...to run an Ars Magica saga?
See, I'm a decent storyteller/GM for a host of other systems that shall go mostly unnamed (several versions of the big dungeon-crawling system, that one system set in Seattle in the future, and the one about creatures of the night that turn into bats to name just a few). I consider myself able to craft stories that are intriguing and fun, and that keep the players involved and coming back for more abuse. The one thing about those systems that I don't have with Ars Magica is the ruleset; I'm still trying to learn that, and I have a whole bunch of reading to still do on it.
But besides the ruleset, what does it take to run an Ars Magica saga? I see all kinds of comments about players taking certain Virtures/Flaws because that's the kind of story they want to be involved in, and then there's the whole troupe-style to things, and you've got Magi and Companions and Grogs who all may be doing different things. And on top of that, you have to account for seasons and such with people not even being able to go adventuring or doing anything because they are tied up for months at a time. So while I'm aware of these things, I still don't know what it takes to effectively run a saga in this system.
Why am I asking? My friends have asked me if I'd run a saga for them. Not sure if we are doing this here, or on another site, or over skype (we are all separated by hundreds of miles), and I don't want to wholly embarrass myself in front of anyone.
Any advice anyone can give me - books to read, things to do, prep to deal with, etc. - would be a most excellent help.