Ratings for - RPGnet RPG Game Index

Statistics: Ars Magica

Core Game Ratings

Rating: 7.38 / Ranking: 53

These ratings are based on 110 ratings with 1.63 average weight and 8 reviews.

This is compared to an index-wide 3.64 average ratings and 1.98 average weight.

This rating earns a medium-high level of trust because of its considerable input.

Ratings + Reviews:

12%

23%

33%

10%

Index Ratings Only:

11%

17%

26%

14%

13%

RPGnet Reviews Only:

13%

88%

Core Game Comments

All User Comments

Rating	User	Comments
10 / 10	kainniemand	My favorite game in my whole collection. If you like to play a mage, you have to play Ars Magica. The magic system is the industry's best, most fun, most flexible and most diverse. Not just Hermetic Magic but also the alternate traditions that are described in the various source books. Also, the setting and troupe style play are worth trying out.
10 / 10	impartial	Definitely the best for quasi-historical magic Europe gaming. Recent expansions have made it the best also for the cultures of the Near East as well . . .
10 / 10	ShannonA	An absolutely superb game system, both in background and magic system design. A little less sprightly than it used to be, but still terrific.
10 / 10	Black Spectrum	Superb game marred by mediocre art.
10 / 10	cj.23	A superb game set in Medieval Europe, with an innovative appraocj of seasonal downtime which allows years to pass in the course of your saga, and a fantastic magic system.
10 / 10	Le faux Clint	Simply the best game ever.
10 / 10	Tyrrell	My favorite game ever published. The best magic system I've seen to date. Uses a d10 + stat + skill + modifiers versus target number mechanic that's pretty simple outside of the magic system. The game has a fantastic setting (early 13th century Europe with large amounts of mythology made part of the facts of the setting) and a very rewarding suggested style of gameplay with the central character of the story being the home community of the PC's. This, combined with the facts that the stories told in games tend to take place over years of game time rather than weeks or months and that magic using characters are significantly more powerful than other characters, make it a different experience from other games. I've gotten significantly more enjoyment out of this game than any other game. So what do ars magica games consist of? What do characters actually do? They travel to Crete to uncover the ancient mysteries of the Pythagoreans. They balance their responsibilities to the duke of Savoy against their oath of fraternity. They lay waste to the invading Mongol hordes throwing javelins of fire from their flying carpets They capture the magic essence of the poisonous wyrm of Gloucester and use it to create a sword that passes through metal like it was butter. They study the cocoons of magical butterflies in order to master the arts of transformation. They form backroom political deals in order to protect themselves from the machinations of their rivals during the Wizard's tribunal. They wager their ability to smell bread and flowers against a faery lord in a game of chance. They invent subtle spells to use in intrigues that last for decades They defend their behavior against charges of Heresy in front of the cardinal of Ulm They chase ghosts through the sewers of Barcelona while searching for the tomes of Apromor's apprentice. Etcetera, etcetera
9 / 10	TrippyHippy	Significantly influential game and by all rights, should be regarded as the original 'indie/narrative' rpg. The covenant and troupe style campaign design is still worth the price of admission alone, and the attention to detail both in setting and the very flexible magic system is remarkable. I felt it lost some of it's impact in later editions by focussing too much on fleshing out the Mythic Europe setting and the mechanics generally, although it's support and fanbase are incredibly enduring.
9 / 10	San Dee Jota	Earlier editions influenced the World of Darkness games, introduced "troupe-style" roleplaying, used a dynamic magic system, and has a strong pseudo-historical (i.e. history with magic) vibe among followers and support.
9 / 10	Azidhak	Finally a thoroughly playtested edition of this great game, has made it even better. 5th edition is the One True Edition Ars players has been waiting for.
9 / 10	SJBenoist	One of the great sleeper games of all time. Not nearly enough people know of Ars Magica.
8 / 10	MylesC	A clever departure from the basics of Medieval European fantasy role-playing, encouraging epic and generational play. It also provides some of the most entertainingly powerful mages in role-playing.
8 / 10	PhishStyx	Although the stentorian writing is a bit dry reading for my taste, the magic system is quite nice.
8 / 10	Rob Doupe	The innovations of covenants and troupe play, and the Medieval settings are all outstanding. A tremendous amount of inspiring material in the covers of the 5th edition book. Also a tremendous amount of rules grit, including endless lists of skills, abilities, virtues, and formulas. Character creation itself is a huge task, with numerous pitfalls for the unwary new player. Anticipate difficulty in getting new players to buy in, but with buy-in it could be a Holy Grail game.
7 / 10	thebigh	It's a unique system that gives the player a lot of power and freedom. It's lots of fun. The only down side is the rulebook is confusingly organised, which makes the system hard to learn.
7 / 10	Mechante_Anemone	It was a pioneering system when it came out. The sourcebooks for this game are generally extremely well written, particularly since Atlas Games started publishing it. But the times have moved, game design has changed, and I now find it rates as one of the most system-heavy games in my collection.
7 / 10	NathanHill	A good, solid game about wizards, their henchmen, and their stories - really, this is quite a unique step away from the classic D&D ideas of magicians, but it is pretty darn cool.
7 / 10	Thanuir	Innovative and functional rules, if a bit too complex at some points. Setting is also good.
6 / 10	DrFaust	The mechanics seem robust, if somewhat impenetrable. The corebook is severely lacking is more than the most cursory overview of the Mythic Europe setting, unfortunately.
6 / 10	Esarel	The system is simply too complicated for what it does. There is no unifying mechanic, rather characters abilities are thrown together from a collection of relavent skills for many of the most interesting and important things, such as "lab work." There are too many distinct skills which can be very frustrating for a player trying to create a competent character. Its easy to miss one thinking you have it covered, and frustrating when it is made clear just how much XP needs to be invested to overcome the variance of the d10 mechanic. For example theology is distinct from religious lore. One is knowing about religious dogma, one about religious creatures. There are plenty more examples of this. The magic system results in a variety of strange occurences. For instance mages specializing in healing are among the best at teleportation effects. On the other hand troupe based play is an excellent idea, that is worthy of respect, and that I plan to port over to other systems and plan to do so again.
6 / 10	Jon Hastings	Along with Pendragon, the other "Holy Grail" of my early 1990s gaming. After reading the rules, I was excited to get a campaign going, but it never quite happened. The one-shots were, not surprisingly, unsatisfactory. Still, I appreciate the intent behind the design and all the neat concepts/ideas.
6 / 10	Skiorht	Rating based on the Lion Rampant editions of the game, since they are the only ones I'm really familiar with. Ars Magica contains a number of innovations, including the troupe-style play, unequal PC roles, and the role of the covenant in play. The rules were however a bit lacking and unintuitive in places.
5 / 10	thadrine	For a game all about magic its rules on magic are some of the worst I think I have seen.
5 / 10	Zachary The First	Stellar magic, leave everything else.
4 / 10	Crom	Great setting, but far too easy to break.
4 / 10	Simple Man	Average system (a bit too complex in places), rules/setting too dry for me.
2 / 10	migo	It was free, but I don't really consider it worthwhile. It was a bit interesting at first but got incredibly boring further in and I never managed to finish it.
0 / 10	Doc Halloween	I have not read yet.
0 / 10	Yokiboy	Ars Magica is a game I've mined for ideas, but never played on its own.

