I doubt that you have a different contract to me. It looks very much to me like Work is technically the first draft and subsequent revisions on down to the final draft. In the contract Atlas seems to purchase the intermediate drafts as well as the final draft.
I'm also not a lawyer.
With zero knowledge of your contracts, my not so huge experience elsewhere is that your assumption tends to be the normal way its handled, to avoid writers double-publishing, making sure the publisher actually owns everything it might need now or at a later date and so on. Although i expect it gets a bit harder with game material like this because its either fiction or based on historical information, neither of which can really be "owned"(unlike a translation or proofread version of something which is what i have dealt with).
You should probably just ask to make sure which it is, if it is the slightest unclear.
I'll get my copy tomorrow, I'm sooo excited... Just read a mail from my bookstore tonight... 
Chapter three is such a wonderful thing. I love the whole content! What a brillant idea for the Thebean tribunal!! Being a democracy, with shards and tokens. I like it so much I can't even say it!
Yooooouuuuhouuu.
Where is the Tremere covenant in Thebes located, and what's it like? I won't be able to borrow a copy of TSE until this weekend, and I'm working on a Greek-born Tremere maga for a game here in the forums. Even a very basic description would be a huge help.
Thanks!
Gigas is basically considered to be a tool of Coeris (the Transylvanian and Thebes tribunals have a history of hostility). Their purpose inside the tribunal is to try to 'normalise' it; to get rid of its exotic practices and make the tribunal more like the Western ones. Most of the members are the filii of Boustaphan of Tremere, who is the senior Tremere in Thebes, and the house's Tribune. He is known for taking on any apprentice, no matter how ill-favoured. There are currently five other members (Monorchis and Allectores are described), but there is room for nine magi comfortably; only Tremere are permitted to be members. They are in the very north of the tribunal, southwest of Sofia.
Hope this helps,
Mark
Very much so! Thanks!
I've just finished reading. Great book, great job!! However, I'm a little bit disappointed with complete lack of stats for magi, magic items and spells. Any chances for additional material published on the web? Something like "Secrets in Sand"
I think that for once, the magi are:
This book has a great job done on the incorporating of other supplements. See the huge number of reference: HM, the future supplement RM, HOH books, ROPTD, ROPTI, ROPF...
This is my most loved tribunal book ever 
.
Exar, BTW, our actual saga is in Thebes, in year 1203 and I'm a little sad our ASG hadn't the book when he prepared the scenario of the Sack...
yes, that is truly great aspect of this book! It is nice to see how all AM material comes together!
Just got my copy.
I wasn't as blown away as I'd hoped I'd be. It was a bit disappointing to see some recycled art.
Also, I wasn't that happy with the continued "nailing down" of the Sundering that has started to occur. Despite Timothy Ferguson's attempt to turn the Tremere into something other than the set piece villains of the setting, they continue to be presented as the "enemy". Am I alone?
To be honest, I kind of like Tremere as black magicians. But I also kind of glided over that early Hermetic history when I read the book. The whole story of the Order just walking in to the Byzantine Empire and converting everyone there into a member feels very hokey to me, but it's so engrained in the game from early editions that there's nothing to be done about it.
One thing I do find I really miss as I read the sections on the covenants in the new book is the concept of seasons. Without them the covenants feel much to permanent and institutionalized. When did seasonality get dropped from the game?
I don't understand all the Kevetching about this book... I got it and some other Ars books for my brother's birthday, he got a great surprise! I think TSE is a good addition to the tribunal book series, it's in a similar style to the Rhine Tribunal, which continues to be my favourite tribunal book ever.
I think it's a great book too. I said it at the beginning of the thread and I still think so. It's just our nature as hobbyists to disagree about minute aspects of every gamebook and to talk about them.
I'm not sure what you mean: the Tremere are not an enemy . IMO, they are politician who want to have power while respecting rules (rules that they may have changed if needed). They sometimes succeeded, sometimes missed (as in the Sundering).
I like to compare them to Palpatine in Star Wars. He is only the enemy because the story wants it (by xenophobia and dark behavioretc)... otherwise, he is a leader with a clear sight on the future (wanting to provide peace and stability - order).
I think it's more complicated than "Tremere are the enemy".
Of course, but coming from Exar Kun one could easily cast some suspicions on that recommendation 
.
Unfortunately, "the Tremere as Palpatine" is pretty cut and dry "Tremere are the enemy". Most PCs are the Jedi, not the Sith. The Tremere are the ones in the black robes and croaky voices, summoning the dead and throwing curses - and trying to take over your Tribunal. They're baddies.
Unfortunately, the Tremere in Thebes are almost universally hated and looked upon with suspicion. I'd like to see a Tribunal where they aren't the enemy - Transylvania doesn't count. I'm talking a "mainstream" tribunal - perhaps Provencal?
I kind of hope they get good press in ireland. The Irish hated their druids in a lot of areas, and were really happy when Patrick turned up and said "Oh, no need to sacrifice your kiddywinks anymore. My new God doesn't roll with that."
From HoH: True Lineages:
Tremere himself attacked magicians in the Byzantine Empire and sacked their sites of power. The Greek magi organised under the Theban League and fought him to a standstill.
House Tremere has a historical hatred of non-Latin magi.
Tremere magi suspected (but could not prove) Theban magi of involvement in the Byzantine defeat of a Bulgarian army in 1014.
In 1185 House Tremere supported a Bulgarian rebellion against the Byzantine Empire.
House Tremere is secretly planning to expand in Greek lands and is building a fleet of warships.
As can be seen, the antipathy between Thebes and Transylvania / House Tremere is something that was largely established already, and it was written by Timothy. So I hardly think the take in the Thebes book is somehow going against his vision of the House!
Not only does the antipathy jive with this history, it also makes sense philosophically: House Tremere is against pagan practices and non-Latin magi; clearly they are not going to favour a Tribunal of magi who cast spells in Greek and perform ritual acts of pseudo worship! Correspondingly, many in this Tribunal would naturally fear House Tremere.
The antipathy between the Tribunals also has plenty of story potential.
I would also note that, although the antipathy with House Tremere is clear, House Tremere is not portrayed as evil. There are some sinister and shady magi in the book, but the Tremere magi described (of Gigas) are not among them.
Regarding the 5th edition Tribunal books:
The Rhine is basically neutral with respect to the Tremere. Although the arguably most powerful covenant (Fengheld) is semi-dominated by Tremere, that covenant was not allowed to found daughter Tremere-dominated daughter covenants. Nevertherless House Tremere has a fair presence there.
House Tremere has a weak presence in Normandy, but (unless I am forgetting something) they are not portrayed as enemies, despite the fact that the senior Tremere is warlike. Given the domus magna of House Tytalus, the atmosphere of strife and chaos (whereas Tremere love order), and the tradition of a feudal covenant structure, it is easy to see why a weak House Tremere presence makes sense here.
The Theban Tribunal is the one single Tribunal that one would expect to hate House Tremere, given the history. It is a special case and should not be regarded as typical.
The forthcoming/expected Transyvlvanian Tribunal book will presumably depict a Tribunal dominated by and sympathetic to House Tremere...
Thus I think you have (or will have) the complete palette of different local takes on House Tremere. Thebes and Transylvania should contrast nicely, with their mutual strife a good source of stories.
Indeed that would be Hedyosmos.
The Tremere are political enemies, not the dark bogeyman seen in some earlier publications.