Newbies all around..

[Sydius Mendoza]

Greetings All,

I'm a newcomer to the forum looking for some advice on breaking into Amber DRPG. A little backround.

I've never played DRPG (nor have any of the potential PCs).

I have read the complete series ( with short stories) numerous times ( as have most of the potential PCs)

While the intended group has much experience with RPGs ( mostly d20 systems, some tri-stat WoD stuff) we don't have a dedicated GM.

I have next to no GM experience and I will be stepping into the GM role for this game.

That being said. I need some advice from some Elder Amberphiles on running a good campaign. Not just game mechanics but practical GM advice as well. I've got a good handle on the universe and what story/plot lines I will use. I'm mostly looking for some advice on the learning curve for myself and the PCs. We all love the Amber series, but have shied away from the DRPG as none of us wants to spoil the enthusiasm with a bad Roleplaying experience.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

Syd.

[Xanador]

Well I'll take a shot at some general advice.

1. Be consistent.

This may sound obvious but it's easier said than done. Nothing will annoy players more than if you allow something once and than deny it a second time for no apparent reason. Of course if there's a good behind the scenes reason that's fine, players obviously don't need to know everything. As you play you'll find that maybe letting something happen has unintended results that you don't like. Remember in a game as loose as Amber you can't fall back on hard and fast rules like many other games, so take some time to think out possible consequences of allowing something to succeed because it will set a precedent for the players. You'll still end up making mistakes but fewer of them.

2. Don't play favorites.

Another obvious one but again Amber is a game where you decide everything, that can't really be emphasized enough. You may not even realize you have a favorite until it starts showing in who's getting things their way and who's not. Simply keeping this in mind is a good way to keep it from happening.

3. Let the players succeed.

Not at everything of course but it's important that players feel as if they really are making choices that matter. A constant diet of failure may be fun to read about but it makes for some very unhappy players.

4. Start small.

Since this is your first time GM'ing Amber take it easy. Don't throw a big family dinner if you're not confident about having a handle on all the family members personalities etc. Starting one on one with the players in their home shadow(if they have one)is great idea if you can do it.

5. Don't be afraid to say no.

Especially during character creation. Work with your players to make characters that fit your Amber. Oh and the item creation rules are ripe for abuse also. Make it clear that 4 points of combat mastery is not going to beat Benedict.



Ground rules for the game are important also, is this going to be a intrigue heavy game or more action oriented? Do you want players who cooperate or are you going for a more player vs player style? Or are you leaving it up to them to decide? It's best to make that kind of thing clear before you begin.

Amber used to have a very active web presence. Many of those sites can still be found if you have the patience to look around. I haven't used the Golden Circle web ring in years but it may be a good place to start. Of particular interest, to me anyway, were the game logs and diaries that let you see how other groups do things.

I hope you find some of this useful and good luck with your game!

[Bird_of_Ill_Omen]

I may repeat some things that Xanador has said, and I encourage anyone else who replies to feel free to repeat whatever I say that is worth repeating.  That way, if everyone mentions the same thing, you'll know it's worth paying attention to.

1.  Absorb all the GM advice in the Amber DRPG rulebook.  Don't just read through it fast to get a handle on the rules.  Erick does a great job giving tips on how a game should feel and how to handle a variety of roleplaying issues.

2.  Have at least one solo session with each player before bringing all the characters together.  Could be just an hour (or it could balloon into a 4 session mini-adventure if you're on a roll).  Giving them all your attention will let both of you get a clear handle on the character in action, and that will help bring a more fully-realized character into the group dynamic.

3.  If this is everyone's first time, I highly recommend using the character quiz in the rulebook.  I know it helps me tremendously every time I make an Amber character because it asks the right questions to put me in the Amber mindset.

4.  The Attribute Auction probably isn't going to be as chaotic and crazy as you might be worried it'll be.  In my experience, the players are much more calculating about their bids rather than shouting things out quickly (but this is only my experience, so I could be completely wrong about this when it comes to your group).  I'm just saying -- don't get nervous about running the auction, it'll go fine.

