Next Ars supplements?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
21

I'm sure this belongs to another thread, but should every Tremere have minor magical focus in certamen (personally, as a Storyguide, I think certamen is cool, but it's almost never used in our campaign).

Back to the point, I'd love to see a Transylvanian Tribunal book, although Thebes would be much more interesting to me. What about all the background with the gods, Troy, Sparta.. oh my. :slight_smile:

But then again, all new Ars Magica books are interesting, and I'll keep buying as long as Atlas keeps releasing. :slight_smile:

Eirik

22

Then, obviously, you don't have nearly enough Tremere in your campaign. :smiley: (We've had Certamen once, between NPCs).

23

The most recent Certamen to happen in our saga, The Flambeau PC defeated the Tytalus NPC, while the Tremere stood and watched. In fact, since he didn't trust that his Flambeau ally could win, he was trying to get the Barcelona magi to rule that they would only allow himself to lead the expedition (Barcelona has a Portal to Val-Negra).

You would think that the Tremere would A) take on the duel himself, B) support whatever results that Certamen may bring, and C) not try to get the Certamen overruled.

To be fair though, they were in the Dominion aura of the city and he has the Flaw of Susceptibility to the Divine.

But anyway, having run a few Certamen duels, the 5th edition rules are a vast improvement over earlier rules.

Back on topic. I would like to see a combined Transylvania/Thebes Tribunal book. There is an intertwind history there, could make for a cohesive sourcebook, and allow you to write about more than just House Tremere.

If I have a vote though, I would place my sigil and those that I control (I have three) in favor of a 5th edition Wizard's Grimoire. A WGRRE!

24

Somehow, I don't understand what looks SO promising in re-editing the Wizard's Grimoire for 5th edition. The way I look at it,

Chapters:
Intro
2: Missives
3: Hermetic Law and politics
4: The Life of a Magus

Those are background flavor texts... The 4th edition stuff hasn't changed.

5: Magus Archetypes
Finally we have some game stats... But frankly, one can take the good ideas presented there and make their own choice of virtues and flaws in 5th Ed to build your own ideal mage.

6: Characters
7: Laboratory personalization
8: Discoveries

As far as I know, the better ideas from those chapters were implemented in the 5th ed core rules or expanded in the HOH:*** line.

  1. Magic Items
    OK, I admit that example magic items, statted for 5th ed, would be of some interest.

  2. Books and Manuscripts
    Like 6-8, the most interesting stuff is already implemented in 5th ed. The rest is flavor/background.

  3. Faerie Magic
    If that couldn't be adequately covered in ROP: Faerie... Well then we would have a major problem.

  4. Spells
    OK, as with magic items this fount of spell ideas could be updated to 5th edition...

For me, the WGRE was kind of "ArM edition 4.5" that filled in lots of holes in 4th ed that are now fixed in 5th. One doesn't re-edit a major book just for a few magical items and spells... So where does all the enthusiasm come from? I am open-minded, but puzzled.

Give me new original material before re-editing old stuff with only stats updates... Or would your definition of a WGRRE include much novel chapter ideas?

25

David Chart circulated an Open Call for example magi, so this will have an entire book devoted to it.

I doubt this alone warrants a book, but Atlas has put out similar things in the past. Rather than fully written up characters, I'd prefer a section of a book like the on in ArM5 with stock characters with little background to be used as filler. The problem, of course, is that the ArM5 examples cover 90% of things you'll ever need in a saga.

Didn't Covenants already cover this in sufficient detail?

HoH: True Lineages, HoH: Societates, Ancient Magic, Hedge Magic RE, all have ideas for potential discoveries in them. I think everything in Mysteries is also a potential Hermetic discovery waiting to happen. How many more of these do we need?

Again, there should be a fair number of these in the Open Call magi book.

There is a lot on this in Covenants already.

Quite right.

Again, the Open Call will give you a bunch of these.

I don't know what would be in WGRRE. People have complained enough about rules creep that introducing a bunch of alternate rules for magi would likely be unpopular. Contrariwise, I doubt people are going to drop $30 on a book that's nothing more than a compilation of previously published material.

What do you want to see in this book, Markoko?

26

No, that isn't what I mean at all. A new Wizard's Grimoire would be a discussion on Hermetic magic. Maybe collect the new guidelines that have evolved through the supplaments, clarify other guidelines &/or come up with some new ones; rulings for ticky situations; a discussion on Wards!!!; a section on expanded spell mastery; more spells & enchantments; and much much more!

27

Yes I have seen that Certamen is both stranger and cooler than previously suspected, but why would you have a benfit for a combat team ?
I understood the breaktrhough is still to be achieved, or did I miss something ?

Xavier

28

My Saga's currently set in Georgia and partly Trebizond, just prior to the Mongol invasion when Lasha Giorgi is preparing to launch a massive campaign into the Holy Land. So, of course, I'd love to see a book on this region. Perhaps include some material on the coming Mongols and their Tengrist beliefs.

29

Just discovered this thread...

Mythic Europe/ Mythic Regions -- something that gives the history of mythic europe (or a particular locale(s), such as Mythic Athens/Constantinople, Mythic Rome, Mythic Glastonbury. A seemless mix of history and legend, with side-bars containing information on how to add more history or more legend. Also information on society and culture in Mythic Europe and how to reconcile this mundane society with present, real and active supernatural thingies.

The Cathar Crusade -- an Ars Magica treatment of the Albigensian Crusade, complete with an answer to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, gnostic miracles, the severed head of John the Baptist, heretical gospels, links to the Manichees and Bogomils, powerful popes and lots of chivalry, a sample saga, a thorough detailing of the south of France, the magi and mundanes who live there, the rise of the Domincans and the Inquisition etc. Note: I don't want a "meta plot", but rather meaty background info on this area and historical period, with a timeline and examples of the historical development of the Albigensian Crusade.

The Fifth Crusade -- a mythic treatment of the Fifth Crusade, allowing for Flambeau and other Hermetic crusaders to go toe-to-toe with sahirs and other Muslim wizards, as well as bishops and emirs with holy powers, and the great lords of Europe and Egypt. Loads of soldiers, sieges, espionage, conflict, dissent and more.

The Wizard's Grimoir Revised -- A compendium of spells, magic devices, lab activities, virtues/flaws, familiars, magi stats, relics from the Schism War, and a single location for all of the extra spell guidelines, mastery abilities, ranges/durations/targets, etc. Aimed at players.

30

Makes you wonder if there's scope for a Mongol book?

As a physical threat they're going to completely disrupt the Novgorod, Translyvanian and Levant Tribunals as well as having a significant impact on Thebes.

As a supernatural threat they could well be the hordes of Lucifer or the Scourge of God, and the invasions must include enough magical/shamanic/divine/infernal firepower to counter any magical resistance.

And as a force for cultural change they open up the land routes to India and China, stablilising the Great Silk Road and opening up all sorts of interesting opportunities for Hermetic Wizards to interact with Chinese and/or Indian sorcerors.

We live in interesting times

31

Mongols alone, I'd doubt it.

But for "the Orient", there would be plenty rich enough for a book. From the Mongols to the Spice Road to India and deep into the lands of the Infidel, and beyond to Cathay (is that the appropriate term?)

(Maybe toss a chapter on Africa in there as well, tho' that's not "the Orient".)

It would cover more of the "mundane world" of Mythic Islam than the Crusades book would, I'd imagine, and especially anything that is beyond the social or geographical scope of the Levant, Theban or Iberian tribunals.