Core Game Reviews

All RPGnet Reviews

[ Link Reviews ]

Rating	User	Summary
4 + 5	~BA	Ars Magica Fifth Edition. A worthy heir to the impressive legacy that is Ars Magica, it fixes most everything that was problematic in earlier editions, while being visually impressive and easy to understand and read. [ Read Review ]
3 + 5	sdelear	Ars Magica Fifth Edition. The last bastion of the Tremere. Will the game that came before the World of Darkness outlast it? [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	Jason Brennan	Ars Magica Fifth Edition. A solidly-written and highly playablehistorical-fantasy RPG that is particularly well-suited for long-running, player-driven campaigns. [ Read Review ]
4 + 4	Elton Robb	Ars Magica Fourth Edition. [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	Allister Huggins	Ars Magica Fourth Edition. [ Read Review ]
3 + 5	Eduardo Penna	Ars Magica Fourth Edition. [ Read Review ]
4 + 5	Gareth Larter	Ars Magica Fourth Edition. [ Read Review ]
3 + 5	Number 6	Ars Magica Fourth Edition. How I dragged my gaming group kicking and screaming, over the course of a year, away from D&D over to Ars Magica just long enough for them to try it. A painful journey, but one that paid huge dividends. [ Read Review ]

All Magazine Reviews

Year	Magazine	Synopsis
1992	Journeys: Journal of Multidimensional Roleplaying #2	Review of Ars Magica 3rd edition.
1988	White Wolf #11	Rating 10/10. "...a game which offers several strengths: a true medieval flavor, revolutionary character development, a wonderful magic system, excellent role-playing possibilities, and more."
1997	Valkyrie #15	Fourth edition. "sold out, and I can't say I"m surprised."
1990	White Wolf #19	Rating 5/5. "...the best fantasy role-playing game currently available."
1997	Pyramid V1, #24	"Everything about the fourth edition is cleaner."
1994	White Wolf #39	A review of the third-edition rules: 5/5.
1989	Abyss #43	"the ideas in the game seem to glorify all the errors and misconceptions most gamers have (hopefully) left behind"
1990	Abyss #46	"not well-suited to combat-heavy or individualistic play"
1989	Dragon #147	"...a coherent and satisfying treatment of magic [and] a convenient and imaginative exploitation of a historical medieval setting..."
1989	Space Gamer V2, #2	"transcends the limitations of many roleplaying games"