What is Hermes’ Portal?
Hermes’ Portal (HP) is a quarterly fanzine for Ars Magica. Ars Magica is a game set in thirteenth century Europe where the overriding premise is that the world is as contemporaries believed it to be. It is a world of magic, demons, dragons, angels, miracles and faeries.
HP follows on from the legacy of previous fan magazines for Ars Magica: Mythic Perspectives (Damelon Kimbrough) and Red Cap (Peter Henges). It is a zine written by players of Ars. Available online http://www.hermesportal.fr.st, it is made up of articles submitted by a host of writers, including the current developer of Ars, previous authors, and fans.
Note: I am a regular art contributor to Hermes’ Portal. However, my contributions began with HP4; I had nothing to do with the first three HPs.
Hermes’ Portal 1
HP1, published in September 2001 consists of seven articles, a Who’s Who and the Publishers Corner.
Form and Substance is a short story by David Chart (who wrote the intro fiction for Ars Magica 4th Ed), which had been destined for Mythic Perspectives. It tells the tale of a mage trying to find his faith.
Prelude to Forever is the first part of a trilogy by Timothy Ferguson. It is an interesting romp through a dream world, and ties into the Gothic Romance themes of the next two. While I have not run through Prelude to Forever, I was impressed by the neatness of the story-arc, which deals with themes of obsession and revenge. Included in the article are the statistics of the wizard Veronica, with variations for age (she is presented aged 25, 40 and 60).
Dear Abelard is a regular column that seeks to answer questions on Hermetic issues. The gimmick is for people to send their questions to Abelard (via email no less), and then an unknown person answers them. It is the equivalent of an agony aunt, and questions range from issues of hygiene to problems with Magic Theory and Hermetic Law. The author of this article has a deep understanding of Ars Magica canon and some of the problems sent in can be quite amusing (such as the second letter here, where a smelly mage complains of being made fun of).
The Hermetic University by Niall Christie (author of Blood and Sand, the Levantine Tribunal sourcebook) presents an alternative Covenant based on the medieval university. It is a pre-made Covenant following the guidelines from ArM4. The idea is to allow for the training of numerous apprentices at once. Included are guidelines for creating your own Hermetic universities, with some group teaching rules thrown in. While the article doesn’t mention it, this approach would easily allow for a Harry P*tter style game, or similar. While I’ve always thought that BESM was the best system for doing a P*tter game, the appeal of Ars Magica is its magic system, and the Covenant rules could easily duplicate a Hogwarts, and the group teaching rules allow for classroom teaching (something that Ars doesn’t deal with in depth).
Revised Book Rules, by David Chart expands on the Book rules in ArM4 and Wizards Grimoire Revised. The article makes use of several years of playtesting, something that the original rules did not benefit from. As such, here is a complete revision by the fellow who wrote the official rules. Helpfully, after the 16 rules are presented, David Chart then follows up by giving his reasons for the revisions. Some of them include things that got left out in the original rules, and dealing with paradoxes, such as the ability to write books that you could then learn from!
Heretic’s Corner is a regular column by Michaël de Verteuil (co-author of Ordo Nobilis and author of The Bishop’s Staff) whose declared aim is to ‘help clear up the clutter of Ars Magica rules’ ostensibly by simplifying the system. Given the at times Byzantine complexity of some of the rules in Ars, this is indeed a noble goal. I’ll leave it for others to judge how successful the attempt was. This Heretic’s Corner deals with the issue of superfluous abilities in Ars, culling or amalgamating the unneeded ones. This reduces the number of abilities from 58 to 49. The abilities under attack include Penetration, Climb, Hunt, Wagoneering (a favourite of mine-- just as my troupe!) and some combat skills. Most of the arguments for culling the ability list are compelling, but I must confess to not introducing it into my own game. While I am a fan of short skill lists (like in the Buffy RPG), I also like differentiation between what characters can do, particularly with specialist knowledge. Thus I’m inclined to keep Penetration, Hermetic Law and Hunt, seeing them as separate from Certamen, Hermetic Lore and Survival respectively. Rounding out the article is a new look at Specialisation, which (as admitted by Michaël) complicates the game rather than simplifies it. Nevertheless the idea is sound: specialisation is treated as an affinity and is able to be raised with XP, rather than just granting a +1 to the ability total. This means that you can now have specialists in bizarre areas of knowledge without them needing to have a huge general knowledge on a topic too.
