I am looking to start a game 'Legacy of Rome' sometime towards the end of June. Obviously it will need players and Ideally one or two people willing to run stories, these stories need have no bearing on the central theme of the saga the Legacy of Rome.
The Covenant is one set up and supported by House Tremere with the intention of studying the Roman roots of the order and trying to discover what if anything the order has lost. So ideally at least one of the PC's would be from House Tremere. However to increase the range of skills and talents found within the covenant it will be open to all mages, this also allows the Tremere to show case how good for the order they are. It will be a spring covenant but a well resourced one having drawn upon the reserves of House Tremere.
Tribunal once I have potential players this will be a matter for discussion, it should be a Tribunal which had a Roman presence and one in which a new covenant would fit, this will at least partially depend on what stories other SG's will want to tell. Anywhere in the Mediterranean sea seems likely so the African coast, Iberia, Provence, Rome (Obviously), Thebes or the Levant. I am looking at a start date of around 1220 but if another date would fit better with the covenant location that would be fine. The actual site of the covenant will be amidst the ruins of a former Roman site.
I anticipate having 2 Elder magi NPC's at the covenant, a Bonisagius to lend credence to the research nature of the covenant and an Elder Tremere to manage it
For character preferences I would like characters with some interest in discovering either the lost history or lost lore of the Roman mages (Cult of Mercury maybe others) as that gives them a reason to join the covenant, other than that no real preference for house . House Tremere is an obvious fit as they are sponsoring the covenant so ideally at least 1 Tremere PC but that won't be critical
Some questions:
What kind of post rate do you expect?
How will you be handling dice rolls, etc?
What speed of saga are you anticipating?
I would not, however, be interested in SGing. I've got a fully fledged saga of my own I'm running at the moment, which absorbs the bulk of my Ars Magica SG-creativity. The remainder I reshape via Muto Geekery and channel into work.
I am still going to be accepting until we actually start and then I expect to get quite a few drop outs , it happens in every on line game.
Some questions:
What kind of post rate do you expect?
At least weekly, preferably more often if you are central to something. I will generally try to leave time for everyone to respond if they are involved in a situation. As an example I will tend to not reply as often on Wednesdays or Thursdays as I am usually out all day and will often not be able to post during the day as I am at work (today being an exception to both)
How will you be handling dice rolls, etc?
Where possible using an on line dice roller and posting the results and letting players make their own roles, however in some situations it will be better for the SG to make the dice rolls either for secrecy or speed such as when rolling perception checks at the begginning of a scene
What speed of saga are you anticipating?
Slower than expected , it will depend to some degree on the events I am not running but I would hope to have gaps of more than one season between most stories to allow character progression
What books will we be working from?
Are there any Mysteries or Supernatural Abilities you are cutting from the game or should be avoided? (e.g. "Minor Focus : Swords" applying to all enchantments instilled in a sword, as from Verditius Confraternity of Roland in HoH: MC; any of the Traditions of Ex Miscellania - like Hermetic Sihirs; Any of the Criamon Paths; Hermetic Theurgy from The Mysteries Revised)?
How many years past gauntlet should we make the characters? Do you have any specific instructions for character generation?
If nobody else steps forward to help with SGing, I'd be happy to help out.
Books
I have all of them. I would prefer not to have PC's designed as magical creatures or Faeries but that open to discussion.
I would interpret Minor magical focus swords as effecting all abilities enchanted into a sword, so if there is something with a dubious interpretation run it past me and the other interested players to get opinions.
I cannot think of any hermetic thing I would ban, I have a personal prejudice against Tytalus magi but once I am convinced the character is not just an A****** I would allow it. Some of the more esoteric Merinita and Criamon magi I would have trouble working out their motivations for joining the covenant but if someone can give me a good one I'll allow them.
Ancient magic, Rival Magic and Hedge Magic look unlikely to be suitable for PC's as I am looking for Hermetic magi
Years past gauntlet I am happy to allow characters to be some years past gauntlet but I'll put it to a vote of those interested, the same as discussion of location of covenant. The only character design restriction I can think of is must have some interest in studying the Roman past of the Order of Hermes
That sounds fine
What kind of post rate do you expect?
At least weekly, preferably more often if you are central to something. I will generally try to leave time for everyone to respond if they are involved in a situation. As an example I will tend to not reply as often on Wednesdays or Thursdays as I am usually out all day.
Also I have sent an email requesting a forum be set up so I can start looking at Covenant and character design.
I would hope to start Mid To Late June as , I will be on holiday from the end of May until Mid June and would not really be able to post reliably then as I will be in Hotels in America without most of my books
For me, Criamon Path of Seeming - fascinated by ghosts and spirits (Minor Focus in the former or Major in the later, still to decide.)
They are "eternal" and "immortal", these beings, you see but caught as well in the eternal cycle. As are we all. But how do they experience it? How does this illusion of eternity change the seeming of the world and the truth of eternity? Are such beings agents of Harmony or Chaos?
To delve into the mysteries of Ancient Rome? They communed with these spirits, these "gods" and "heroes" - oh yes - and who knows what they learned, or what lingers still. To be held to hold eternity in glory - and then perhaps eternity in isolated defeat... what do they see, these priests and Gods and spirits and ghosts? What did they learn?
And in all that time, did any of them find a way out?
One who venerates not only her predecessors, but also the ROman Gods (Pagan...). Thought of her as a Vestal Priestess which would be a major problem in a house which expects gifted magi to procreate vigorously - the Vestal priestesses were virgins until the age of 35 and then they were allowed to have children.
This probably means she would have to remain a virgin until she is like 75-80 to accomodate for a maga's prolonged life...am thinking of giving her Unaging, so she might still have a possibility at that point for conceiving - which also keeps the conflict with her house rife...
What guidelines are there for character generation? Years post gauntlet? Using the RAW 30 xp annually? Learn spells as lab activity from lab texts? Presume lab texts exist and are available to characters for which spells?
I've seen this go all over the place on games, so a little guidance would be helpful!
Are you still taking on players? I would be interested. I attempted something similar for a table-top saga that didn't get past the early realization that Ars is a different kind of game. You can see my Tremere funded covenant in a Roman Fortlet in Scotland at
In that saga, the Roman fort had many Roman secrets, but the aura and not the secrets was the reason for the covenant site. The use of a Roman site also reinforced the foreigness of the Roman houses that inhabited the covenant compared with the non-Roman Tribunal. it is fun that Rome can mean so many things in the minds of the characters.
As I mentioned above, I would like to contribute a magus. House and BG would be dependent on the final setting determination.
Do you still have room for another player, or is your table full?
I've been playing PbP on these forums for a couple of years now. I currently play in two sagas (Shores of Albion and In the Ruins of Bibracte) and run a third (Canaries Are Dying), in addition to having played in two retired games (Mystikae Eikona and Phoenix: Rise From the Ashes).
I've looked over the forums for this saga, and it does look very interesting. I have a couple of ideas for my magus and a companion character, and a couple of ideas for a patron spirit for the covenant. I also have The Sundered Eagle, although it's been a while since I've looked through it.
, it will depend to some degree on the events I am not running but I would hope to have gaps of more than one season between most stories to allow character progression