Introduction and a couple of questions

Games Discussion Ars Magica
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Hi folks,

I’m new here - I’ve been lurking since backing the Kickstarter (as backer #9 - yes, I was keen!). I’m a roleplaying grognard - started with original D&D way back in the mid-‘70s, and apart from a short hiatus while I read for my first degree (of three) in physics, I’ve been playing and GMing ever since. I’ve played too many games to list, but have mostly preferred fantasy to sci-fi. I have mostly preferred ‘crunchy’ to, er, ‘non-crunchy’ too (although with a tendency to ignore rules I don’t like, and to ‘house-rule’ other bits) - though in the past few years that’s changed a bit, and I’ve begun to see the attraction of, and enjoy playing, ‘low-crunch’ games where story is far more important than mechanics.

I’ve owned PDFs of ArM4 and 5 (thanks to Humble Bundle) for a while but, apart from reading some of the setting-specific stuff, hadn’t really engaged with it until quite recently. I think the premise of the game is brilliant - and very inspiring - I live in the north of England, and all sorts of ‘folklore-ish’ tales I know are crying out to be ‘used’ as the basis of ArM games.

I’m enjoying reading the ‘pre-publication’ version of DE - that’s inspiring me too. I’m also finding it well-written and an easy read - I wonder if that’s because it’s ‘plain’ text on a white background. I am autistic, and have some sensory issues, but had never thought that ‘full-colour’ in RPG books made them harder to read - but it seems that perhaps that is the case.

On the subject of autism - one little passage in the introduction to DE amused me:

“First, the available character types are not equal in power. Hermetic magi are more powerful than other possible player characters, far more powerful in many cases. Power does not necessarily correspond to how interesting a character is to play, and The Gift that allows magi to work magic also causes them problems in most social situations.”

That made me wonder whether, perhaps, magi are autistic? :joy:

A question: Is there ever likely to be a sourcebook devoted to the Stonehenge Tribunal? - Britain has such a rich history and folklore that it would seem a pity to ignore it… And I suspect that there are likely to be plenty of players and GMs here in the UK who would think the same?

Thanks for reading,
Phil

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There is a Stonehenge Tribunal book, from 4th edition, Heirs of Merlin.

As for 5ed? Maybe if someone were to write up such a book, it will be available.

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You're not the first to suggest such :wink:

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There is a fan-made supplement, Orphans of Merlin, which I believe the author is thinking of releasing as POD under the licence. But I don't know the details.

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Thanks guys!

I’ve just downloaded ‘Orphans of Merlin’, and will see about acquiring a copy of ‘Heirs of Merlin’ too.

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There's quite a bit of literature about " faerie changelings" being autistic children.

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I didn't know that, thanks!

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Neither did I!

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I think an awful lot of them would get categorized as "neurodivergent" in some way today. I suppose you could call the Gift an "extrasensory processing disorder." :slight_smile:

Speaking as a parent of neurodivergent children, they certainly are both gifted and magical! And sometimes problems in social situations, tbqh.

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Heirs to Merlin is the Stonehenge Tribunal book. Uniquely it is statistics free, which makes it edition agnostic.

In terms of gaps, Wales could do with more detail. So could Cornwall, officially.

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