Review of Mythic Perspectives

Mythic Perspectives (AKA MP) is clearly a labor of love, and deserves much praise for presenting ideas and inspiration for the Ars Magica game in an attractive professional format. I had a chance to review number seven, which has 49 pages of articles, columns, advertising and cartoons. The presentation is professional; the letters page indicates a mature community of readers. The author should be proud; why do I feel disappointed?

Like most people, I've had very few chances to play Ars Magica. One campaign, and a few convention games. However the first time I encountered the game, I knew that this was innovative, that it had the chance to be more than entertainment. This game had the power to touch me in a way that other games did not. The setting was original (the Middle Ages, rather than some celluloid low fantasy), the system empowered the players in a way that I'd never dreamed was possible, and the intent seemed to be drama rather than the exhibition of carefully disguised spandex.

Mythic Perspectives builds on these strengths. One article described devotions to saints in the period. I like articles that tell me how the setting works, and accept that I am responsible for turning that into a game, rather than presenting me with pre-processed crap to be foisted on the players. Another presented a setting on the Isle of Malta. The author presumed that given an evocative setting and characters, I could design something that would appeal to my troupe. Two articles explored rules tweaks. If you like tweaking your rules, these articles are better done than most. They evoke possibilities for story, rather than serving as a vehicle for bolstering the egos of insecure players, directors and authors.

The letters column is a love fest where the readers pay florid compliments, then proceed with finicky nitpicks which Damelon answers with painstaking courtesy - perhaps more than is merited. From the letters column however, I infer that the magazine addresses a real community, people who care about the game, and are likely to be loyal subscribers till the magazine folds and moves to the Internet (hey isn't everything?) The rest of the issue is a salmagundi of tidbits that will appeal to diverse tastes.

So why haven't I subscribed, and donated money to Gnawing Ideas? This is a good gaming magazine, but it isn't remarkable. In my opinion, what made Ars Magica special was the notion that the protagonist of the tale was not an individual, but a collective. That we were acting out the story, discovering the myth not of a person, but of a group protagonist. Covenants were the unique contribution and distinctive artifact of Ars Magica. Covenants are missing from Mythic Perspectives. The ideas in MP could be translated to any other game system magazine. I can write articles about the setting of any game, propose rules tweaks for any system; what I can't find is an Ars Magica game, and this magazine isn't likely to change that.

Perhaps I'm overly particular. The magazine is good, and if I were running or playing AM, I'd probably subscribe. If you're lucky enough to be in a troupe, I suspect you'll want to. If anyone is interested in keeping Ars Magica alive, MP is a good iron lung, but won't cure the disease.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)