Magical Focus in Wards: Major or Minor?

[DIREWOLF75]

Personally I don't care as much about this. Ars Magica allows for exceedingly varied characters; any semblance of character balance is very tricky to achieve in such a diverse environment.

As long as players are making an informed choice about their characters, I don't mind what they do. Some choices are more potent than others, yes. This is hardly a new issue in RPGs of any kind. If the player honestly feels that their character just plain isn't working for them, the option to have that character exit the saga and a new one to enter is perfectly viable.

Totally agreed. Trying to enforce some sort of exact balance in AM simply isnt a good idea. Nor is it needed.

[MarioJPC]

Yes, the System is clear, because we have Minor Focus really powerfulls: Healing, Negromancy (Mentem) and Self-Transformation are really powerfull, but Minor. Ward only Protects and captures things, that is the Waard argument, never can make damage or heal it, but others Major Focus really make both.

[Tugdual]

@DIREWOLF75

Personally I don't care as much about this. Ars Magica allows for exceedingly varied characters; any semblance of character balance is very tricky to achieve in such a diverse environment.

As long as players are making an informed choice about their characters, I don't mind what they do. Some choices are more potent than others, yes. This is hardly a new issue in RPGs of any kind. If the player honestly feels that their character just plain isn't working for them, the option to have that character exit the saga and a new one to enter is perfectly viable.

Totally agreed. Trying to enforce some sort of exact balance in AM simply isnt a good idea. Nor is it needed.

I completely agree with this.

[Cuchulainshound]

Which is (in part?) why AM5 moved to Virtues and Flaws being simply either "major/minor" instead of AM4's system of quantifying them from +/-0 to +/-6 (or more?). The last system invited fine distinctions, the latest de-emphasizes such in favour of characterization and story potential (Thus the rules that mandate limits and variation in the types of virtues/flaws).