Ars Magica, this is what I noticed. The primary author ("Satyros" Phil Brucato) is obviously a huge Ars Magica fan. I love this guy's "in your face" prose style. But anyway, in several of the new edition books, he makes a direct reference to Ars Magica and speaks with reverence and praise. The core RAW mentions Ars Magica in discussing the history and evolution of Mage. The companion source book (Gods & Monsters) discusses Troupe Style play from Ars Magica and how to apply those ideas to a Mage game.
I must apologize for being so tuned out as of late. Watching my country on the brink of dissolution is a very stressful experience. I am not offering a political opinion here. I am expressing a genuine emotion. But it appears as if there may be hope and things might get better. Or at least return to a state of calm. I will try to get stuff done here this week.
Even from up north in Canada, it is stressful to watch our good neighbours tear themselves apart like that. I have many friends down in the US. But even here we have our own issues to resolve regarding discrimination.
Reacting to the political climate is good and healthy. I have nothing against that. It is only when we start naming and targeting individuals to blame that I feel things are going too far for our community's boards.
Ah, Ars Magica 2nd edition - the book that forever changed my rpg ways. It was the first of the ArM books I ever read, and it completely sold me on the concept, for both the setting and the general mechanics of the game.
I still pick it up now and then for nostalgic reasons. But I never actually played ArM until way into 4th ed.
I also have the Order of Hermes book, it has lots of good stuff. Much of the material was subsequently in Houses of Hermes and WIzard's Grimoire RE - two books I actually owned and read before finding the Order of Hermes book.
So, how is everybody? Covid and other challenges?
Here in Denmark, things are ok. The harsh terms of the lockdown ended a long time ago, now we just pay attention to distancing and hygiene. Schools were closed for a while, but opened up with new procedures. Samer for my work, but I could do alsmost the same from home as I do at the office. Very few Covid cases near me, none at work. Events and travel is opening up, and hopefully numbers won't climb too high. Summer vacation is close by, in a few weeks time I'm rolling with the family to the Netherlands, with a small trip to Belgium and a little bit into France. I'm only burning off 2 weeks now, saving the rest for later.
One of my ongoing rpg campaigns ran online for a while, but we're back in person now. The other, the Ars Magica saga, was struggling already before lockdown but we're back now, with a change in cast to a complete ArM noob. But over the next month things are bound to be quiet, because people are away or busy for summer holidays at different times.
I am well, as are members of my family. We remain very careful on how we go out, washing out hands and wearing a face mask whenever we go to a store or come near people outside our bubble. For my wife and I, that includes whenever we come near or hold our newest grandson, who will be 3 months old tomorrow.
We are also working remotely from home and are very glad that our work allow us to do so
Things have been slow as well on the rpg front. Both of my games are here on these boards, and the rate of posting is quite slow. But this is understandable, s everyone has a lot on their mind.
I am about to get political. Be warned.
It is a complete shit show in the United States. Cases are peaking at an all time high. Especially in regions devoted to the cult of Trump. The irony is that, since they believe him when he claims it is a hoax, they are the ones sustaining and spreading it.
The state I am in, Wisconsin, had it's highest case reporting yesterday. #2 was the 4th of July. #3 was the former peak, back at the end of May.
The riots have died down though. Which is a shame, because nothing really changed.
In positive news, my M20 game resumed. I had originally planned it as a short intro campaign, but they want to keep going. The most frustrating part is getting them to accept that this is a new edition. As I investigate more, I discover that the rules they are used to are just unwritten HRs that are not part of previous editions.
To add a touch to my political rant...
I suggest you all ask your governments to close borders with the US. We are not good for the rest of the world. We will keep perpetuating this virus until 45 gets taken out of office.
I also think the world should lay severe sanctions on the US because of the concentration camps. But that is another issue.
Keps safe! Stay away from Americans and the US.
Val DuBosque is the setting for Mistridge in Ars Magica 3. Mistridge had a book, but I am unsure if that covenant appeared anywhere else. It was mentioned in Faith & Flame, as having been destroyed in a manner similar to that as described in the related game Sorcerers Crusade. In Ars Magica it was the Rusticani. In Mage it was Craftmasons.
But anyway, the characters would recognize the name as that of a covenant destroyed in the early 13th century (you are in the mid 13th)
It's sad when the Daily Show suggests it would be to America's benefit to be invaded and it sounds like a solid option if we don't ditch Trump in November, and that's hoping we can hold on to November...
I have been making calls for the international community to seclude America, lay heavy sanctions, and more. If we do get invaded by liberators, I hope it is by the French or Germans. Not the British, who also seem to have gone crazy.
Denmark? Canada? Australia? I realize they don't really have the military power, but then again who knows what state our military will be in by that point...
Isn't Australia still on fire?