Andrew Gronosky gives as Customizing Flaws for Your Saga. It tackles the issue that I have faced many times: why choose a -3 or -4 flaw when several -1 flaws is a lot less debilitating? He brings up the problems of the costing of flaws, pointing out that they are often arbitrary and unequal, and do not take into account individual sagas. For example, are Non-combatant (-3) and Mute (-3) really equivalent? He then proposes a method that allows Story guides to customise flaws in their saga, involving assigning ratings to the intensity of the flaw, the frequency that it would appear in a session and determining whether it is mental, physical or social. A large table, enumerating most of the flaws from the Core book, follows, revaluing them according to the method. The article is detailed and comprehensive. However I must confess to being confounded by it. While I applaud the effort, I could never bring myself to going to the effort of working out the various customised flaws. Ultimately, this article is of most use to those troupes that are concerned over the cost of Flaws in their saga.
Hermes’ Portal 2
Nine articles fill out this issue of Hermes’ Portal 2. Dear Abelard continues its run of valuable advice, an expired Scenario Contest is advertised and Michaël de Verteuil maintains his Heretical ways.
Continuing Forever and Ever After are the last two installments of Timothy Ferguson’s Forever and Ever story arc. It makes an interesting tale, introducing a few critters, an interesting magical item and a ruined Covenant to be explored. Again, the Gothic Romance theme of obsession is at the forefront. Continuing Forever deals primarily with the journeying to and looting of a magical regione, as well as the complications arising from several groups arriving on the scene with similar desires. Ever After concludes the story arc and deals with a supernatural threat unleashed in Continuing Forever. This arc, more than the other two, relies on the player characters having formed an attachment to the NPC Veronica, the target of the supernatural menace’s desires. The gimmick here, like the dream world of the first, and the magical regione of the second, is the journey to a Winter Faerie forest, currently in a succession crisis. A number of locations for the PCs to visit are described, as well as the politics of the forest. Overall, an interesting and thematic end to the arc. The entire series provides a good example of the kinds of stories able to be run in Ars Magica: plots that take years or generations to come to fruition and that deal with a variety of themes. The Covenant of the Unending Ribbon is of special interest and could be used even if the other aspects of the story are not.
Stories of formed stones, by Sheila Thomas reveals to us the fantastic explanations given when people in the Middle Ages uncovered fossils. A large number of different types of fossils are described, from the point of view of a medieval person, some folk tale knowledge, and then some Ars Magica specific system discussion, mostly to do with how Hermetic Magic interacts with fossils. While there is no way that all of the information here could be used, there is enough to make a number of interesting stories, such as discovering the bones of a ‘gryphon’ or a ‘cyclops’. Ideas for using fossils in healing, poisoning or as foci for spells, are all here. Introduce a few fossils into your saga and see what the troupe makes of them.
Bjornaer Mysteries by Erik Dahl introduces the first of a long series of new House Mysteries. Influenced by The Mysteries, Erik Dahl elaborates on the secrets of the Bjornaer, turning them into a group of mystae, initiates into hidden magical knowledge from which derives their legendary shapeshifting powers. Erik Dahl also addresses perennial shapeshifing problems, such as possessions carried, characteristics and whether the shapeshifter heals when changing forms. What follows is a number of new Virtues that can be gained through the process of initiation (as presented in The Mysteries). They include the gift of having multiple Heartbeast shapes, and of gaining a Mythic Form (ie, dragon, unicorn, behemoth etc). Finally, in the tradition of The Mysteries, an esoteric lineage of Bjornaer whose ultimate power is to gain the Heartshape of living fire. Overall, a well written and interesting article that adds depth to an otherwise rather one-dimensional House.
Heretic’s Corner returns with the idea of streamlining the magic system. One of the rules under attack is the division between the scale of Hermetic Arts, and the scale of abilities. Michaël asks why the scale should be retained? He rebuts a number of stock arguments for keeping the difference and then proceeds to re-scale the Arts in line with Abilities. This in effect rids us of spell levels and relies entirely on the In Character concept of Magnitudes. Magnitudes are then tied into the Ease Factors used in ability rolls.
