What kind of preparation do you do?

[Brent Not Broken]

Before you begin to run an Amber game, what's your groundwork?

Do you sketch out a bunch of NPCs within a snarled web of relationships, with notes for how this snarled web might similarly tangle up around PCs?

Do you decide what the game is going to be about, and choose some general themes and maybe a big antagonist/threat/conflict or two?

Do you wait until you have some PCs and then build from them, or do you like to have some background in place ahead of time that you can mold and shape to fit your PCs once you know what they are?

[Panjumanju]

Yes, yes, and yes. However, only half-yes. At least, that's what I do.

I sketch a bunch of clever NPCs, have a few situations - big hoop-la events - and a theme or two to tie them together.

I find that preparation for an Amber game is a very broad thing. If you get too specific in preparation, that's when the PCs will choose to go a route where you never suspected, or when their personal stories attain greater influence in the plot sooner than anticipated, and require attention. So, go broad - think of lots of things, like "Where is Benedict right now?" - even if the PCs have almost no chance of running into him.

The first game is tricky. In the initial design of the game I try not to depend on the Player Characters, because whatever you think they're going to be like, all bets could be off once the auction is finished. I think it is important to have an independently strong situation to start off with, then tighten that web of intrigue around the characters as the story progresses through multiple sessions. ("Give them enough rope to hang themselves with").

The difference between planning an Amber game and planning any other RPG is that PCs have great ways of getting out of the situations, what with Pattern walking and Trump et al.

The best way that I've approached planning a game is to have one major plot event per session, and a few minor ones in my pocket in case play gets slow, but otherwise just rolling with character reactions.

//Panjumanju

[finarvyn]

My preparation is similar to Panjumanju's.

You need a general set of NPCs with a vague idea of who can do what, but I try to avoid assigning them final stats during the first game session becasue I don't know what the auction will look like. After the auction I tweak the numbers for the NPCs so that no one is tied with a PC. (I use points for conflicts instead of ranks, if that matters.) In the same way, I have a general plot worked out but my group often takes odd ways to get places so I have to be able to improvise in a hurry.

Another thing is to encourage someone to take notes. Amber plots get complex in a hurry, and if I don't have session notes I can't remember all of the details. It gets tricky to juggle everything.

And then I try not to run ADRP games too often. I need a little prep time in between sessions to collect my thoughts and get the next session ready. Remember that most RPGs give you time to think while players are mindlessly killing monsters, but ADRP is action packed through the entire session.

[Sargon]

I decide on what history changes if any I'm going with, and, even if I go absolute cannon, there is the matter of interpretation.

Once I've nailed down the basic setting and major starting plot, I go over all the NPCs and pick their interpretation, their relative allies/enemies, and their main goals.

Then it is getting a feel for the PCs and how they fit in, then comes the fun :>

[Amberfriend]

A GM friend of mine said it well: "The PC's are buying the game they want to play by how they spend their points."

I would suggest one-on-one session(s) with the PC's before the game as well as a page or two character background. (I'm making an assumption here that your elder Amberites will meddle with the PCs for one reason or another).

An Example:
Pysche A
Strength 10
End 10
Warfare 30

50 Pattern

... This player wants to fight and is telling you so by spending so many points in Warfare. Ditto for Pattern

So you can look at where the PCs spend their points and get a large part of your prep work done by the PCs without the PC knowing it...No matter what the PC writes in his/her background you know that the Warfare didn't just happen, so you decide on an elder that trained them - the PC may or may not know the elder was involved. You may decide that the elder, now and then, throws some curves (demons) at the PC to keep his/her skills up. etc. etc.

Who did this PC kill to get to a 30 Warfare? Did it start a blood feud with anyone important? Does the elder Amberite who trained the PC think that 30 is enough? Do other elders think that the PC needs magic? Will those elders send some magic against the PC to show the PC how important it is? etc.

Likewise this PC didn't buy Psyche or magic, so this PC doesn't want that as much as they want fighting (Warfare). So you can likely go "light" on the prep work for Psyche and magic for this PC. Obviously if another PC buys up Psyche and magic you would do prep work for them on those items.

I've found that if you do this for the PCs you can have the PCs fully engaged in the setting while you develop other things as the game goes on. Likewise you can incorporate something (several things) from each PC into your main story line/ overall plot line to keep them hooked.

My point is that the PC are buying the game they want to play and as a GM you can use what they purchased to spring board a lot of your background.

[Panjumanju]

A GM friend of mine said it well: "The PC's are buying the game they want to play by how they spend their points."

I find this notion informative and very interesting, to think about how Amber DRPG is set up to reveal player interest, as well as character personality.

//Panjumanju

[RPGPundit]

I generally take months to prepare an Amber campaign.  And that preparation isn't finished until the attribute auction takes place; usually meaning that the two weeks between the auction and the first game are actually the most furious period of preparation for me.

RPGPundit

[Silverlion]

I sketch out events I'd like to challenge the PC's with, NPC's motives (but rarely their stats, unless needed.) I look over the character sheets to see who has the best handle to get the PC's in trouble, and right there is an adventure.

[RPGPundit]

I sketch out events I'd like to challenge the PC's with, NPC's motives (but rarely their stats, unless needed.) I look over the character sheets to see who has the best handle to get the PC's in trouble, and right there is an adventure.

Yes, one thing I usually do is draw up a web of relationships/alliances/hatreds for the NPCs.  

RPGPundit

[Rel Fexive]

I had a GM who programmed a database interface specifically to track Amber characters, their relationships and their positions in both the world and the plot(s).

[RPGPundit]

I had a GM who programmed a database interface specifically to track Amber characters, their relationships and their positions in both the world and the plot(s).

I usually do that from memory,  mostly, helped by a few notes session-to-session.

RPGPundit

[Panjumanju]

I usually do that from memory,  mostly, helped by a few notes session-to-session.

RPGPundit

I would far rather do it from memory, too. I wouldn't want to refer to a computer whenever I needed to reaffirm my perspective on characters opinions of one and other.

//Panjumanju

[daniel_ream]

I do it the right way - with Trumps.

Grab a Tarot deck you happen to like - sadly, there aren't any really good generically Amber-feeling ones[1], although I like the Gilded Tarot and the Legacy of the Divine Tarot.

For each PC, draw a random card.  That's their significator.  Note this down somewhere.

For each NPC generate them by drawing a random card for their significator. Then flip a third of the cards end-to-end, shuffle, and for each Attribute start dealing face up.  Upright cards are positive, reversed cards are negative.  Sum the cards as you draw, stop when you draw a Major Arcana.  The Major Arcana tells you something about how they use that particular Attribute.  Move on to the next Attribute, continue until you have all four Attributes.

Next, for each NPC lay out their significator face up.  Now do a Celtic Cross tarot spread for the NPC and interpret the spread in terms of their personality, goals, weaknesses, &c.  Pay close attention to other significators showing up in the spread - position and orientation indicates their relationship with the N/PC represented by that card.

Now go back and assign Powers and extras as your creativity strikes you.


[1] I know there was an actual Amber tarot, but it's hard to find and I don't want the influence of Zelazny's characters messing up my own Amberverse.

[RPGPundit]

I would far rather do it from memory, too. I wouldn't want to refer to a computer whenever I needed to reaffirm my perspective on characters opinions of one and other.

//Panjumanju

Interestingly enough, Amber is one of the few remaining games I still make notes with in an actual notebook, as opposed to a computer file.  I don't know why.

RPGPundit