Amber

[ashlending]

hi does anyone have experience with the amber diceless roleplaying system? what kind of experience? i dont know whether to play in it or not. i dont know much about it. i use dice for rping, so it would be a bit strange. how does that work without? or am i in the wrong place? if so sorry

 

[shadoe]

How well it works depends mostly on two factors:

1. How well the players know the setting. This is mostly because it can be difficult to explain the setting in enough detail that they understand what it is like, and can make informed choices.
2. How interested the players are in playing. This is because if the players want to mess up the game they will have nearly unlimited power to do it.

I have had some good expierences with the system, and bad ones even with the same group.

 

[Shallown]

Amber is my favorite game. Having said that I still realize it is far from perfect.

I would say play in it but that is more becuase playing any new game is worth it for good or bad. Not becuase it is Amber.

Basically the game uses stats that are compared and if you have a lower stat you lose. Simple really, well actually the most complex game in that regard as well. The GM takes into account all the factors that affect those stats and applies them. So therefore it is possible for a lower stat to win just not very likely.

Amber transfers a lot of power and responsibility into the Gm and players hands taking that power away from a system of rules so the enjoyment level is dependent on those GM's and players. If you find a really good droup it can be a fantastic game and vice versa. This is true about any game system but it is magnified in Amber.

I could give you a lot ore details about the game but it is something hard to "get" until you play some.

I think one of the most important aspects of Amber is Trust. It depends a lot on Trust between everyone in the game. Now this Trust in "Traditional" games does not extend to the character. Some games can be very backstabbing and still be lots of fun. More modern Amber games are not as steped in conflict between PC's. I haven'tplayed in 2 years but the 6 years before that I was fairly active in the Amber community.

I'll check back in a few post to answer any specific questions you have. I won't waste my time refuting those that dislike Amber or who had bad experiences. I'm sure they had a bad time but it wasn't becuase of thegame itself (9 out of 10 times).

Later

 

[Thanee]

Amber DRPG

We just started a small Amber campaign, since the regular DM was unable to partake this weekend. A bit weird, since we are, as it seems, all genetically engineered and not born, just about to discover our immense abilities.

Amber can be very fun, but it requires a highly experienced GM, since there are no dice, every action is purely evaluated by the GM, who has full control over success and failure. There are only few rules, which govern opposed competitions, and at least twice as many, which are exceptions to the general rules.

It's a pure roleplaying game, where the way you describe your actions are most important for the outcome. It takes a lot of improvisation not only from the GM, but also from the players.

It's also a game, which is often quite competitive and full of intrigue. The tone is certainly set for a lot of player versus player interaction, but that is not necessarily always the case.

You definitely have to read at least the first five books (the Amber Chronicles, Nine Princes of Amber and so on) from Roger Zelazny, if you want to play it. Not knowing them basically makes it impossible to really play the game, or at least very hard, since the universe is extremely different to just about anything else. Amber is completely based on that background, it is not useful as a "rules set" for diceless gaming in general, even though it might give some ideas on that subject.

Bye
Thanee

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I GMd an Amber session where the players didn't know much about the setting. That was a really dumb idea.

A buddy of mine played in an Amber game, but upon being told they had unlimited wealth and power the players decided that a life of adventure and peril was exceptionally stupid and the game sort of died from apathy.

Everyone really has to be into the game. It's kind of the opposite of Paranoia

 

[Thanee]

One more thing, if you compare Amber with D&D, it's probably the epitome of epic gaming.

Bye
Thanee

 

[qstor]

I GMd an Amber session where the players didn't know much about the setting. That was a really dumb idea.

I played in an Amber game where I didn't know anything about the setting. Some of the players did. I had the same experience. I didn't care for it and dropped out.

Mike

 

[Cthulhudrew]

I've found that Amber DRPG rules work very well in a PBEM setting- you don't have to worry about the dice, and the fact that players don't necessarily see one another all the time and can correspond directly with the GM works out very nicely for the sort of Machiavellian plotting that often takes place.

 

[Nisarg]

hi does anyone have experience with the amber diceless roleplaying system? what kind of experience? i dont know whether to play in it or not. i dont know much about it. i use dice for rping, so it would be a bit strange. how does that work without? or am i in the wrong place? if so sorry

Amber is by far my favourite game.
You will find its not hard to play in it, but its important that if you are the DM you should know the setting very well. Read all the novels and both books (if you plan to use Shadow Knight, otherwise just the main book).

As for players, they don't need to really know the setting at all, just give them the basic concept and an introduction and run with it. I've just started running a campaign here in South America, with 7 players, none of whom have ever read either the rulebooks or any of the novels, and they're loving it.

A few newbies balk at not having dice to roll, but within thirty minutes of game play they get over that and you sort of forget that dice have anything to do with RPGs at all.

Nisarg

 

[Nisarg]

I played in an Amber game where I didn't know anything about the setting. Some of the players did. I had the same experience. I didn't care for it and dropped out.

Mike

The key is that if one's players DON'T know the setting, you can't run it as if they do. Otherwise it can be overwhelming very quickly.
You need to be eased into the setting, the huge cast of NPCs, and all Amber's possibilities.

Nisarg