Legacy:Canon
Version 1
Date: 2008-03-15 13:46:27 GMT Author: Yair Comment: Initial version
"Cannon" is the setting as laid down in the current official [[ArM]] line of products. Thus playing in the 18th century is non-Cannonical, as is having House [[Tremere]] be composed of vampires.
Version 2
Date: 2008-03-15 15:08:35 GMT Author: Yair Comment: typo
"Cann" is the setting as laid down in the current official [[ArM]] line of products. Thus playing in the 18th century is non-Canoical, as is having House [[Tremere]] be composed of vampires.
Version 3
Date: 2008-03-15 15:57:31 GMT Author: Yair Comment: changed link
"Canon" is the setting as laid down in the current official [[ArM]] line of products. Thus playing in the 18th century is non-Canonical, as is having [[House Tremere]] be composed of vampires.
Version 4
Date: 2008-03-16 13:56:38 GMT Author: AndrewGronosky Comment: Added the fact that 5th edition reset canon
'''Canon''' is the official setting as presented in the current [[ArM]] line of products. Thus a [[ Saga | saga]] set in the 18th century would be non-canonical, as would be one where [[House Tremere]] is composed of [[Tremere_Vampires | vampires]]. It's common and acceptable, even encouraged, for [[Troupe | troupes]] to change the canonical setting a little to suit their own tastes. =Canon and Fifth Edition When [[ArM5]] was released, [[Atlas Games]] started over in defining the canon. Sourcebooks from past editions are no longer canonical in Fifth Edition. They are still perfectly usable in play, but there is a chance that some current or future [[ArM5]] product will contradict them. The major elements of the [[Order of Hermes]], Hermetic history, and [[Mythic Europe]] are unchanged, but some of the details might be different. For example, Fifth Edition canon makes several references to [[Val-Negra]], but none to [[Doissetep]]. =Related Terms * A non-canonical rule that players devise for their own games is called a [[House Rule]].
Version 5
Date: 2008-12-28 17:22:32 GMT Author: AndrewGronosky Comment: Link to alternative sagas
'''Canon''' is the official setting as presented in the current [[ArM]] line of products. Thus a [[ Saga | saga]] set in the 18th century would be non-canonical, as would be one where [[House Tremere]] is composed of [[Tremere_Vampires | vampires]]. It's common and acceptable, even encouraged, for [[Troupe | troupes]] to change the canonical setting a little to suit their own tastes. =Canon and Fifth Edition When [[ArM5]] was released, [[Atlas Games]] started over in defining the canon. Sourcebooks from past editions are no longer canonical in Fifth Edition. They are still perfectly usable in play, but there is a chance that some current or future [[ArM5]] product will contradict them. The major elements of the [[Order of Hermes]], Hermetic history, and [[Mythic Europe]] are unchanged, but some of the details might be different. For example, Fifth Edition canon makes several references to [[Val-Negra]], but none to [[Doissetep]]. =Related Terms * A non-canonical rule that players devise for their own games is called a [[House Rule]]. * Games set in non-canonical world are listed under [[Alternative Sagas]]
Version 6
Date: 2010-02-24 22:56:53 GMT Author: AndrewGronosky Comment: Expanded explanation, added "Importance of Canon" heading
The '''canon''' of Ars Magica refers to the official shared world as presented in the [[Ars Magica]] [[Products|product line]]. This includes both the [[Order of Hermes]] and [[Mythic Europe]] as a whole.
The canon of Ars Magica has evolved over time; every new product published adds to it. For example, when [[First Edition]] came out, the [[Houses of Hermes]] hadn't been written into the game. They became part of the canon in [[Revised Edition]] when the supplement, [[Order of Hermes book| Order of Hermes]] was published.
There are also characters, [[covenant]]s, and events that were once part of canon but have been changed or removed.
=Importance of Canon
Canon is only as important as you want it to be. It's common and acceptable, even encouraged, for [[Troupe | troupes]] to change the canonical setting a little to suit their own tastes. [[Robbies Mantra|Robbie's Mantra]] and the [[Golden Rule]] of Ars Magica take precedence over canon.
The [[fan community]] often talks about canon simply because it forms a common point of reference for everyone's game. Because the canon is by definition the collection of what's published and "official," everyone more or less understands what it is, so it helps players talk about the game.
=Canon and Fifth Edition
When [[ArM5]] was released, [[Atlas Games]] started over in defining the canon. Sourcebooks from past editions are no longer canonical in Fifth Edition. They are still perfectly usable in play, but there is a chance that some current or future [[ArM5]] product will contradict them.
The major elements of the [[Order of Hermes]], Hermetic history, and [[Mythic Europe]] are unchanged, but some of the details might be different. For example, Fifth Edition canon makes several references to [[Val-Negra]], but none to [[Doissetep]].
=Related Topics
* A non-canonical rule that players devise for their own games is called a [[House Rule]].
* The acronym [[RAW]] ("rules as written") is sometimes used to refer specifically to the official [[game mechanics]].
* Games set in non-canonical world are listed under [[Alternative Sagas]]
Version 7
Date: 2010-02-24 23:19:43 GMT Author: AndrewGronosky Comment: More comparison of editions. Fixed spelling of page title!
