We've reached the point where most of the obvious books for ArM5 are either out or in production (all the Houses, all the Realms, etc.). So, time for a little market research. What topics would you like to see as the themes for future Ars Magica books? Please give your top four, to help keep things manageable.
Bear in mind that we are talking far future, here; 2009 releases, at the earliest. I can't promise to produce everything asked for, but if a particular topic is very popular, there's a pretty good chance you'll see it.
I know there are problems associated with a straight forward adventure, but I for one would love another great one, along the lines of Calabais, with extensive hand outs, and an epic storyline.
I also would love to see a Medieval Paradigm sourcebook, that is an explanation of what sort of things are different in Ars than one would think given the current world and popular media's depiction of it.
I like the idea of another adventure mentioned above or maybe a book with "roughed in" saga sketches for each season of covenant. This could be very helpful for new folks to the game.
Another idea would be a book on serious contenders with the Order and hooks for relationships between them. Not so much "This is what the Order of Odin REALLY is" but more in the lines of "Here are a couple ideas on what they COULD be" with two to four different views on what that might be. Chapters would be Order of Odin, Deidne, North African/Arabian mages, Church (and a small order of holy hedge wizards, perhaps), a chapter on lesser contenders, and one on serious mundane threats.
Again this second idea is more in the nature of helping ease entry into the game for new storyguides. A lot of the story guides that I've read on various lists seem to have a tremendous amount of tribal knowlede revolving around the game and have many years of experience. That's great, but the game is a bit intimidating to jump into as a group, fresh.
Perhaps a book on fantastic enviroments. The Covenant In The Thunderstorm, The Covenant inside a whale, etc. For those that want to be a bit outside the low fantasy milieu.
Maybe "Lore" books ... adjunct to the different Realm books
Any Tribunal books would be welcome, I'm sure.
A high level politics book. Something that helps storyguides and players play a political saga and helps the SG manage larger "human dynamics" issues inside and outside the Order.
We all love being creative and I know there is a fair number of folks out there that don't want some things stapled down, so that would have to be addressed. But I think anything that hels ease the less experienced into the game would be well appreciated by those of us who are a bit overwhelmed by the flexibility of the game or don't have sufficient time to do the the research.
I would also enjoy seeing an opponents book - Order of Odin, Diedne, Arabian magi, Chinese magi, the Mongol hordes with their shamans. Perhaps with a section on great historical moments that supply natural campaign hooks (the Mongol invasions, the rise of Saladin and downfall of the Fatimids in the Levant, schisms within the church, etcetera).
A really good adventure or campaign pack is always welcome. Lots of people like to design their own, but it's always nice to have something to steal from, and it would help bring new people to the game. Calebais is an old chestnut that everyone still loves.
I'd really like a source for material for elder magi/archmagi. What does the top of the order of hermes look like, and what challenges could you face if you were at that level. Maybe this book would also examine the order as a whole.
A source book for playing during the schism war would be great. Maybe with three or four interpretations of the events of the war.
A campaign source for the founding of a scandianvian tribunal. This would not be a reprint of Ultima Thule, but rather a campaign about several competing groups of hermetic magi pushing into the region and the opposition that they face.
A expedition book (or series of books) which cover expeditionary covenants. Maybe to King Solomon's mines or searching for Prester John or following Marco Polo less then a century later.
There was talk over making an introductory adventure for the 5th edition, and instead of another version of stormrider:
I've seen quite a few of the previous edition adventures, and I didn't like many of them, the best ones for me were the Bishops staff, and the Festival of the Damned type. An investigation in a central part of europe that can easily be swapped to whatever tribunal you are in. What I would recommend as a good adventure to help storytellers get some ideas on playing ars magica would be.
Part 1: A quaesitoral investigation, into a small covenant, where crimes have been accused, intended for quaesitor and hoplite and their grogs. Your standard murder mystery - with a sample covenant structure and personalities, that can be reused for other stories. The specifics of the crime to be investigated - and suggested ways that the players might investigate.
Part 2: Also included should be a mundane investigation also investigating witchcraft - caused by the hermetic crimes being too blatant, that threatens the covenant, with assistance from church figures, and a story of how the magi would attempt to 'fix' the situation, with key figures involved in the investigation and how they can be dealt with.
Part 3: Bringing the issue to tribunal - this can be glossed over more as is dependant on the setting for personalities, and much of the information on how to produce a prosecution is included in HoH:TL.
Part 4: Hunting the renounced magi - it might not come to this if the players are incompetant. But if the criminal has been successfully prosecuted and gets a head start, he will head into a regio only he knows of, where he has some creatures and resources to defend himself with. This is also the only reward the players get from the adventure as they are the only ones who find the regio and inherit it from the killed (so please not a diabolist as criminal, that would be mean)
Parts 1 and 4 should be the biggest giving a useful covenant that can be moved anywhere and a well detailed regio.