5.  If any of your players don't want to do any character contributions cause they don't want gaming homework, let them know that contributions are a good thing to work on while they have "player downtime" during the game -- since in Amber games players tend to split up more often than in other RPG's, you'll be GMing some players over here while other players wait their turn over there.  That's when they can do a diary entry or draw a trump, or whatever.

6.  You and your group should give yourselves (and each other) some slack about having a good roleplaying experience.  I'd even talk about this up front with the whole group.  You could say, "Listen guys, we're all new to this, so I'm going to be figuring out stuff as we go, just like you are.  So sometimes I might change how I do things, or change how some things work as we go, but I'll be up front about it with you when I do that so we all know what's going on."

Good luck, Syd!

[RPGPundit]

The very first advice I'd give you is to read carefully all the huge sections of gaming advice Erick Wujcik provided in his books.  You will not go wrong following this; it may seem like a lot to read but trust me that it will massively enrich your GMing experience, and your players' playing experience.

If you're familiar with RPGs in general, the temptation might be there to think, as would be true in other much lesser gamebooks, that the "GMing advice" sections in Amber and Shadow Knight are just filler, or stuff you'll have heard before.  NOT SO.  They are by far the most valuable part of the book.

RPGPundit

[Panjumanju]

I think you should run a few one-offs (or a three-off) with system(s) you are more familiar with first, rather than making Amber DRPG your first DMing experience.

Amber itself is challenging enough to run without having it be the first thing you've ever run. Starting with something like D&D or a Tri-Stat – a game where everyone around you knows the rules as well, will help you understand how to approach running a game. THEN you can make the leap (and I feel that it really is a whole other step) to running an Amber game, whereupon the advice above is very useful.

....But on the other hand I could be completely wrong....Perhaps starting with Amber will help you not be trapped in preconceived notions of how a game should be run, and make you a better GM over all. I just know that I wouldn't have wanted to approach Amber – my favourite system it may be – for my first time GMing, in fear of souring the group to the source material.

//Panjumanju

[RTrimmer]

There's some good advice on Epoch's Amber Page (wso.williams.edu/~msulliva/campaigns/amber/).

Decide for yourself how you want to interpret the Attributes. How much has to be spent on Strength, pointwise or in Ranks, to emulate Conan or Captain America or (in some campaigns) Spider Man or the Hulk? How much spent to really swashbuckle like Robin Hood, or Batman? How much spent to heal a serious wound in a week? In a day? Then let your players know so that they know what they're buying.

Look hard at the items, particularly those with Transferral. Do you want characters running around who are immune to all conventional weapons or who heal any damage in minutes? Does this fit into your idea of a Zelaznyesque game?

Examine the Advanced Powers for compatibility with your notions too. With PCs or NPCs able to Edit shadow, what good are armies? I've seen Adv. Shapeshifters interpreted as nigh-unkillable monsters, dragons one minute and nerve gas fountains the next.

As Wujcik said, "Don't like something here? Toss it out! Find a way something works better? Use it!"


RT

[finarvyn]

2.  Have at least one solo session with each player before bringing all the characters together.

My thought is that it might be worth having a solo (or group) adventure that is diceless without being tied to the characters that the players will be running for the main campaign. Something simple to give them an idea of what this style of gaming is all about, and to give you some practice in how to adjudicate it.

And everyone can be in the room to observe the action, so that everyone gets to see the kinds of options out there and where an adventure can go. That will help them learn from each other's mistakes.

For example:
Tell a player that "he" is in a bar and someone is picking on his girlfriend. Or hitting on her. Or something like that to involve him in the action.

If he asks about "his character" tell him that he is his own character. However fast or strong or smart he is, that's what his character is as well. The player will have to assess in a hurry whether the bad guy is stronger or weaker and how to handle the situation.

He has no stats to rely on, so he has to ask questions such as:
* How big is the guy?
* Does the guy seem tough?
* Does the guy move like a trained fighter?

