Avoiding the Info Dump

[Panjumanju]

I feel like when someone asks: "So, what's Amber about?" I have to smile, take a deep breath, tell them to sit down, get them a cup of tea, ask them if they have any upcoming obligations later in the week, and then reenact a three-act play.

I'm not being overly verbose; I've got it down to a concise lecture at this point, all things considered, but the fact remains: in order for the player to be informed enough to make a compelling character, they need to understand the setting, and in order to do that they need a lot of information. Amber. Shadows. Oberon. Oberon's kids, in brief. Pattern walking. Courts of Chaos, in brief. What Amber level is in powers, versus Chaos and Human. The list goes on.

You can loop-hole out of that with amnesia (as Zelazny did) or having characters not know their heritage...but that has limited use.

How do you avoid The Great Amber Info Dump?

//Panjumanju

[Headless]

I've talked about this before.  I call it knowing the stakes.  If you don't know the stakes how can you know what to do? And you need to do stuff to drive the game.  If the players have no drive .....  And so on.  

You need to read the book.  I think you could do it with just Nine Princes, more is better, but that one could do it.  

You could jump settings, watch 'the Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy."  

You might be about do do something in "Ready player one"

You could do it with steven bursts "to reign in hell" or you could just set it in Lords of Olympus instead and trust middle school english to teach them enough to play.  

There are probably some comic books that you could tell them to read.  

But if you don't want to do the info dump, they need to do their home work, and read to watch the background material you assign.

[AsenRG]

I feel like when someone asks: "So, what's Amber about?" I have to smile, take a deep breath, tell them to sit down, get them a cup of tea, ask them if they have any upcoming obligations later in the week, and then reenact a three-act play.

I'm not being overly verbose; I've got it down to a concise lecture at this point, all things considered, but the fact remains: in order for the player to be informed enough to make a compelling character, they need to understand the setting, and in order to do that they need a lot of information. Amber. Shadows. Oberon. Oberon's kids, in brief. Pattern walking. Courts of Chaos, in brief. What Amber level is in powers, versus Chaos and Human. The list goes on.

You can loop-hole out of that with amnesia (as Zelazny did) or having characters not know their heritage...but that has limited use.

How do you avoid The Great Amber Info Dump?

//Panjumanju

Give them this to read, and you're done:).

[Panjumanju]

I went to a games night at a local community place one time and threw down a rulebook for an RPG. I had some people coming that were interested in playing. A nearby someone, who had no knowledge of RPGs, commented: "What do you need a textbook for?" They were shocked and agog when I said it was for a game I'm running. "Why would you need a read a whole textbook to play something?" they asked. She thought the whole thing was insane.

The point of the story is, I want to try and limit barriers to entry. I'd be cautious about assigning reading homework to a potential player. The problem is, Amber defies the elevator pitch. Or, I haven't found the right elevator pitch. I know Amber is not a beginner's RPG, but there has to be a way to smooth the transition, I would hope, that isn't going to lead to the inevitable situation of some players reading up, and some players not.

//Panjumanju

[zircher]

My weak attempt is... "You're a demi-god and part of a disfunctional family that is spread across multi-dimensions.  You could be a king anywhere, but you all know that the one true realm is Amber.  You're immortal but not undying.  Why do you carry a sword?  Because sorcery and science are local effects, but a good chunk of steel will ruin anyone's day."

[Spinachcat]

That's rather kickass for a "weak attempt".

I am quite sure this site could come up with a solid 100 word Intro to Amber, but until then Zilcher's post would do the job nicely.

Or go crazy and do 250 words (1 page, double spaced, large font).

[AsenRG]

My weak attempt is... "You're a demi-god and part of a disfunctional family that is spread across multi-dimensions.  You could be a king anywhere, but you all know that the one true realm is Amber.  You're immortal but not undying.  Why do you carry a sword?  Because sorcery and science are local effects, but a good chunk of steel will ruin anyone's day."

Rather good:)!
Here's what I compiled from the Wikipedia with five minutes of work. As you can see, I haven't even cleaned it - but it should be enough for most players;).

The Chronicles of Amber is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works.

