Welcome to the public playtest for Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven’s Ars Magica! We’re delighted to have you on board.
Here’s what we’re asking everyone to do.
First, download the playtest document here.
Give it a read through. We’re interested in feedback in general, but most importantly:
1. Do you have any questions you’d need answered, before you’d be ready to play?
Next, gather some friends and create some characters.
2. Did any questions come up during character creation that you need answered?
Then, play a session! Play as many sessions as you want.
3. What questions came up during play? How did you answer them for yourselves? How did it go? Do you need any additional answers from us?
That’s it!
You can email us — lumpley at gmail will reach us — or post comments right here.
Future Developments
For now, we’re going to conduct the playtest right here on this blog page.
If it takes off, we’ll have to expand somehow. We might start by adding a cluster of additional blog pages. After that, we’ll consider a dedicated Discord server or maybe a small old-fashioned webforum. Both have their drawbacks, so we’ll have to see what’s needed.
Thanks!
Thank you for your interest and help. We can’t wait to make this game real and we appreciate what you’re doing to make it happen. We’ll be playing right alongside!
Vincent Baker says:
Anybody who feels like it, here’s a quick solo playtest you can do for us.
Create a wizard.
Come back here and report: what are your best interests, your self-interests, and what did you pick for the object of your game?
Jason Newquist says:
Awesome sauce. Downloaded, reading. The revised premise and Order backstory is juicy. Kids are coming home from college imminently, so this is added to the holiday agenda.
And all praise to Atlas for the Ars Magica Open License, btw.
Vincent Baker says:
Rad!
And yes!
Brian Cooksey says:
Cypher Elton Criamon
Best Interest: To help others solve the enigmas that plague them.
Self Interest: To solve the enigmas of the universe.
Object of the game: To see your wizard to ruin, catastrophe and downfall.
He can save himself from ruin by solving other people’s problems rather than his own. But will he?
Vincent Baker says:
Excellent!
Jason Preu says:
Thanks for making this. The lightweight rules are a joy and now I think we’re going to dig deeper into Ars. We’re all big fans of Over the Edge but never made the leap to Ars – seemed intimidating- but your take seems to be a fun gateway. (Incidentally, have you yet seen: https://nickwedig.itch.io/florilegium ?)
Character creation wasn’t too much of challenge – once we got our footing in how the document was laid out (since the first page is a wizard sheet with a household back it kind of threw us).
Here’re the 3 wizards we’re currently playing and a bit of their tale thus far:
Reverend Juniper Jerbiton
– Best Interests:
Should make peace with aging before slipping into Twilight.
Share knowledge with his youngers, not withhold it.
– Self-Interests:
Fears being told what to do by younger wizards or having his autonomy challenged.
– Object of the Game:
To see his wizard ascendant in the Order of Hermes at any cost.
Household:
– Lissl Quickhand, Juniper’s loyal house manager.
– Sergeant Arlen Bell, Juniper’s enforcer.
—
Mistress Lyra Tremere
– Best Interests:
To understand she’s not the only one who needs to worry about protecting forbidden knowledge – it’s in everyone’s interest.
– Self-Interests:
Maintain her political supremacy.
Any secrets – she wants to know.
– Object of the Game:
To see her wizard ascendant in the Order of Hermes at any cost.
Household:
– Corvan Duskhand: Loyal and wary, pragmatic about Lyra’s politics.
—
Master Evaric Merinita
– Best Interests:
Create art without consideration of legacy or family name.
– Self-Interests:
Wants proof of Fairy and not just references in books or from older family or other gnarled wizzies.
– Object of the Game:
See your wizard successful in their domestic, not magical ventures.
Household:
– Apprentice Rillith: a Fae-touched herbalist. Evaric’s conscience.
—
We opened on Reverend Juniper, a Winter wizard, in his garden humming off and on – a broken melody we come to find out has haunted his dreams for years. The melody is known to many wizards as the Green Queen’s Scale. While in the garden, a mysterious stranger (Orlin) arrives to bargin for bits of the tune. At first, Juniper plays along but as the conversation continues grows distrustful of Orlin’s intentions and, after magically flipping Orlin upside down in a literal shakedown, signals Sergeant Arlen to “handle” the interloper. Juniper takes heed of Orlin’s warning that other wizards are inquiring about the tune, so retreats to his dusty study to undergo a meditation designed to induce lucid dreaming. In Dream he learns that the Scale, when properly sung, thins the veil between our world and Fairy.
!!Troupe-style play during this scene was surprisingly engaging. I can’t say why we were surprised (none of us had played Ars before so didn’t know what to expect), but fell right into it. And that was a bonus.!!
—
We shifted then to Lyra, an Autumn wizard, who has heard whispers about someone singing Fairy songs – she views such as a possible threat to the Order so tasks her servant, Corvan Duskhand, to investigate the rumors. Corvan reaches out to Jarop Quickhand (Lissl’s brother) to seek any information he has – and to remind him of his debt to Lyra.
!!This was interesting as Lyra’s player only played her for a short bit before we shifted into Corvan and Jarop’s interactions.!!
—
Finally, we got to Evaric, a Spring wizard, in the middle of weaving a tapestry detailing his family’s history with the Fae. He’s heard of the Scale his entire life (but doesn’t yet know anything about the current situation). In talks with his apprentice, Rillith, she warns him against putting too many Fae details in his weaving. They converse a while about Rillith’s own history with the Fae: her sister had many traits to indicate she was a changling and ran away from home as a young girl.
—
Other Feedback
Troupe-Style Play
-Loved it way more than expected. Having everyone play a variety of characters really opened up the game to feel like more than 3 people were involved. I feel like this style of play needs more games! (Or I just need to find more of those games. 🙂 )
Rolls
-We only rolled twice: when Juniper was magicking Orlin around and when Corvan intimidated Jarop. Probably didn’t even need it then but we did want to test the mechanic. I expect we’ll see a bit more in this area as the wizards come into contact – and with whomever sent Orlin. We really aren’t sure yet if Arlen offed him or just worked him over.
Spells
-Spell use has clear guidance (e.g., modifying rolls with Power or Finesse), though opportunities to use inventive spells haven’t yet presented themselves.
Moves
-Helpful to have but we only found we needed #1 then went from there. Shifting scenes often came at a natural lull (or a bathroom break). I expect shifting scenes will be the hardest part for anyone coming from other styles of play but, even then – ya figure if you’re playing a GM-less game, you likely have some comfort/experience with working out how to push things along.
All in all – we’re having fun. Good luck with this one!
Vincent Baker says:
Fantastic! Thank you!
Meguey says:
I am rooting for Master Evaric Merinita SO MUCH, and also, at first I misread and thought _another player_ was playing Evaric’s actual conscience, Jimmy Cricket style, and now I want to see that in a game.
Jason Preu says:
HA! I think I’d like to see another character’s conscience played, too. A less chaotic Everyone is John – or a lightly mechanized Inside Out (more feelings than conscience, I suppose). Will report back on how Evaric fares (albeit in a much more condensed form – sorry for taking up so much space, y’all 🙂 ). Keep up the always great work!