:: Zelazny :: [polish] :: sparks that fly from the ironsmith's hammer ::
::. Friday, July 18 .::
What would you call a forum about Amber, Trump, Photoshop and HTML tricks?
GhostWheel's Tech Tips
Tir-Na Nog'th Tricks
Trump Markup Language immlass: I'm a touch envious... Funny tangent on Benedict
I hope I'm not painting myself into a corner with this GA character.
Perverse Access Memory:
WISH 56: Friends and Associates:
"Do your characters have friends and associates who play a regular role in the game? What about henchmen and hirelings in the old D&D sense or Champions-style DNPCs? How does your group handle playing them? What sorts of things are they used for in the game? Is their influence good, bad, or indifferent?"
My very first Player experience was with a wonderful GM, who put a tremendous amount of craft into the allies, friends, lovers, and 'bit parts' of the game story. As such 'dependent NPCs' and Hirelings all had their own backstory, if you but cared to ask.
So when I was shanghied into GMing... I followed that example. This does not (and must not) detract from the PCs as protagonists, I think it gives them inspiration to much that they do.
Sometimes, the game moves in such a way that PCs don't have time to invest in these smaller characters. That's OK. I have a method for creating Bit Roles that doesn't require a lot of research and pre-game work--so there is no "lost effort" if they don't get 'screen time'.
In my experience, the GM plays them all. The uses of these Bit Roles are so varied and significant as to really be hard to describe. But I'll say what these smaller roles don't do. They don't step on PC niches--they enhance them. So if a PC is bullying shopkeepers, there might be a hired hand who is laughing up a storm, or egging them on, or even standing quietly pale while the shopkeeper quivers in the steely grip of the PC.
Example: in the last Argent Rose game, there was Roger, a lowly lieutenant who fell into "love at first sight" with Liz's PC. He began following her about Paris. He tangled himself in her day's schedule. He obsessed on her rejections. Roger was an important part of the plot, as well as an expression of the love the people have for the royals of the Argent Heir. Roger was so smitten he was like a puppy bouncing tediously around being rather helpless. Yet he was also a puppy with a sidearm, and in one very effective scene, Liz had to gently disarm him before he shot James Joyce for 'stealing his girl'.
Roger wasn't a romantic element. He wasn't a jealous threat. He wasn't a friend, or a young soldier assisting a royal--though he thought he was all those things. He was there to make Liz's PC react to the overarching plot of that game. It worked just as it needed to.
Poor Roger.
Sometimes, a Bit Role turns into something more. You see this happen in a TV series or as a result of a commercial that catches the public, or a movie that "debuts a star". Someone comes to your attention in a Bit Role, but 'clicks' with the plot and other PCs in such a way that they become integrated. The Bit NPC comes back again and again. They become a PC friend or even a romance. You see, I don't really plan "friends" or "romances". I let the reactions of the Players tell me I've got that potential with this or that Bit Role.
So the whole Bit Role weave is an essential part of the way I make the game revolve around the Players reactions.
Recent Reads :: (impressions)
Dragon Charmer (thumbs down) :: technically grand, unusual perspective, not engrossing or brilliant per review blurbs
part of a series I will not read based on this book
Drinking Midnight Wine (thumbs up) :: warning :: Amazon has plot spoilers in their review
clever and engaging, moves quickly to invest the reader
Blog, Jvstin Style:: GM's who also play characters ...s'truth that an able GM is typecast as such quite quickly. Natural since every GM can support more Players. For those that find their fun and talent in choreographing a set of PCs--you can almost bet there will always be folks ready to play. It keeps GMs busy.
Sci Fi Wire:: Mitch Pileggi ...who spent nearly a decade playing Assistant FBI Director Walter Skinner on The X-Files, told SCI FI Wire that he's returning to series TV this fall in The WB's Tarzan
--- Richard A Ditullio wrote:
...and Arref asked:
> Or do you see permission as -almost- essential unless one is a Trump
> guru? Is it merely politeness that has a caller ask to be "brought through"?
That is a tough call to make since most of the unusual events involve Brand. It would seem the hand clasp itself is unnecessary since I recall Gerard was able to step through the group contact to rescue a chained up Brand. Brand was clearly able to reach a hand through to Martin to pull him partway through before stabbing him over the Pattern. I have never read it that he plunged the knife into Martin and then pulled him over.
