One of the joys of Dungeons & Dragons is being able to use magic as part of a character. Players love to cast a clutch spell to damage a bad guy in a big way as well as solve encountes with clever uses of non-combat spells. Classes that offer this to player include the cleric, sorceror, warlock, and, of course, the wizard.
Fans who love flexing their creativity with unusual spellcasting should check out Ars Magica. It’s a game full of real world history, player-driven magic and wizardly intrigue. It’s currently raising money via crowdfunding for a Definitive Edition.
Oops! All Wizards
Ars Magica playes build a Chantry which functions like a chapterhouse of wizards. They also flesh out other elements of their headquarters with servants, allies and an overall purpose for their magical pursuits. The game is set in a historical version of our own world where wizard chantries angle for power and influence with nobles and members of the Church.
Rival wizards also can be a factor in play. Two chantries could be competing for the same resources, or one chantry could be falling from grace while another is rising in power. That’s in addition to the strange creatures that roam the countryside such as faeries and dragon.
The Ars Magica line contains many well-researched sourcebooks. Players can find a region they like, pick up the corresponding sourcebook and built a game around that part of the world. Many of these books are part of the crowdfunding campaign.
The Wizards of Ars Magica
Every player makes a wizard character that’s part of the Order of Hermes. The wizards belong to houses that specialize in a different style of magic. They also can determine what external elements of magic that wizard knows well.
Playes also play companions and grogs that are part of the Chantry. Companions are characters like knights or merchants who have ties to the non-magical world. Grogs are servants, security and other laborers that provide essential services to keep the chantry running.
Ars Magica was one of the first games to invent troupe style play. In most sessions, one player plays their wizard while the others play other character vital to the story. This way, the wizard in focus rotates like the main characters of a television show.
Ars Magica Definitive Edition
For the Definitive Editon, Atlas Games is adding a lot to the core book. The game will feature new art and production upgrades for fans who want the best edition of the game possible. It will also fold in material from expansions that are vital to the game line.
In addition to this new version, backers can also get a deal on the earlier books in the game line. Atlas Games is also holding a sale on Ars Magica products in the webstore for the duration of the crowdfunding. The core book is the main product but there are plenty of excellent books already out for the game.
If you want to get in the wizard game right now, Ars Magica: Definitive Edition crowdfunds through November 14th, 2024. The current target to go to press is March 2025. Atlas Games hopes to start fulfilment in late summer of 2025.
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