Started my new Campaign tonight

[Sydius Mendoza]

Cue the sinister pipe-organ!

[Artifacts of Amber]

I can totally see the way this stuff can work in a campaign. The question is whether its restoring balance to the multiverse (a counterbalance to broken pattern), or leading to a further degradation of reality as we know it?

RPGPundit


Well out of game it was inspred by Broken Pattern.

In game I have two answers.

A) it is a counter balance / reflection of Broken Pattern

or

B) it is a natural extension of the power itself. Meaning it is normal for Pattern and Logrus to have such extensions of themseleves.

Players seldom get deep enough into the actual realities for itto matter, but I keep both answers a viability as long as I can just so I can go with which ever one feels right at the time. I usually play with a back up plan or two for plots/events and then go with whatever inspires me during game even if it makes little sense at that moment I have learned to trust I will work it out and will be better than anything I preplan.


For me it is more about having a really cool power for players to play with.

Though I use Ideas from the second series and base a lot of powers on info fro it I don't feel the need to slave myself to them. For example the Sentient powers goes against the way I see things. If they are sentient then they are something so far above even an Amberite that is would never make sense to them.

[Tolknor]

For example the Sentient powers goes against the way I see things. If they are sentient then they are something so far above even an Amberite that is would never make sense to them.

Ya, thats a pet peeve of mine too.   I'm willing to concede they may be sentient but i never had them act as a NPC.

[RTrimmer]

Yeah, my preference is that when the Pattern or the Logrus seem to be sentient it's really Dworkin or Suhuy faking it, for purposes deep and cosmic, irritable or merely humorous.

[Artifacts of Amber]

Yeah the Senient part of major powers is something I just didn't Care for in the second series much like I didn't care for Undershadow, or whatever it was. Doesn't fit in to my games.

If someone ever thinks the Powers are sntient then it will just be that person projecting themselves into the power, sort of like a mirrored/spli personalitythink which I could see as interesting.

I do like the idea or Mirror copies imbeded in the Pattern, not that I have done much with them, but I do keep that open as something I may use some time if it feels right.

[Artifacts of Amber]

Okay so ran another session.

Started off in the room with the killed by pain shadow detective. Everyone gets trumped in to take a look. Player brings Fiona's Daughter (Christina an NPC) in as well think she may have some ideas. Unfortunately she is not anything like her mother as the soon discover. Yeah she knows a lot about powers and Pattern but personality wise she is not what they expect. Sweet, shy and kind to a fault the whole scene disturbs her. Playing her as a nerdy about the powers wallflower who fades away if someone is not directly engaging her. She has her own interesting tale that allows me to play her well enough the players are finding her endearing.

In any case they all take a look and find the traces of pain infused in  the air fading away. Victoria (Benedict's Daughter) who is their NPC contact in the castle says she has seen this sort of killing before out in shadow. So they get some descriptions from her and want to go looking after they deal with the demons loose near Rebma.

They travel through Rebma and send a message to the Crown prince Sebastion who is not around then head after the demons. With Christina's awkward help they find them and have their first real fight in the game easily beating it with their combined abilities. First chance to point out who is better than whom as no one holds back much. Most characters have some inkling what the others can do.

The one bad stuff character (Caroline) who has done most the demon stuff thinks that maybe the demons have gotten Sebastion.

I use bad stuff differently. It is basically spent by me to either do something extra freaking mean to them or to basically sell part of their back story to me to use as I wish. So now she thinks, due to her bad stuff, maybe getting Corwin's son and crown prince of Rebma killed is a "Bad Stuff" event. I will allow her to believe so.

So they investigate and check out the sunken ship learning nothing of import. then decide to head out after the Pain inducing sorcerer who Victoria noted earlier. The hell ride for a constant two days exhausting one player in doing so (But tops in endurance) and find the shadow were the pain originated from, possibly. They find an old couple who know about the pain and rest in their pain insulated house/cabin. they learn more about the cult who worship the pain.

The pain is caused by a Primal Source called the Anvil of Hell. Didn't plan for them to go this way but is fine since I have the Anvil all prepped in any case. Will offer them the opportunity to join and initiate into it if they want to learn more.

Had 4 plot points to throw out if needed but they are actually being fairly pro-active and searching for things without prompting. So I can hold unto those points until I need to kick them out of a rut. Next session should prove interesting since they want to learn more about the source of this Pain, Pain real enough to cause them injury and even cause death to a shadow person.

I tend not to develop clues to a mystery so much as decide as they search would a clue be there. This way I am not anticipating them doing any particular things or look under any specific rocks. They are following one potential path to the bad guys. Soon I will have to give up a bad guy so they can feel as if they are making some serious headway instead of spinning their wheels which I have found is a sure way to kill interest in a Mystery.

Hope this wasn't too long

As always open for comments or Questions

[RPGPundit]

I don't have a problem with sentient powers as long as said powers act really alien.

[Artifacts of Amber]

I mean seintient is ok. Just so alien that their ability to communicate or motives are not understood is the way I see it. So, for me, it is largely irrelevant if they are "alive". I guess I am agnostic when it comes to Pattern and Logrus

Excited about game, since the players have gone off plot, which is the most exciting thing for me.