Fri, 30 Aug 2002
It *is* a tough call to make. I'll return to this last supposition in a moment. But Gerard and Random rushing through a group-Trump focus on Brand is too far out of the norm to get much Trump logic from. Fiona even says later that she tried to stop it, work against it, and failed. This tells us that a group-Trump effort builds some unusual power levels.
More like the Trump gates that we see in the second series, which are physical openings between locations.
So I would say the hand can definitely come through at any time but more than that, read a whole person or an item, seems to need the willingness of the other party to achieve. Two minds to stablize the link as it were.
Here is the crux of the first point above. Unless two minds are willing, I see no passable opening at all. As soon as you allow even a hand to cross, what's to prevent a bullet, a dart, or a splash of acid? Very little.
Brand must have had Martin's hand, and attacked him in transfer, not trusting to his ability to physically conquer Martin, which turned out to be more than true. Martin was able to get away. If Brand had 'snatched' at Martin through the Trump, he would have played out his intent with Martin standing firmly on 'other' ground. Bad for his plan.
Whether Brand had the ability to force his hand across the threshold, debatable by each GM, but the canon offers no support for it. Martin must have been willing. I almost remember him saying something to this effect. Further, when we "see" Trump call as an observer, there is no physical evidence of an opening. The process is invisible/mental. The prismatic glow happens once both people open the physical connection.
I know it was one GM's ruling that if thrusting items and attacks though Trumps worked as the norm, there should be a lot less Royals round and none of them should be willing to accept a Trump call without special precautions. I'm inclined to agree.
Just so-- the intentions and precautions that would have been *normal* for the royals in answering Trump are not there to justify easy "pass-through" events. Their suspicious nature would have *required* them to control the axis of card facing or other measures if merely answering a call opened a physical "window".
There are a few descriptive turns where a Trump call seems to transmit temperature, or scent info . . . but I'd say one must assume that this is empathic information coming across the linkage, not actual physical connection. Trumps with Rebma do not transmit a single drop of water, or even cause condensation on the 'cold card'.
For instance, are the cards really cold, or does the power sensation tickle something in the mind associated with cold? Or are the cards 'energy sinks' that draw strength from people to operate; leading to warmth being pulled from the hand?
"Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will."
Jawaharial Nehru (1889-1964), Prime Minister of India
cleaning out my mailbox so I can free up space for PBeMs Thoughts on the Amber DRPG
Robert Fannion breathed calm and sane winds when he spoke:
Instead, it might be more useful to the list generally if systemic complaints were accompanied by suggestions of what mechanical or stylistic changes you suggest and your experiences with their effects. Want that Authentic First Series Feeling ? Well, so might other people: how have you tried to change the rules to get it? Artifact rules make no sense and result in massive abuse? How did your game disallowing them entirely go? How about various modifications?
Thu, 10 May 2001
One of the interesting aspects to GM'ing the Amber mythos is establishing the reaction of the shadow/real universe to the player character.
RZ gives us evidence to suggest that everyone in the Royal Family (all the way back to Chaos) is a "right bastard" when things don't go their way. At the same time, admirable and sane folks like Bill Roth, Lord Rein, assorted jazz musicians, and every interior decorator in New York City, (Shadow Earth) find themselves in good company with those same perfect, arrogant, huge egos-- and having a jolly time.
I find the ADRPG doesn't address this issue as much as I would like.
I don't think the answer is a Charisma attribute or even explaining how regular folks can hang with Amberites. Or a power (like the characters in 'Lord of Light' summoning their Aspects in order to awe someone). Or any rule mechanic.
I thought I'd just lay out thoughts...
There is something aesthetically pleasing about Patternwalkers or Real People. Good stuff or Bad, it isn't that these folks are charming or handsome, though they can be-- it isn't that they are brilliant or amazingly creative, though they can be-- it seems that Amberites (and perhaps Chaosians) inspire others (sometimes covetously).
Inspiration.
Motive, stimulus, influence, incentive, encouragement, or impulse.
Real people make the universe go?
Muse.
Now I've incorporated *the Muse* as a "Elder Power" in my campaign to join ranks with the Serpent and the Unicorn, but I'm setting that aside, because I'm not sure that is a great answer (certainly not the only answer).
