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[AmberZine] When Good Stuff Happens to Bad People

Started by belabor, April 21, 2015, 02:06:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

belabor

Question followed by answers.

Panjumanju

Let me see if I can look it up and get back to you.

//Panjumanju
"What strength!! But don't forget there are many guys like you all over the world."
--
Now on Crowdfundr: "SOLO MARTIAL BLUES" is a single-player martial arts TTRPG at https://fnd.us/solo-martial-blues?ref=sh_dCLT6b


Panjumanju

So, bad news - that article is in AmberZine number 7, and I don't have that one. Everything I can find online about it says it was just a discussion of good stuff / bad stuff. You could try hunting down the author, Jack Gulick, although I have no idea where you'd start.

Unless someone here with more AmberZine issues than I have wants to weigh in?

Good luck.

//Panjumanju
"What strength!! But don't forget there are many guys like you all over the world."
--
Now on Crowdfundr: "SOLO MARTIAL BLUES" is a single-player martial arts TTRPG at https://fnd.us/solo-martial-blues?ref=sh_dCLT6b

belabor

Quote from: Panjumanju;829196Everything I can find online about it says it was just a discussion of good stuff / bad stuff.

Yes, that's precisely why I'm looking for more detailed information. As far as I know AmberZines included mostly campaign diaries and such, while this article seems interesting as a pre-internet era system analysis.

Evermasterx

I read a few of them and the more interesting and valuable thing (for me of course) was the answers posted by Eric to the questions sent by the readers. As usual very inspiring.
"All my demons cast a spell
The souls of dusk rising from the ashes
So the book of shadows tell
The weak will always obey the master"

Kamelot, The Spell
--------
http://evermasterx.altervista.org/blog/tag/lords-of-olympus/

RPGPundit

I elaborate quite a bit about Luck (the equivalent of 'stuff') in Lords of Olympus; quite a lot of that was at least an indirect product of interactions with Erick Wujcik.
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finarvyn

Quote from: Panjumanju;829196So, bad news - that article is in AmberZine number 7, and I don't have that one.
I have the whole run of Amberzines and just need to remember to do this when I'm at home. I'll try to get to it ASAP.
Marv / Finarvyn
Kingmaker of Amber
I'm pretty much responsible for the S&W WB rules.
Amber Diceless Player since 1993
OD&D Player since 1975

finarvyn

Quote from: belabor;827126I came across some references to this article and it inspired my interest. However, Amberzine is pretty much out of reach for me. Could someone familiar with it summarize this article's main points, please?
Okay, here's the scoop. It is in Amberzine #7 and while it's a 5-page thing that makes it pretty short since Amberzine is in digest size.

The intro (written by Erick, I assume) says "an essay questioning the validity of the link between Stuff and character personality -- the idea that good and evil are somehow linked to luck."

In reality, much of it is a campaign-log style story.

Pages 7-8 are story.

Page 9 starts by noting that good stuff equates to good guy according to the ADRP rulebook, then asks if this fits Amber where lots of selfish characters also seem lucky. Gives some examples.

Page 10 tries to build a case that Stuff and good/bad ought to be seperate mechanics in Amber.

Page 11 ties it all together by discussing the motivations of the characters in the author's own short story that led off the article.

I guess it comes down to how each GM wants to run Stuff. Bottom line is that the article is short and doesn't deliver as much BAM! as I'd hoped for in re-reading. If you want to buy Amberzine #7 for its general content, go for it. On the other hand, don't buy it just for this one little article.
Marv / Finarvyn
Kingmaker of Amber
I'm pretty much responsible for the S&W WB rules.
Amber Diceless Player since 1993
OD&D Player since 1975


Cinniuint

I thought that good stuff meant that you were lucky and perceived as good. Bad stuff meant you were unlucky, distrusted, distrustful, and had a tendency to perceive the world inaccurately.

Good characters could have either. Bad characters could have either.

Mandor, Luke and, I think, none of the elder Amberites had good stuff.

Jurt, obviously, and Jasra, had bad stuff. I think Flora had zero stuff.

Of course, all this just leads to a slightly different question:: how do you get characters that have bad stuff and charm, or good stuff and yet are jerks?

sir brad

A little bit of Bad Stuff gives you that Bad Boy/Girl air, too much and you are an A-Hole

Cinniuint

Oh yeah! And one friend for each point of good stuff, one enemy  for each point of bad stuff.

RPGPundit

If there's one thing I've consistently ignored in the Amber rules it's that idea about good stuff = good guy/bad stuff= bad guy.
LION & DRAGON: Medieval-Authentic OSR Roleplaying is available now! You only THINK you\'ve played \'medieval fantasy\' until you play L&D.


My Blog:  http://therpgpundit.blogspot.com/
The most famous uruguayan gaming blog on the planet!

NEW!
Check out my short OSR supplements series; The RPGPundit Presents!


Dark Albion: The Rose War! The OSR fantasy setting of the history that inspired Shakespeare and Martin alike.
Also available in Variant Cover form!
Also, now with the CULTS OF CHAOS cult-generation sourcebook

ARROWS OF INDRA
Arrows of Indra: The Old-School Epic Indian RPG!
NOW AVAILABLE: AoI in print form

LORDS OF OLYMPUS
The new Diceless RPG of multiversal power, adventure and intrigue, now available.

sir brad

Conciser this Good Guys with Bad Stuff, just from Cinema I can think of two

Detective John McClane (Die Hard)
Ash J Williams (Evil Dead)

both are at times charming Asses who bad things keep happening to, especially McClane their lives are Blessed with Suck, despite being heroic good guys.