[ArM5] intro & a couple of questions

[gint valiulis]

In my history of playing Ars Magica, most players want to play their
magi because they are powerful and get to be the center of attention. 
Rarely does a player love his Companion to the same level.  So at the
begining of every adventure I try to get the players to split up so
that each player takes a mage or a Companion.  I have six people in my
group, 3 magi and 3 Companions  and 6 grogs is the standard party. 
Managing this is fine, but managing 6 magi gets pretty wierd fast
especially in a combat situation.

In previous editions of Ars Magica there was a strong disincentive for
 Magi to go on adventure.  Magi wanted to say behind and study arts,
do lab work etc. to build power.  But it was your duty to the covenant
to risk your life on the adventure and you did it.  This way players
did not mind not taking the mage on adventure because staying at home
was better.

To build a Companion however you had to go on adventure.  So if you
wanted a cool Companion you would choose to play your Companion to
build him up.  Thus players got recompense for not playing the Mage
that session.

In handing out experience last week I noticed that the mage put his xp
into his Muto and Terram  (He turned some walls into mud).  In the old
days he would have put those xp into Area Lore to represent his
journey or Infernal Lore to represent his first contact with a demon. 
However, in the build for power through arts which is the main thrust
of a magical character he was less interested in these very
interesting knowledges or abilities.

Depending upon your library I find Magi more motivated to go on
adventure and cast spells in the field to advance arts.  If you have a
good library or much vis from which to study then you stay in the lab.


> >2) Advancement rules. Here we basically all agree - it is sooo slow.
> >How does anybody ever learn anything? We've just been on our first
> >version five adventure, and we'll probably receive only 5 xp for the
> >whole season - which is 1 xp in Old Units. Which is around 3-5 times
> >less than before. Player morale is suffering. :) Everybody is thinking
> >that the best thing to do is to ignore everything that is happening in
> >the world, take as few story hooks as possible, and never ever leave
> >their libraries again. Why such a drastic change in the advancement
> >speed?
> 
> Yes, things are slower, but I'm nto sure there as slow as you're
> thinking.  A lot depends on how often the characters went on
> adventures before.  If you ran 1 adventure a year, the grogs might
> have been getting 2-3 exp a year in the old system.  Now they'd be
> getting 2 seaons of exposure (2 eps a season) and 2 seasons of
> practice/treaching/adventure.  Those two seasons could be from 8 eps
> (practice) to 18 eps (teaching with +2 com, 4 teaching, lots of
> students) to 20 eps (2 10 point adventures).  Totals to 12 eps min (or
> 2.4 eps old system) up to more like 24 (or almost 5 eps old system).
> 
> The mages, while they were getting some eps on adventure, weren't
> really using those for their arts much.  2-3 just doesn't help that
> much when you're arts are in the 10-15 range.  The amount they get
> from a book has gone down, but to a more amnageable elvel (in my
> opinion).  Taking concentration out of the total is a godo thing.
> 
> But yes, overall, levels are down.  And it was one of the berk-lists
> issues that there were fewer reasons to get mages out of the lab.  But
> thats what adventures are for. :) Give them things they want to go
> after (or things they have to stop from happening).  Most people I
> know don't go off on adventure to get better at their primary job,
> they study and practice.
> 
>