My point is not that XP rewards are too high or too low, merely that they should be tied to difficulty instead of successes.
Good catch Adauli. I copied the original document without looking twice.
To Silveroak
It is a valid point. I would consider it for a variant without hermetic mages, but with edge wizards and companions. For them, books are much rarer if even available, thus experience is the only really way of progressing. For mage, I find that they have enough source of learning that I don't mind being stingy with XP coming from story.
By the way, this rule tying the XP to the number of success gives an incentive to aim at 3 success, otherwise there is no added benefits.
Now if the proposal is that at 3 success, on top of one reward, the mage gets Difficulty/2 XP, I am fine.
By the way, I started a solo campaign with two other friends, so we will be soon having fun at throwing adventures at each other.
I tested the Tribunal rules and they work fine. I need more testing on the Big adventures as well as the small adventures that each player can impose to another player.
I will keep you posted.
The point is that in the game rules the value of an adventure in terms of experience is based not on success or failure but on how significant the adventure is. With these rules a more significant and more difficult adventure gives less experience since success is less likely (a difficulty of 6 nets 3 easy successes, a difficulty of 24 generally nets 0). The ability to learn from failure, especially when facing difficult odds, is a fairly key point to the game which these rules do not reflect, and which I believe is better reflected by awarding xp based on difficulty instead of success.
I agree with silveroak that the basic xp. you get just from doing it should based on the difficulty.
Because no success gives 2 losses and botch also add to the losses maybe the xp. of 3 success should replaced with some bonus BP and the basic XP is 1/2 difficulty +2 per set of challenges resulting in 5 - 19 xp depending on the difficulty.
For the 3 success you maybe then get 2BP*number of set challenges but this might get to much if you manage 3 set with 3 success what would result in 18 BP.
When I used this rules I sadly ended up to get to many major boon what result that the covenant got flooded with exceptional book during the 6 years I was playing.
Maybe its better to complete cut the minor and major boon reward and instead allow once per year to buy a boon or buy off a hook with BP (i.e. 15 BP for a minor and 40 for a major)
Hi Adauli,
Can you give me a bit more info on your results ? I never had such luck, even when I was trying to optimise the character with virtues like confident and Gentle Gift.
Was it a mage fresh out of apprenticeship ? - I agree that the rules are not suitable for senior mage.
What was you initial set up ? (what kind of companions/experts did you have ?)
Did your covenant had good base characteristics ?
Was it a statistical fluke (did you find your rolls above average) ?
By the way, you don't have to always select exceptional book as a major boon 
. I know that from a character development it is the most appealing, but these rules are more a frame to tell a story, not really to design the most powerful mage possible. It is very likely that with a bit of optimisation, using these rules, you get a more powerful mage than by following the base rule of 30 XP/year to advance mage. Maybe adding a random table for the boons would be more adequate that raising the difficulty - with the added possibility that you can influence the roll by spending extra BP.
Assuming that it is always a d10 that is rolled to determine the boon, by spending an extra 5 BP, you can alter the result by +/-1.
I will wait your feedback and work on a random table for boons.
I have send you some info via PM. Might be that the rolls where above average I didn't check this. Mage was right after apprentice time and Companion around the same age. What might be a problem is that I also used the the Steward and Guard Captain for some rolls as it feel natural to me that the only mage of the covenant have at last one of them with him when leaving the covenant. (From the story many resources like this 2 NPC where only lend by the old covenant that the new covenant have a smooth start and so the mage actual would have to sneak out that not one of this 2 would escort him)
OK with the game I current playing my character had a difficult 8 3 step "adventure" and with some lucky rolls and 1 confidence point spend I ended in 3x3 success what means 3 minor boon and this for a 15 year old apprentice who not even started to learn any Arts. (I actual only offset the social penalty and the Divine Realm with the Major General Ways of the Town as the story is playing there and so I also could have add the +3 to most other rolls as well)
I am currently going through the file you sent me. Thanks 
One concern I have for these rules (which I love, by the way) is the usage of spells: only the Spell Level counts, and it have to be high to be useful when the Difficulty of the adventure rises. It's a big burden for magi with low level spells, when in game they could be quite resourceful with lower level spells but high penetration to compensate: it's easier to survive a dragon with a Disguise of the Putrid Aroma with high penetration that trying to fry it with an Incantation of Lightning, after all. Maybe it could be tweaked not only to consider the spell level but also its penetration.
These rules are not perfect and cannot take in account all the subtelty magic of Ars Magica has. In general higher magnitude spell have more powerful effect. However, as soon as there is some magic resistance to overcome, lower level spells, with higher penetration are the way to go.
Now before we go into more mechanical details, don't forget the purpose of these rules: to give some seeds to generate stories for those who cannot have their fix of Ars Magica. My update on the original rule set was to add a little more magic in it as I felt the original proposal was downplaying this part, but it only reflects my feel on what I would like Ars Magica to be.
These rules are :
- not supposed to replace the advancement rule of Ars magica for older magi
- not able to account for string of lucky rolls
- not able to stand for a character designed with these rules in mind (there is enough example on this forum how to build beginner mage with incredible capabilities).
Adauli, I started to go through your file and I found that you might be mixing my version and the original version of quinchris. Did you used the final version published in Peripheral Code ?
There are also a couple of minor mistakes during the covenant creation (a few points for your teacher not counted, the Steward should cost 25 and the captain 21 - I assume they are only teacher and not considered as specialist for adventure, otherwise, their cost doubles).
