Amber Diceless

[Crothian]

Anyone familiar with this game? I havea friend who really likes the role playing, but not so much the dice part of the games. So, I was hoping to learn something about this system to see if it might work for what we want.

 

[PA]

Anyone familiar with this game? I havea friend who really likes the role playing, but not so much the dice part of the games. So, I was hoping to learn something about this system to see if it might work for what we want.

In 19 years of gaming, I owe my best campaign as a player to Amber DRPG. It is a great system, though ONLY for Amber, I would say. One of those cases when the rules fits the universe to a tie.

 

[Larry Fitz]

Crothian,

My rants on my dislike for the Amber system are a matter of public record. That being said a good way to slowly introduce someone to RPing is to start with one of those "How to Host a Murder" thingies you can pick up at Spencer Gifts. Unfortunately that doesn't help you much. Is your friend adverse to the random factor? Maybe deep down they are a boffer styler larper? Just a thought. A few suggestionms that might actrually be applicable...

1.) Have someone else do the rolling
2.) Get involved in Larps
3.) Run a D20 game in which the GM has a long list of pregeneratyed rolls for every dies (d4-d100) and then never asks players to roll, just crosses off the next number on the appropriate list. Instead of asking players to roll the GM simply exposits the action.

If you find you absolutely must play Amber... well godspeed and good luck to you my friend, when I remember you, I'll think good thoughts...

 

[Larry Fitz]

Good news! I felt bad about not being able to give you any real help so I foundthis . I do not really know if Politically Incorrect games are any good, but I do know that I hated my experience with Amber, so at least now I 've given you an alternative to research...

 

[Crothian]

What about Amber don't you like? Your rants may be public record but I don't know of them.

In RPGs combat is always th most bogged down with rules, and she doesn't like that. We do play a much simplier system then d20 (buffy, and actually a simplified version of that) and just isn't happy with it. So, I'm trying to find a way for her to be happy as she wants to game. She's more then willing to put up wit hthe parts she doesn't like, I'm just hoing to find something that more fits her. LARPS are not really an option. I was involved with the a local one and it was not a good one. I'm not even sure it still exists as I've haven't heard anything about it in years.

 

[Zweischneid]

Amber has a great system, but the setting is very heavily tied into the books which I personally find less then inspiring.

Still, one of my greatest RPG-Campaigns has been with Amber.

Also somewhat along the lines of Amber as a diceless, non-combat-oriented (read, not Marvel-Diceless), I can recommend Nobilis which is now published by Guardians of the Order.

The most frequented unofficial site is with all the FAQ, How to play, etc.. can be found here.

Great Game for Newbies and Veterans alike.


[Edit]
Marvel-Diceless is the best proof that Diceless games are not automatically rule-light, fast or less combatoriented than those with Dice!!

 

[Zweischneid]

So, I was hoping to learn something about this system to see if it might work for what we want

Well, as far as Amber goes... great system with a few fatal flaws:

Here´s a short Synapsis from rpg.net that hits it quite well I believe:

This is a wonderful RPG.


The Good:

There are no limits to who or what your character can be.
There are no limits on the action that your character may enjoy.
The system is easy to learn, easy to change and very resilient.
You don't need to know the Amber books, but it helps.
Character Generation is just as much fun as the rest of gameplay.
You can be as good or as evil as you like because this setting and the system makes it easy for the GM to cope with it.


The Bad:

The game can be hosed by someone with far more knowledge and savvy than the rest of the players.
It tends to encourage far more backbiting than is healthy for any RPG.
If you're not there for character generation, you'll never be better than everyone else at anything. (This assumes that you'll be let in at all, and most Amber GMs I know don't do that.)
Someone like the guys in "Knights of the Dinner Table" can run amok and it would take railroading with bullet trains to stop them.
Unless the GM is more sadistic than the worst Paranoia GM, it's damn near impossible to separate PCs from their items. This allows players to create PCs who couldn't move through Shadow unassisted, and their high stats make it impossible to take the items away without another round of railroading.


The Ugly:

There is a major fantasy bias. Players who move away from straight fantasy will have problems reconciling their assumptions with how it is in Amber. (Chthulu is nothing to an Amberite.)
It is impossible to surpass your PCs' elders in ability. Don't even bother.
Unless you're knowledgable and savvy, you'll never win a fight when your stats don't hand you the victory. (Remember, there are no dice or any other randomizer involved.)
There is no such thing as a viable Amber campaign that doesn't involved a direct (and usually personal) threat to the PCs *or* a plot to destroy the whole of existance somehow.

The end result? Sure, it's a great game. Just don't go into it without reading Sun Tzu and The Prince first.

Also check out this review which gives a bit more detail on how the system actually works.

 

[PA]

What about Amber don't you like? Your rants may be public record but I don't know of them.

In RPGs combat is always th most bogged down with rules, and she doesn't like that. We do play a much simplier system then d20 (buffy, and actually a simplified version of that) and just isn't happy with it. So, I'm trying to find a way for her to be happy as she wants to game. She's more then willing to put up wit hthe parts she doesn't like, I'm just hoing to find something that more fits her. LARPS are not really an option. I was involved with the a local one and it was not a good one. I'm not even sure it still exists as I've haven't heard anything about it in years.

If you want a simple system, my favorite generic one is, by far, Tri-Stat dX. What can take time is the creation of a character, since there are so many possibilities; but, in game, the system is simple and fast.

Amber DRPG has many female players, from my experience. It is heavy on ROLEplay. Though it is better to have read at least the first novel (Nine Princes in Amber), personally I had not when I began playing.

The real question is: what does your friend like? What series? What movies? What novels?

 

[Seule]

Amber, more than any other game I've ever played, relies totally on the GM to make the game good. As any conflict resolution basically comes down to the GM looking at the requisite stats, listening to what the players want to do, throwing in circumstance modifiers if the stats are near to equal, and then narrating the results, it's imperative that your GM be imaginative, flexible, and completely unbiased. A good GM can run a great game simply by minimizing the system, and having been to two Ambercon Norths (dedicated Amber gaming cons) I've played with some good GMs. I've also experienced bad Amber GMs, but they don't last long.

The system, because it's so simple (4 stats and a handful of powers, plus optional items) is easily converted to any rules-light setting. I've personally played a one-shot Highlander variant (the Warfare auction was fierce) and I believe that others are quite possible.

Basically, Amber is a game that imposes the minimum system necessary to rank superpowerful beings, and has no resolution mechanic other than "Okay, who's got a higher number? They win."

It also makes a great LARP system. Combat came down to a GM looking at the character sheets, saying "You fight. He wins, by a small margin, but is injured a little. Now act it out." or some such. It made for a very immersive experience.

Of course, true Amber fans will realize what I mean when I explain that I was playing an unknown character, and beat Benedict in a fair fight. That somewhat colored my perceptions of the game.

In conclusion, I like the game for some things, although I haven't played in years, and my wife is a huge fan, and still plays online.

--Seule

 

[Hand of Evil]

Own it, played it, DMed it.

It is not a bad game BUT I have found it is best played with creative players. Players that enjoy their roles, their backgrounds and the story the DM is trying to build.

System is if you are better than someone at a task you will always win, period. Now, as a player if you know you are not as good as someone, you can win IF you can adjust the task to something you can win at, this means if in a sword fight and you are just holding on (defense) you use wits to make your foe angry and make a mistake you can win.