The '''canon''' of Ars Magica refers to the official rules and setting of the game, as presented in the [[Ars Magica]] [[Products|product line]]. This is in contrast to unofficial fan fiction, [[House Rule]]s, and the like.
=Importance of Canon
Canon is only as important as you want it to be. It's common and acceptable, even encouraged, for [[Troupe | troupes]] to change the canonical setting a little to suit their own tastes. [[Robbies Mantra|Robbie's Mantra]] and the [[Golden Rule]] of Ars Magica take precedence over canon.
The [[fan community]] often talks about canon simply because it forms a common point of reference for everyone's game. Because the canon is by definition the collection of what's published and "official," everyone more or less understands what it is, so it helps players talk about the game.
=Canon and Game Editions
The canon of Ars Magica has evolved over time; every new product published adds to it. For example, when [[First Edition]] came out, the [[Houses of Hermes]] hadn't been written into the game. They became part of the canon in [[Revised Edition]] when the supplement, [[Order of Hermes book| Order of Hermes]] was published.
When [[ArM5]] was released, [[Atlas Games]] started over in defining the canon. Sourcebooks from past editions are no longer canonical in Fifth Edition. They are still perfectly usable in play, but there is a chance that some current or future [[ArM5]] product will contradict them.
The correspondence of canon to game editions works something like this:
:[[ArM1]]: There were not a lot of supplements for First Edition, so canon wasn't really well established yet.
:[[ArM2]] through [[ArM4]]: These shared a contiguous canon that was mostly self-consistent, though it got very complicated over dozens of supplements.
:[[ArM5]]: [[Atlas Games]] started over, though a lot of the canon from past editions was quickly re-adopted, sometimes with changes. The major elements of the [[Order of Hermes]], Hermetic history, and [[Mythic Europe]] are unchanged, but noticeable details have been altered. For example, the portrayal of [[House Tremere]] and [[House Flambeau]] have changed quite a bit, and Fifth Edition contains no reference to the covenant of [[Doissetep]].
= About the Term
The word "canon" literally means "the body of ecclesiastical law" -- note that it is spelled differently from "cannon," a large gunpowder weapon. Taken figuratively, "canon" refers to a body of material that is accepted and sanctioned by some recognized authority. In the case of Ars Magica, the authority is [[Atlas Games]].
=Related Topics
* A non-canonical rule that players devise for their own games is called a [[House Rule]].
* The acronym [[RAW]] ("rules as written") is sometimes used to refer specifically to the official [[game mechanics]].
* Games set in non-canonical world are listed under [[Alternative Sagas]]
=Related Sites
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28fiction%29| Wikipedia: Canon (Fiction)]]
Version 8
Date: 2010-03-22 15:20:26 GMT Author: AndrewGronosky Comment: Removed link to "golden rule"
The '''canon''' of Ars Magica refers to the official rules and setting of the game, as presented in the [[Ars Magica]] [[Products|product line]]. This is in contrast to unofficial fan fiction, [[House Rule]]s, and the like.
=Importance of Canon
Canon is only as important as you want it to be. It's common and acceptable, even encouraged, for [[Troupe | troupes]] to change the canonical setting a little to suit their own tastes. [[Robbies Mantra|Robbie's Mantra]] takes precedence over canon.
The [[fan community]] often talks about canon simply because it forms a common point of reference for everyone's game. Because the canon is by definition the collection of what's published and "official," everyone more or less understands what it is, so it helps players talk about the game.
=Canon and Game Editions
The canon of Ars Magica has evolved over time; every new product published adds to it. For example, when [[First Edition]] came out, the [[Houses of Hermes]] hadn't been written into the game. They became part of the canon in [[Revised Edition]] when the supplement, [[Order of Hermes book| Order of Hermes]] was published.
When [[ArM5]] was released, [[Atlas Games]] started over in defining the canon. Sourcebooks from past editions are no longer canonical in Fifth Edition. They are still perfectly usable in play, but there is a chance that some current or future [[ArM5]] product will contradict them.
The correspondence of canon to game editions works something like this:
:[[ArM1]]: There were not a lot of supplements for First Edition, so canon wasn't really well established yet.
:[[ArM2]] through [[ArM4]]: These shared a contiguous canon that was mostly self-consistent, though it got very complicated over dozens of supplements.
:[[ArM5]]: [[Atlas Games]] started over, though a lot of the canon from past editions was quickly re-adopted, sometimes with changes. The major elements of the [[Order of Hermes]], Hermetic history, and [[Mythic Europe]] are unchanged, but noticeable details have been altered. For example, the portrayal of [[House Tremere]] and [[House Flambeau]] have changed quite a bit, and Fifth Edition contains no reference to the covenant of [[Doissetep]].
= About the Term
The word "canon" literally means "the body of ecclesiastical law" -- note that it is spelled differently from "cannon," a large gunpowder weapon. Taken figuratively, "canon" refers to a body of material that is accepted and sanctioned by some recognized authority. In the case of Ars Magica, the authority is [[Atlas Games]].
=Related Topics
* A non-canonical rule that players devise for their own games is called a [[House Rule]].
* The acronym [[RAW]] ("rules as written") is sometimes used to refer specifically to the official [[game mechanics]].
* Games set in non-canonical world are listed under [[Alternative Sagas]]
=Related Sites
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_%28fiction%29| Wikipedia: Canon (Fiction)]]