Tempted to run a game. but not sure where

I'm thinking about running a game on the Atlas games forum, set in 1220, but not sure about the location.

  • Rhine
  • Normandy
  • Southern France/Rhone Valley
  • Thebes
    *Ireland

It will consist of magi starting at gauntlet - testing their skills in one adventure before going back to the lab for 10 + 1d10 years, only to be interrupted by the next adventure. I really want to see magi grow.

The only thing I want you to do in this post is to vote for a tribunal where the game will be set. Don't even try to vote for tribunals that are not on the list.

Thebes

What houses are the magi?

The players will choose houses, hopefully nothing too exotic (I'm good at core mechanics, but folk witches, sahirs and gruagachan give me the creeps).

It will be a game played on this website. I'm asking because I want to have happy players.

So,

I recommend Rhine, or maybe southern France.

Your game seems like it focuses on ordinary magic and character development of same, so more exotic settings might detract from your core intention.

Thebes is weirdly Greek. Ireland is way out there. Normandy suffers from vis shortages.

Hence...

Anyway,

Ken

Southern France!

Ireland. Given the choice, why would you not want high magic auras, easy access to magic creatures to make into familiars, and a great start to relearning Rune Magic?

Because the price is: Wizard Wars never expire, your covenant has to keep a public trophy which other covenants are constantly trying to steal, vis is not collected but instead left to gather at its source, new covenants have to defend themselves against other magi for a year, and many other reasons it's called THE CONTESTED ISLE.

All great for stories, but bad for lab work!

Right. Got to have stuff to get Mages out of the lab, or why bother to leave the house? Just PBM if you want to play a labrat campaign.....

...I thought that was his point/intent?

Good point. I want lab work to play a role, so Southern France it is!

Ireland - there's so much good stuff to use there.

I'm looking to try a play by post game again, so if you decide to move forward with this, Pralix, please consider me as a player.

Thread is up!
Join or die!

IMHO the 5th ed published Tribunals are so different regarding political climate and Hermetic traditions it's a bit difficult to choose, because it depends on the kind of saga you want.
The differences regarding how a new covenant is established is especialy important for a Spring saga.

I'm very partial to the Rhine, IMHO it has everything: Deep, ancient forests with old magic, booming towns and cities, threats from borders, a rich Hermetic environment vital to interact with, political Gilds based on areas of interest - giving a third connection to other magi, after Houses and Covenants . New covenants need one supporting magus from each other covenant, so you'll end up owing favors. Although beware to not make the Gilds too conservative and the politics too stale!
I've played quite a bit here.

I also find Hibernia highly interesting and promising. We've played a little bit there and saw huge potential. The political climate is one of strife, and there is an overall theme of old vs new, Irish vs. English etc. Founding a new covenant is about proving oneself, fighting for it. Also, becoming a magus has elements of this with the macnimartha (sp?) where apprentices close to Gauntlet can run wild before swearing the Code. But all is not conflict, because "being a good neighbor" (at least to some) is what keeps enemies from ganging up on you.

Normandy I've never played in (well, not 5th ed Normandy). Vis is scarce and contested, ownership heavily regulated., covenants follow the classic liege-vassal relationships and raid one another. Lots of story potential here. To form a covenant you are likely beholden to one of the few powerful covenants, which can be both a source of stories as well as a pain because of lack of freedom. I can't say which weighs heavier as I haven't played in this Tribunal. The Hermetic Tourney sounds fun but I believe it will be a huge workload to manage.

I've played in Thebes for some years a while back. Interesting place with the democratic way of ruling Hermetic society, with "amateurs" drawn by lots for a limited time acting as leaders. This can be either good for stories or challenging to run, or both? The conflict among the mundanes between Romaic Greek vs. Latin invaders seems a good backdrop. A somewhat exotic locale yet still witin the old Roman Empire, cna be a good gateway to even more exotic places.

Transsylvania I've never played in, but the setting seems interesting yet you need to want to either play as or deal with House Tremere here.

Procencal I've never played in. The book seems fun because the Hermetic politics are so vanilla. Good stuff with House Flambeau and the Mitrans vs Mercurians. Yet you need to accept the Cathars and the crusade against them as an inevitable theme.

All in favour of one of these for our next saga! :slight_smile:

I would be interested in southern France mainly because I have a character concept for a Basque gifted Redcap I want to try out and it would be hard to justify outside southern France or Spain.

What, not Hibernia?
Thebes I'd like to try again, in a saga that actually works.
I like Tremere so Transsylvania could work.
Provence? I dunno, could be a nostalgic trip to the default setting of 2nd ed.

Could work.
We should settle somewhere else though, I think.

Hello

For my part i like Novgorod Tribunal, lot of strong aura, not so many covenant, lot of Faerie and magical myth, not so many divine back stories.
And as for enemies, well the creature itself, the quantities of region and the Order of Odin.

Beside i always wanted a covenant in the salt mine of Wieliczka