Adventures, but I would actually prefer short stories like in the Mythic Places. Not that all the stories need to be tied to a place, they could be people that bring stories within the covenant, nor need they all be that mythic either.
The reason I prefer these shorter stories is that they are usually are easier to tie into a longer saga, and you can actually get a lot more playing time out of a collection of shorter stories than from one single adventure.
The Opponents of the Order. In addition to possible Orders of Odin, etc. already suggested, I think mongols and possible options for them should also be included.
The Treasure Trove. Not that I am interested in turning Ars Magica into a loot the dungeon style of game, it would be helpful to have a book full of items that could be found or traded during the stories. This could involve mundane goods, example books (I would actually like to get official stats on those hinted epitomes in the Covenants), and enchanted items of both Hermetic and pre-Hermetic origin.
I don't know which (if any) of these might already be scheduled pre-2009, but apart from the obvious, I'd like to see
"More Hedge Magic" (the sequel to "Hedge Magic")
a 5e Bestiary book
a 5e Grimoire - more worked out spells and items, and new spell-guidelines... not expanding into new spell-territory, but clarifying and interpolating the standard guidelines, and some of the guidelines from other source books
an "All The Tribunals" book - not so detailed as GotF, but one to cover all 13 Tribunals in summary, including the ones over-done in 4e or earlier and unlikely to be re-done in full detail.
Africa & Asia exist in the Mythic lands, but Australia and America do not.
I believe there is some discussion of what might be present at the Antipodes (which is also what the C17/18 explorers were sailing to hope to find...) but America is not only not part of the myth, but even the name is out-of-period...
What about the Vinland of Leif Erikson? This is definitly a part of Amerika and if someone wants to travel to this point he should find the whole continent. But perhaps is it a question of how the world of Ars Magica is shaped: is it a globus or something flat? Are there real stars and planets or are they just lights in heaven? Is the paradies realy somewhere worldly in the east? Does the land of Prester John exist or is it just a myth like in our real world? What about the power of Hindu gods or Budda? Work the European paradigm (like the things with the infections) even in China? Are there other supernatural realms out there like the Dreamtime of the Aboriginies or the Spirit Realm of the Amerikan Indians? Is it all just fearie or magic? Are there infernal and divine influences in India, China, Afrika, Sibiria, Japan or Vinland? Is the One God of the divine omnipotent in these lands? Was the world realy created by god and if yes what about the myths of the other big religions with many more followers than christianity?
Of all the books we could do, that I think we should do, I think a book that really let us work 80 000 words of magic on Venice would be the way I'd go. It's just a really great setting...of course, we need Thebes yet, and it will be a right cracker. New Tremere...whatever happens with Jerbiton...riches city on Earth under foreign occupation...that's all good stuff right there.
I vote to the Transylvanian Tribunal book.
I am living here in Hungary and started to collect historical facts and mystical traditions years ago. Thus, I could even contribute to this work.
On my page you can see some little archievements of my investigation. (I did not want to translate and publish everything.)
"This area is perhaps the most magically potent of the tribunals. Although this makes the Transylvanian Tribunal one of the fastest growing in the Order, it also means that outside magical threats also abound."
I'd love to see the summary-of-all-tribunals, the focus on Venice/Thebes Tribunal, the opponents of the Order (including those in Detente like the Kaballists, and definitely something on Davnalleous), and probably a book on the Schism War.
You could also do a book of historical/unusual covenant sites to help with the not-a-castle-by-a-wood thing. You could do a fantastic creatures grimoire, or a book of additional mystery cults.
A bestiary is an obvious choice, and a good one. We need familiar options! heh.
But I would love to see a NPC's book. Upper (human) ranks of all 4 areas in Ars - Infernal, angelic, magic, and faerie. and a history of how they got where they are.
The summary of tribunals book mentioned by several people would be intriguing.
Equally a bestiary would be excellent.
I would want to see a non-Hermetic Magic book -- something for Gifted individuals who are not taken up by the Order of Hermes.
The Transylvannia Tribunal might be quite amusing -- there is such a huge disconnect between most American & western European visions of that region, more or less imagery drawn from Dracula movies overlaid with a bit of chainmail.
I am certain a RoP: Faerie is coming eventually -- personally, I love faeries in AM and, given the switch in their core vision (born of dreams of humans instead of from nature) it would be interesting to learn more about them.
Adventures, especially those for new characters, are pretty much a necessity if the line is going to pick up new blood. I have spoken to several people in my FLGS who feel they can't get started in the game as they feel both lost and intimidated. Three of them to my certain knowledge said that if there was a beginner's adventure they would be willing to give it a try.
and started to collect historical facts and mystical traditions years ago. Thus, I could even contribute to this work.