''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 ...
'' first published by
White Wolf Publishing in 1991, and by
Wizards of the Coast in 1995.
Contents
''Faeries'' presents tales of faeries from the point of view of characters in the ''Ars Magica'' world, to provide insight into how faeries think.
It also includes a
bestiary 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, Sarah Link,
Jonathan Tweet,
Lisa Stevens, and
Mark Rein-Hagen, 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 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's ' ...
, and cover art by David O. Miller and Maria Cabardo.
Reception
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 reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' (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."
Reviews
*''
White Wolf'' #28 (Aug./Sept., 1991)
References
{{reflist
Ars Magica supplements
Role-playing game supplements introduced in 1991