The Amber stories take place in two contrasting "true" worlds, Amber and Chaos, and in shadow worlds (Shadows) that lie between the two. These shadows, including our Earth, are parallel worlds that exist in, and were created from, the tension between opposing magical forces of Amber and Chaos. The Courts of Chaos are situated at the very edge of an Abyss. Members of the royal family of Amber, after walking a Pattern that is central to Amber, can travel freely through the Shadows. While traveling (shifting) between Shadows, one can alter reality or create a new reality by choosing which elements of which Shadows to keep or add, and which to subtract. Nobles of the Courts of Chaos who have traversed the Logrus are similarly able to travel through Shadow.

Amber has two reflections or counterparts. The city of Rebma (Amber spelled backwards) lies under the sea off the coast. Markers on the beach point the way to an underwater stairway (named Faiella-Bionin) which descends to the city. The stairway and city are magical, allowing normal breathing, talking, etc. -- but also allowing one to swim if desired. Leaving the areas of magic returns one to normal water, with the potential of drowning or being crushed by water pressure. Rebma is ruled by Queen Moire. Most inhabitants are a sea people, not shadows of Amberites, and are slightly different in form from humans. They can be resentful of Amber, particularly when strife in Amber causes ripples of trouble in their own home. In times of peace Amberites may visit freely. It was during one such time that Random seduced and abandoned Moire's daughter Morganthe, leading her to commit suicide after she bore his son, Martin. Rebma contains a copy of the Pattern, a mirror image of the one in Amber.

On moonlit nights, the ghostly city of Tir-na Nog'th (cf. Tír na n"g) appears in the sky above Kolvir. It is an imperfect reflection of the Amber, with inhabitants that are shadows and ghosts of people, including those who once, might have, or never existed. Like Rebma, Tir-na Nog'th is reached by a stair, the bottom three steps of which are of stone rooted on Kolvir, with the rest of the stairs being of the same nature as the city itself. As long as the moon is not obscured, the stairway and the city are solid enough to stand on. Amberites visit the ghost city to seek insights and portents of the future. The passage of time and spatial distances differ in Tir-na Nog'th, versus the world below. When doing visiting there, safety suggests staying in contact with someone via a Trump, since the city may disappear without warning if a cloud passes across the moon. Again like Rebma, Tir-na Nog'th also contains a complete copy of the Pattern (but this copy isn't reversed, as is Rebma's.). Tir-na Nog'th is visited by Corwin in a crucial development of his story.

Characters in the Amber novels
Main article: List of characters in the Chronicles of Amber
Ultimately, Amber focuses on a dysfunctional family that is at the center of a cosmic war between many powers. Nine princes and four princesses of Amber, including Prince Corwin as narrator of the first book series, try to deal with the disappearance of Oberon, their father, and an apparent need for succession of the throne. No one trusts anyone, everyone appears to be ready to backstab anyone else (often literally), and everyone seems genuinely interested in only one thing: himself or herself.

In this respect, the Amber series could perhaps be best described as a philosophical, metaphysical, magical, mystical, fantasy soap opera. It has all those things, all wrapped around a cast of characters who are conniving, paranoid, dysfunctional, and often heartless.

All of the princes and princesses of Amber have super-human strength and regenerative capabilities. For example, Random and Corwin are able to pick up a car that had become stuck on a soft shoulder and place it back on the road, and Corwin is able to regenerate his eyes after they are burned out, although it takes him almost five years. Corwin seems to have the fastest regenerative capabilities in the royal family, something he contemplates after his escape from the dungeons of Amber.

The Pattern and the Logrus
At the two poles of existence are the symbols of Order and Chaos--The Pattern and The Logrus, respectively. Each, when negotiated, gives a person the ability to walk in shadow--across the different possible universes. The Pattern is a single, intertwined curve, laid out in a twisting maze-like design, in size larger than a football field. The Logrus is described as a shifting, three-dimensional obstacle course. Amber's Pattern is located in caverns deep underneath the royal palace.

Initially, readers learn there is the Pattern in Amber, and copies in Rebma and Tir-na Nog'th. Later, more become evident: e.g., there are imperfect or "broken" copies in other Shadows, and that Amber's Pattern itself is a close shadow of a hidden Primal Pattern. These imperfect copies exist in shadows close to Amber, with the first three being the least dangerous to use, but with the danger increasing the further one is from the original. Navigating Broken Patterns can give an individual some access to magical energies, but it is "foolish" to attempt to use for such purposes any Broken Pattern further than the ninth one from Amber.

