ArM1
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The first edition of Ars Magica (or ArM1, for short) was published in 1987 by the now-defunct company Lion Rampant. It won the Origin Gamer's Choice Award for 1988.
At the time, ArM1 was a very innovative game that broke new ground in several ways. It created an open-ended magic system that allowed players to invent an unlimited variety of new spells by combining Forms and Techniques. It introduced Troupe Style play, where players rotate roles like actors in a repertory troupe. It introduced Personality Traits, which quantify a character's personality as well has his/her physical and mental abilities. It deliberately cast aside the idea that all player-characters should be equal in power, and made magi a great deal more powerful than grogs or companions.
Back in 1987, the fantasy role-playing genre was dominated by First Edition AD&D, with Runequest a distant second. Ars Magica was a radical break from AD&D, putting a strong emphasis on story and characterization.
First Edition Ars Magica is long out of print. A copy seems to surface for auction on E-Bay every few years, but commands a collector's price: often $75 or more.
Familiar Concepts from ArM1
Players of Ars Magica would recognize most of the familiar elements of the game.
- All the Arts were introduced in ArM1 (but some of their Latin names were misspelled)
- Most (but not all) of the spells from later editions were introduced in ArM1
- Personality Traits were there, as well as Characteristics and Abilities
- Magi had laboratories and could enchant familiars or devices
- Characters had "exceptional traits" that are recognizable as Virtues and Flaws
- Magi had Parma Magica and longevity potions
- Magi lived in covenants and used redcaps as messengers
- Certamen was a means of resolving disputes
Oddities of ArM1
On the other hand, there were several aspects of ArM1 that would seem odd to someone familiar with later editions:
- Houses didn't exist. They were introduced in ArM2
- Magi tracked their study and laboratory work in months, not seasons
- Parma Magica was a Rego Vim General spell, not an Ability
- The Code of Hermes was not written down specifically, only described in general terms
- Grogs could not have Virtues and Flaws