Pre game discussion

[Bhart]

Use this space to ask questions as we prepare the saga and our characters.

I expect to begin the game early in April, so we have a few weeks to work on it.

[ben_mcfarland]

Some aspects to consider--

What year? (Mainly for background)
What Tribunal? (Also for background)
Do we want to do a single-house covenant or a heterogeneous covenant?
Are we all starting out as freshly Gauntleted magi? (I'm fairly certain this is a yes)
Are we going to be establishing a covenant, or are we going to act as the rejuvenating force at a Winter covenant? (This is more a question of "do we want to build things up, or do we want to explore what was left behind?")

What will our post frequency be?
Do you have a preferred post format?
Will we be using an online roller or will Bhart be rolling? (Online roller, please.)

I'm figuring we can chime in what our preferences might be, but a lot of this is going to be set out by Bhart, as he gets things prepared.

Thanks!

-Ben.

[onlyme]

This may be a chicken or the egg type question, but should we research the rules to decide those answers, or wait for you to tell us those, and then we build the character around it?

I would think the sooner the scope is narrowed down, the easier it would be to learn the game. ie wouldnt have to focus on eras or covenants(?) that aren't involved in the scenario we start in?

And, any house rules to figure out what type of characters to start building/envisioning?

[Recklessfireball]

Here's my 2 bits...

What year? (Mainly for background)

I'm open to anything- no particular preference.

What Tribunal? (Also for background)

Same as above.

Do we want to do a single-house covenant or a heterogeneous covenant?

On this, I think I prefer more lattitude in developing my character. If we go single-house I hope we choose house Ex Miscellanea, as this will allow for the creation of more broadly varied character types.

Are we all starting out as freshly Gauntleted magi? (I'm fairly certain this is a yes)

Good either way on this.

Are we going to be establishing a covenant, or are we going to act as the rejuvenating force at a Winter covenant? (This is more a question of "do we want to build things up, or do we want to explore what was left behind?")

Both concepts appeal to me. Both would be challenging and provide good fodder for a campaign. You could conceivably combine both ideas. Maybe we try to rejuvenate a declining covenant, but the old guard are just too set in their ways and we have to move forward and form our own.

What will our post frequency be?

I prefer one post per day or more, but am flexible to whatever pace works best for everyone else.

Do you have a preferred post format?

This is probably best directed to Bhart, specifically. For myself, not really. I generally use the dialogue and ooc tabs because it's a quick, easy way to distinguish the two- and most people who have played here for a while are used to them.

Will we be using an online roller or will Bhart be rolling? (Online roller, please.)

Given my trepidation at the rules mechanics, this is actually one situation where I wouldn't mind just Rp'ing my character and letting Bhart do all the rolling for me, but I guess I can adapt and overcome. At the very least, I would like advice on constructing dice-roll macros for the game. Maybe we could treat this as an opt-in / opt-out decision?

[Bhart]

Yes I want to hear everyone's opinion on the issues Ben laid out. There are a few I've decided on since most of you seem impartial...

What year? The default of 1220 AD

What Tribunal? The Rhine tribunal. I have some pre-written material for a saga centered on the Rhine Gorge. I've decided to lean on this material rather than roll my own, because it is my first time in 25 years and I'd like to focus more time on learning the 5th edition rules.

Do we want to do a single-house covenant or a heterogeneous covenant? I leave this up to majority vote. I will be adding characters of my own to the covenant just in case this game goes troupe style at some point. So since I may be a player at some point... My vote is for mixed houses.

Are we all starting out as freshly Gauntleted magi? My vote is yes, it seems wise considering so many of us are beginners.

Are we going to be establishing a covenant, or are we going to act as the rejuvenating force at a Winter covenant? The saga outline I'm using is centered on the founding of a new covenant. There are several sites of failed covenants in the Rhine Gorge so it is possible that we will be rebuilding on the site of one of these.

What will our post frequency be? Personally I expect my rate to be every 1-2 days. I think there is room in this game to have each of the sub stories (adventures) moving at different rates, depending on the players involved. I do have a policy in most of my games that if other players are waiting on you and we don't hear from you in 48hours then we advance the story and NPC the character until you return. No posts for a week and you get a PM. No answer for 2 weeks and your spot at the table is given to another player.

Do you have a preferred post format? No special preference. I just ask that you make use of the dialog and OOC tags when appropriate. Proper spelling and punctuation is nice too.

Will we be using an online roller or will Bhart be rolling? We'll be using the online roller for this site. In some cases I may roll for a player just to keep the pace of the game moving if it is warranted. In most cases you will roll your own.

[riftstone]

Hi all! Spoke with Bhart on PMs and am interested in playing. However, I have never played this game before. I downloaded the 4th ed rules and expect to get the 5th ed. soon.

So, how many characters will we be creating? One Magi, I would guess, and one companion? According to the rules, you should not create a companion that goes with your own mage. Is that something that should be followed?

Sorry for the questions, but the game is a bit overwhelming at first glance.

[onlyme]

Hi all! Spoke with Bhart on PMs and am interested in playing. However, I have never played this game before. I downloaded the 4th ed rules and expect to get the 5th ed. soon.
So, how many characters will we be creating? One Magi, I would guess, and one companion? According to the rules, you should not create a companion that goes with your own mage. Is that something that should be followed?
Sorry for the questions, but the game is a bit overwhelming at first glance.

