Has the free Ars Magica pdf increased your purchases?

[grodog]

I downloaded the pdf but never read it. I almost bought Ars MAgica today, but it was because some members on the Castles and Crusades boards have come that close to persuading me.

Treebore: go for it It's the most elegant rpg magic system out there. It's also a great game, and draws a lot on the original "campaign level play" elements from OD&D and AD&D (as my previous post alludes to).

 

[Shadowsmith]

ArM is quite portable as a system, and doesn't have to be tied to the Mythic European setting at all. One of the most enjoyable ArM games I've played was set in the WFRP universe (we used the ArM magic system for magic, since Realms of Sorcery was still vaporware back in 1990). I've also enjoyed fantasying-up Mythic Europe from time to time, to the point of the game looking more like D&D than the traditional, rooted-in-history ME from ArM.

That is an idea that I've been bouncing around in my head. Unfortunately for me, I like Mythic Europe - and that's been holding me back from going this route. Perhaps next year sometime I can try using Ars Magica in a more 'typical' fantasy setting.

That's one of the things I miss the most about 1e: 3e's quick level progression prevents development of long-term goals, long-term play considerations that come when it takes awhile for PCs to rise in level. These become more important as the PC increases in level, and conducts spell research, the creation of magic items, gathers followers, establishes a stronghold, etc., and the more wargaming/management aspect to the game comes to the fore. (Quick level progression is actually discussed in some letters in Dungeon 141 this month).

Anyway, ArM campaigns have that kind of longer-term view built into them, at the mechanics level, which can be a refreshing change of pace from the "hurry and level up to 20" that 3.x represents (if you like that kind of thing, of course ).

The slow pace is one of the things that my current players dislike. At this time we are only able to play about four hours ever other week. Using d20 we are able to make some progress in character power every month or so. In Ars Magica, we would be covering probably a season per year of real time.

And of course, I still have the problem that my players are averse to learning new games. Ah well, perhaps next year I can convince them.

 

[gladiator]

I didn't buy anything from Atlas Games after downloading the free Ars Magica PDF, but I did buy four or five products from Columbia Games after they released HarnMaster 3 as a free PDF download for a short time a few years ago.

I think it's a good concept, but I think it works a lot better if you release a current product as the free download. Of course, that only works if you can make up the difference in sales of other products. In the case of HarnMaster, I think it worked because there's a lot to buy other than HM3 if you really want to get into the system. I never really got into Ars Magica, but it seems like you could go a lot further in that system with just the main book so I'm not sure it would be a good idea to give the current edition away for free.

All of the free downloads at DriveThruRPG never really caused me to buy anything, probably because they were mostly out-of-date products for dead systems. My time is limited, so if I'm going to read something and really get into it I want it to be worth while.

 

[Treebore]

Treebore: go for it It's the most elegant rpg magic system out there. It's also a great game, and draws a lot on the original "campaign level play" elements from OD&D and AD&D (as my previous post alludes to).

I'm definitely closer to the day when I will buy this.

 

[Treebore]

I mean after in excess of twenty years playing RPG's I finally bought CoC 6th edition yesterday. My first CoC product ever, and I've never played it either. Just because people who's opinions I've come to trust on the various boards, and face to face conversations at GenCon with Cassandra and her Table Top Adventures crew, convinced me it was worth checking out and having. Even if I never get to play it. Especially at a 50% off sale.

 

[Yair]

The free Ars Magica book contains everything you need to start and run a campaign from the ground up. You don't need anything else. As someone else said - it's /too/ good.

See, you're SUPPOSED to be so psyched that you'll go buy the newer (and truly better!) edition - or at least invest in some ArM4 pdfs. It's not fair being satisfied with less

That's a shame, Frukathka: 3rd ArM is a rather bloated edition, which isn't the one I would want anyone to use as the basis for the game. I like the new 5th edition a lot, since it returns to many of the benefits of the 1st and 2nd editions, without the bloat and WW-universe links that permeate the 3rd edition.

If you like the premise, but the the execution of ArM 3rd/4th, you might consider checking out either 2nd edition or 5th edition, which are much cleaner games.

Oh, I'll second that. I rather liked 3e but many don't, and 4e was very dry. 5e blows them all out of the water. (2e and 1e were before my time.)

I've also enjoyed fantasying-up Mythic Europe from time to time, to the point of the game looking more like D&D than the traditional, rooted-in-history ME from ArM.

That is an idea that I've been bouncing around in my head. Unfortunately for me, I like Mythic Europe - and that's been holding me back from going this route. Perhaps next year sometime I can try using Ars Magica in a more 'typical' fantasy setting.

I've been toying with the idea of an 'Ars Fantasia' game as well, but can't really get a good hold on what I want it to be. I'd like to play out a fairly standard Ars Magica game with all the supernatural cranked up to 10 (which is a perfectly legit ArM5 playing style), but also a standard D&D setting (say, FR) with ArM rules, and also a fantasy game where the players only play Mythic Companions instead of magi (perhaps Pendragon, perhaps some other thing)... too many competing similar concepts. And not nearly enough time.

The slow pace is one of the things that my current players dislike. At this time we are only able to play about four hours ever other week. Using d20 we are able to make some progress in character power every month or so. In Ars Magica, we would be covering probably a season per year of real time.

Hmm, I don't get it. Simply space out the adventures, allowing for years to pass between them. (And handle the downtime off-game, online.)

 

[Vocenoctum]

I have a previous edition (no clue which) and it was fun, but hard to find players for. Currently and for a while now, I game online, so if I want my group to take up a game I need a PDF like this, or to do a loooot of typing...

The PDF didn't do anything to spur me on, I got it at a time when I wasn't interested in a new game and don't really like reading PDF's, so never got around to really checking it out completely.

OTOH, I'd not have bought it regardless, so releasing it isn't a "lost sale" for me.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Honestly, I read through the free pdf and didn't much care for it. I'm not sure what it was, but something about it didn't sit well with me.

It hasn't affected my purchases of Atlas products, because I never really bought any before and still do not. No particular avarice towards the products, I've just never really seen them around my area.

Sorry.

-TRRW

 

[Furion]

No - the free pdf didnt make me buy more, bc I already did buy all available for Ars, but it did make it easier for my to distribute the rules to my players, and this certainly got them to buy several books themselves, foremost the newer and awesome 5th ed Ars Magica.

I wouldnt recommend 4th edition to anyone in favor of the 5th edition - because the 5th ed is simply the peak of the line - but I would recommend the free download to any who doubt or who would just like to have a peek.

 

[Furion]

ohh - btw I really can find Ars at my FLGS, but thank god for the internet and the postal service!

I would also just like to add that I do think that Atlas would benefit from making a free 5th light with just the basics, which was also done with 4th, for new people to try it out and because I think 5th edition will appeal to more people.