Praecepta Hermetica - An Extended Primer for Ars Magica

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

Salve sodales,

I'm in the process of finalizing an English version of an extended primer for players that is intended as a more condensed overview than reading several rulebooks, but significantly more in-depth (50 pages) than the basic primers available. It's a document I've been using to help my players to really understand what the game and setting is about (besides the rules) without me having to explain and re-explain too much or them reading the full book(s). In that way it can be a bit colored to my style and needs (and I'm happily taking feedback on that in particular). The primer is not concerned about the rules, those are easier to manage at the table or with existing primers and summaries. This is wholly about what Ars Magica is actually about and what your players ideally should know to understand their magicians place in the world.

I'm hereby sharing it for comments, critique and direct suggestions for edits directly on google drive (same as some of my other projects).

When/if I'm finalizing and releasing it as a PDF, it will be free or PWYW.

2

As one of the newbies brought on by the DE I have to express how grateful I am for this. There is so much good advice, theorycrafting and general know-how gathered by the elder magi both here on the forum and on the Discord, but a primer like this is a godsend for introducing my group in the basic.

3

That's a very food primer. I have to admit I'm surpirsed players will read a 50 page primer, though.

I try to make a strong opening. Don't start with "this document does this and that", but rather go straight to the strongest and most appealing hook. Hook these new players in from the first line. So I'd begin with something like "In Ars Magica you play wizards in a fantastic version of historical Europe, bringing to life all the tropes of fantasy wizards while enjoying the depths and familiary that historical Europe and authentic myth and folklore brings". And then go to "Some of Ars Magica's strengths" and so on.

I'll also be mindful of the order of presentation. You talk about magi, the Order of Hermes, and so on before you explain these terms.

When describing the Houses, I like to emphasize more stereotypical magi. This really works only for a specific saga - if it narrows down a House to them, for the most part, then you can describe the House as such. Your descriptions are more general, which I think would actually work better for a general primer. To give you an idea what I mean, perhaps something more like:

House Bonisagus is made up of researchers that seek to advance Hermetic magic. Many are primarily engaged in laboratory work, striving to invent new spells, enchant new magic items, and so on. Others seek out legendary ancient or exotic magic, in the hope of integrating it into Hermetic practices and thus extending the Order's magic. A few Bonisagus magi are concerned more about the Order than its magic, seeking to protect and maintain the Order and its secrets.

House Bjornaer is a mystery cult that follows great Magical animal spirits. Bjornaer magi include shamans that follow the animal spirits in vision-quests into the Magical places and even the Magic Realm itself, mystics that seek to awaken their inner, Magical, form, and protectors of the forests and all wild places and of Magic itself.

Is the telling of the Order's history in such details really needed? Won't it be better to give a more abbreviated one? Is this really something every beginning player needs to know to start playing?

I also like to give more feeling to where are the different auras in the world, and how they feel like, especially the prevalance and nature of supernatural entities, spirits, realm-aligned folks, and hedge traditions. e.g.:

Magic auras still cover a lot of the land – these are the primordial forests, glades, mountains, deserts, oceans, and lakes, and a myriad of smaller auras and regios. They are associated with extraordinarily large beasts (Animals of Virtue), animated trees, magical herbs, chimeras, elementals, giants, and dragons.

...

Magical traditions are most common in the rural outer reaches of the Dominion, in the small villages abetting Magical lands. These often include people with a single Supernatural virtue or flaw, such as Font of Knowledge, Ghostly Warder, Lycanthrope, Magic Sensitivity, Premonitions, Second Sight, Skinchanger, The Gift, or the Visions flaw. These are known as "Magic affiliated" or "Magic touched" characters. Note that many people also have virtues related to other Realms of Power, such as Enchanted Ability (Faerie) or Guardian Angel (Divine).

4

Thanks for your thoughtful feedback, very much appreciated.

I think your points are valid and you are probably correct on all or most of it for perhaps a general or the common style. Part of what I needed was to get away a bit from that for deeper campaigns (or I would not have made a 50 page primer!).

The lore dump here is from my perspective, and frankly to establish the things that I intended to have meaning in my saga and what I personally really like to see in Ars Magica. Hence a lot of the history, but also the selections of things covered: the houses as written, the Code and the politics, the realms, limits of magic, regiones, the research etc. These are all things with great impact in own my long-running saga, and also things I really wish we had a much better handle on when the previous ones started many years ago. Your magus should know this, and the primer can be thought of as a guide on the basics so you know where the jump-off points are to dig further.