Information like this will get players thinking about situations instead of stats. If her gets stuck, maybe you suggest a few options:
* Maybe he should run away.
* Maybe he should blindly attack with fists.
* Maybe he picks up a pool cue, bottle, or other object and threatens the guy.
* Maybe he should try to bluff his way past the guy.

So ... what does he do? You will, of course, have to react to his actions. Then he counters to your reaction. And so on. Along the way you might stop the action to ask the player if he has any special abilities or experience that might sway your assessment. As the GM you get to know the "stats" of the bad guy compared to your player, but your player won't ever know who is best at anything. He only can find out by guessing and testing.

Getting him to respond to situations instead of looking at numbers is the first step on the road to discovery of diceless RPGs!

[Arref]

5. Don't be afraid to say no.

Especially during character creation. Work with your players to make characters that fit your Amber. Oh and the item creation rules are ripe for abuse also. Make it clear that 4 points of combat mastery is not going to beat Benedict.

I agree with lots of the comments here....and only add that many times, turning a GM's 'no' into "yes, but......" is a better campaign collaboration, long term.

You want a 'clockwork horse' that runs faster than Morgenstern?
Yes. But it needs to drink your blood once a month.

I find that the Amber genre needs to balance 'infinity of resources' with 'infinity of imagination' to some happy place that furthers collaborative common space.

[Evermasterx]

A great game to play before Amber is Everway if you can find a box to buy.

[alcmarauder]

I am also just starting to look at the possibility of starting an ADRPG game and I really apreciate all the sound advice posted here.  Thanks to you all for takeing the time to reply!

[Eon Raven]

I hope all is going well in your DRPG.

During your down time, between game sessions, help each other work on roleplaying. I suggest the card game: Once Upon A Time.
This help everyone roleplay better, and improv. faster, learning quick way to pick up on what another player has or has not done.

Also remember as the GM of AMBER DRPG this is YOUR vision of Amber. I say this because I've had players try and say things such as, "That's not how it was in the book."

"You're right, this isn't the book," I'd say. Then, "If you want to visit the book, go to that shadow."

If you have rule lawyers and mechanic monkeys in your group, they are probably going to dislike AMBER DRPG seeings how it is impossible to power game and be a rules monkey.  In my campaigns many have tried, all have failed.

I also think you have it wrong.  With AMBER DRPG as your starting game for GMing, it is my belief that it will vastly enhance any other system you run afterward.  

Biggest advice: Relax, have a skeletal concept of what you need to happen to tell YOUR story as the GM, but let your players hang the meat and form the flesh. In time your story will be its own living breathing adventure too.

Loads of luck in all your gaming endeavors. And thanks for taking the time to tell your stories and share your creative ideas with players. GMing is a fantastic way of giving back to authors and folk of the gaming verse.

[RPGPundit]

Very good advice there, and its very true: Nothing makes for molding truly great GMs than the experience of running Amber.

RPGPundit

[BillionSix]

A poster mention that the attribute auction probably won't be that chaotic and crazy.
This is often the case. Especially with people who understand how Amber is usually played and run.
But I've seen different. If you have two players who don't understand the concept of how Bad Stuff can screw you over and both desperately want to be 1st at the same thing.
So all of a sudden you have two idiots shouting, "Ten Thousand!!!" "Twenty Thousand!!!" at each other.
I decided both their characters died at birth.

[finarvyn]

It's always hard to know what to do when an auction gets out of control like that. At least both players are limited by the same 100 point cap, so neither should be at a significant advantage over the other.

The tough thing is that you may end up with some characters that don't really work well in Amber. If a character is bulked up on attributes but has no powers, they probably die a painful death. I'm not sure if it's better to kill them at childbirth or to let them try those characters, find out why they are broken, then let them create new characters to rejoin the action.

Of course, with the attribute ladder in place neither would get to be First Rank. Irony.

[Sydius Mendoza]

Of course, with the attribute ladder in place neither would get to be First Rank. Irony.

I see what you did there. Very droll. Like it, like it.