Starting An Amber Game As Something Else

Rel Fexive · January 26, 2009, 04:41:57 PM

It's a classic idea - take a game, any game (well, almost any), take the player characters through some adventures, and then, before they know it, the truth sneaks up on them:

They're actually playing Amber.

The PCs are actually scions of Amber and didn't know it. Raised by people they think are their family, these exceptional individuals are drawn together as heroes of the age. And now is the time for their "training" to end and return to The Real World, the centre of everything, and-

What?

The question is, why go to such elaborate lengths to 'foster' these young Amberites in such a manner? What or who were they being hidden from? What trials and challenges are they being prepared for? What difference to the 'classic' ADRPG mode will their camaraderie make?

Suggestions?

RPGPundit · January 27, 2009, 12:01:46 AM

You have to be careful with this; be sure your players are the sort that will not feel disappointed at the "bait and switch".

RPGPundit

Engine · January 27, 2009, 09:47:35 AM

I have an idea for a game like this, in which the players start out thinking they're in a completely homebrew setting which, over time, is revealed to be the Earthdawn/Shadowrun setting, but far in the future. The details are unimportant, but the general guidelines are these:

1. The players have to be more excited by the "true" setting than by the misleading one. If they're thinking the mislead is awesome, and you pop the reveal to show something they like less, they'll be disappointed and you'll lose your narrative momentum.

2. The reveal should be foreshadowed. Everyone likes a good reveal, but if it comes out of absolutely nowhere, they'll feel like this was kind of a cheat. What you want is that Genesis P-Orridge ideal, "Change the way to perceive and change all memory." They should hit the reveal, and look back and see all the little things that hinted at this, and they should be excited about it. Again, if they feel cheated, the letdown will break your momentum.

3. The reveal should be a good one. Many of my favorite television series rely on big reveals, and so I've seen a broad spectrum of them, and their quality ranges from, "Oh. That's actually pretty dumb," to, "Oh. My. God." You want that single moment - probably one of the most impactful moments of the game - to hit them like a ton of bricks. Bricks made of gold. Golden, blowjob-giving bricks. Ideally, you want them to jump into the air and shout, of course, but I'd settle for a few muttered, Yes!s.

Anyway, I think any kind of bait-and-switch is good fun, but like Pundit says, the key to it being a joy for the players is that they don't feel disappointed when the time comes. These guidelines are essentially all just subordinate to that single, overriding principle.

Jason D · January 27, 2009, 04:29:03 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;280734You have to be careful with this; be sure your players are the sort that will not feel disappointed at the "bait and switch".

RPGPundit

In a related fashion, there's always the player assumption that they're playing Amber if they're using Amber rules, or that they're Amberites if they're in the Amber universe.

A friend was running a political fantasy game, and had the players as envoys to visit Castle Amber. He explained to all of the players that their characters were NOT Amberites. Shadow dwellers all, without a trace of royal blood.

Nonetheless, one of them somehow got it in his head to sneak down to the Pattern chamber, and tried to walk upon it.

The GM said "I told you you weren't Amberites... I wasn't kidding about that."

The player said "I refuse to believe that. My character is certain he's a bastard, so I'm going to walk the Pattern." His out of character reason was that he didn't see how he couldn't be an Amberite, and wanted to get a leg up on the others.

Instant sparky death.

The player got to play an NPC retainer for the rest of the session, if I recall correctly.

RPGPundit · January 29, 2009, 05:00:30 PM

Well, if we were playing with Amber rules, and you actually went to castle amber, I'd not be surprised if someone tried to walk the pattern either.

RPGPundit

Rel Fexive · January 29, 2009, 05:16:35 PM

It wouldn't be a surprise at all that someone would try it. More of a surprise that they still went and did it despite all the warnings. Players, eh?

boulet · January 29, 2009, 05:32:21 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;281062Well, if we were playing with Amber rules, and you actually went to castle amber, I'd not be surprised if someone tried to walk the pattern either.

Beats listening to Droppa's routine any day

himsati · January 30, 2009, 08:42:50 AM

Quote from: Rel Fexive;280627It's a classic idea - take a game, any game (well, almost any), take the player characters through some adventures, and then, before they know it, the truth sneaks up on them:

They're actually playing Amber.

Underwent something a bit similar to this; we were playing Hero (like 2nd or 3rd Edition as it was nearly 20 years ago now) and I had a mental illusions based character with a techno-armor cloak. Eventually I some of my "relatives" started showing up in the shadow my mother had been raising me in. When the Hero campaign concluded the character was ported over into our next game... Amber.

My mother was Sand, she was hiding me (or so she thought) from uncle Delwin (who in my world had adopted a persona of Grendel [Hunter Rose]) and was constantly 'testing' me if you will.