This is one of the cases where I can say that I have play tested the article. I instituted these rules into my own Ars Magica game, and after an initial hump of converting some of the formulas (notably Longevity and Familiars), the entire troupe agreed that this revision was better than the official rules. There are a number of effects for re-defining Arts to be abilities: the most notable being Penetration and Magic Resistance. Any long term player of Ars will know that Parma Magica as a magical shield is useless, as Hermetic penetration seriously outstrips any resistance. Only powerful spirits and critters can stand up to Hermetic mages, resulting in a serious power inflation on the part of the troupe’s foes. By redefining Arts as Abilities, this issue is solved. Magic Might and Parma Magica suddenly become important again. Furthermore, player characters become more interested in the nitty-gritty of their magic, as individual bonuses to rolls (such as minor +1s) cease being meaningless.
Sheila Thomas’ second offering is Perfumery in Western Europe. It is a list of different ingredients used in perfumes and includes a history of perfume from ancient Rome to the Middle Ages. This article seems to me to be of primary use as flavour in a session. Story guides could use it to describe the scents and smells of an apothecary or a Byzantine city. It falls down in usefulness by not including any Hermetic or folk-information. For example, what is Sandalwood useful for? Is it useful for Hermetic or folk magic? How can the association between good smells and good health be used in a saga? A bit more attention to saga issues would have been nice.
Niall Christie’s Sword, Shield and Lens provide three ‘stock’ magical devices: ‘the Mythic equivalent of the Swiss Army penknife.’ While the three are relatively flavourless, they provide a useful template for story guides to use when thinking of what kinds of magical devices NPCs may carry or sell.
The final article of HP2 is another offering from Niall Christie: One the Road to Adventure, a series of guidelines that allow for more traditional adventuring sagas. Rather than dealing with seasonal development and advancement of characters, it allows for sagas that deal with the standard tropes of fantasy gaming: single characters moving from adventure to adventure in the way advocated by such games as Dungeons and Dragons and, indeed, most other games that do not emphasise troupe play and character bases (covenants, cells, etc). There are both good and bad things about this approach. Obviously (as Niall himself points out), most of the strengths of Ars are disregarded: covenant structure, seasonal advancement and the troupe style of play (where each player controls several characters). However, these are often the very aspects of the game that seem most alien to new players. The most stunning aspect of the article is the suggestion that Spontaneous magic be discarded to allow for ‘a more balanced party, more suited to an old fashioned campaign.’ Useful to those running a non-standard Ars saga, or for a group that wants to use the Ars Magica ruleset but not bother with the tropes that Ars brings with it.
Hermes’ Portal 3
HP3 features two pieces of Ars Magica fiction, as well as revised Familiar rules, simplified book rules and a return to that old chestnut of Pious Magic (from Pax Dei).
Familiars by David Chart overturns Ars’ rules for Familiars and bases the entire process on that used for normal magical enchantment. While the effort is noble, ultimately, we are left with a rather bland rule set with none of the charm and flavour of the original. Cords are discarded, and familiars become just another type of Talisman.
Why Don’t Bjornaer Magi Bind Familiars? is a question asked by Timothy Ferguson. And rather than give a definitive answer, Timothy proceeds to give us twenty (!) different reasons. Each option includes variant spells, and emphasise a different aspect of the House. Each is an interesting story in itself. Favourites for me include: (1) The Wolf Madonna, where a powerful spirit, fleeing the encroaching Dominion ,hide inside Bjornaer herself and was then empowered by the worship given to it by the House. And (2) Contamination, where the House fears the magic of Merinita (creator of the Familiar Ritual), with further suggestions for this including easy possession by demons, opening of oneself to the magic of the Merinita or the cords preventing the Gift from being passed on from generation to generation.
The Silver Harp by Niall Christie is the first piece of fiction in HP3. Like Robert Hansen’s The Curious Tale of Vaska Praskovaya, I failed to read the story. I have a severe inability to read gaming fiction, an odd affliction caused by too much bad White Wolf fiction. I therefore can only mention that the two stories are there, waiting to be read.
House Traditions by J. Angus MacDonald opens the can of worms: just why do Hermetic Houses exist? Houses are one of the most contentious aspects of Ars Magica. How can House traditions be perpetuated from the original Founder? MacDonald tries to find an historical analogy, but given the fictional nature of the Order, he fails (something he recognises). His conclusion from this then is that Houses should be abolished as set institutions. Attention instead should be paid to Covenants, the base unit of the Order’s polity (magi notwithstanding). The special cases of a few Houses are mentioned (Verditius, Merinita, Bjornaer and Ex Miscellanea) as the House has a serious impact on the Gift of the mage. The Mysteries also brings up complications. Are Houses just official mystae groups? His ultimate conclusion is that Houses make no sense. I personally disagree (seeing Houses as autocratic political parties, as well as magical traditions that exist within the Order). However, the ultimate decision is up too you and will no doubt continue to be debated.
