tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post196354269631461496..comments2024-03-27T03:37:22.778-04:00Comments on Age of Ravens: New Laws of Magic: Unique and Evocative Magic Systems in RPGsLowell Francishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02359280169506945906noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-91781439497722349032010-09-29T14:44:34.794-04:002010-09-29T14:44:34.794-04:00Yes, Ars can be really interesting and fun-- and b...Yes, Ars can be really interesting and fun-- and better with the troupe style than one might think. <br /><br />I got a few other suggestions when I posted this as a Geeklist on RPG Geek (http://rpggeek.com/geeklist/59065/new-laws-of-magic-unique-and-evocative-magic-syste)<br /><br />*Riddle of Steel (which I didn't know had a magic system).<br />*The new Dresden Files rpg<br />*Nobilis (I read but don't remember this)<br />*The Shadow of Yesterday (don't know)<br />*Reign (have but haven't read fully)<br />*Deadlands (which definitely has an evocative one)Lowell Francishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02359280169506945906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-23604983263443102582010-09-29T13:47:55.703-04:002010-09-29T13:47:55.703-04:00I'll throw in another positive plug for the Ar...I'll throw in another positive plug for the Ars Magica. When I first discovered it, I thought it was exactly what an rpg about wizardly society in that time period should be. I played it for awhile and my group back then had a lot of fun with it. It's the only game I've been in where we, as players, successfully played different characters without bungling up outside of character knowledge. <br /><br />I still love the Mage magic system. It has its quirks and stumbling blocks, but I think it does the best at what it's trying to do with modern will-workers. Granted, Unknown Armies is a great resource for weirdness and magic.<br /><br />And S. John Ross has lots of good things to pick through. Don't stop with what you've seen, go for broke!Undeadhosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09131084242228738203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-78557978067688738772010-09-23T09:56:49.293-04:002010-09-23T09:56:49.293-04:00Re: Castle Falkenstein...
Gurps Castle Falkenstei...Re: Castle Falkenstein...<br /><br />Gurps Castle Falkenstein captures some of the feel, but it works much better in the original R. Talsorian game.<br /><br />Re: Big List<br /><br />Oh yes. It's one of my desert island PDFs.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17635116929490398699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-50115428178747209112010-09-23T08:59:10.964-04:002010-09-23T08:59:10.964-04:00@ Lowell: Having just discovered S. John Ross'...@ Lowell: Having just discovered S. John Ross's Big List of RPG Plots (http://www.io.com/~sjohn/plots.htm) about a month ago I have to fully agree. It's an amazing resource.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-61463708177392181772010-09-23T00:18:21.212-04:002010-09-23T00:18:21.212-04:00@Gene: Yes, I'd like to see that. We can swap ...@Gene: Yes, I'd like to see that. We can swap when we next meet and I'll hand off The New Pornographers albums to you. <br /><br />@theredboxblog: We played Ars for a little while and enjoyed it. But I think for me it provided a set of ideas about how to structure campaigns, what magic life looked like and specific sub-practices that I carried over into other campaigns. My wife applied a lot of that to a Rolemaster campaign she ran. I liked the 3rd edition rules, but the new 5th edition is clean and easier to read.Lowell Francishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02359280169506945906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-74880778336399781332010-09-22T22:23:02.412-04:002010-09-22T22:23:02.412-04:00Maybe it was just because I never saw the system i...Maybe it was just because I never saw the system in action, but I had the Ars Magica book for about 10 years, read through it multiple times and could never figure out how any of it was suppose to fit together.<br /><br />Good article; I need to check out some of the games you've mentioned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-27009196990733044652010-09-22T17:42:07.750-04:002010-09-22T17:42:07.750-04:00The new Wild Powers/Godlike supplement, Grim War, ...The new Wild Powers/Godlike supplement, Grim War, has a clever new magic system. It sounds a lot like Stormbringer to start. But you don't necessarily draw power from summoned spirits. Often, you have to either command them or negotiate with them for their service. Unless they inhabit your body, they act as independent NPCs instead of PC resources. If you're interested I can loan it to you.Gene Hahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07389258008505629339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-64606636665366662452010-09-22T15:28:55.183-04:002010-09-22T15:28:55.183-04:00I hadn't seen that article from S. John Ross--...I hadn't seen that article from S. John Ross-- thanks for the heads up. His Big List of RPG Plots may be my single favorite rpg article ever. <br /><br />I have GURPS Castle Falkenstein (and the supplement) but I don't think I ever took a close look at what they did with the magic. I'd just assumed that they'd made it into another standard GURPS Magic clone by shoehorning the system. I'll take a look at it again.Lowell Francishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02359280169506945906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4764158821384594980.post-24304029522957859172010-09-22T13:21:00.188-04:002010-09-22T13:21:00.188-04:00An excellent survey of systems. To this list, I...An excellent survey of systems. To this list, I'd Castle Falkenstein, which still feels fresh and novel. Parts were cannibalized for Gurps Thaumatology.<br /><br />My own favorite magic system for much of the last 20 years was Gurps Voodoo and later Gurps Spirits. These systems were hugely influential for me and even now, I tend to view other systems through a spiritual lens. My ideal magic-centered game was always a hybrid of Gurps Voodoo and Gurps Cabal. <br /><br />Nowadays, I keep the flavor from these awesome systems (adding CoC, Stormbringer and Ars Magica from you list above), while stripping out almost all the mechanics. I use Risus rules that were derived from S John Ross' article on Elemental Magic (http://www.io.com/~sjohn/element.htm)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17635116929490398699noreply@blogger.com