NWO: Beginners Guide to Ars Magica

[jfs]

Because a few people have asked, I've put together a beginners guide to Ars Magica at the following URL:

http://wild.park.net/beginners_guide_ars_magica.pdf

It's only a couple of pages long, with a summary of the Houses, Tribunals and main issues facing the Order as we go into the Grand Tribunal, with a copy of the Code and a commentary on it on the back.

Hopefully people will find it useful - please feel free to point other people towards it.

Comments

[wildwinter.livejournal.com]

Nice and succinct. Thanks.

[oldnick.livejournal.com]

Interesting - something I've attempted a few times for my tabletop players and never got right. Any objections if I crib it, and replace the NWO-specific stuff with a little more organsiational stuff (i.e. what is a covenant / tribunal?) for my own use?

[jfs.livejournal.com]

No objections at all - want me to send you it in a more editable format?

I should point out that the commentary on the Code largely comes from: http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/okoskimi/ArM/code.html though - I really should attribute that.

[oldnick.livejournal.com]

Please. The commentary on the code is good - I'll credit it on my version.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

http://roleplay.org.il/reading/whatisarsmagica.html isn't a bad summary either, if a little irreverant.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

thanks dude ;-)

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

Um, isn't it a bit late for people to be deciding they need a primer on Ars, the game's on Friday! : )

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Not everyone's an Ars Magica player, and to be honest, a lot of the stuff on there is background rather than character - I know several people who got through the first couple of games without even knowing what the Code was, for example.

[mr-h-r-hughes.livejournal.com]

I know lots of people don't know Ars and it's not a criticism...well not of you or any other ref/writer. It seems to me that if you think you don't really know enough about a game you're about to play in, especially one as huge and involved as this, one that I assume the refs/writers have sweated blood over (in some cases for the last 10 years) that you really owe it to them to do your research somewhat earlier than the Tuesday before the event.
Ars is a complex game and the players of these freeforms (or whatever you would like to call them) all rely on each other to make the game work, if a couple of people don't know their stuff it can really derail another person's game horribly.

Let me say again NO criticism of the writing/reft team is intended in any of this, quite the opposite in fact.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

I think JFS was only delegated to do it on Monday...

[kingandy]

Always worth having a last-minute crib sheet. There's always something that's slipped your mind.

Last game, I had no idea who Diedne was ... that might have played out slightly differently.

[quintus.livejournal.com]

Ah, memories of university days... yelling "Perdo!" at one another in the street and being answered with "Corporem!" before being biffed over the head with a baguette.

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

This could be like an Ars agony column.

Dear Auntie Ars,

I am confused about wot this seal thing does. My parens said they are more effective than the pill. Is it true you should use one every time?

Plez help.

Yours,

A. Quaesitor

*scampers off scampishly*

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Dear A. Quaesitor,

Using a seal isn't necessarily the most effective way to abort pregnant conversation, no matter what Divis Mal might tell you.

Unless you're talking about birth control, in which case I have always found a Quaesitori Seal to be most effective - as soon as they start spouting about it, I find my mind wondering far from the idea of sex.

Yrs.

Auntie Ars.

[westernind.livejournal.com]

is this really Amy or is it the gibbon again? ;-)

[kingandy]

BTW.

Goudy Old Style and Marmyadose FTW!

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Yay!

(I will however point out that I haven't reformatted my brief to accomodate this particular fetish of mine .... though of course, now I'm thinking of doing so.)

[serpentstar.livejournal.com]

Excellent. Thank you. Tempting though it was to bin the player pack I'd printed out and *just* use the 2 pages of your crib sheet, I think the two probably work best together. :)

[jfs.livejournal.com]

No - I really think you should read your character sheet as well :-)

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Forgot to add - if you've any questions about the background - ring me and I'll find you an answer before the game - 0208 491 6800.

[kathbad]

Thank you - you are a star.

That has helped pull some things together in my head significantly.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Standard offer to all players: if you have any questions, rimg me and I'm happy to talk through them.

[lupercal.livejournal.com]

John! Favour please! Can you pop round to your corner shop and pick me up 1 x cocoa and 1 x pistachio Tubs of Halva please? Brum runneth dry and the thought of me doing an event sans Halva terrifies me as much as, for instance, doing one without Coffee may terrify you. I shall re-imburse you at the event...

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Will do :-)

[kathbad]

MmMMmm Halva.