Firstly, I find it extraordinary that Ars Magica continues to enjoy a reasonably busy forum even after several years of being out of publication.
Secondly, the game does need a new edition to garner more attention in the wider RPG community.
Thirdly, it really does need to look at streamlining its mechanics to meet modern trends of design, to ensure easy uptake and also to accentuate those innovations that are central to it’s premise (i.e the magic system and troupe-style play).
Fourthly, I think the game would benefit to being adaptable to more than just the high medieval era setting. Why not produce a series of games spanning the Order of Hermes from it’s inception through multiple eras, including the Renaissance, Enlightenment, Victorian and even modern day eras? Why not a kids version of the game that looks something like Harry Potter?
Fifthly, failing anything else, keep making available older editions of the game through PDF and POD.
The first edition of Ars Magica was written (in part) as a rebellion against the the-prevailing design trends in RPGs. And since I think the current design trends are ... bad, I can only hope that it will remain a rebellion against "modern trends of design" and stay true to itself.
Please allow me to recommend: Warehouse e23. The first edition core book isn't there I will admit, but otherwise the selection is pretty decent.
Fourthly, I think the game would benefit to being adaptable to more than just the high medieval era setting. Why not produce a series of games spanning the Order of Hermes from it’s inception through multiple eras, including the Renaissance, Enlightenment, Victorian and even modern day eras? Why not a kids version of the game that looks something like Harry Potter?
I'd love to see Ars Magica have multiple settings, though maybe not in the core book. Though I think 'young order' - House Diedne still around, maybe just post-Sundering Tremere, and maybe early Renaissance as magi struggle further with loss of auras but have more advanced magic.
Such setting books could allow the line to do something easily - give a strong outline for all the tribunals at once, that later books could expand upon but would give players a basis to work from. Having to buy and reference books from previous editions is a poor solution to this problem.
I already own a back catalogue of Ars Magica titles, but the point being raised is that older editions should be made available to print on demand, not just be available as PDF.
And I think dismissing all current trends as being blinkered. Ars Magica was a pioneer of ‘current trends’ when it was released - it wasn’t just being reactionary.
I thought «pioneer» implied that others came after.
They hardly did. I have yet to see anybody follow into troupe style, and even though some arrangements are made for long-term life and downtime in other games, nobody has made the complete system for the long-term learned development.
We regularly use troupe style play in Traveller. It works well for very large craft where you can have a command class, or possibly scientists, and then lots of low ranking grunts. Troupe style play has been used in a number of games for similar style campaign models. They may be using it in Modiphius' upcoming Dune game for example.
The Ars Magica magic system was notable for allowing players to make their own magical style along with spontaneous effects. Other game systems have adopted Verb and Noun systems directly - the most recent being the new edition of RuneQuest: Glorantha. Other game systems, like those of Mage: The Ascension, Unknown Armies and Nobilis have also developed their own magic systems, influenced by the original design of Ars Magica. It's not emphasised much these days, but Ars Magica was one of the first RPGs to make use of cards - "whimsy cards" - as narrative aids.
Ars Magica was self published, qualifying it as being a very early example of an "indie" RPG, and the "storytelling game" motif, backed up by things like Troupe Style play and seasonal-based, community (covenant) focused campaigns is very much in the mould of what we now refer to as 'narrativist'. The use of group affiliated Houses to build game world societies - "splats" - was also adopted in the design of WoD games and many other systems.
Yes, Ars Magica was a pioneer and a highly influential one at that.
Just because a company is not a mega-corporation doesn’t mean they are making independently published books with full authorial control, though. So, no, the entire RPG industry isn’t indie.
