The text to be mined For this first chapter, I’ve decided to quote the complete text and colour code it to show what I’m looking for. In future chapters I’ll just publish my condensed notes. The idea here is to show you how the mining process works. The colour code is as follows: people or creatures, places,…
Read MoreBritish Goblins Project: first steps
I’m going to work with British Goblins in much the same way I would if I were writing a brief piece for an Ars book, or for the Sub Rosa fanzine. I’m not saying all of the authors work this way: I know that most of the ones I’ve collaborated with have different techniques. The…
Read MoreNow that its crashed and burned I can discuss this project
Have you ever wondered what might have happened to Ars Magica’s faeries if the old style of thinking (“The Celts Were Right!”) had continued, and been coupled with our modern research techniques? I was trying to do a “two great tastes which taste great together” thing, mixing my Ars Magica writing and Librivoxing by recording…
Read MoreArs Magica Note: Nettles
According to Mick on Time Team, nettles are attracted to potassium, which is found in some areas as a result of ancient dung heaps or toilet pits. This means you can find a lost settlement in a forest by looking for nettles. For Hermetic magi, finding nettles is ridiculously easy: Hunt The Wild Herb, for example,…
Read MoreWhat Freebie Next?
Bar a little tidying up, I think Escape to the Tin Islands is done, and so its time for a new poll to see what new freebie people want. The winning option from last time (intro adventures for cons) has been taken out, because I don’t want ot write the same sort of stuff over…
Read MoreDecline and Fall of the Roman Empire : odd little note I’ll be using for Ars Magica
In Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire there are two little pieces I tthink will be very useful for Ars Magica. The first is this: some ancient Romans apparently had cloaks made of the beards of shellfish. Ars has always lacked an Aquam founder, although one pre-Hermetic maga who was a water specialist was…
Read MoreEscape to the Tin Islands shudders forward
I need this done for Auscon, since I’ll be running it twice, and so I’ve made many additions to Escape to the Tin Islands. Stats for grogs, and outlines for scenes two and three have been added. The sessions are four hours long, so I think I may need an additional scene. As it lies now the…
Read MoreArs Magica is looking for new authors
Over at Atlas Games’s site, there’s an open call for a book of story hooks. I’d encourage fans of the game to throw their ideas into the pot, because it makes the game world richer for everyone. Once you have an approved submission, ask around, because many of the authors, myself included, are very happy…
Read MoreTheodeoric’s signature: One of those minor things which I’ll use later for Ars Magica
Theodoric, Lord of the Ostrogoths and virtual Emperor of Rome, was illiterate, so he had a rude mark that passed for a signature. To enable him to write it, he had a plate of gold made, with his signature punched in it, and to sign he merely drew his pen within the spaces.
Read MoreOutline for Escape to the Tin Islands, scene two
So, a brief outline for scene two. It’s predictable, given that the players are on board ships, but I think it shows the difference between, say, Dungeons and Dragons and Ars Magica quite well. In Ars, non-combat magi can defeat a hundred warriors, provided they have a little cleverness, a pile of vis and a spare few minutes.
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Games From Folktales 