Starting a New Amber Game

[Artifacts of Amber]

I've played and run Amber games for a while but am about to start a new Amber Campaign with people who have not played and are only slightly aware of the Amber DRPG.

I was looking around the net for advice on playing a younger Amberite but haven't found a whole lot. Does any one have any suggestions as to resources beyond those provided in the two Amber DRPG books that I can provide to my potential players.

Thanks

[Panjumanju]

I was looking around the net for advice on playing a younger Amberite but haven't found a whole lot.

How young are we talking here, like, 'didn't know you were the spawn of an Amberite - surprise! Now learn what that means...for the first time...ever...' kind of thing? Or just, 100 years old rather than old enough to have known Dworkin when he was around Castle Amber? (In which case, why should it be any different than a regular game?)

//Panjumanju

[Artifacts of Amber]

Younger as in children of the elders. Post first series with some parts of second series pulled in. Most will have been brought to Amber and somewhat educated about it.

Just looking for articles, quotes etc that may help them understand the Amber mindset in a fairly typical campaign. Nothing too exotic for the newbies.

[Panjumanju]

Younger as in children of the elders. Post first series with some parts of second series pulled in. Most will have been brought to Amber and somewhat educated about it.

I feel like I'm missing something, here. What you are describing is a typical Amber campaign. You said you've played in and run games in the past. Were they not like this?

//Panjumanju

[RTrimmer]

Well, there's this

http://ralf.org/~colomon/amber/wisdom.html

[Artifacts of Amber]

Panjumanju

I am looking for resources to give my newbie players.

I can handle running the game but was hoping for additional information to help players new to Amber.

[Artifacts of Amber]

Thanks Rtrimmer.

I have that one. Just remember a lot of others on how to roll play an Amberite.

Maybe my recollection is foggy.

[RTrimmer]

You're welcome.

This one?

http://wso.williams.edu/~msulliva/campaigns/amber/tips/chargen/playerchargen.html

[Panjumanju]

Panjumanju

I am looking for resources to give my newbie players.

I can handle running the game but was hoping for additional information to help players new to Amber.

I assume you've gone through the links galore sticky on this very forum?
http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=10743

It's in kind of a sorry state, the links, but there's still a lot there.

//Panjumanju

[Artifacts of Amber]

RTrimmer, Thanks again that's one I missed

Panjumanju
Sorry I didn't look there. Sometimes not the brightest bulb am I. Thanks I'll start looking through them. Afraid it will be like other link list I have found, Mostly dead stuff.

Thanks all

[Panjumanju]

So....how'd the auction go?

//Panjumanju

[Artifacts of Amber]

Panjumanju

Haven't done one yet. Still working on the campaign booklet. Game will not start for probably a month or so.

I plan ahead

The Auction will be a blind one. I don't want it to be a competitive game much more cooperative. So they will bid on the attributes and get feed back as to where they rank and then may bid more if they have the points. I don't use a flat 1st, 2nd, 3rd rank system. If some one pays 50 points for endurance and is first then second place pays 15 points then not only is first, FIRST but they are greatly ahead of second place so much so creating circumstances were they might be equal would be excessively hard. I want one point to equal one point not suddenly get flushed out and just become ranks.

I then group the ratings/points to gether and give groupings so you never no if someone in your group is better or not unless you go head to head. Attributes remain secret and unknown this way except for generalities of who is better.

Been running Amber for a while so have developed a system / rule set that is easily recognized as Amber but slightly tweaked to my taste. Just been a while since I had a chance to run and have Newbie players that only a few have read the books.

Things tweaked would be

5 stats - split warfare into warfare and dexterity

Sorcery better explained tuned

Conjuration better explained and tuned which also lead to better item rules (had to do that previously when I ran Artifacts in Amber way back at Ambercon US years ago)

Shapeshift better defined as to basic forms

Partial Powers system

Logrus slightly tweaked mostly defining Black threads and shadow travel

Good / Bad stuff redefined into being points that changing background info or being spent by GM to create Good things or Bad things not luck or others perception.

Primal Powers system - like Keep of Four Worlds, Broken Pattern, Fixed Logrus etc.

A few other minor things

So probable told you more than you wanted to know

Thanks again

[Panjumanju]

So probable told you more than you wanted to know

It's all interesting, thank you.
I'm finding from this forum that there is much variation in running Amber.

I wonder constantly if it is still the same system in such different hands, or if this isn't just the symptom of not having the option of many Amber-derived systems, the way there are many Dungeons & Dragons-derived systems. Many RPGs, insisting they are true and original, are more mechanical copies of Dungeons & Dragons than what you propose to run as Amber. So much of what you're suggesting is contrary to the system. Yet, lacking anything comparable, everything that could have been falls under the auspices of Amber Diceless.

I'm just ruminating. I don't mean any offence. I'm just glad people are playing it.

//Panjumanju

[Artifacts of Amber]

Panjumanju

No offense taken.

I'm not really sure if it is a function of Amber DRP or a function of me. I tend to tweak and adapt game systems regardless of how they work or who they are. So I would have done a "hack" of Amber regardless of how well supported it was.

I think wether it is the same system in different hands really depends on what you consider system. Mechanically mine is fairly similiar IMHO compared to some Amber systems but I think in flavor it is close to what Amber is about in spirit.

I merely defined somethings to my satisfaction and fixed what I and hopefully others see as broken, not in the over powered sense but in the doesn't work sense.

I prefer to aim for keeping the spirit of Amber in play and making the system work for me in that regard.

I pretty much tire of edition wars in other games. I don't mind genuine discussion but those that claim one system is somehow inherently better then another without some evidence (which is difficult becuase likingor disliking is usuallya matter of taste and opinion) aren't  people I prefer to deal with. I find 90% of games are good or bad depending on the GM and the group, rules seldom impact that. Some systems may enhance or diminish fun but few outright destroy it.

I've been gaming since the early 80's and have played tons of systems and have a mechanical/logical/analytical mind so I am always rule tweaking but eventually leared that the tweaking should be to make a more playable game and not a more realistic or "true" system. I want to play for fun and to be social not to learn some system no matter how good it is.

And there I go rambling again.

Hope I don't sound defensive just explaining my view. I know lots of people who don't want to mess with the system and that's fine I just can't stop myself, its a compulsion

I aso thinkpart of it is that Amber as a system is a vey loose framework which works great for running Amber in spirit. I just want a slightly more defined frame work to explain my campaign world to the players. Rules often serve to create and define the players expectations of the universe their character's inhabit. Amber DRP does a great job at that, I just take it a step further.

Thanks

Love BS'ing about this and haven't paid attention to gaming forumns for a few years, got tired of the stupid arguements too much work to find the genuine discussions

[RPGPundit]

Good luck with this!

RPGPundit