These are the Ars Magica house rules I developed during the course of the Thorendon saga. Some were developed before the arrival of the 4th edition, but I have since updated them. I seemed to have a great deal of time on my hands back then, and you'll find these rules are quite complete. Game design is something I've done for fun, and occasionally for profit, for some time. If I'd had more freelance experience at the time, I would have submitted these for inclusion in the 4th edition. As it is, I offer them to any troupe that cares to use them. If you like them, link this page and spread them around. The 5th edition can't be that far away...
A few of my opinions about rules:
1. Good mechanics are inobtrusive. The fewer things to keep track of, the better.
2. Rules should reflect the reality of the game world, not define it.
3. Game balance is not a dirty word. Its job is to protect playability and fun (which doesn't translate into "all characters must be equally powered")
4. Finally, players enjoy earning power, not having it handed to them. When in doubt, power down, not up.
You may be interested in some of the background I developed for Thorendon. I'm a card-carrying member of KAArM (Keep the Art in Ars Magica), and similarly prefer to keep the 'Mythic' in Mythic Europe.
Character Creation
Magic