Wizard's Grimoire Revised Edition
 | |
| Product Information | |
|---|---|
| Rules Edition: | Fourth |
| Abbreviation: | WGRE |
| Product Type: | Sourcebook |
| Author(s): | John Kasab and David Chart |
| Publisher: | Atlas Games |
| Product Number: | AG0258 |
| ISBN: | 1-887801-68-5 |
| Release date: | 1998 |
| Format: | Softcover or PDF, 176 pages |
| Availability: | In print; PDF available |
The Wizard's Grimoire, Revised Edition (or WGRE), by John Kasab and David Chart, is an improved version of the previous Wizards Grimoire updated to Fourth Edition mechanics.
There is an official product page at the Atlas Games Web site.
Key Contents
- The WGRE contains a detailed explanation and clarification of how Magic Resistance works in Fourth Edition, with examples.
- There are many Virtues and Flaws compiled from among the best of other Third Edition and Fourth Edition supplements
- Discussion of the Peripheral Code
- Of course, as the title suggests, the book contains a large compilation of spells and enchanted items.
Relevance to Current Edition
Many of the best parts of the WGRE have been translated into Fifth Edition and either incorporated into the core rules or other supplements. Since the WGRE is a mechanics-heavy book, and the mechanics for magic have changed substantially between ArM4 and ArM5 (the Spell Guidelines are different, some of the Arts have changed scope, and the Ranges of spells work differently), most of the contents of WGRE are obsolete for Fifth Edition.
Player Reviews
Until about 2005, the original Ars Magica FAQ site solicited reviews of Ars Magica products from the community. The online review submission form is no longer available, but please feel free to edit this page to add your own comments. A synopsis of the survey results for this book is:
FAQ Rating: \*\*\* (14 reviews; 0 *, 4 \*\*, 10 \*\*\*, 1 \*\*\*\*)
- Terrific resource, and much better balanced than the earlier edition. Faerie magic is -way- too powerful, however.
- Good, a bit dated and has a number of rules that are optional
- Very useful for adding flavour to laboratory work. Easy to use.
- Some interesting ideas, extra spells, but on the whole a bit too eclectic and insufficiently playtested. Many if not most of the features may not appeal to most troupes.
- A broad treatment of Hermetic culture and traditions. Reprints a lot from previous books, and introduces a lot of spells and a faerie magic system that are possible game-breakers.
- Hit and miss. Parts of it are essential, others read like someone threw it in at the last minute. Test whatever you intend to use.
- Maybe not revised enough for me.
- The Mysteries is now more useful to let magi grow.
- An improvement over the old Grimoire, but still not enough.
- A flawed but necessary acquisition for most storyguides.
- I like the laboratory creation, book, and peripheral code sections. The spells scream "munchkin" and I don't like most of them.
- Much of the missing stuff from the rulebook.
- Patchy, but the good bits are very useful.