Our next issue is Fall 2017. But a fanzine cannot exist without contributors. We need you!
Have you got some house rules from your Saga which work well and you would like to share?
Have you developed a covenant location, or other Mythic Place, which other players would like to explore?
Have you written up a magus, a companion, a memorable grog, or a legendary creature which other Storyguides could adapt to their own Saga?
Have you designed new spells, enchanted items, or other "treasure" for magi to fight over?
Peripheral Code is a good place to present "non-canonical" ideas, like alternative Founders, new minor magical traditions, your takes on the "big mysteries" of Mythic Europe, or explorations of areas not covered in 5th edition.
We also have a number of regular columns and some specific needs, if you would rather write up something from scratch. I would love a reviewer who might review books, TV shows, films and other games from an Ars Magica perspective, mining them for story hooks or new ideas. I am happy to provide more information on any of this, and help you find a way to contribute.
Little known fact: the people who write Ars have a sort of lose web connection with each other, and if you need help getting something up to scratch, pick someone whose style is similar and ask if they have time to cast an eye over your ideas. Until Atlas does something new with the IP, new material has to come from the fans.
Don't just send the draft!
This is important, because all of us have been in the situation where someone sent out an idea, and we'd already sold something similar to some other party, and it makes us look like we stole it. This -just happens- and it just happens -all the time-. I won't cite examples, but if you say "I'm writing an article about (noun)" the person can say "Cool" or "Happy to help but I've just flogged something similar under NDA." It just saves embarrassment all around.
Similarly, you can use this space to organise. If you have a good idea, but can't quite land it, send out a post on this board saying "I'm working on X, and need a co-author who can do Y" That's happened before for SR, when I had some medical stuff and needed to downscale my workload a lot.
Support your fanzines! Seriously! I'm not just saying this because I kind of have one! Although, support it too!
But seriously: we are what keeps the metagame going now that Atlas isn't SGing it anymore. I encourage you to play.
Work is painful at the time so I will not have time for a special solo adventure thing.
I may translate into English a story I prepared for my saga revolving around an historical battle. I currently am running it with my group of players, so I can expand and polish it for #3 Peripheral code issue. Is a scenario article accepted ?
If not I may be able to prepare something about a movie or a TV show, dissect it with an Ars Magica point of view and extract some hooks and characters from it.
Hi, I think most of the users of this forum knows Paul Briscoe's amazing "De Domo Tremeris". I had a revelation on how Ars Magica is meant to be played reading this document and I think it will be great to put it as an article in Peripheral Code as Jared Hunt did with his Apocalypse World hack. A little introduction to the document and the link to it. It will also will love to see more material written by Paul Briscoe as "Domo Tremeris" is my favorite Ars Magica "Supplement"
While several authors have expressed interest in writing for PC, and proposed topics, I’ve yet to see any manuscripts.
So yes, I’d love to see something. Thank you for asking, and for everyone else monitoring this thread, please write to me at jason.tondro@gmail.com and let’s help your work get to a larger audience!
I have sommes notes about necromancy but I have to gather, clean and organise them. Then to translate it into English. It would be a few ideas and suggestions for hedge wizards. And I have two amateur drawings to illustrate it (gift from y sister).
Would you wish something different ? I can try to translate a collection of non-hermetic random magic treasures. Or a few Vis sources maybe ?
Submission guidelines can be found in the Peripheral Code issues. I don't know if they can be found online otherwise, or on this forum.
But Jason Tondro could to point you to them.
Also: Every body is new at some point. Just give it a try, and get the practice. I have found the community to be both polite and helpful.
I copied Jason's post into a document so I could keep them handy whenever I am writing stuff up for my game (this was written after issue 1 when he was soliciting submissions for issue 2)
Peripheral code submissions:
Regular Columns: If you would like to help, but don't know what to write, consider submitting something for one of our regular columns.
• MAGI OF THE ORDER details a Hermetic magus at a single point in their life, with familiar, talisman, and unique spells. Characters should generate stories. Avoid submitting your own PC; they're never as interesting to everyone else as they are to you.
• ILLUMINATIONS is our column of books and spells for the covenant library. You can submit something short, like an individual spell or unusual book, or something longer.
• GOBLIN MARKET is our column for enchanted items, magical things, and other "treasure."
• I'm still looking for an entry to kick off our ANTAGONISTS column. Could be an interesting beast, a demon, a dragon, or even a Divine busybody.
House Rules: Ars is a frequently house ruled system and, now that the line has ended, it is an especially good time for house rules. If you have a rule that works well for you, or several, send them to me. Short rules will be held for inclusion in a larger column when I have enough material. A large or complicated subsystem -- like the library or automata rules in PC #1 -- can be a column of their own.
Feature Articles: An article can take many forms. Here are some ideas.
• Adventures: The Holy Grail of submissions. Always needed, seldom written.
• Alternate Settings, Timelines, Founders, or Houses: Many of you add new Houses to the Order or use an alternate history. This is perfect for Peripheral Code.
• Mythic Locations: We do a lot of research along the way in Ars Magica; share that research with the community by writing up that abbey, burial mound, or infernal hot-spot for other players to use.
• New Factions: Do you have an original Bjornaer sept, Criamon path, Hermetic societas, Verditius tradition, Tytalus cabal, Tremere vexillation, or mystery cult in your game? Tell us about it.
• Fiction: Fiction submissions should be a complete story.
• Art: I would kill for some Ars Magica comics at the back of Peripheral Code.
Submissions to Jason.tondro@gmail.com
I'm kind of just pouring all of my ideas into the podcast / blog at the moment. I must have a think about writing something, but I'm a bit short on inspiration. Is there a theme for the issue?
If you have time, we want to see your ideas, though. Being new isn't a problem. Ars is a wide sort of thing. We've had everything from the nature of the angles which can dance on the head of a pin to exactly what the best sort of poop is for tanning leather, at one point or another.
Is it more likely that someone old or someone new will say something radically new?