The relevant questions I wanted to answer are not:

  • Can the player build a character independently after reading this?
  • Can they conduct laboratory work without consulting the Storyguide?
  • Do they understand what happens procedurally during a session?
  • Do they know in detail what's going on outside their regional home and the Order?

They are:

  • Can they imagine what being a magus in Mythic Europe means?
  • Do they understand why enormous magical power does not confer unrestricted freedom?
  • Can they distinguish the major institutions and supernatural categories? And the dangers of each?
  • Do they understand what kinds of ambitions, loyalties, and conflicts belong in this world?
  • Can they identify something they would enjoy exploring through a character? (Hence dive deeper into a subject, such as a House or some magic type)
  • Can they recognize where knowledge ends, and the Limits of Magic?

I've only used this sparingly, but my experience has been that the few players I used it for got a much better grasp of what's important to magi and how Mythic Europe works way faster than the ones who got the rulebook and the rules summaries. Very satisfactory.

Still plenty of improvements to be made of course, and I'll take your suggestions into consideration.

This one in particular I think is great:

I try to make a strong opening. Don't start with "this document does this and that", but rather go straight to the strongest and most appealing hook. Hook these new players in from the first line. So I'd begin with something like "In Ars Magica you play wizards in a fantastic version of historical Europe, bringing to life all the tropes of fantasy wizards while enjoying the depths and familiary that historical Europe and authentic myth and folklore brings". And then go to "Some of Ars Magica's strengths" and so on.

Note that I have two introductions, one what the doc is and one to Ars Magica (with the hook you suggest), but a restructure here could be a great idea.

5

I really like this summary of background knowledge that players should have. Introducing players to AM is always difficult.

50 pages is a lot, but selecting which information to include is a tough decision. Especially your question "Can they identify something they would enjoy exploring through a character?" seems very hard. What exactly did you mean by that?

I tried to give my player a number of example roles for their magi as a starting point from which to develop a concept. It didn't work well, mostly because it was still too much work. People will need to be committed to a longer-running saga in order to read your booklet, but for this case it looks like a good start that will need to be complemented with info about their Tribunal (names, factions etc.)

For the next one-shot adventure I'll be running at a convention, I prepared a six-page introduction.

One point of critique: I don't like the category of "Social Houses", that makes it sound like they're fraternities. How about "Societies" or "Hermetic Societies" instead?

6

I sold the campaign in as planned to be multi-year and I played the "If you can't be bothered to make an effort to immerse - why the hell should I as the Storyguide?"-card. Honestly, screw the players who can't be bothered to do even 5% of the effort you do. 50 pages, that are focused information, is very minimal comparatively if you intend to participate in a multi-year effort.
Ars Magica campaigns are most likely better off without those who can't even bother that.

This does not necessarily apply to light introduction play, conventions and get people hooked, but the community has lite versions for that. The extended primer was written for the other use-case where you know - or TEST - your audience (it's been good use for me to weed out the less serious players too). Use the redcap.org primer or one of the other 1-6 page ones for the lazies. Or point just out a page or two in the rulebook.

One point of critique: I don't like the category of "Social Houses", that makes it sound like they're fraternities. How about "Societies" or "Hermetic Societies" instead?

I agree, while they're often called that I think this was an artifact that happened in my translation. I've reverted it to Societates now.

7

I appreciate you took the time to make this. This is a very very solid document that can help a lot of people. It could be perfect for every new troupe to consult every now and then.

That said, I think the main issue I have is that it's not really a brief document. Fifty pages is a lot to take in as a new player, and if you're not even sure if you are into this game, it's a tall order.

As an alternative, I will point out that, much in the spirit of your document, @Sobek (Dr. Sobek over on Discord) made a very succint primer that's exactly intended for that purpose: to give to a person that doesn't know if Ars Magica is their cup of tea.

To be clear I do not share these links in the hopes of supplanting your efforts. I just think that the two documents can complement eachother perfectly. One is for onboarding, and the other is for when you really want to dive in.

Cheers!

8

It's interesting how everyone chooses his own bits of what's important, and what length is appropriate. My own primer, over at Project Redcap, is more bare-bones than this, but perhaps it's indeed too short.

I'll add a link to Sobek's to Project Redcap's page.

9

Can you send me that link? Is it linked somewhere in the main page?

10

It's linked from the main page - near the bottom, under "Primer for New Players".