The Pattern is inscribed on the floor of a large cavern that is part of a system of caves deep within Mount Kolvir, directly underneath Castle Amber in the city of Amber. The Pattern is a single, intertwined curve, laid out in a spiderweb-like shape. Members of the Royal Family of Amber can walk along the Pattern to its center in order to gain the power to walk among shadows -- alternate worlds.[1] Whether members of the house of Amber create the shadows they walk into or that the shadows already exist and that the pattern walker merely enters them is a subject that the author Zelazny leaves open to reader interpretation. Once a walker sets foot upon the Pattern, he must continue following its labyrinthine course to the center; stopping for too long, or leaving the pathway of the Pattern, results in a terrible death.

Walking the Pattern is not an easy task. There is a resistance that slows the walker, as if he is wearing lead boots that get heavier and heavier with every step. During the ordeal, the walker passes through several points of extreme difficulty called "veils" -- The First Veil, the Second Veil, and the Final Veil. These points represent intense surges in this fierce resistance; however, "breaking through" a Veil causes the resistance to let up a bit.

Once at the Pattern's center, the walker has acquired the power to walk in Shadow. As well, being at the center gives him the opportunity to command the Pattern to send him anywhere he wishes--across the room, back up to Amber Castle, across the world, to another Shadow world, here on Earth, etc.

Primal Pattern
During the series, it is revealed that Amber itself is but the first "Shadow" of a Primal pattern, located when the Unicorn of Order led Corwin to a previously unseen location. The Primal Pattern was guarded by a purple Griffin named Wixer that apparently had also been placed there to guard Dworkin (previously thought deceased), as Dworkin had, at this point, lost much of his mental faculty. This Primal Pattern was damaged prior to the events of Nine Princes In Amber when Amberite blood was spilled on it -- the blood of Martin, son of Random (Oberon's youngest acknowledged child), who was stabbed by Brand. Oberon attempted to repair the Pattern, although he realized the process would kill him. Brand, whom Dworkin acknowledged as his most apt pupil in study of the Pattern, suggested that such repair may not be possible. Brand also suggested when Corwin was inscribing his own Pattern that there could not be two such centers of order in the multiverse, and that it would be necessary to destroy Corwin's Pattern before he could inscribe his own. However, Oberon successfully repaired the Pattern, and it was seen to coexist peacefully with Corwin's Pattern - possibly because both are merely reflections of the Pattern in the Jewel of Judgment.

It is implied that nobody could successfully repair the damaged Pattern perfectly, or reproduce it as it originally was: and that their own personality would be inevitably imprinted on it in the attempt. This is accepted -- and desired -- by Brand, who wished to destroy the Pattern outright and re-create a new Pattern in his own image, with himself as architect of the new Universe: and a fact either not known or misunderstood by Corwin, who attempts to faithfully recreate the old Pattern (after Brand deceives him into believing Oberon to have failed in his attempt to repair the original) only for his new Pattern to not only evolve differently but eventually resist the attempts of the successfully-repaired Pattern to incorporate it. It follows, from this (and from the fact of Corwin's successful creation of a New Pattern, in which he did not die) that it may not have been necessary for Oberon to die in repairing the Old Pattern: and thus that, since Oberon did indeed die, he may even have done so willingly (and known in advance that this was necessary) as a way to avoid imprinting his personality on the Old Pattern at its re-completion. At any rate, after its repair, the Old Pattern (when displaying sentience) does not appear to display any characteristics of Oberon's personality.

Other Patterns
Through the course of the ten books, the existence of many other alternate Patterns is revealed. There is the Pattern in Rebma (Amber spelled backward), a reflected version of Amber beneath the sea; there is one in the ghost-city reflection of Amber in Tir-na Nog'th; there is the Primal Pattern, the one true Pattern that is higher on the reality scale than even Amber; Corwin's own Pattern, off in Shadow; and even imperfect versions of the Pattern found in Shadows very close to the true Pattern. The latter are called 'Broken Patterns' and can be walked by anyone with enough courage to do so.

