Hermetica: a solo saga engine for Ars Magica 5th Edition. Worth pursuing?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
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HERMETICA_Presentation_EN.pdf (150.2 KB)

Hi all,

I've been working on Hermetica, a fan-made engine for playing a full Ars Magica saga on your own: one magus, their companions, turb and covenant, over years of game time. It replaces the storyguide and the troupe, not the rules. Magic, lab work and combat stay as the book has them.

It is fully analog (dice, a 54-card deck, tables, a notebook) and plays at two scales: the Season, resolved from afar in one roll, and the Story, played up close, scene by scene. Meanwhile five Powers and four Realms pursue their own ends, whether you act or not.

The attached two-page overview covers the idea and the main mechanics. A 188-page booklet exists (in French for now), but it has barely been played, so before going further I'd like to hear from you:

  • Would you play Ars Magica solo?
  • What appeals to you here, and what puts you off?
  • What would you expect from a solo engine that you don't see?

One line is plenty, and criticism is welcome. If you'd like to read the booklet or playtest a year of a saga, just say so.

For transparency: the booklet was written and laid out with AI assistance, from my own prototype and design choices.

Thanks!
CĂ©dric

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I have more magi concepts than I could ever hope to run campaigns. So I'd appreciate a good saga engine for solo play.

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So do I. Thanks a lot.

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Yes, I think this is a great idea! I'm a new Storyguide and just started running a game a few months ago. I love it, but I don't have a great sense yet of how a long-term game might develop at the time-scale that Ars likes, so a solo game might be just the way to see how that goes. Plus I could see myself using it as a story idea incubator for the game I'm actually running. I'd pay for a professional version with physical cards and all that if it came to it, but I'd also be happy to use my own and have a pdf if that's how it needs to come out. I love the Mask as a oracle tool, BTW. At least for me, it would need to be in English.

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Normally I'd say "yes", but having seen the AI disclosure (having already smelt the taint), this project will end up straight in the oubliette on DriveThru, and be outright banned by other platforms. If you want a financial return, you will need to do it without AI.

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Thanks—I appreciate the feedback and have taken note.

The solo saga engine I have in mind is a complete, sandbox-style analog simulation of Mythic Europe designed for solo play. This approach would satisfy a real need for me and many other soloists who love pen-and-paper exploration and deep simulation away from screens.

I am not an experienced Ars Magica player yet, and I am still absorbing the rules and lore. But as a tabletop gamer who has grown older (47) and no longer plays with a troupe, I miss TTRPGs—and more importantly, I want a robust way to play on my own.

The concept originally occurred to me several years ago as a video game. However, with the release of the Open Game License, I realized I could use the existing framework rather than reinventing the wheel.

My mindset is far more analytical and systems-driven than traditionally narrative or literary. In short, I love planning, testing, and experimenting. That is why my focus is primarily on game design and mechanics rather than writing lore.

I also enjoy experimenting with AI. It helps me brainstorm ideas, learn new workflows, and test the feasibility of different concepts. It has been a fantastic tool, though I am fully aware that it still demands careful reading, curation, and critical thinking to evaluate the output properly.

The 188-page draft I’ve generated gives me a strong foundation for building the core engine. Now, I need to review it thoroughly and extract the best concepts and mechanics. My roadmap will roll out in several phases:

  1. Build an initial minimum viable ruleset (MVR): Produce a concise synthesis in both French and English to share with the community for feedback and playtesting.

  2. Deepen the integration: Add mechanics tailored to Ars Magica lore and align the system with the full ruleset of the Definitive Edition.

  3. Refine presentation and visual design: Polish the prose and collaborate on artwork (an area where I will definitely seek community help).

  4. Publish: Depending on community involvement and demand, release it either as a free resource or as an affordable digital product.

  5. Play: Enjoy running my own sagas for years to come.

Stay tuned. Realistically, this will take a year or two of work, but I hope to eventually share a complete, fully functioning toolkit that other soloists can enjoy.

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... I suspect this is true for many of us here...

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While I have no answer in particular to your questions, and I see you've already looked at my own rudimentary rules - I'm interested to see what you've come up with.

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Hi. I ll be super interested in reading what you have, english and / or french, and test drive it.

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Thanks! I'll try to post an English synthesis of the game design document for you to explore what has be done. At most at then end of October.

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I am testing Solo Engine this week!
After testing the Solo Engine, I am sharing my experience here.

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Very interested in this thank you for developing