Might we see our Royal Tarot family as living inspirations? Or should we call them all genius of different order? (no pun intended there..) Earth evidence of Shadow genius seems to attract and repel in equal measure.
Maybe that works as analogy.
I see lots of players make their PC's properly arrogant and bastard-like... but I've also seen those Players grope for a "true place" in a family of impressive people. Is this about 'respect'?
What fun is there to being the second 'gerard' or the third 'benedict' clone in a family that 'kicks out' one amazingly gifted person after another?
This "passive competition" with the Family paragons can kill a campaign. Especially since most of those 'paragons' are snooty bastards. We've all balanced the role the Elders must play in running Amber-- but even if this is done properly-- I've seen PC's agonize over "being their own person".
I think this is the real weakness of the Amber DRPG-- such wide ranging flexibility and openess that players can get lost in ultimate boredom with their own immortal PC creation.
You have choices to make- gender, psyche, strength, endurance, warfare, and stuff. You have powers you might have-- three or four good ones. And it seems that no matter what combination you pick, someone in the family has similar or better expertise.
Some of the smallest "points spent" have the best positive impact on changing this.
For instance, allies, friends, personal Shadows, items. All these things create a more unique character with a 'special' background. I try to encourage this kind of stuff. But I don't want to interfere in the 'design' process either.
I'd like to see the rules address this.
How do you make your character more interesting with "less".
RZ started a second series, planned a third one. He solved making a 'newer interesting' character in a method that many many people find very unsatisfying; ie. Merlin. I agree that "upping" the power of the universe (fun toys) is not MY way to solve the "younger angst" problems.
Jasra is a more interesting younger. So is Coral. So is Rinaldo. So is Mandor (though honestly, he is obviously a Chaos Elder).
Character story over powers and attributes.
That's my answer-- and it really puts the burden on the player.
A GM can do what to help the player along in making 'interesting' Amberites?
M asks:
What sort of things do you guys place in your Chaoses to make them weird?
First Series weird includes odd eye and skin colors, animal heads, beast shapes, and masked faceless women. It also includes a few descriptions of 'vertigo' or other analogous descripts by Corwin once looking at Chaos landscapes.
In most of my games, I start with the "headspace" of Chaos, then expand outward to get a social/visual environ that reflects the way they think. So the list would include:
-demonic aesthetic: armor, weapons, table settings, things have dangerous visual display and cutting edges
-security measures, even internal to House/personal Ways; lethal architecture.
-large scale elements, cathedral-like fortresses, odd public ways between Houses that are mostly barren. Public Works, such as Infrastructure between Houses the province of Thelbane. Scale=control=power.
-sacrifice and competition: not only does the House expect you to follow the orders, rules, and traditions of their ancient history, they expect you to better them, better your fellows, better your own best---and when your lord says, "go and die" be the first in line. The struggle with this paradox of personal success versus house loyalty is unresolved and typically Chaosian.
-Chaosians love perfection and elegance and will kill and destroy to control it.
-Emulation of success is an obsession--to the extent that youngsters will unconsciously look more like their "role models". Not shaping so much as mindset, clothes, mannerisms, and career choices.
-Chaosians adore talking. They would rather talk than do anything else, including attain perfection and elegance.
-everything serpent is nirvana, sometimes holy; scales, forked tongues, fangs, slitted eyes, long winding forms, egg-shapes, and venom. Older Chaosians build up a tolerance to various venoms so that they may drink it as a beverage showing their inherent superiority. They study toxins like fine wines.
-success, once attained, is made to seem effortless, and no time is spent on glory. Braggarts are imbeciles. Self-reliance is a secret virtue but poisoned by the very cultural foundations of Chaos.
First post away on HOC, and I admitted to butterflies about it to the GMs. M & G (GM, get it?) are great and of course there was nothing much to kicking off Celina's entry, but still there was a twinge of performance anxiety. Funny.
Already, in the second post, I've just realized a few words were ill-chosen, but therein lies the advantage of a young Character. Ya get to flub a few things. LOL
The Player performances in HOC are just really good stuff.
update: I have to watch female pronouns in Rebma... too much chance for ambiguity.
