Objective of the Game
Ars Magica is a cooperative role-playing game that immerses players in a world of medieval magic. The focus is on the creation and development of magical characters and exploring mystical adventures. Players take on the roles of Magicians, their Companions, and Grogs.
Setup
- One player assumes the role of the Storyguide, who leads the narrative and describes the world.
- The other players create characters represented by sheets and dice.
- All players should understand the basics of the game mechanics, particularly the dice system and magical rules.
Game Components
- Character sheets for Magicians, Companions, and Grogs
- Dice, usually the ten-sided die (D10)
- Game templates or pre-prepared adventures
- Writing materials for notes and records
Rules
Character Creation
- Magicians are the powerful main characters with access to magic.
- Companions are competent supporters, unable to cast magic but with other special abilities.
- Grogs are regular people with simple duties in the group.
Magic and Skills
- Magic System: Magic is based on a combination of Techniques and Forms that determine the magicians' spells. Each spell is cast by a D10 roll with bonuses from the character’s magical abilities.
- Formulas and Spells: These are created from a combination of the five Techniques (Creo, Intellego, Muto, Perdo, Rego) and ten Forms (Animal, Aquam, Auram, Corpus, Herbam, Ignem, Imaginem, Mentem, Terram, Vim).
Gameplay
- The Storyguide describes the world and presents challenges.
- Players collectively decide how to react and what their characters will do.
- All actions, especially those involving risk or magic, require dice rolls.
Strategy and Coordination
- Players must work well together and understand and use their characters' strengths.
- Diplomacy and social interactions are just as important as magical abilities to succeed.
Winning Conditions
As a cooperative role-playing game, there is no clear “winning.” The main goal is to experience stories together and develop the characters.
