[Amber] Favourite Attribute

[Panjumanju]

I find players who have played multiple games of Amber Diceless always make sure they have their favourite Attribute up to a respectable rank, seemingly regardless of the character. I know I always prioritize Strength, and to a lesser extent Endurance.

Do you have a favourite Attribute?

//Panjumanju

[Doughdee222]

No, I don't, but then I haven't played the game either. I don't tend to think of attributes in that way however. Like most people I think about what type of character I want to play and go from there. If I want a warrior guy I'd go for Warfare or Strength, mage guy I'd concentrate of Psyche, etc. When I played D&D back in high school I'd usually keep Charisma at least "average" just to be different. My best character was a cleric of the god Baldur (Norse god of beauty) who had a 16 Charisma. He was the cleric everyone wanted to follow!

Now, I have noted through the years that I have a few favorite skills I work into a character when the system allows. For example, many of my characters have had a bit of cooking skill (I've read lots of fantasy and all those heroes are trying to save the world on hardtack and stale bread. Not my guy! He knows how to cook a tasty squirrel!) Considering how often heroes are running toward or away from things I almost always throw a couple points toward that skill. And I find swords too stereotypical, so I'll often choose a different weapon type when feasible: spear, mace, pick, flail, whatever. My oriental martial artist used a hook-sword when he had to.

In GURPS just about every character should have at least an 11 Strength, the bonus is too good not to take it. Same with Combat Reflexes.

[Artifacts of Amber]

I tend toward Psyche because I love toying with the powers of the universe. Amber has such great opportunity for that sort of play. Only time id did physical stuff I made the character shadow travel lame but spent 50+ points on a companion creature (Without an cheaty transference or anything just a big mean buddy to run with)

Like Doughdee222 mentioned there are extraneous skill sets I usually shoot for which in Amber is easy. Cooking and singing being two of my favorites if not singing then often drawing is another creative skill. I can't do either one so I can live vicariously through my characters.

[finarvyn]

I tend to favor Endurance because it's that "ace up my sleeve" attribute. While it doesn't do anything specific, it helps everywhere.

No, I don't, but then I haven't played the game either.

By the way, it's always interesting to find posters in a game board who haven't played the game. Are you specifially a fan of the Amber setting, or what draws you to the ADRP board?

[Doughdee222]

Fin,
There are several things which draw me to this board.
One is, of course, I am a big fan of the books. I'm rereading them now and would name them one of the top 5 fantasy series I've read.

The game books I bought over 20 years ago and read them but couldn't find anyone to play the game with. Frankly, I was a bit intimidated by the rules and setting but found them intriguing nonetheless. So when I discovered this board I read through most of the threads on these pages to see how my concerns were addressed.
I was mildly surprised that the game still had a small but ardent fan base. I assumed that the game was so small and niche that after 20+ years it would have been forgotten. Pleased to see that I was wrong.

I'm still intimidated by the game, despite lots of GMing experience I still don't think I'd want to run a campaign. But I do feel better about it, think I understand it better.

-D

[finarvyn]

Frankly, I was a bit intimidated by the rules and setting but found them intriguing nonetheless.

You aren't the first one I've heard say that. When I first bought the game I read it and set it aside for a bit because it was just so different from anything else I'd ever played. No dice? Seriously? I tried a few games with limited success, but it wasn't until I actually got a chance to play in a game run by Erick that everything just clicked in my head. Once it falls into place, it's a very simple game.

The biggest thing you have to battle is the fact that the players are looking for numbers as a reference. My trick was to put them in a real life type situation to give them choices, then once they get the hang of it they can try something more fantastic.

For example, "you are in a bar and a guy starts to pick on your girlfriend. What do you do?" The player has no numbers to look at so must ask questions. (Usually it takes a bit for this to happen. I try to emphasize that "you" are YOU.) Eventually they try to decide if the other guy "looks tough" or not. Once you get to that point, you're on your way because the player really has two choices -- fight or flight. Flight probably diffuses the situation, but fight causes conflict. Then, the GM has to decide how tough this other guy really is, and as the fight unfolds give clues to the player about who is winning. This causes either the player to win or forces another choice -- continue or try to disengage (essentially, fight or flight again).

That, in a nutshell, is Amber Diceless.

[Doughdee222]

The diceless aspect was part of what intimidated me. Having grown up on D&D and Call of C'thulhu. I had trouble seeing how that mechanic worked. I wondered if combat boiled down to whichever player had the most glib tongue who could describe precisely what his blade or fist is doing.

And yes, the lack of numbers intimidated me too. As I mentioned in other threads I was used to having several Monster Manuals and spell books with hundreds of examples to work with. ADRP's lack of such left me at a loss.

But there was another issue too, equal or maybe bigger than these. In a standard fantasy game the PCs stayed together and their movements are somewhat limited. They can walk, ride a horse or take a boat but where they go is predictable and controllable. With ADRP the PCs are encouraged to split up and have an infinite number of places they can go. How could a GM possibly account for all of that? And forget larger groups, I'd have enough trouble handling 3-4 players.

Yeah, to the uninitiated the whole system is pretty intimidating.

I did like that money and valuables meant (almost) nothing to the characters and magic items were of limited use. That was some comfort.

[Panjumanju]

Some of these are difficult to find the sense in until you've played.

I wondered if combat boiled down to whichever player had the most glib tongue who could describe precisely what his blade or fist is doing.

Certainly not. At least, not against any Amber GM worth their salt.

In a standard fantasy game the PCs stayed together and their movements are somewhat limited. They can walk, ride a horse or take a boat but where they go is predictable and controllable. With ADRP the PCs are encouraged to split up and have an infinite number of places they can go. How could a GM possibly account for all of that? And forget larger groups, I'd have enough trouble handling 3-4 players.

Actually, a lot of what solves the problem of players splitting up is having larger groups. The biggest "currency" in Amber, if you will, is information. When people split up they usually split up into subgroups that gradually form, and players can continue in-character conversations and events even without the help of the GM. With the Trump system for communication - and travel - it means that players are rarely cut off from each other, so it's easy enough to re-form a larger group almost instantly.

It all works out very well and I don't think you should be intimidated by it.

//Panjumanju

[finarvyn]

The diceless aspect was part of what intimidated me. Having grown up on D&D and Call of C'thulhu. I had trouble seeing how that mechanic worked.

I think that Call of Cthulhu would be a lot of fun run diceless. After all, Cthulhu and his peers are so much more powerful than regular mortals that you can't really fight them. This would seem to really fit a diceless model where you can interact with basic folks and run screaming from Cthulhu-types.

[Taewakan]

I love Endurance.
Like many have pointed out, it supports just about everything.
I am also an advocate of Shape Shifting. It is one of the few powers where Endurance runs a close second, if not equal to the Primary, Psyche.

As for the diceless aspect of the game I use every game I have ever played as source material for the multiverse that is the Amber game.

I also have a lot of respect for dramatic imperative.
For me, making the PCs scared or hopeful or hateful or fill-in-the-blank emotion toward an NPC spells success. For me, gaming is all about feeling - making the PCs feel.

Many players confuse their characters with themselves. it is a danger in any role-playing game. I tend to use language, like 'your character' or the 'character's name', to provide some distance between the Character and the Player... If it looks like this confusion is going to be a problem for the player. After all, games are about rule number one - having fun.

[RPGPundit]

I like all the attributes that are there, equally. But what I love are the attributes that aren't there: Intelligence, Charisma.  The fact that these things are left to the Player rather than mechanically handled, that's awesome.