[Artifacts of Amber]

So another session goes by.

The characters preceded to the center of pain which they discover is the Anvil of Hell a place that is as real as the Fount of the Four Worlds. The "cultist" refused to talk with any one unless they are an initiated. So after going back and forth one character decides to become initiated into the Anvil (Rhiannon).

The other characters are allowed to watch as the "volunteer" is taken before them in the nude and laid upon a large cold iron anvil hanging above a pool of lava and as they are seared to the top of the Anvil a hammer  is pounded down around her and causes her and others intense pain. She is then crushed as each of her bones are crushed and her flesh rent asunder until she has but one choice acceptance of the pain and embracing it then becoming able to transform pain into pleasure.

The players didn't take it too seriously to be honest and maybe I'm rusty in getting them into that place of being in tune with their characters but it didn't gel like I had hoped though the initiated player is starting to enjoy this new found power which is quite real.

They then got the info they were looking for and rode after a possible lead. An Initiate named Obier Which they thought sound like Oberon but he's dead right. (He is it is just his very near real shadow)

They Hellride to him then discover what people can do to prevent such things by running into a Guardian that then begins to kick their butts. Being new players they go at it physically and don't key on doing much else. I pound them for a while and severely injure 3 of the characters (Trace, Kal, Caroline) before it is beat and it calls for his "Brothers" but now they know what it is like to lose and are smart enough to run away.

In retrospect I will perhaps hint that using things like Psyche to attack may have been helpful or even trying to sneak by or something other than a head on fight was possible. Still they learned some useful info and feel like they are on something since that was a serious guardian.

Highlight of night was one player explaining my description in ranks in each stat showing they can see the difference between themselves and the opponent and that helping figure out what to do. Not like numbers but that one character was faster but it had more tactical sense and the other player lacked enough of both for it to be threatened and so forth. It was nice to see a player getting the system without it hurting the immersion into the scene.

[Artifacts of Amber]

I may be the only one reading this but at least I have a log now

I forgot to mention last session the Chaosian (Marcuis) got a message to come home there has been a murder in chaos (not unusual) of one of the chaos ambassador's assistants's (ok little unusual) when he gets there he discovers it was done "supposedly"  by someone looking like Fiona who used Pattern magic according to the investigators.

He heads back lets the group know. One player (Trace) is checking on Vinta Bayle an earlier victim they rescued. while everyone else heals up. A week goes by uneventful when I tell a different player (Random's daughter, Rhiannon) Vinta Bayle was found murdered. Meanwhile another player (Caroline) gets a note from Sebastian (Crown prince of Rebma) that his personal shadow was attacked as well. so everyone kind of heads in different directions for a little while checking on things then gather for lunch and a quick catch up session. With the new Fiona info from chaos they are afraid to talk in the castle but instead decide to go see what happened to Vinta and a message left behind at her murder. Vialle goes along to offer condolences. They talk on the way and decide to tell Fiona someone might be impersonating her in Chaos. she doesn't seem to care about some chaos rumors.

They discover a message at Vinta's house written in her blood that says "You can't hide from us" they group spends some lengthy time trying to figure out what is happening but only end up agreeing the are reacting more than acting so try to figure out the next step.

session closes.

So stuff happened but most the time was spent throwing out ideas and the level of mistrust about things was pretty high, not so much mistrust of each other but of Fiona and who may be up to this, is someone setting her up, who could be involved etc.

Highlights was the player trumping Fiona with the "Facts" and after he gets done talking she deadpan ask him when he is going to start covering the facts.

another was a combo, a Julian's son, Kal (who has been neutered by Julian using a some power) trumps and gets Dworkin which is a comical scene for a moment as both seem surprised but then Dworkin remembers why he was thinking of him and ask about the neutering, making a comment he didn't make Julian the protector of that power for him to abuse it. and he offers to fix the Neutering and does so by painting away the Stain of it.

Was fun watching the other players try to figure out all the inuendo we used. plus meeting Dworkin is always fun.

[Sydius Mendoza]

I may be the only one reading this but at least I have a log now

I've been reading these as you post them. I don't really have any commentary other than I find this to be a good example of how I plan to do my GM log. Keep posting please. :thanx:

[Artifacts of Amber]

Thanks Sydius Mendoza.

It is nice to know that someone is paying some attention. It willinspire me to keep up with the entries

[Tolknor]

Ys, im reading these too.  

Its interesting to keep a log this way.  In my first game in the 90s the level of computer involvement was extremely low.  Early 92ish.  almost no one had personal computers and being online for those that did meant BBS. I had a crappy little computer that was good for typing and used Word Perfect.   We made trumps by cut and paste but it was cutting with scissors and pasting.  We had access to a xerox machine that could change image sizes!  It all seems so archaic now.   I have a few character diaries from this game, one i really enjoy.  The player had copied hand written diaries into Lotus which eventually converted to Word.