Broken Patterns allow initiates to traverse shadow and perform magic in a similar way to the initiates of the true Patterns. However the broken path manifests itself in a number of ways. The main example is that the break in the Pattern manifests itself in each Shadow the initiate visits. The size of the break depends on the size of the break in the Pattern and its distance in Shadow from Amber. Broken Pattern mages draw their power directly from the break, similar to drawing their power from Chaos. Each image of the Pattern degenerates the farther it is from Amber. The first nine broken images were negotiable, but Merlin in the course of Knight of Shadows, repaired one – presumably leaving only eight. It might be however that other patterns became safe enough to use after this.

The Jewel of Judgment
The Jewel of Judgment is a large ruby-like gem worn as a pendant around the neck. As the saga progresses, its importance grows. At first it is just a device for controlling the weather, useful in battle, but then Corwin is told that if he walks the Pattern carrying the Jewel, and then uses the power of the Pattern to project himself into it, he will gain a new level of power. When he does this, he finds that the Jewel itself contains a Pattern, in three or even more dimensions. Eventually he learns from Dworkin that the Jewel is the real source of the Pattern of Amber, and that it was obtained from the Unicorn. Corwin uses the Jewel to forge his own Pattern, when he believes that Amber's Pattern has been destroyed. Standing at the center of his Pattern, he is then able to project himself into the final battle at the Courts of Chaos.

The Logrus is not introduced until the sixth book of the Amber series (The Trumps of Doom). Merlin's walking of the Logrus appears in a prologue to the initial hardcover edition of the book.[17] We do not see any other instances of a character negotiating the Logrus. The Prologue has Merlin bleeding and experiencing odd sensory inputs. Later we learn walking the Logrus can leave one mentally unstable for a while afterwards, but this "usually" passes. The Logrus is also described as containing the skeletal remains of those who tried to walk it, but failed.
The Logrus is a three dimensional construct that is the opposite number to the Pattern of Amber.[1] Where the unchanging, rigid Pattern represents Order, the Logrus is constantly altering its shape and represents the principle of Chaos.

The Logrus appears as a tentacular force that must be navigated on a magical/mental level. Those who navigate this construct successfully gain power over, and the ability to travel through, Shadow. An additional power gained from the successful navigation of the Logrus is the ability to "pull" desired, non-specific objects out of Shadow worlds.

Negotiating the Logrus is extremely difficult and potentially fatal. Prospective initiates of the Logrus generally receive advanced training, but success is dependent less on knowledge than on will. In addition to the danger of dying, some who have attempted the Logrus have experienced permanent cerebral damage, though this fate tends to happen only to those who are weak willed or not of full chaosian blood. Luckily those of chaosian blood usually only end up being insane for a short period of time. Negotiating both the Logrus and the Pattern, as Merlin has, is a uniquely daring feat.[1]

Just as Dworkin Barimen is keeper of the Pattern, Suhuy is the keeper of the Logrus and is a member of the noble houses of Chaos.
The Logrus has been called a source of "tactical nuclear weaponry, remote handling and magical apportation".

The Trumps
In the Amber universe, the term "Trump" is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it properly refers to a type of specialized Tarot card. The original decks used by Amberites had some or all of the tarot's major arcana replaced (or augmented) with images of the royal family and at least one location (Amber Castle). These original decks were created by Dworkin, and a deck was given to family members after they walked the Pattern. Physically, these cards are cool to the touch. The decks may be used like normal tarots for divination, as Corwin does shortly after meeting one of his brothers.

However, their greatest attribute is altogether different: they can act as a means of instant communication, travel, or even of attack. Anyone may use a trump – i.e., they do not need to be an Amberite or of royal blood.[citation needed] By concentrating on a card depicting a person, the user tries to form a type of psychic link with that person. If successful, the users are able to talk to each other, and even see some of the other's surroundings. Either person has the option of bringing the other to their physical location, or "trumping" them through to the other location (an example of the term being used as a verb). One can also trump through to the other's location by themselves, without the other's active assistance--but the other person must still be viewing the card (e.g., Dalt's attempt to come through a Trump held by Merlin in Arbor House). The psychic contact also leaves open the possibility of an attack by one person on the other, an attempt to dominate by sheer force of ego and will. This can result in immobilization or worse for the victim of the attack. If the Trump depicts a place, the user is able to transport themselves to that location. Those who witness someone "trumping" away from them see the individual become two-dimensional before disappearing, and there is a prismatic aftereffect. In Trumps of Doom, Merlin also mentions sensing a kind of electrical charge as Jasra trumps into a room where he waits.

