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It provides simples conversions and notes for running d20 games in Mythic Europe, a place which looks a lot like our 13th century with magic and folk legends real. Anyone who has played Last Days of Constantinople by Avalance Press will understand the idea, but in this case it is slightly complicated by the addition of the Order of Hermes, and the Ars Magica background of wizards who live together in Covenants. These concepts, as well as specific Ars ideas like vis are well explained and well converted in to d20 terms, though perhaps there should have been a little more explanation of what is menat by troupe play in this context - it is not quite the same as Troupe play from later White Wolf games (did the idea get dropped from later editions of White Wolf games btw?). While in Ars Magica full troupe play can involve having a different referee (storyteller) running different arcs of the saga (campaign), here it refers to the ide aof each player having multiple characters, only one of which is in play at a time - probably one sixth level wizard each, and a first level character as well. This power imbalance is a normal part of the Ars setting, and may cause problems for referees who are not used to the concept.
And here lies the greatest problem for d20 players with this supplement. It accurately reflects the ways Ars Magica works, and the emphasis on Ars Magica is on long term play, with adventures set maybe a year apart, and with the building of a community of magi, a Covenant, who work together against threats to build a home. Just a page or so more on this would have made the idea much easier for d20 referees to grasp.
In the old days we used the word module to describe published adventure - I don't know when it dropped out of circulation, but the word module sums up everything Black Monks is not. Sure it contains stats, and people, and locations, and maps, and some cool powers, new spells and treasures, etc, but it is up to the referee how they all fit together. Or rather, there relationships are clearly defined, as are their motives, plans and ideas. We know what they want to do. However the storyline needs years for it to come to its conclusion, not weeks. It is not a dungeon bash - in fact violence will probably fail, and is really not an option. There is perhpas one possible combat encounter in the whole book, maybe two, unless the players really screw up in which case they will have more combat than they have ever seen in their lives if one of the outcomes occurs. A module was ready to run - it had a storyline, a beginning, middle and end, and detailed every step in between. Well Black Monks does that, but in a very different way - it is a sourcebook. Your wizards are likely to get involved in romance, morality, court cases, church politics, study books, talk theology and try to win lost souls - as well as exploring Faerie castles and perhaps saving the land. The order in which these events occur however is down to the referee, and players who enjoy dealing with exploring buildings and places rather than interacting with people may find this hard going. It is a campaign setting, not a single adventure - and a very fine one.
However it is the great strength of the book - and lest I have made it sound boring, it is beautifully done, and an opportunity for a lot of character roleplay. One of the metaplots is apocalyptic, with real 'change the game world irrevocably' potential, far more so than the other historical settings I have seen for d20. I found it a lot more over the top than other Ars Magica scenarios, where only the Wizards or a town are at stake. Here the magi are playing for higher stakes, and this may be offputting to many Ars Magica referees.
In a book this short it is difficult to get across all of the detail which makes the period come alive, though the author doies a very impressive job. The author has written another book, Heirs to Merlin, which details England and Wales in 1220, and apart from one chapter (very short) on Hermetic Affairs it is all basically good history condensed and explained for roleplayers. I strongly recommend it for players of both Ars MAgica and Dark Age: Mage. It would certainly be useful if you have no idea at all of medieval history, but a quick web search should provide any details lacking - my own Ars website has a section on medieval monasteries and how they were run for example, which might help those confused by say the role of a Prior, Sacristan or Abbot, so it is not essential.
Before I recommend this product, a few caveats. The author is at pains to point out that the religion depicted is not our faith known as Christianity, but Mythic Christianity, based on what the medieval folk believed to be true. In this realm Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury, saints perform miracles, and relics hold power. Such issues can be sensitive - as can depiction of any real world religious faith, but if one accepts the fact that this is the world as popular medieval literature understood it, and may be far form our modern ideas, I don't think too many people will be upset. The plot also deals with a fair amount of supernatural evil, and dealings with devils - but those who engage in such practices are clearly the villains, and are destined to eternal damnation unless they repent - a point made many times in the plot! In Ars Magica dealing with demons does not pay, and the power of the Divine is grerater than that of Hell or the magical realm. I actually stopped reading at one point to ponder the condition of my soul... :) Before you suspect a covert Christian agenda, the Faerie and Magical entities in this book are just as real and authentic as the religious ones. It represents the weird and very strange to modern eyes world of medieval folk belief very well - a world stranger to us in many ways than most fantasy world we adventure in.
Long time Ars Magica sometimes define their games as High History - the setting is close to the real 13th century, and they play in what is almost a simulation of our world, with details of medieval customs and economics correct - or High Myth - a version of the game where dragons roam, faeries leave changelings and almost every village has a hedge wizard or cunning woman. This supplement is both High History, and High Myth - and what is more the myth is done properly. Rather than just takingthe real world, and adding fantasy elements, david has mined the medieval lives of saints and folk literature to find the rich vein of weird myth which lies underneath. He has lovingly restored those myths - in this book, you know the Faeries are where they are because people actually believe din the period there were Faeries there. To me that is absolutely perfect, and having agood knowledge of the folklore and legends of the area AND the period in question, I believe the author has done an exquisite job of marrying the historical and the fantasy. That is the second reason why I rate this book as excellent.
Ars Magica 4th edition is now free to download from the Atlas Games website, and I still rate it as the best fantasy rpg around, even though I will say it took me over a year real time to understand the rules! The main attraction of the game remains it's incredibly beautiful magic system, unequalled in my opinion (and it's dire combat system is equally unrivalled - the worst I have ever seen, no wonder Ars Magica scenarios are combat light). Well the second best thing about Ars MAgica is it's background, and this book does a wonderful jon of converting it and making it accessible. I hope it brings some players from d20 to Ars Magica, and encourages Ars MAgica players to sometimes play d20 (though not too much - we need you!).
In conclusion, Black Monks of Glastonbury is a very interesting product, and one which I think many d20 referees would do well to look at. Ars Magica players may find the style does not suit their games, but the new rules for diabolists go someway towards depicting the influence of the infernal on Mythic Europe, and the supplement does a good job of balancing material on all four realms - the Magical, Faerie, Dominion and Infernal.
Very enjoyable, and I do hope to see more d20/Ars Magica cross over products. If you like medieval settings, you will love this.
