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As good as Ars Magica is, the information in the rulebook does little more than provide paper-thin images of the Hermetic Houses.

This book rectifies that problem, and it's well worth the money to get it.

Before I go on, a warning: "Houses of Hermes" is optimized for 4th Edition players, so those of earlier editions have some adapting to do. Furthermore, those using this to suppliment a World of Darkness campaign will have to ignore all attempts to stamp out White Wolf's influence on the setting.

This is a great work to read. The text is easy on the eyes, the art accentuates the text and everything is so classy that I use it as a comparison standard for my review work.

The book is loaded with useful information, answering some questions and raising many more. Each House has a sample archmagus that epitomizes the values and magicks of that House. Ideas for entire sagas, as well as shorter stories, are in each chapter. Some House-specific rule plug-ins are found in the sidebars, along with useful trivia. The final chapters, concerning the history of the Order and apprenticeship, are great insights into how the Order works and why.

Besides Ars Magica players, I recommend this for World of Darkness players and anyone else who deals with medieval settings.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Houses of Hermes
Author: Johnathan Tweet Category: game Company/Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Cost: $17 (US) Page count: 152 pages ISBN: 1-880992-54-X Capsule Review by Bradford C. Walker on 03/16/98. Genre tags: none	As good as Ars Magica is, the information in the rulebook does little more than provide paper-thin images of the Hermetic Houses. This book rectifies that problem, and it's well worth the money to get it. Before I go on, a warning: "Houses of Hermes" is optimized for 4th Edition players, so those of earlier editions have some adapting to do. Furthermore, those using this to suppliment a World of Darkness campaign will have to ignore all attempts to stamp out White Wolf's influence on the setting. This is a great work to read. The text is easy on the eyes, the art accentuates the text and everything is so classy that I use it as a comparison standard for my review work. The book is loaded with useful information, answering some questions and raising many more. Each House has a sample archmagus that epitomizes the values and magicks of that House. Ideas for entire sagas, as well as shorter stories, are in each chapter. Some House-specific rule plug-ins are found in the sidebars, along with useful trivia. The final chapters, concerning the history of the Order and apprenticeship, are great insights into how the Order works and why. Besides Ars Magica players, I recommend this for World of Darkness players and anyone else who deals with medieval settings. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)