For those who remember (or have heard about it...I am famous, right?), I was running a couple of Ars Magica sagas here (and on RPoL when the Atlas forums got undependable a couple of years ago) a while back. Not at the same time, obviously. But I had the Canaries Are Dying saga here and elsewhere, and the Stonehenge Saga.
For some reason, I am contemplating returning to behind the screen in the semi-near future, and was wondering if there was an interest in my saga.
The as-yet-untitled saga will be a full reboot of Canaries Are Dying, with some elements of Stonehenge translated over (mainly, characters I like). The physical setting will be the same – a Winter covenant on the shores of Loch Ness. The premise is that, about three years, one of the founders (and the guiding force) of the Covenant inexplicably destroyed both his lab and the Covenant's common lab, then took his own life. Since then, all the other magi but one have left the covenant. The one remaining member has brought in a maga Trianomae to help try to keep the covenant alive, who has in turn asked for new members.
The backstory is totally new, and this will be a stand-alone saga, with no links to any other sagas that I've ever played in (with the exception of recycling some ideas and characters, who are not the same people as they were in the other sagas that they were played in).
I've got a couple of ideas for what the Big Picture will be, but for the most part the saga theme is up in the air (and will be dependent on the player-characters).
My self-serving question is simply: would there be interest in this game if I do start running it (which won't be until after the new year)?
I've played in sagas that were set in many regions of Europe, but never in the northwest. Which is too bad for me, because that region, its history, and its mythology really grab me by the brain. So if there will be room for a newcomer, I'd enjoy the chance to take part.
I promise to try harder at engaging with giants if you'll let me back in. I liked Trimalchio, follower of Pralix. If the reboot of Canaries are dieing would prefer another type of character, I can think of Bjornaer, Merinita and Tremere to fit.
I'm working on the wiki now, and I actually have a provision for characters ported over from Canaries or Stonehenge. I'll be putting the official "magi wanted" advert up next month, and hopefully have the game ready to go by the new year. (I'm allowing plenty of build time because of the holidays.)
I'm not entirely sure I understand the question, but if you'r'e asking what I think you're asking...
Basically, I have run two play-by-post sagas, Canaries Are Dying (set in Loch Leglean Tribunal, on the shores of Loch Ness), and Stonehenge (set in Stonehenge Tribunal, in Shropshire on the Welsh Marches), which I ended for whatever reasons.
I am now beginning an entirely new saga (working title, Return to the Loch, but I'm really hoping for a better title by the time I kick it off) which is not based on, a continuation of, or a spin-off of either of my previous sagas. I will be recycling the setting from Canaries, will be recycling some of the background and characters, and will be bringing in some of the characters and elements from Stonehenge, but it's not based on that saga either.
To use a very bad analogy, Return to the Loch is to Canaries what J.J. Abrams's Star Trek is to the real Star Trek. But better.
Thanks, this did help. It was the practical stuff I was wondering about.
What I was wondering was whether it was a play by email, where the participants could read and write at their own convenience, or whether it was a matter of all players attending a forum or chatroom at the same time. Because the latter may prove difficult. So I'm hoping for the former, because this would make it possible for me to participate.
Could you elaborate on the practicalities? How many players, when, how does it work with sending out mails and us responding etc.
Also, what types of stories, what theme, what kinds of characters?
I don't know either of the two other sagas but the explanation does help. The Start Trek analogy is also helpful. Although isn't JJ Abrams' thing a prequel of the original series as well as a reboot?
It still sounds interesting. And I think I noticed Tellus also voiced an interest?
All that's going into the official "Players Wanted" post next month. But I will probably do the same thing I've done in the past: start off with character & covenant creation threads, then open up with a "Getting Together" thread, then do blocks of varying time (for example, 1221-1225) with story threads for each magus and companion in that block (but not at the same time); that gives everyone something to do, and hopefully cuts down on players leaving because they have nothing to do.
For example, I could have Paul's magus Simon have a story thread in Winter of 1222, and Arthur's magus Garfunkle one in Summer of 1224. Even though the threads are being run and played at the same time (so both Arthur and Paul are busy), they're not happening at the same time in-game. That keeps, imo, the game from shattering the suspension of disbelief that can happen with, "Wow. We have been bored off our backsides for four years, and now we can't turn around without getting hit in the head by another earth-shattering crisis1"
Seems to have worked so far. (And it's a model that I freely admit I stole from Jonathan.Link.)