My second game was almost all on computer and had an extensive Geocities based webpage.  After yahoo ate geocites and digested it i moved the page to other places and its remnant can be found at http://www.geocities.ws/dinersofamber/  

As that game became an online game i was able to save copious amounts of logs and chat files.  Some got edited into stories.  They make entertaining reading.  


As i read your game sessions and get ready to start the first phase of my new game I find that the forum base is going to be interesting and fun.  It may be more time consuming and broken up depending on how often people can post, but i am looking forward to it.

Did i miss it?  Are there trumps of the players online?

Keep posting, we'll keep reading.

[Artifacts of Amber]

Thanks Tolknor

I didn't plan for this to be a log but hopefully a place to discuss my game with people I don't have to keep the secret workings of the universe from so sort of a narassistic thing to do.

When I ran on line Pbem's I did have a website that had all sorts of info on it but it has long since been lost to the web. I know it can be found on the way back machine I think it is that stores wen archives. I ran We all Fall Down and Sins of the Father.

We Fall was a sort of post apacolyptic Amber were so many things went wrong. Imagine If you ran several campaigns wer characters failed to save the world and what you had left was a few elder's still living barely holding the fabric of reality together and the youngers having to sort it out. It as a sad and dismall Amber. I was running it for advanced/experienced Amer players, with tons of Dead Amberites both elder and younger.

Sins was a chaos campaign I ran mostly at Ambercon. It was sort of the results of the idea that We all fall also went tits up and now there was no Amber left and the Members of house Barimen in had to deal with that. Which was an awesome game with excellent players. Helped me flesh out Chaos to an extreme I normally wouldn't invest.

I won't do a website for this game mainly becuase my lack of knowledge plus the effort it would need for the return is just not worth it. Sometime I would love to get my Stuff up on line since I am fairly proud of my version of Amber which is not a total hack of the original game rules.


I wish I had an artist in the group to do trumps but alas I do not. Plus with no trump artist in the group not many trumps pop up.

Thanks again for reading makes it worth the effort so I will keep it up

[Artifacts of Amber]

So another session.

In this one the party splits up with three headed for Chaos (Marcuis, Caroline and Rhiannon) and two (Kal and Trace) deciding to try necromancy to speak to murder victims to gain mor einformation.

The necromancy group first talks to Fiona to see wht she thinks she suggest it is a questionable endeavor and not worth the risk involved for a shadow person even one she liked, since they plan to question vinta bayle.  They decide to hunt a person in shadow who can do this since they lack the skill. They hunt up a person who can do it (dragging Vinta's body through Shadow) and encounter an 8 year old boy who can speak to the dead a listed Ectomancer. he tries but says though the body is here the spirit is no weher near. So they ask him to go and he says no. so they hunt for an older version of him who will go to Amber. they find him a few shadows over in an asylum heavily drugged they undrug him and carry him off creating cover stories. A solid use of Pattern seen here showing the players get more accustomed to Amber as a game.

The take back the older boy and he says the spirits rest up there pointing to where Tir-na-n'goth appears. He tries and fails to reach her saying Vinta's spirit is close but need to wait till tonight to try when Tir may be in the sky.

Meanwhile the chaos group trump hop through their personal shadows to get to Chaos from amber. they Mostly do this amongst them selves showing a comfort with the game and themselves not needing me for much.

The arrive where the Chaosian is told he is responsibile for them and the go looking in a Library ways to find info on the demons they have run into. The Library Demonologist suggest the Amberites need to be kept on leashe swhile here do to the danger they preent. this is first time so one has been seriously disrespectful to them and it seems to actually peeve them a Little. Which is fun for me.

The demonologist says these particular demons are contracted with the Pentacle another Primal source. He won't give them info about it but says it is in the courts somewhere along the Abyss. They head back to amber.

Here they get a message from the crown prince of Reb,a his personal shadows are under attack though he can deal with it thought they should know. The trump him and fight off the demons but he says they'll be back and Caine says another ship is missing in  a trump call. this one holding the Kashfa delegation who is heading to Amber to negotiate the eregon fields (I think it is called the disputed land in the second series)

So they all head off except one character (Trace) who went back to guard the ectomancer fearing he may be attacked. they find the ship finally broken against trees on the shore. They save a few survivors and start letting gerard know they found the ship and Vialle who is rullingin Amber while Random is visiting the Golden circle realms. Turns out the ship is on the begman shore so they try to destroy the evidence to prevent a war by the Chaosian taking the primal form of a devouring worm who eats the ship, corpses and etc while the two others (Caroline and Rhiannon) steer Begman patrols away.

Meanwhile the two original characters (Kal and Trace) contact Vinta's spirit and she says female servant killed her / a man killed her finally it was a servant who came in but a man killed her fitting the description of the shapeshifter who they have tracked before.


An actual lot happened but it was only serious a few times as we all for some reason started making smart ass comments most the night , but since we all seemed to be in a goofy mood it was okay. We accomplished a lot despite our laughing at inapproprate times.  Occasionally those sessions happen and i I have learned to just let them. Was a good session with everyone seeming to get Amber as I hoped they would.

thanks for reading,

as always open for Q and A