I had the same question after reading over some of the rules yesterday. I am a complete novice to this, though it sounds interesting. I think I get the concept of running two separate characters.

What do we need to know before creating our PC(s)? Do each of us pick what order we want to hail from, or is that predetermined by the storyline? I assume that is what you meant by mixed houses? Do we pick our virtues and flaws? Are they rolled for? how about gifts? I am sure these are probably answered in the rules. Just havent gotten there yet.

[Recklessfireball]

Hmm... I missed the part about creating companions that were not companions of your own mage. Theres a lot to digest in that book though- lol.

Character creation is point based, and you have a fixed number of flaws/virtures of different kinds. I don't remember exactly how many of each. Have to look it up later.

[onlyme]

Hmm... I missed the part about creating companions that were not companions of your own mage. Theres a lot to digest in that book though- lol.

Character creation is point based, and you have a fixed number of flaws/virtures of different kinds. I don't remember exactly how many of each. Have to look it up later.

I think that is so it intersperses the players' PCs by making you have one here and one there. This way you have many story arcs happening at once, which allows for absent players or the storyguide(s)' PCs to not slow down the gaming. Or at least that was how I read it.

[Recklessfireball]

That's an interesting way of handling it. I might have to try that in some other games I run. I've actually been thinking of letting the players in my Star Frontiers game to make up secondary/back up characters to have on hand, should their primary character buy the farm, or if they just want to switch to a different character type for a while, in between missions.

With regard to Ars Magica, I've been thinking of making a mage from House Flambeau. Considering my moniker here, on the Unseen Servant, it seems particularly apropos.

[Bhart]

Yes each of you should create 1 magi, 1 companion, and 1 grog. Onlyme was correct, this is done so you can play different roles on different adventures and you don't aways have a pack of magi running around. As Riftstone mentioned your companion should not be attached to your magi in anyway (they can know each other but should not have a bond or strong relationship). It is best to work with the other players to form those relationships.

An outline of the character creation process is on page 29 of the 5th edition rulebook for those who have it. The book also provides "template" characters, similar to partially completed pre-gens, that can be used if you want.

You may choose your "house".

Virtues are purchased by taking flaws. Companions and Magi get 10 points (3 for major, 1 for minor). Grogs get 3 minor only. Details are on page 37.

I'll try to get threads posted tonight for character creation. As you start working on them it may help to post the characters so the group can comment and offer suggestions and help.

[Bhart]

Once we get started if you guys really enjoy this game I encourage you to purchase the 5th edition rule book (for those who do not have it yet). Atlas Games was kind enough to release the 4th edition rules for free, so they deserve our support.

[ChubbyPixie]

Hey, guys. I have only skimmed the rules, but so far am fascinated by the system. I will need a week or so to read over the rules a bit more in depth and get started developing my character(s). Can't wait together started. I'll give my opinion on all the above mentioned matters as soon as I understand the context a bit better.

[Bhart]

Sorry I've been slow on posting. I've been dealing with some RL stuff that will keep me busy until Mon. I will do my best to move the game forward tomorrow night (saturday).

Thanks for your patience.

[Dumnbunny]

No worries here. I'm refreshing my memory re: the rules, and coming up with some rough character ideas.

[onlyme]

Is there a cheat sheet, or anything else that may discuss what combinations of virtues/flaws work better for game play, etc? I read a couple of intriguing ones, but no clue if they are too limiting or vague for fun play...

[Recklessfireball]

Is there a cheat sheet, or anything else that may discuss what combinations of virtues/flaws work better for game play, etc? I read a couple of intriguing ones, but no clue if they are too limiting or vague for fun play...

As far as virtues/flaws are concerned, it seems to me that it depends on the type (some kinds affect your magic abilities) and personal preference, as far as how you imagine your character.

What I would actually like, is a fillable character sheet that would do point calculations for me. I've done some browser searches but come up empty, so far. If anyone has any links (legal ones, of course) I'd be grateful if you'd share them. The number crunching is what causes me the most trouble.

[Bhart]

Is there a cheat sheet, or anything else that may discuss what combinations of virtues/flaws work better for game play, etc? I read a couple of intriguing ones, but no clue if they are too limiting or vague for fun play...

No I'm not aware of any cheat sheet. Atlas Games does have a forum that discusses character designs here http://forum.atlas-games.com/viewforum. ... 4d3e260d04

Post some of your ideas here in this thread and we can talk about them. Which ones do you find intriguing?

[Bhart]

Is there a cheat sheet, or anything else that may discuss what combinations of virtues/flaws work better for game play, etc? I read a couple of intriguing ones, but no clue if they are too limiting or vague for fun play...

As far as virtues/flaws are concerned, it seems to me that it depends on the type (some kinds affect your magic abilities) and personal preference, as far as how you imagine your character.

What I would actually like, is a fillable character sheet that would do point calculations for me. I've done some browser searches but come up empty, so far. If anyone has any links (legal ones, of course) I'd be grateful if you'd share them. The number crunching is what causes me the most trouble.

The closest thing I've found is a character generator, MetaCreator, but it's not free. http://www.alteregosoftware.com/ArsMagicaFeatures.html

[Bhart]

Your Magus is going to be the most difficult character to create. If you guys post a rough outline of what you are thinking as far as character concepts we can help each other through the creation process.

Would anyone like to see a dedicated character creation thread where I walk everyone through the stages?