Regarding adventure resolution, you used Spellcasting, whereas in my version, spellcasting add a bonus to a roll equal to the magnitude but cannot be used anymore alone.
When adventure involves mundanes, there is usually a -3 penalty because of the Gift and if NPC are used, their are considered as specialist costing twice many points during creation (the steward would cost 46 and the captain 42).
There is several instance were you did not account for your gift (autumn year 2, summer year 3, winter year 6 for example) - it is a bit difficult to go through your file, so maybe I am misreading it.
My guess is that with this few adjustments, it should have been a bit more challenging. It is hard by the rule not to score at least one success per challenge, true, thus to have pèrmanent crippling penalties. And if you feel it too easy from start, you can remove the initial period of grace - without it, I was struggling to survive decently to the first tribunal in my various playtests.
I will think about your proposal about buying rewards.
I used the v3 open to download here, might be that I understood something wrong with the magic.
One thing I have noticed is that there could be more diversity in challenge types- I have been considering adding an "athletic" category to my game with abilities like athletics, ride, and swimming in the list.
Profession and craft are also not covered but given 6 is free choice what means to me that abilities not covered in the other adventure type can used then.
Edit: Looks like the difficulty needed for the non BP rewards increased between v3 and Peripheral Code 2 and that is for sure a reason why the results now are such different from the one I got in my game.
I've run through 4 solo 'games' the longest lasting 25 years - I've been tweaking them since I started and have enjoyed them immensely, so firstly, thank you for them. One game I even used a trio of new magi of House Tremere, advancing 15 years for all three - alot of work, but some interesting observations - I also integrate the alternative library rules (again modified) from Peripheral Code 1.
I remove the Magic challenge, instead allowing a single skill from each challenge to substitute an arcane skill (finesse/pen/parma - next time I'm going to add concentration to the list, after realising just how difficult it is to cast when in a skirmish under RAW).
I include under the Stealth challenge wilderness type skills sch as Hunt & Survival.
I include bargain under the Social challenge
I allow minor virtues to be utilised once per adventure for a +3 bonus - virtues like luck, strong willed, natural leader etc.
I allow ranks of Spell Mastery to effectively add to the magnitude of a spell - making Flawless Caster incredibly powerful, but as thats my favourite virtue, it suits me fine.And regarding the oddity of penetration - I think by utilising higher mag spells, it still represents a character's growing skill in the Arts.
Overall, the magi developed using these rules are far more well rounded that most you find in the published material even (which I really like). A Social Challenge against other magi is the most difficult challenge as you can't go throwing in spells to bump up your roll (least I dont go round casting Mentem spells at other magi of the order), so Social abilities are vital, as it Order of Hermes lore and Code of Hermes. I will say the rewards are far too generous. I found I didn't need any wealth or vis sources as just converting BP's earnt from adventures provide high amount of wealth as and when I needed it (at one point during my first game, I had 88 build points 'banked', so I just went with a single Social challenge adventure to the Cult of Heroes to dump that BP into ritual casts to increase my traits....was very hallow and haven't done that since). My later variations award vis instead of BP (a successfully challenge rewards 3 vis at the easiest difficulty instead of 4BP/20vis).
o/
Kal
Long time bump here. I've tried these rules out some and quite enjoy them.
Bolded: Are these parts supposed to match the failure options? Seems like typos to me.
Back in the old days and by that I mean 20 years ago ( I was a teenager back then) there was an excellent article on durenmar.de (now defunct) titled something like "Things magi might want."
Some of these can be purchased with Build Points bit other's are more interesting. (Edit) I found it!
web.archive.org/web/201301170751 ... renmar.de/
Magic & Related
Vis
Books (magical or mundane)
Apprentices
Hermetic (or other) Lab Equipment
Magical Items Whose Function Is Known
Unknown Magical Items
Lab Time From Skilled Enchanters (Longevity Potions)
Lab Assistance
Lab Notes on Magical Developments (esp. Bending Hermetic Limits)
Large Commission Services (e.g. to kill a Dragon and family)
Arcane Connections (to important people)
Commodities
Gems, Precious Stones
Precious or Worked Metals
Glassware, Pottery, Other Vessels
Land
Livestock
Fodder / Grains
Spices
Herbs & Rare Minerals
Wagons
Buildings
Stone / Building Materials
Agreements & Social Services
Locations of Vis Sources
Locations of any Mystical Auras
Alliances / Protectorates
News
Maps & Guides
Surveillance / Intelligence (Spying)
Stories
Art & Music
Secrecy / Confidence
External Contact & Representation
Votes At Tribunal
General Security
Human Resources
Craftsmen
Mercenaries
Peasants
Scribes or Scribing
Managers / Management for Mundanes & Mundane Resources
Concubines / Whores / Wives / Gigolos / Husbands
Divinations / Forecasting of Fortune
Doctors / Healers / Medical Services
Architects
Vassals
Miscellaneous
Favours
Tutelage / Teaching
Competition / Challenge (Mostly to Tytalus)
Obligations (Especially Vis)
It would be some work to incorporate this into a random reward chart, but worth it.
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I was curious. In the future, would anyone be opposed to someone creating a "light" version of this as a PC game?
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It would be an interesting thing to integrate into a Covenant Project. Or you could do a version with escalating threats (they get bigger if not addressed, and go away on a successful adventure) for a more abstract, Covenant-level simulation.
I like it!
I was just thinking about it, though I have to admit, I wasn't terribly ambitious in my thoughts, so I was just thinking about a browser-based generator.