‘Ars Magica’ Announces A New, Definitive 5th Edition In The Works
Ars Magica, the RPG of “mythic Europe” in the 1200s, will soon have a definitive edition, based on its own 5th Edition, coming soon.
The biggest problem with D&D 5E sort of taking over the collective mental space on the abbreviation 5E—and let’s not kid ourselves – it has. One need only look at the wealth of projects that say 5E or 5th Edition compatible that mean D&D specifically—is that it’s hard to talk about other games which are also in their 5th Edition. Even if they got there first.
Which is what the Middle Ages based RPG Ars Magica did, twenty years ago before 5th Edition was cool. Ars Magica is an RPG that imagines, what if it was the 1200s, but wizards and witches and all the other folklore were real? Ars Magica released its 5th Edition back in 2004. But now, twenty years later, publisher Atlas Games reveals that they have been hard at work for the last three years or more on Ars Magica 5th Edition Definitive; and moreover, the book is coming to crowdfunding this fall.
Ars Magica 5th Edition Definitive – Coming Fall 2024
In the announcement post, developer Atlas Games revealed that a lot of work has been underway for years. At its core, Ars Magica will still have the “underlying manuscript” of the 5th Edition text, but per Atlas, there have been extensive revisions along with a few other updates:
- David Chart, Line Developer for 5th Edition, has spent the last few years revising and updating its text.
- While the underlying manuscript is the 5th Edition text, extensive revisions reflect decades of play and incorporate a host of new material published since the original rulebook’s release. Ars Magica 5th Edition Definitive is a much bigger book than the original!
- We’ll release a deluxe, full color, hardcover print edition of the Definitive core rulebook, with new art and layout and heirloom production quality.
- Ars Magica 5th Edition Definitive will have an open license (the lead contender is CC BY-SA 4.0, if you’re curious).
But it’s not just a new definitive edition coming. Because Atlas also announced that the company had recently “resurrected” the original printer files for the Ars Magica 5th Edition line, meaning that the entire back catalogue, which will be compatible with the new Definitive Edition, will be available to any who wants.
If you’re wondering what sort of stretch goals and backer add-ons there are likely to be during the crowdfunding campaign, this is where I’d put my money.
Find out more about the Ars Magica 5th Edition Definitive Backerkit Campaign
Seems like you can’t go anywhere without finding something in 5th Edition that’s “backwards compatible.”
