Hey everyone. So I'm trying solicit some advice. I've finally convinced a friend in RL to check out Ars Magica and I don't want to scare them away. What is the best way, or ways you attempted in your own life, to introduce the game to a new person?

You could try a short one shot Grog adventure. Lets you get a feel for the basic mechanics without needing to dive into magic.

In reply to Pnvq12 (msg # 116):

Are any of them history buffs?  Ask them where in the 13th Century they would love to explore.  The enthusiasm of one might get them all into it.

@Shadowsmith

Perhaps. I feel like that magic system might be the main draw of the system for them tho.

@ dybbuk67

No expressed interest in 13th century. More of Victorian Era but I wasn't sure about adjusting the game to fit in that period.

Well, if you want to show off the magic system, go with a mage fresh out of Gauntlet. Keep it simple and let them explore magic a bit. Make sure the story gives them a chance to shine with their magic.

Don't dive into Covenant management right off the bat. Don't worry about setting up or maintaining a lab.

I admit, the magic system is the main draw of Ars Magica for me. But I do like the system otherwise as well. I prefer level-less and classless games.

Moving Ars out of it's setting usually takes a lot of legwork but can be fun.  A lot of the checks & balances on Magi are built into the setting so it can be a bit unbalancing to take them out of the setting but it can be done.

If you want to ease them into the crunchy parts of Ars, start them out as late-stage apprentices for a few sessions before fast-forwarding to post-Gauntlet.  That way they can feel out how magic works mechanically and have a better idea what they may like/dislike.

So, I started a Discord for Ars Magica. Here is the Invite if any of you want to join. Depending on if it jumps off, I'll start adding more to it. I'm gonna advertise for it over at the Atlas Forums and the Ars Magica Reddit also.

Hope to see you guys there.

https://discord.gg/n3TsHV

In reply to Thruxus (msg # 122):

Did you delete it?

https://discord.gg/RPNxD9

Invitation might have expired, Here ya go

Hmmmm.    Invites don’t seem to last to long.
Can we try again, please?

Or can you tell me the ‘conversation’ name that I can put into the searcher?

Ah, ok i see now. I turned it into a never expire link.

https://discord.gg/PRKGNhA

I've been looking through various sourcebooks and I've developed a strong interest in playing a Learned Magician. Perhaps one who has joined the Order and has Parma Magica and is working with an Order magus to figure out how to integrate his magic into Hermetic magic.

Hello;
I just came across this group yesterday.  I've enjoyed Ars Magica since the first edition, but have not gotten to play in years (OK, Decades).  Interested in seeing what's going on.

Welcome along, rmax.

Games on RPoL often have low longevity ... but those that last, usually do so well.
I'm not running any AM games, but I'll let those who are invite you along to their respectives.

Thanks.  Not sure I’m ready to jump into a game, but I’m interested in your discussions and to see what people are up to.

Is the discord server still active? I'm looking for an invite link but the one here is invalid.

How is everybody doing? I'm in a regular discord game so I am getting my 5th edition fix. The Atlas forums have been busy with discussions of errata. The discord forum has the regular chat, occasionally it's connecting gamers up with open slots in discord games. Project Redcap gets a couple of edits per month. Fanzines - Sub Rosa is getting out a couple of issues a year, Peripheral Code appears to be on hiatus.

Looking here, I see that the troupe tribunal and troupe saga are pretty much dead, and that Stanenges and Rhine Gorge have been dormant for about 11 months.

Anything people want to chat about? Any current plans for more games?

I don't know about Discord, but RPoL has never been a place where Ars magic runs long.

I personally think that this is due to several factors:
- AM is such mechanically diverse and dense system, that its easy for a GM to get overwhelmed, especially if they sandbox it and have a lot of players.
- RPoL is fraught with attrition
- The more player one has, the more the game gets bogged own in opinions and arguments over the rules.

In my opinion, keeping the game membership small, and limited to only the base rulebook (or a small handful of supplements that directly relate to the game one is running) has a better chance of success.
Also, the GM needs a very 'My way, or the highway' hand in the rules:  Keep it simple, and take control.

But thems just my opinion.

Speaking from my limited personal experience I had a difficult time keeping people on the same page since more active players were done with their season in a few posts and others were more or less at the start months into the game.

I do second Galley's advice about limiting players and books. Definitely something I underestimated in my first run; lead to more than one spat.

I'm in the Discord too and getting my fix vicariously there since I have practically zero free time these days.

It seems like PbP is on the decline and games are moving to Discord and the virtual tabletop sites in these pandemic days...  PbP used to be the defacto when people had more hectic schedules and were less available but now that 'work from home' is a far more widespread thing I think that being virtually present during a game is actually possible and desirable.

That makes sense ...

To me playing or Running a game at the same time as working is impossible. I could do one or the other, I may be able to fake working while playing a game but that has problems

I didn't mean work and play simultaneously although I do suspect that may happen for some people on occasion. I just meant that the online availability of people is much higher than it ever has been.  Those without the familiarity with virtual tabletop became familiar through using Zoom from home, the lack of extra wasted time commuting to & from work, those being forced into having the hardware to work through the internet opening up the possibility for using it to game via sites like Roll20, etc...

I think pbp still has its advantages though.  Even with my zoom group I have to carve out a good chunk of time where I can just focus on the game, whereas pbp is good for any time I have a few minutes and a few working brain cells.

But yeah, the slower pace of it is a problem for a medium like this.  And I don't think AM would be a good fit for my zoom group either :(

I have had to use websites/video conferences to replace face to face games until w can get back to that , and that sort of gaming is incompatible with working as would any face to face game.
PBP on any platform which allows a slow pace and no need for response is much more compatible with working and gaming as there are always short gaps and breaks you take and can respond in.
Otherwise apart from work time there has been no increase in my on line availability and for most people I suspect that if they were stuck at home for a few months they will revert to normal going out ASAP.