Intro
Hello, I have been wanting to start an ars magica game for quite some time now.
Ars magica is a roleplaying game that is a bit different from most others.
The core principles that make it different are:
- As the name implies it has a heavy focus on magic.
- It does not have a traditional class system.
- It is focussed on a troupe-style play. (More on this later.)
- You have to do both micro and macro work.
- Most of the issues are not solved by fighting but by roleplay, intrigue, investigation and/or macro choices
Heavy focus on magic
► Show Spoiler
Every main player in the game will be playing a wizard called a magus. The RPG is about these magus and focusses mostly on them.
There are a lot of s
more infoide characters who all serve different functions but most rules have been written about magic.
The magus work together because they are in the same covenant and they use the covenant to follow their goals.
Most of the issues you face will be because of you being a magus and the stuff that comes with being a magus.
more info:
http://www.redcap.org/page/Ars_Magica► Show Spoiler
Instead of a normal class system characters are split into 3/4 tiers.
You have Magus these are the main characters a player will be playing these are the strongest player characters in-game and also the type of characters this game is written for.
This kind of character is only used for actual Magus and quite rare.
You have Heroic Companions. These are characters who are not Magus but made to be about the same strength as them.
Normally these start out stronger than a Magus but they mostly have less character development.
These are very rare and used mostly for special occasions. Examples: A sage who made a life pact with a ghost. A wizard who is not a magus in the order.
Then you have normal companions. These are characters you send along with your magus to deal with stuff. They are weaker than a magus but made to be a supporting character. This is because not everyone in a story is a/the hero. Expect about 2/3 of these for every magus. These characters have the most freedom in what they look like.
Last and kinda also least you have grogs. Grogs are commoners and mostly do not have character sheets. They are the commoners and weakest of all characters. The ones with a character sheet are the ones with specialized roles to fill where it is needed that they have one for skill rolls but they still are a very minor character who likely has nothing to do with a story. Examples: No character sheet: Militia, grunt soldiers and such. With a character sheet: A scribe, craftsmen. Expect a lot of these.
more info:
http://www.redcap.org/page/Character_type
(they list 3 because they count the companion classes as 1 but I count those as seperate)
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So, the focus of the game is troupe style play. This means you control multiple characters and change between them if the story requires so. This does not mean your other character is not doing anything but it does mean he might be in the library reading a book while another magus is going on adventure. This means that you play one of the companions during the other magus his adventure. YOU WILL HAVE EXCLUSIVE CONTROL OF YOUR MAGUS. And likely a companion.
More info:
http://www.redcap.org/page/Troupe_style► Show Spoiler
The rpg is about magus and their issues. You are part of a covenant and its resources are what helps your character.
Part of this sage is building up the covenant and managing it. By for example acquiring books for your character to read so, he gets stronger.
Your character gets exp from not just adventures but also from experiments in the lab, reading a book, hunting for magical resources and such.
Normally only one out of the 4 seasons is spent on an adventure by your magus. The other 3 he does stuff that is not an adventure.
Because you have to both go out on adventure and deal with everything around it this is both a micro and a macro rpg.
The game is not about killing a monster it is about creating a story.
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So, during the game you will go out on an adventure. Most of the time you are not there to kill someone or to loot someone. Instead, you are there to convince a lord to use their land. Or to find a rumored magical artifact. Your magic will help you with these things but most often indirectly. Because of the macro aspect, you are not a traditional dnd adventurer going on an adventure. You are there to increase the prosperity of the covenant. And most of these adventures just are not direct combat.
I want to play this campaign by post. Either here or roll20.
The reason for this is to have it open to everyone who wants to join and not just people in a certain time zone.
But also so that you do not need a mic or hours after each other to play along.
I want about 4 magus.
Character creation for new people is a bit effort consuming. Both for ic and ooc reason.
First because this fits with the powerlevel for the campaign.
Second we will have 4 characters of the same age here working together and any more then that is hard to manage until most of them get the basics.
Third I am also new at being a gm for this and do not want to many variables.
Last I will be ok with more people being there as companions because those are way easier to manage.
For the kind of story you will be doing. You will be starting your own covenant and everything associated with that.
How to join
Make a post here stating that you want to join. I will share the book with you and you can make a character concept.
If you have any questions feel free to post here.
Just asking a question is not enough for me to consider you as wanting to join. You need to make it 100% clear you want to be in.
Feel free to ask any questions still left down below.
If you want to read up on the basics:
http://www.atlas-games.com/pdf_storage/promises.pdf
That is a beginners book for ars magica.
