Amber Diceless

[Rune]

Amber is the coolest unplayable ruleset I've ever seen. It could, potentially, work well, but there are so many ways for things to go awry, that I just couldn't do it. I guess my biggest problem with it is that it seems to be a system that rewards railroading. In fact, it's really the only way you can get anywhere in it, unless you just let the players make everything up. In which case, the GM might as well not even be there.

You might try the Saga system; it was a brilliant, quick and easy ruleset, even if it was tied to a terrible setting (neo-Dragonlance).

 

[drnuncheon]

I didn't particularly care for Amber as a representation of the books, and the (lack of) system means that the GM must, must, must be absolutely 100% trustworthy...and most GMs are somewhat biased, even unconsciously. It is too easy for the game to turn into "the GM hoses you because: (pick one) he doesn't like you/he doesn't like what you're doing/you upset his plot/you went up against his favorite NPC/etc."

There's a few awful examples I've never forgiven it for either. ('spastic Benedict constantly parrying invisible opponents' for one.)

J

 

[the Jester]

I love the Amber novels. I love the Amber game. I ran a brief campaign years ago, but it proved to take so much of my time in order to make it work right- as a gm, you really have to master the concept of running Byzantine plots like in no other system- that I threw in the towel after a few months.

It's really an excellent game if you want to run a real storytelling type of campaign.

 

[drquestion]

The quote that Zweischneid posted pretty much sums up my experience with Amber, too. IMO, by far the worst aspect of the game is that it does nothing to stop, and in fact blatantly encourages, the kind of anti-social gaming practices that can easily ruin a game.

Also, are you planning on running it with just one person in the group? IIRC, the Amber character generation system isn't really designed for this (you're supposed to bid against the other players for your stats), but I suppose you could just make the stats a point buy instead of an auction.

If you want to try a similar game, but one that carries a little less baggage, you might want to try to get your hands on a copy of Everway, which WotC published about 7 or 8 years ago. It's been out of print forever, but I think you can still pick up the original box set for under $20 fairly easily on ebay.

Everway is one of those games that I've always wanted to play, but never actually been able to. Like Amber, the system is very open-ended. You actually have more freedom to create a character as you wish with Everway than with Amber, since you're not tied down to being a prince of Amber. It is also, like Amber, rules-light almost to a fault, though there is a random element in that cards are drawn that affect your actions. However, the cards work in an interpretive, not a deterministic, manner, so they are not a dice substitute in any way.

Here's a link to a recent review on rpg.net

drquestion

 

[the Jester]

Just for the record, you aren't locked into being a Prince of Amber in the Amber game. You can be, and it's one of the better choices (since that's how you generally get the Pattern ability), but you can also be a Lord of Chaos or a Shadow creature... which means, essentially, anything you want.

 

[KnowTheToe]

Amber is a great and fun system at least on paper. I have read it but not played it. I do think just reading it will make your players better at getting into their character roles and the world you provide. I think running this game would be a nightmare, too many options for the players, tough to not railroad them and how do you deal with the need for back stabbing. Why do the players work as a team, especially if they are Amberites?

 

[the Jester]

Yeah, it's hard to get the pcs to work together. Worse, it's hard to get them to be in the same universe. Each pc can generally pursue their own agenda, since most of them will probably have unlimited freedom of travel in one form or another.

Still, a fantastic game with lots of flavor, and very well-suited to mini-sessions with the gm and one or two players at a time.

 

[MerricB]

Ran and playing in a campaign of Amber that lasted 3 years.

I love the game, but, as noted, it lives or dies by the skill of the GM. Good players also help muchly.

That campaign taught me a lot about running RPGs - story construction, role-playing, puzzles, and suchlike. I owe it a lot.

Cheers!

 

[Mystic_23]

A friend of mine in college was a big Amber fan, and he ran me in an Amber campaign as a solo character. It was a lot of fun. I don't recall how he did the stat thing, but I'm sure it was some sort of point buy. I had a couple of magic powers, an intelligent mace which could do a mind blast, and an intelligent hunting dog (my character actually got along with Julian to some degree because we were both avid hunters.)

 

[Praeco]

Here is a pretty good review of the system, including both its high points and faults:

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_5480.htm


Note the strong bias towards people who are already familiar with the universe.