Ars Magica

Ars Magica is a pen-and- paper role-playing game. Background of the game is " Mythic Europe ", a version of medieval Europe, in the myths and legends not about superstition, but reality is. As the name suggests, magicians and their secret arts are the central theme of the game. The mages are in small groups called frets, organized, its structure can best be compared with that of a monastery. In contrast to most other RPG systems, each player takes a pool of characters who live in the covenant, from a Magus, virtually the lead role, about a fellow ( an important supporting role ) to a few servants. Depending on the type of adventure, each player thus always has a matching character at hand.

Publication history

Ars Magica was developed in 1987 by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein Hagen and published at their own publishing " Lion Rampant ". Because of the innovative magic system and the introduction of the so-called " troupe style play", in which each player acts as game master one aspect of the game, the game won a coveted Gamer's Choice Award. In 1989 appeared the revised second edition of the game, in which the background world " Mythic Europe " was first presented in detail. In 1991, the publishing house of White Wolf was bought, in her took over some ideas World of Darkness concept. But Ars Magica was developed and published in 1992 in the third edition. Two years later the game at Wizards of the Coast was sold, but it in turn ceded in 1996 to its current publisher Atlas Games. There appeared in the same year the fourth edition. With the last date 5th edition rule from 2004 the game took final leave of the World of Darkness. The control system has been simplified and succeeded so well that it the Origins Award in the category " Best Role Playing Game " and " ennie Gold Award" was clearing 2005. In order to attract more players, the publisher, the fourth edition in English for free.

Despite a relatively manageable fan base the game in various editions has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, Polish and Japanese. On the German market was published in 1992 a translation of the second edition of " Mania Productions " and 1997, the fourth edition at Mario Truant Verlag. In addition to the core rulebook also some source books have appeared there.