Trump contact between people may be blocked by the receiving party, if desired, by an act of concentration. A variety of circumstances can also prevent trump contact from being made, ranging from sheer distance and time differences across shadows, to unconsciousness, amnesia, the particular location(s) where users are, and other factors.

These are the basic attributes of the Trumps. Either party may end a Trump communication, either by passing their hand over the card, or by an effort of will (recipients of trumps contacts need not have a trump card in their hands, but can still end the discussion). As the tale progresses, we learn more: people besides Dworkin can create Trumps. Indeed, the initiates of the Logrus have their own Trump cards, but these are not described to the same level of detail as are the Amber Trumps. If one looks "closely enough" at a Trump, one can see parts of the Pattern or Logrus within their design. Being a Pattern or Logrus initiate is required to create Trumps. Not all characters have the ability to create Trumps, though it may be learned. Those with the ability may create a trump for any person or place desired, provided they are sufficiently familiar with that person or place, and the place is not one in constant motion/change. There are also "variations" of trumps, which do not need to be drawn on playing cards – or even any surface at all, under the proper circumstances and if the creator has the proper resources/conditions.

Also, Youtube is your friend in such situations. My best experience with avoiding the infodump is from Fates Worse Than Death, which has a three-parts presentation of the setting on Youtube. And it's created by the author himself, as a bonus:D!

[LarsonGates]

Very simply .. both my campaigns start with characters knowing little or nothing about their parents, the courts, or amber. They learn as they go along. At the point I run into a group of players that are familiar with Amber then I'll have to come up with something different.

[Headless]

My weak attempt is... "You're a demi-god and part of a disfunctional family that is spread across multi-dimensions.  You could be a king anywhere, but you all know that the one true realm is Amber.  You're immortal but not undying.  Why do you carry a sword?  Because sorcery and science are local effects, but a good chunk of steel will ruin anyone's day."

This is great.  I might use it for an elevator putch to get people interested.  But I still think people need to do their homework to really play.  A normal RPG the players don't need their own goals, it is enough for them to sit back and go on a guided tour of what ever the DM wants.  Thats not enough for Amber.  They need their own ambitions,

You could be a king anywhere, but you all know that the one true realm is Amber.

That lays it out right there but is it enough to grab them?  Do they know that is the most important sentence?  In my (limited) experience no.  And woth 8 players coming up with god dreams cart Blanche will they interact?  Or veer off wildly tangential to each other, never to interact again?

[Panjumanju]

That's a pretty great weak attempt. Thank you for that.

Beyond that I guess you'd just have to explain powers, parents, and a few buzz-words.

//Panjumanju

[soltakss]

How do you avoid The Great Amber Info Dump?

Unfortunately, I have no experience of Amber, but have a lot of experience with Glorantha, which has the same problems.

Rather than having a great big sweaty Glorantha Dump, I start small and add little things as the players get deeper and deeper. Start with a small place, add another place, add some clan politics, add an inhuman, add a cult, add an enemy cult, add snother cult and so on, adding little bits as you go on. If the players are interested, they will find things out on their own, if not, they will be happy with the bits that I feed them.

[Panjumanju]

Unfortunately, I have no experience of Amber, but have a lot of experience with Glorantha, which has the same problems.

Rather than having a great big sweaty Glorantha Dump, I start small and add little things as the players get deeper and deeper. Start with a small place, add another place, add some clan politics, add an inhuman, add a cult, add an enemy cult, add snother cult and so on, adding little bits as you go on. If the players are interested, they will find things out on their own, if not, they will be happy with the bits that I feed them.

Is that the one by Greg Stafford? I loved the heck out of his Pendragon.

//Panjumanju

[soltakss]

Is that the one by Greg Stafford? I loved the heck out of his Pendragon.

Yes, Glorantha was created and developed by Greg Stafford. He's semo-retired now and had passed the baton on, but essentially it is still his.

[Delete_me]

My weak attempt is... "You're a demi-god and part of a disfunctional family that is spread across multi-dimensions.  You could be a king anywhere, but you all know that the one true realm is Amber.  You're immortal but not undying.  Why do you carry a sword?  Because sorcery and science are local effects, but a good chunk of steel will ruin anyone's day."

As others have said... that is brilliant.