Faeries (Ars Magica)
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''Faeries'' is a supplement for the fantasy role-playing game ''
Ars Magica ''Ars Magica'' is a role-playing game set in 'Mythic Europe' – a historically grounded version of Europe and the Levant around AD 1200, with the added conceit that conceptions of the world prevalent in folklore and institutions of the High Mid ...
'' first published by
White Wolf Publishing White Wolf Entertainment AB, formerly White Wolf Publishing, was an American roleplaying game and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant (game publisher), Lion RampantWizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (WotC or Wizards) is an American game Publishing, publisher, most of which are based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science-fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail game stores. In 1999, toy ...
in 1995.


Contents

''Faeries'' is a sourcebook which presents stories about faeries using the point of view of other characters, to provide insight into the way that faeries think. It also includes a
bestiary A bestiary () is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beas ...
of faeries from around the world, rules on creating a faerie character, and four short adventures. The first version was a 144-page softcover written by
John Snead John Snead is a freelance role-playing writer who lives in Portland, Oregon. He studied math and history (B.A.) and cultural anthropology (MA). He has been gaming since 1980 and became a full-time designer and writer of role-playing games in 1998. ...
, Sarah Link,
Jonathan Tweet Jonathan Tweet (born 1965) is an American game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games ''Ars Magica'', '' Everway'', '' Over the Edge'', ''Talislanta'', the third edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and '' 13th A ...
,
Lisa Stevens Lisa Stevens is an American editor, CEO and founder of Paizo Publishing, and COO of Goblinworks. She began her career in games in the 1980s, working with Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein-Hagen to help produce the tabletop roleplaying game ''Ars Mag ...
, and
Mark Rein-Hagen Mark Rein-Hagen, stylized as Mark Rein•Hagen (born 1964), is an American role-playing game, role-playing, card game, card, video game, video and board game designer best known as the creator of ''Vampire: The Masquerade'' and its associated '' ...
, and published by White Wolf in 1991 for the second edition of ''Ars Magica''. After Wizards of the Coast (WotC) bought the rights to ''Ars Magica'' from White Wolf in 1994, the new owners produced a fourth edition of the role-playing game, and a revised version of ''Faeries'' in 1995. This revised edition was also a 144-page softcover, written by John Snead and Sarah Link, with interior art by Amy Weber, Anson Madocks, Bryon Wackwitz, Chris Rush, Doug Shuler, Eric David Anderson, Jeff Menges,
John T. Snyder John T. Snyder is an American artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games. Career John T. Snyder is known for his artwork on the '' Call of Cthulhu'' role-playing game. He also illustrated the 5th edition cover of the '' Stormbringer'' ...
, John Ueland, Julie Baroh,
Mark Tedin Mark Tedin is an artist whose work has appeared in collectible card games and role-playing games. Early life and education Mark Tedin was born in Sitka, Alaska. After high school, he attended college at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, ...
, Rosemary Roach, and
Susan Van Camp Susan Van Camp is a fantasy artist, best known for her work on various role playing games. Biography Van Camp was born on June 11, 1959, and raised in Flint, Michigan. She began her commercial career in gaming by doing work for Steve Jackson (US ...
, and cover art by David O. Miller and Maria Cabardo.


Reception

Matthew Gabbert reviewed ''Faeries'' in ''
White Wolf The Arctic wolf (''Canis lupus arctos''), also known as the white wolf, polar wolf, and the Arctic grey wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to the High Arctic tundra of Canada's Queen Elizabeth Islands, from Melville Island to Ellesme ...
'' #28 (Aug./Sept., 1991), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "The fairies of Mythic Europe aren't just a bunch of 'tinkerbells' flitting from tree to tree - they are a force to be reckoned with. As influential in their own way as the holy and infernal powers, the faeries can even rival (or threaten) the great magi of the Order of Hermes. If you're looking for something to add a little more magic to your Saga, ''Faeries'' should do just the trick." In the December 1995 edition of ''Arcane'' magazine (Issue 1), Andrew Rilstone reviewed the second edition published by WotC and commented that "It would be a shame if the end result of this evocative tome was just new characters with special powers and funny eyes." He gave the book an average rating of 7 out of 10 overall. In the February 1996 edition of ''
Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...
'' (Issue #226), Rick Swan thought that the WotC version "improves on the original in every way" and told readers "If you own Version One, dump it." Swan admitted the narrative style of the book, which he found "charming, a welcome respite from the humdrum approach employed in most RPG supplements", would not be to everyone's taste. "You might find this tedious if all you want are hard facts to use in a role-playing adventure." Swan found the rules section "less successful" than the story-telling, saying "too many of the ideas are sabotaged by a lack of development." He concluded by giving the book an average rating of 4 out of 6, saying, "I’m not crazy about fiction in role-playing supplements; most game designers are about as good at writing fiction as rock musicians are at composing symphonies. But here, it’s engaging and cute. And if you flinched at the word 'cute,' consider spending your money elsewhere."


References

{{reflist Ars Magica supplements Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1991