Ars Magic 5th edition
- Thread starter Crothian
- Start date
.Ars Magica is definitely one of the classics of the RPG community. It does, however, require a very different mindset than D&D. Magi as the undisputed leaders, troupe-style play and a magic system that is totally different are just three major differences. Well worth getting and playing (I have the 2nd and 3rd editions).
Last edited:
Yair
Community Supporter
Anyone interested in purchasing 5th Edition might want to do it sooner rather than later, as they have a 25$ introductory price till December (at which point the price will rise - I'm not sure by how much).
I'm currently running a PbP ArM game. We'll see how that goes.
I find that by nature ArM is less about combat then D&D, as the game has in-built political systems and considerations and is less "balanced". Combat tends to be more of a story element (either weak adverseries or too-strong-to-beat), as fine tuning the battle is difficult (no CR system, characters aren't balanced really) and often combat will be a very bad choice politically (harassing faeries, interfering with mundanes...). This enourages less combat, fighting only when it is truly necessary. There are no "wandering monster tables" provided in ArM.
I also find stories are harder to brew, as a GM. Historical issues keep nagging at the back of your head, so you research some history (which is fun, but time-consuming). And lots of familiar story-hooks don't work so well. The characters have a life, and you need to come up with an actual reason why they would risk it. They aren't suicidal adventurers, sigh.
On the up-side, you get to learn interesting stuff and have a more coherent life for the characters, which make the stories more meaningful.
Of course, your game is what you make of it. This is all just what I find ArM enourages.
I'm currently running a PbP ArM game. We'll see how that goes.
I find that by nature ArM is less about combat then D&D, as the game has in-built political systems and considerations and is less "balanced". Combat tends to be more of a story element (either weak adverseries or too-strong-to-beat), as fine tuning the battle is difficult (no CR system, characters aren't balanced really) and often combat will be a very bad choice politically (harassing faeries, interfering with mundanes...). This enourages less combat, fighting only when it is truly necessary. There are no "wandering monster tables" provided in ArM.
I also find stories are harder to brew, as a GM. Historical issues keep nagging at the back of your head, so you research some history (which is fun, but time-consuming). And lots of familiar story-hooks don't work so well. The characters have a life, and you need to come up with an actual reason why they would risk it. They aren't suicidal adventurers, sigh.
On the up-side, you get to learn interesting stuff and have a more coherent life for the characters, which make the stories more meaningful.
Of course, your game is what you make of it. This is all just what I find ArM enourages.
Last edited:
Crothian
First Post
Voadam
Legend
I love the magic system, magic arts are composed of two parts, basically nouns and verbs, so creo ignam is create fire and you can throw javelins of fire (for example) with that combination of magical skills.
There are both static predetermined spells and a free form system for using your raw arts on the fly.
There are intense research and magical study rules.
There are good rules governing the limits of magical power and why magic works the way it does.
Interesting realms of metaphysical power that fluctuate, so some areas are magical, some are ruled by divine influence, diabolic, fairy, etc.
A neat social setup for wizard communities with built in politics and coherent reasons for things being set up the way they are.
I've used a bunch of this directly in D&D as inspiration and occasional crunch.
Things I don't like, troupe style of play, shifting character focus, a bit too much emphasis on second hand perspective versus first person action, i.e "My wizard will spend the winter studying X while my knight will try to influence events at court and my grogs will dice and gamble" as opposed to "I walk down the corridor to the head wizard's chamber."
There are both static predetermined spells and a free form system for using your raw arts on the fly.
There are intense research and magical study rules.
There are good rules governing the limits of magical power and why magic works the way it does.
Interesting realms of metaphysical power that fluctuate, so some areas are magical, some are ruled by divine influence, diabolic, fairy, etc.
A neat social setup for wizard communities with built in politics and coherent reasons for things being set up the way they are.
I've used a bunch of this directly in D&D as inspiration and occasional crunch.
Things I don't like, troupe style of play, shifting character focus, a bit too much emphasis on second hand perspective versus first person action, i.e "My wizard will spend the winter studying X while my knight will try to influence events at court and my grogs will dice and gamble" as opposed to "I walk down the corridor to the head wizard's chamber."
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