The Order of Hermes

The Order of Hermes is a supplement published by Lion Rampant in 1990 for the fantasy role-playing game Ars Magica.

Cover art by Richard Thomas, 1990

Contents

The Order of Hermes is a supplement that describes The Order of Hermes, the society in Ars Magica to which all wizards belong.[1] The book describes in detail the thirteen Houses of the Order, each with it own magical specialities and politics.[2]

Publication history

Lion Rampant published Ars Magica in 1987, and several supplements and adventures followed. The Order of Hermes was published in 1990, a 126-page softcover book written by Jonathan Tweet, with illustrations by Josh Timbrook, and cover art by Richard Thomas.[1]

Reception

In the June 1991 edition of *Dragon (Issue #170), Ken Rolston was impressed by the gritty and non-heroic nature of the Order, commenting, "The history is full of violence, injustice, betrayal, corruption, vengeance, and all the great themes that drive the darker, less-heroic sides of epic fantasy." He concluded with a strong recommendation for both role-players as well as non-gaming readers, saying, "The variety and charm of magicks implied in the background is imaginative and inspiring. I recommend this in part for its utility, since it would make an excellent model for a wizards society — good or evil — in a fantasy campaign, but also because it is such a good read and so full of interesting fantasy story and character hooks."[2]

In the 2014 book Designers & Dragons: The '90s, game historian Shannon Appelcline commented that compared to previous Ars Magica releases Bats of Mercille and The Stormrider, "The Order of Hermes (1989) was a much more notable product. It developed the idea of 12 different wizardly organizations that players could join in Ars Magica. The new book gave players real handles for their characters and story seeds to carry them into the future; the desires of a House of Hermes could be used as plot hooks throughout a campaign."[3]: 309–310  Appelcline added that "The Order of Hermes has been repeatedly copied, first by Rein•Hagen himself at White Wolf, and later by pretty much the whole industry. [Chaosium's RuneQuest supplement] Cults of Prax might have been the true origin of the modern splatbooks that filled gaming store shelves in the '00s and '10s, but The Order of Hermes is the missing link."[3]: 310 

Other reviews

References
  1. Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 123-124. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
  2. Rolston, Ken (June 1991). "Role-playing reviews". Dragon. No. 170. TSR, Inc. p. 83.
  3. Shannon Appelcline (2014). Designers & Dragons: The '80s. Evil Hat Productions. ISBN 978-1-61317-081-6.
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