Deus ex Magica is Erik Dahl’s attempt to redeem Pious Magi. He thus gives two options, both in the glorious tradition of the Mysteries. The first is a re-jigging of Natural Magic from Hedge Magic. It is turned into a Virtue that mages can gain through initiation. A sample Secret Society is presented. The much more contentious Pious Magic is then tackled. In a nut shell, Pious Magic is magic that accords to the Divine Will (rather than normal magic which does not). New Ranges, Durations and Targets are introduced, such as Sabbath, Faith, and Grace. Finally, after some sample spells, there is another Secret Society that seeks to spread Christianity to the Four Corners of the earth. On the whole, I found this article an acceptable replacement for the otherwise broken Pious Magi from Pax Dei. The Mysteries once again has proved that it is malleable enough to be put to many different uses, from Bjornaer to Pious magi (and Merinita, in HP4).
Corrosives, Poisons and Medicinals is an article by David Woods (co-author of Land of Fire and Ice) that self-evidently deals with guidelines for magical acids, poisons and medicine. After a preamble that gives advice on how to deal with these three things, David revises the Aquam guidelines to include information on dealing with damage. Overall, a useful article that I have made use of several times when my players have wanted to create acid in someone’s lungs or figure out how much spider venom they could create.
The final article is Heretic’s Corner, titled Ex Libris. Michaël spells out the current problems with the book rules and then proposes a considerably shorter and more streamlined version. Now, while I like a bit of simplification, I must confess to being fairly happy with the book rules. While they are labyrinthine, they are also flavourful. I just don’t have the energy to inform all of my players of the changes, since we mostly use the Tractatus rules anyway, and none of the PCs have written anything yet. I’ll just wait until Fifth Edition, which hopefully considers the articles in Hermes’ Portal.
General Comments
Firstly, on the artwork. The majority of art in HP1-3 is by Angela Taylor and Radja Sauperaniane. In most cases, the art is fantastic. Each picture is linked to a section of the text in the article. Several exemplars stand out: Angela’s pictures of fossils in Sheila Thomas’ article and the tormented mage in Erik Dahl’s Deus ex Magica. The full page picture by Radja on p. 10 of HP2 is amazing. Tastes will vary, but on the whole, the pictures are thematic and evocative.
Overall, the standard of HP is high-- both in production and edition, and the writing of the articles. While it is not visually amazing (it has a fairly simple format), it is clear and easy to read.
HP fills a vital role in the Ars Magica community, being a regular forum for players to expand ideas outside of what Atlas Games would otherwise consider. It also serves as an indication to Atlas, not only of author talent, but also of the trends of Ars Magica in general. In later issues of Ars, the extreme influence of The Mysteries is evident, as well as a need to explain In Character the various rules in Ars.
Conclusion
Hermes’ Portal 1-3 are great! While not every article will be of use to every group or story guide, at least one or two gems will emerge, which will get creative juices flowing or have thoughts provoked. HP is a platform for new, exiting or different viewpoints for Ars Magica. Furthermore, it is not just useful for Ars Magica, but for any game set in the Middle Ages (such as Dark Ages: Vampire/Mage/Inquisitor)-- although admittedly, most of the system stuff would not apply.
I’d recommend these issues and all of the others (as I write, HP8 is being released). With the infrequent (but regular) releases of official Ars Magica books, HP fills the gap. Furthermore, it serves as the Developer’s announcement vehicle. Later issues (HP6, 7 and 8) have information on the upcoming Ars Magica Fifth Edition, and the remaining releases, such as Black Monks of Glastonbury, Living Legends and so on.
Since I am a contributor to the later issues of HP, I most likely won’t be reviewing them. However, I feel that I can safely review these three first issues, as I had nothing at all to do with them. Finally, I should point out that I received these issues from ‘credit’ for the contributions I made to HP4. While not complimentary, I didn’t really have to pay for them. Contributors get free copies of the zine.
My ratings then.
Style: 3
Substance: 5
