Amber... in Spaaaaaace!!

RPGPundit · December 12, 2006, 08:29:45 PM

Typically, and for obvious reasons, Amber is played in a fantasy-context. Have any of you run it in a sci-fi context?

I mean, I've had games where there were sci-fi elements, as PCs travelled to sci-fi shadows, but those were usually interludes more than anything else.

Has anyone ever gone beyond that? What would be good ways to?

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James McMurray · December 12, 2006, 09:12:30 PM

Given the nature of the universe it could be easily worked in. You'd have to contemplate the workability of sci-fi weaponry near Amber itself. Gunpowder doesn't work, but would lasers.

Otha · December 13, 2006, 07:20:32 AM

Quote from: James McMurrayGunpowder doesn't work, but would lasers.

Uh, why?

I think that if you did a SF version of Amber, one way to do it would be to switch technology and magic. It's not the lasers or gunpowder that would fail to work as you got closer to Amber, but magic.

James McMurray · December 13, 2006, 08:06:54 AM

You could definitely go that route. I was thinking closer to canon with some sci-fi settings as shadow worlds.

RPGPundit · December 13, 2006, 11:44:14 AM

Yes, the standard Amber setting is one that makes some natural barriers to prolonged Sci-fi style play.

I figure there's three ways to do ongoing Sci-fi in Amber.

1. Make a campaign begin in a sci-fi shadow(s) and find ways to artificially limit the action to that shadow(s) until a certain point in the campaign.

2. Make a sci-fi shadow play a central part in the storyline of the game without limiting the game to that shadow. Make there be something of great importance in that shadow, or some strategic significance to that shadow that involves either the Amberites' internal struggles, or Amber's (cold?) war with Chaos.

3. change the whole campaign into a non-canonical one where Amber is a world, Amberites are able to "travel" with the pattern through "hyperspace" to other worlds (shadows), possibly via starships, and make the whole thing be a parallel amber where everything that is fantasy in the Zelazny version gets changed over to sci-fi tropes in this campaign.

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James McMurray · December 13, 2006, 11:49:23 AM

"Strange things from the shadows" is a fairly common theme for a campaign. It could be an interesting twist to have them be an alien race instead of born of chaos. It would also cause some interesting conundrums in defending Amber if the opposition has flying ships.

finarvyn · December 13, 2006, 12:40:31 PM

I ran a Star Wars version of Amber and it was a lot of fun.

In place of Psyche I called it "the Force" and used it pretty much like a combination of Psyche and Sorcery. I had a list of Force powers and characters with a higher Force number had access to more of them.

RPGPundit · December 13, 2006, 04:08:33 PM

Cool, Fin. More details?

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Otha · December 14, 2006, 09:18:27 AM

Back when I was playing Amber PBEM's there were a lot of "Alternate Amber" games going on.

The possibilities really are endless.

Cinniuint · August 02, 2015, 12:15:32 PM

Another approach is running something akin to a Spell Jammer campaign. Possibly with a new power that includes space travel.

Every power except power words has the ability to travel at least across space, if not through it. So I guess the question is why would you want to?

Thought about starting a new thread, but decided to revive this one instead.

RPGPundit · August 04, 2015, 04:34:10 AM

Quote from: Cinniuint;846022Another approach is running something akin to a Spell Jammer campaign. Possibly with a new power that includes space travel.

Every power except power words has the ability to travel at least across space, if not through it. So I guess the question is why would you want to?

Thought about starting a new thread, but decided to revive this one instead.

Welcome to theRPGsite, if I didn't say it yet.

Your seed of an idea here is interesting, if you cared to elaborate I think a new thread on it would be interesting!

Erin · August 20, 2016, 03:53:53 PM

One could also consider Amber and the Courts to be the poles for Order and Chaos (magic related). There may also be 'poles' that are science related Order and Chaos, with all science related shadows stretching between.

RPGPundit · August 21, 2016, 07:17:51 PM

Quote from: Erin;914321One could also consider Amber and the Courts to be the poles for Order and Chaos (magic related). There may also be 'poles' that are science related Order and Chaos, with all science related shadows stretching between.

That is often how I played it.