I know it's a complete rewrite of the classic adventure, but does it add any significant new rule or guideline about ghosts (or any other subject) ??
There is an appendix on awakening magical beasts (That's right rules for creating your own loyal race of magical bear warriors, Exalted, eat your heart out)
I'm probably not the most impartial opinion, but I happen to think it adds a lot. It talks about elementals, ghosts, magical beasts, playing magical beasts as characters, and it even has some faeries in. There's a new story, in addition to what was in the second edition, and a lot of hints here and there about things that would be mentioned in future supplements (and which still haven't been published yet).
Yeah I own it and I bought it because Ars is the only system where I'm a 'completist'. I had to have it to maintain my complete Ars Magica collection.
A lot of times reissues are simply the same product with a new cover on better paper. If one was to quickly page through it, one might think this is the case with BCoC. The fact is the adventure truely has been completely rewritten to make Ars 5 material.
First I really think it was completely rewritten simply to make fit in the book. This was not a cut and paste job and a simple shuffeling of paragraphs to make a new page layout. Subtle things, sometimes just a sentence corrects or clarifies a paragraph.
All the rules have been redone to fit the new game. All the map have been redone. Material has been added and elaborated on.
I am of the opinion that only a core book is necessary to play a game, and adventures aren't necessary. However I think this is a great adventure and it lives up to benchmark of detailing a Hermetic Covenant and is a great compliment to Guardians of the Forest for establishing the Hermetic setting.
Maps would be nice though.
Cities of Harn and Son of Cities are so very , very useful.
If only Ars Magica had something similar.
Cities or Castles