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johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
John Nephew
@johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
81 followers 1 following 54 posts
President of Atlas Games®, TTRPG professional since 1986, amateur woodworker, would-be recycler of plastics. Duluth, Minnesota.

[bridged from https://dice.camp/@Johnnephew on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
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johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
In the TSR envelope with the marked up dot matrix manuscript and Barbara's notes is this page of my ideas for turning it into Ars Magica, including the note on the bottom "Publish by myself?" -- so this must have been before I even thought to launch Atlas Games.
OCR can't handle my crappy handwriting. It talks about making King Lothar's Gold into an Ars Magica tournament adventure.
November 25, 2024 at 5:27 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
Holy crap, I had forgotten that I originally wrote "King Lothar's Gold" as a (Basic) D&D adventure and submitted it to Dungeon Magazine in 1988.
(A letter from Barbara Young, editor of Dungeon magazine) December 20, 1988 John Nephew 317 Winona St. Northfield MN 55057 Dear John: Thanks for sending "King Lotharr 's Gold" and the proposal for "Four Little Wanderers." Let's see the completed "Wanderers" module. I like the cultural and historical bits, but don't overdo them. As you requested, we made lets of notes all over "Lothar." Other than what's written there, I can: only say that it seems a bit disjointed, as if the parts are more important than the whole. Let's see it again after some work (by the way, the lighter red and the worse handwriting is mine). Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy (and prosperous) New Year. Sincerely, Barbara G. Young Editor P.O. BOX 110 LAKE GENEVA WI 53147 (414) 248-3625
November 25, 2024 at 5:26 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
20-year-old me was very concerned about how to deal with gender and pronouns in writing, and had net yet been liberated by understanding of the singular "they."
Gender Issues First off, masculine pronouns in this adventure are, for convenience, meant ambiguously. In other words, just because we use "he" in a sentence, we don't mean that it doesn't apply to females. This is just to make the text more readable, to avoid the clumsiness of using phrases like "he or she" or "his or her" so frequently. Tho issues of gender and sexism appear more directly in this adventure, however, and are part of the story's theme. The player characters prepared for this adventure are all males. The was dictated by the setting - simply put, women are not given a fair chance in this time and place. There are of course those who defy the implicit rules of society (such as Fredegund, the powerful and defiant queen; or Clotild, who led a nunnery in revolt), and make their visible mark on history. One such person who appears in this adventure is the sorceress, Lucretia. She is marked as both independent-minded, and a practitioner of magic. In time magic and the Order of Hermes will provide an opportunity for women to realize their potential as equals, even before the rest of society permits it, but in this place Lucretia faces a difficult struggle. Players in this adventure should be subtly made aware of the sexism that pervades their characters' society (and even their own today). When they meet the sorceress, they will run head-on into a woman who refuses to accept "her place"
November 25, 2024 at 5:26 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
File cabinet archaeology: A Jump-Start Kit for #arsmagica 2E that I was working on in 1990, but never finished
A full page of text, which begins: KING LOTHAR'S GOLD An Ars Magica Jump-Start Kit™ by John Nephew Introduction Ars Magica™ is a fantasy role-playing game with a special focus on "authentic" wizards-that is, wizards as they are portrayed in the lore and legend of our world. Uninhibited by such modern constructs as "balance" or "equality" among characters, magi, as the wizards are known, are free to aspire to the greatness of legendary sorcerers. The game also appeals to many people because of the careful attention it pays to the medieval European setting. With the wealth of information to be found in any library, this is a setting that features far more resource material than any other fantasy world on the market. • This product is a Jump-Start Kit™. It is designed especially to introduce people to the game of Ars Magica, to give them hands-on exposure to the setting, and a start on the game's mechanics and peculiarities. By using pregenerated characters and passing around briefing sheets to explain the rules, setting, and adventure background, you should be able to start people playing the game in as little as fifteen or twenty minutes. King Lothar's Gold is a particularly good adventure for beginning storyguides. It is perhaps best for storyguides who have experience with other games, but want to get the "feel" of Ars Magica; or experienced Ars Magica storyguides who want to introduce new people to the game with a minimum of preparation.
November 25, 2024 at 5:26 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
I made a meme
A screen of the Julia Roberts-narrated ad about votes being secret, overlaid with the text: "When you remember that the Code of Hermes forbids scrying in the ballot booth"
November 5, 2024 at 2:13 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
Sweet, my Devil-Forge is out for delivery! I'll be melting pure copper soon. And aluminum bronze.
October 28, 2024 at 2:56 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
IT'S HAPPENING

Ars Magica Definitive Edition launch party countdown clock

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/atlas-games/ars-magica-5th-edition-definitive/launch_party
screen shot of Ars Magica Definitive Edition countdown timer showing 20 hours 38 minutes 53 seconds until launch on BackerKit
October 14, 2024 at 7:26 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
Some sample spreads from the Ars Magica Definitive Edition work-in-progress.

Sign up for a launch reminder! The campaign on Backerkit kicks off on October 15th. https://atlasgames.m-pages.com/ars-magica-definitive
Four example draft page spreads from Ars Magica Definitive Edition
September 24, 2024 at 3:02 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
We're ironing out the details of the open licensing of Ars Magica to coincide with the Definitive Edition crowdfunding campaign, and I have to say I'm really excited about it.

We plan the campaign to launch on Oct 15th. Sign up in advance for a reminder! […]

[Original post on dice.camp]
Ars Magica Open LIcense logo
September 21, 2024 at 11:46 AM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
Also, because I can, I'm leaking a draft spread from the layout-in-progress of #arsmagica Definitive.This book is going to be so incredibly drool-worthy.
September 10, 2024 at 10:20 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
Here's the sixth response from them on this issue, basically the same in content and equally useless as the previous five.
August 30, 2024 at 3:44 PM
johnnephew.dice.camp.ap.brid.gy
The detail page for Friend or Foe?, an RPG sourcebook of NPCs published for Over the Edge 1st Edition circa 1993, has been removed by Amazon "for potential policy violations." There is no explanation or link to explain what policy or how it is violated. So, as […]

[Original post on dice.camp]
August 29, 2024 at 1:57 AM