Ars Magica?

[Aisede]

I just learned about a TTRPG called Ars Magica. Do any of you know much about it? Is it played here?

[Hotshot lasgun]

It's affectionately called the game for people with not enough homework

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[Dworin]

I have been intrigued by that game for the longest time but never got around to play it, so I don't qualify as person who 'knows much about it'.
From my understanding, it's partly a simulation of the weal and woe of a covenant over a longish period (decades, generations), hence the 'homework' comment. The roleplay part (as far as I can tell) centers on politics between covenants and also securing places and sources of magical power. It all seems to demand some serious time investment over a long period and probably makes less sense for a one-shot (which is what rpgx tarets primarily).

The unique thing is the troupe style play, where every player has several characters (magi, companions and general supports (grogs)). This is useful when the mage is stuck in his room crafting a new spell for several months and unavailable for adventure.

If there's anyone with actual knowledge, please set me right.

[LittleMonsters]

What's been said here is pretty accurate, especially for the most recent editions of the game.

Ars Magica is one part traditional roleplaying game and at least one part worldbuilding simulation. The closest thing that most D&D-centric gamers have likely experienced is Pathfinder's Kingmaker, but even that's a poor comparison because Kingmaker's still fundamentally about the main characters. Ars Magica is about the magi. But it's equally about the nonmagical people who assist them and believe in what they stand for. It's also equally about the place (or places) those characters live. Individually, players will be tracking the development of their wizard... and the people who make that wizard's life possible. As a group, players will be dealing with the rules for their Covenant. It's intended that this all be used to explore a long block of time in Mythic Europe. Magical research has immense amounts of downtime built in, during which time the spotlight is intended to shift to the supporting cast. Plotlines are intended to stretch over years or decades.

The rules to support all of this are very robust, but they are very mechanics-dense. Look at D&D, of whatever edition you prefer. And then look at how much of the crunchy mechanics are stripped out to make something like Powered By the Apocalypse. Ars Magica is like that, but in the opposite direction. Characters can and will design their own magic. They'll produce spontaneous magical effects. They'll engage in what's almost like a 4X game for development of their Covenant and its holdings. The game doesn't tell you that you might want to set up some Excel spreadsheets to help track things, but a lot of players certainly do.

Mechanics aside, the game encourages a very historical approach to the setting. Although it's set in Mythic Europe, it's still set in Europe and the game encourages a sense of verisimilitude. You won't and can't do everything with magic, and so questions like "How long would it take someone in the 13th century to travel from a village in southern Italy to the Black Forest?" are actually relevant to gameplay.

I've only ever dabbled in Ars Magica because I've never had a group dedicated to the cause. I can't imagine having a group of people online walk into it blind and having much success. It would be like showing up to a casual board gaming night with a copy of Kingdom Death: Monster.

[Aisede]

That sounds very... Convoluted. I prefer simpler, faster-paced roleplay.

But thanks for explaining. I'm sure if anyone else is curious on the subject, a glimpse at this page will provide plenty of information.

[squirmonkey]

I had the chance to read this one recently. I greatly enjoyed the book. It seems like the kind of game though where you'd need the perfect group to be able to run it, and I don't have that group readily available.