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Everything Else.

Posted by Discussion HostFor group 0
Discussion Host
GM, 7 posts
Sat 13 May 2017
at 19:45
  • msg #1

Everything Else

Talk about anything.

The latest movies. Other games. Food.
statesman88
GM, 1 post
Sat 13 May 2017
at 21:21
  • msg #2

Everything Else

It's been a couple of hours, and we have four community members already. Welcome, all!

I'm very new to Ars Magica, myself. I think we have some veterans among us...
witchdoctor
player, 1 post
Sat 13 May 2017
at 23:19
  • msg #3

Everything Else

o/ folks
callen
player, 1 post
Sun 14 May 2017
at 00:32
  • msg #4

Everything Else

Hi, everyone. I'm one of the veterans. I've been playing for over 20 years but mostly 5e, including play testing some of it. I'm the one who wrote (and must complete when I get my hands on the last few books) the spell guidelines pdf. I've written a few other things that get referenced every now and then.

I've played in a few games here that have lasted a while, but mostly I've joined them to watch them die quick deaths.
witchdoctor
player, 2 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 02:49
  • msg #5

Re: Everything Else

callen:
I've played in a few games here that have lasted a while, but mostly I've joined them to watch them die quick deaths.


Congrats on the writing and playtesting, called.  Not everyone gets a chance to do those things for games they like!

Your experience is pretty standard for most players on RPOL, I think.  I know I share a similar experience...not just with Ars though.  I've played in quite a few but none have lasted and I've ran a few games that lasted about 6 months or less.
zylphyr
player, 3 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 17:29
  • msg #6

Re: Everything Else

I don't claim to have any fame on the game, but I have been playing since 1st edition, still have all the core books.  My 'claim to fame', should it be called such a thing, to the Ars Magica community, was the invention of what was referred to as "Ars Fantasy".  A system that converted Ars Magica into a fantasy setting.  It included some basic rules on how to add races to the game, but more importantly, it did to combat what the Magica system did to magic.  5 Techniques: Defense, Power, Precision,  Speed and 2Weapons.  And 10 weapon categories, with rules on how to use those in combat settings...

I can't find the finished work, but I do see that I have a link to the old google-doc (though the font looks crazy now, wasn't like that when I created it :P). I was creating it on before it was finished... maybe I will go back and re-finish it...

https://goo.gl/4MZNqz
ColinBeck
player, 2 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 18:00
  • msg #7

Re: Everything Else

As someone who has never played ArM, either edition, what argument can someone make for me to buy 5th instead of using the free 4th?
witchdoctor
player, 4 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 18:55
  • msg #8

Re: Everything Else

5th edition is a much 'cleaner' rule-set, I feel.  There are some glaring changes between 4th and 5th editions but they're not completely different systems.  If you understand 4th, you'll understand 5th but as I said before, there are changes.

Most games run on RPOL use 5th edition rules.  You can't really make a character in 4th and play it in 5th for instance.  It's a bit of a pricey book but not overpriced for the size and quality of book.  I'd recommend buying the 5th edition book if you want to play.
callen
player, 5 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 19:01
  • msg #9

Re: Everything Else

My first recommendation would be to just pick up 4th because 5th isn't so drastically different. A number of things get simplified moving to 5th. That way at least you'll know if you like the system without putting in a financial investment.

If you want to go further, you have to buy books for either. Now things come down to the particulars. These are my top reasons for why I far prefer 5th over 4th:

  • 5th is very consistent and simplified in mechanics. For everything like Virtues and Flaws, they're free or they're Minor/Major, Minor valued at 1 and Major valued at 3. That's throughout the systems for all sorts of things. For Abilities and Arts, everything works as 1, 1+2=3, 1+2+3=6, etc. or 5 times those. So there is tons of consistence.
  • 5th has in-edition realm books for all four realms (Divine, Infernal, Faerie, Magic). That's really handy for familiars and for anyone with related powers.
  • Mysteries were planned into the system from the beginning, not just an afterthought tried out later on. As a result, they function like a lot of other things.
  • While there are still some game-breaking things, the streamlining cleaned up a lot of those issues.
  • It's been around for over a decade, so it's the version almost everyone plays these days.

statesman88
GM, 2 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 21:52
  • msg #10

Re: Everything Else

Going over the 4th edition PDF has me leaning towards buying the 5e PDF, unless a bunch of people really want to play 4e. I can see how just a little streamlining would make a good system much better. :)
callen
player, 6 posts
Sun 14 May 2017
at 22:06
  • msg #11

Re: Everything Else

In reply to zylphyr (msg # 6):

Sounds cool. I'll try to catch some time to look at it later.

When I was working on a system of my own, I took the same basic idea that the warriors should get something akin to the magi to balance the coolness out. In too many systems where it's not intended, you're just a lower tier if you don't use magic. (It's intended in ArM, so that's fine.) But I never tried anything of the style you did.



In reply to statesman88 (msg # 10):

Most of the 5e pdfs are less expensive, quicker to get, and potentially easier to get (depending on where you live or if the book is out of print) than the print books. I do really like print books, though. And a bunch of us could let you know which books are most critical for one thing or another before you start buying beyond the core book.
Shadowsmith
player, 1 post
Mon 15 May 2017
at 22:42
  • msg #12

Re: Everything Else

Hey, everyone! Thanks for making this forum and letting me join.

I started playing Ars Magica back when 1st edition was released. I was the primary Storyteller in a Saga that lasted years. We migrated to 2nd edition but didn't move to 3rd. As a group, we didn't like the changes being made by White Wolf.

Then I joined the Navy and moved away. I didn't even think much about Ars Magica for a decade or so. After getting out of the service and moving to Alaska, I looked at 4th edition but didn't have anyone interested in playing so didn't pick it up.

By the time I did have a group for Ars Magica, 5th edition was out and that's what I went with and I'm quite happy with 5th. Currently, I'm running a Saga for my home group and I have an Apprentice game here.

I want to play Ars Magica as a players as well as the Storyteller. I've joined a number of games here and all but one died before really getting into a story. I'm in callen's game and while it is still alive, we've lost a lot of players.
Dr. Mindermast
player, 1 post
Tue 16 May 2017
at 02:38
  • msg #13

Re: Everything Else

Hey everyone.  Slightly experienced player here; I wouldn't call myself a "veteran" compared to some of the others.  I dabbled in 4th ed but all of my serious playing, to the extent that I've been able to have any, has been in 5th.  The collapse of my tabletop campaign after only four sessions is one of the great regrets of my gaming life.  Stupid real life getting in the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:35, Tue 16 May 2017.
longesway
player, 2 posts
Wed 17 May 2017
at 12:49
  • msg #14

Re: Everything Else

Yo!
A completely inexperienced player here. Read a bunch of 5e material, made characters, but never managed to join the game. The PbPs on atlas forum have been running so long that they are nigh-on impossible to join and callen's game on this forum uses older characters, which is harsh on a newbie :D
</endrant>

It's nice to have a place to talk to people about Ars Magica. Hope we all get along!
Shadowsmith
player, 7 posts
Thu 18 May 2017
at 00:56
  • msg #15

Re: Everything Else

Yeah, it would be cool if someone started a game focused on wizards only a few years past Gauntlet at most.
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