Ars Magica is set in a pseudo-historical realm of medieval fantasy. The setting is based around middle-ages Europe, assuming that all religious and superstitious beliefs are real. So, a peasant can cross paths with a fairy, or even a dragon if he’s not careful. People know that magic exists, and they fear it. The Hermetic Order (in a way the same blokes that you’ll see in Mage: the Ascension, realizing that some of the Great Houses are fallen, and some have been born during those passed years) is the mayor (or sole) magical player in this world; at least on the mortal front, that is, if we forget fairies, and Heaven and Hell for a moment.

Most of the current Hermetic Law already existed back then, though, it seems, Magi would adhere to the body of that Law more fervently than nowadays. Oh, how has the Order fallen from its former glory! Among the Houses, it is impossible not to notice House Tremere and House Bonisagus. House Tremere, according to the history of White Wolf’s World of Darkness, would become Clan Tremere, a house of vampires that would eventually gain a lot of control within the Camarilla, the vampires’ major sect. They’d become bitter enemies of the other Houses. This mutual hatred would spawn two long and costly wars, called the First and Second Massasa Wars.

Bonisagus (founder of (unsurprisingly) House Bonisagus), on the other hand, is credited, in both cosmologies, for founding the Hermetic Order, and for creating the Parma Magica. The Parma is a magical shield, or ‘countermagic,’ which is learned by all hermetic Magi in Ars Magica’s day, not so in Mage’s world, but it is, still, a known procedure.

As for the systems, they differ quite a lot from Mage: the Ascension’s. In Ars Magica, you normally roll only one D10 (ten-sided die), and, if a roll is difficult enough, you may roll two or three, sometimes more. But, unlike the massive dice pools of White Wolf’s fame (or infamy, according to some), the extra dice are just used to determine how terrible the botch, or how marvellous the critical hit actually is. The system is similar to Cyberpunk’s, where you roll a ten-sider versus a difficulty. As for the magic, it has a nice little system. Not being as free-form as Mage’s, it allows you to combine several techniques (Rego, Perdo, Intellego…) with different areas of existence (Animal, Corpus, Auram…), in a way that reminds me of Changeling: the Dreaming’s cantrip systems.

Ars Magica’s major feature, and what sets it apart from other, similar games, is that the centre of play is not just a Magus, but a Covenant, which is like a learning and studying centre for Magi. So, the main character is actually a place, a school if you will. The players assume the roles of several characters within that Covenant, and their lives purpose is to enrich it. The players will normally play a Magus, and one or more of his/her retainers. The Magus may spend decades locked up in his/her tower studying, or developing grimoires, that will enhance the prestige of the Covenant.

Covenants come in four flavours, named after the four seasons. Spring Covenants have just been created, and are struggling to make a name for themselves. I think this is the ideal setting for players, because, on a Covenant such as this, they are the major players for its growth or doom. Summer Covenants are like a strong tree; they have survived long enough to be a noticeable feature, and are still growing. Autumn Covenants are those that are growing stagnant, and are slowly beginning their decline. These are another interesting setting for players, because they may play that injection of young blood that could bring the Covenant to yet another golden age. However, if nothing is done, Autumn covenants will eventually become Winter Covenants. These are the ones that are on a steady decline, and will vanish into oblivion eventually. Their glories are long gone, their Masters are probably dying, not a pleasant scenario. But, out of every dead Covenant, a new one may spring.

To summarise, essentially, Ars Magica is a very interesting game about medieval magic, and can be a resource for Mage: the Ascension games dealing with the Order of Hermes and its history. One drawback I noticed, is that it is not mainly conceived for one-shot adventures, or so I feel. On the other hand, it is a pretty complete game with only the hardcover rulebook, which is always a great plus for any role-playing game. I must confess that I have not yet put it to the test of the gaming table, but I hope I will eventually be able to do so.

Reviewed By Matías Timm