[Other] On Myriad Roads(Amber)

[Larson Gates]

Game Name On Myriad Roads(Amber)

Game System Other Roleplaying Games

Theme Shadow has been torn asunder! Given the chance, can you rise to the challenge of fiixing it?

Flavour Exploration, Intrigue, and Problem Solving

Plot Summary On Myriad Roads is a Play-By-Post adaptation of my "Adventures in Role-play" introduction to Amber Dice-less role-play. It's setting is non-canonical in the true sense of Amber but is set in an Amber Universe approximately 5 Amber years after the "Keep of the Thirteenth Hour" Events. The "Keep of the Thirteenth Hour" was a previous Amber FtF introductory campaign. As Amber history records it, these events were known as "The Rodian Wars". There were 2 potential outcomes to this, but things went awry and the repair of the Pattern failed at the final hurdle. It's been 5 years, Amber time since, storms rage across Shadow making it's traversal either difficult or impossible, cutting off and isolating huge swathes, including, amongst others, all the Golden Circle States, and the Courts of Chaos. The campaign also non-canonical in that I've change all the names - I just hope I can remember who is who. If you're interested in playing please post your interest below. Note: Its really important that you do this, otherwise the Autobots will close and lock the thread and the ame won't get created due to lack of interested players. Please post a second time once you've sent me your questionaire(See below). Note also I need between 4 and 6 players to run the game.. Character Concepts and Creating Characters Characters will initially know nothing about each other, generally originating on different Shadow Earths, and probably nothing about Amber, The Courts or anything else Amber related. The campaign is designed for people who know nothing about Amber, the Amber Multiverse(Shadows), and/or dice-less Role-play. If you're familiar with the canonical Amber background, as per the 10 books, then you're welcome to play just don't assume that what you know is true, happened, happened as per the books, or anything else. I have a questionnaire(below) that will enable you to develop a character concept. Your concept will then be translated into your actual character, in terms of their starting "Stats", "Skills", and "Abilities". Character creation is very much a dynamic process. Certain abilities have the potential to impact your parentage and your parentage can have a considerable impact on various elements relating to your family history. There are also certain elements that in the "pre-campaign" events phase. How each character reacts to these has a bearing on later campaign events. You will need to read the background information relating to character generation here:- Adventures In Role-play. Please do not use the questionnaire on the website it's designed for FTF and Online campaigns. If you've indicated you're interested in playing then copy and paste the Questionnaire below into a PM and send it back to me. My general response to the questionaire is to ask a whole series of questions.. it depends on how expansive or cryptic your answers are.. In terms of the character you will be playing you grew up upon a version of this Earth in this century so would be familiar with more or less everything you are – depending upon the selections you make below. Your character will be aged 18-21 when the campaign starts (Monday 29th April 2013) so should have a data of birth between 1st October 1992 and 31st March 1995. One thing I really need to stress at this point is that whatever your choices you know you are “Different” to all your peers. This has been the case since you were first able to recognise differences between you and your classmates - generally around the age of 5 or 6 years of age. Depending upon your selection preference for Intellect, Fitness, Health, and Competitiveness below depends on exactly how different. For example if your first choice is Intellect you can maintain a grade B/6 in whatever subjects you chose without expending any effort.. if you expend a reasonable amount of effort you can get A*/9s but nowhere like the effort your peers are expending to get the same grade. If you’re first choice is Fitness you are in the top 5% of athletes worldwide over short distances pick Health and that changes to long distance. Even if these are not your first choices you are considerably better than “average”.. trying not to stand out too much is actually one of your main problems and has been your entire life. In terms of rules, the set I use can be found on my website "Shadowlands" near the foot of the page. I use a sub-attributes and partial skills rule set developed from the Netbook of Amber, which means characters follow a much more typical role-playing path in terms of developing skills, powers, attributes, and acquiring items of worth. There is also generic Amber background information there should you wish to read it. Q:- The rules look complex.. Do I need to understand the rules to play? A:- No. As we get into the game, the elements you need to know about will all become clear in the context of their use. All you need to start is a character concept. Q:- Do I need to know anything about Amber to play A:-Simple answer is no. The campaign is designed to introduce people who know nothing about Amber to Amber. You'll learn all you need to know as the campaign progresses, and those that think they know about Amber will have to "unlearn" what they thought they knew in light of new evidence. Q:- How "normal" were you expecting the characters to be? A:- Normal to the point where they go out of the way to not attract attention to themselves. Irrespective of this you have "Amberite" genes, so the character is in the top 5% of the world population for everything for your age group (Intellect, Strength, Agility, Speed, etc). If you assume no deviation from current reality imagine how much "attention", mostly unwarranted from "Military and National Security sources", this would attract (ala Marvel's "The Gifted") if your true abilities were to become known to them. This would probably also be true of any "modern" Shadow Earth. It's probably also worth reading the "So What is Amber" page on my website. Q:- How close to regular Earth should our home shadow be? A:- In a way that's also down to you.. as long as you assume history is roughly the same on your version of Earth until about 1952 (The Cuban Missile Crisis). The further you deviate after that the more interesting things become.. so if there is no (or a very different) "Silicon Revolution" there may be no or a very different "Mizzurian" on your version of Earth, so your invite to the Expo when you get it might be completely meaningless to you. What ever version of Earth you decide on, the effects of the "Rodian Wars" will have happened. Exactly how devastating they were to your Shadow Earth is again down to you. For example, no Los Angeles then potentially no Mizzurian, and again potentially no Expo, so potentially again a meaningless invite. Note there is a very specific version of Earth in the game. It is the one the books are set in. It got hit really badly by the events of the Rodian wars as it was considerably more "Real" than any other shadow earth. On this Earth, Yellowstone Erupted, the whole of the Pacific fault slipped by 1m, Los Angeles is pretty much gone, the whole "Ring of Fire" blew its top, including some of those really interesting undersea volcanoes, the Tenerife volcano slipped into the sea, and then the "black Road" happened.. if you chose to come from this Earth then life has been really, really, really difficult, even in those places that got off relatively lightly... Q:- Will our characters have had a chance to walk a Pattern or have other shadow movement ability prior to game start? A:- Simple answer is no. The campaign is design to introduce people who no nothing about Amber to Amber so they won't know anything about this. Q:- Do we pick our Amber parent or are we just suggesting? A:- No your actual parent is random, sort of. I have a list that was randomly created, from which the next entry gets allocated to the characters as they are created. What if anything you know of them, depends on who it is and your family and sibling status, which may actually lead to some interesting dynamics, if you don't actually know the truth of your conception (and yes this did happen with one of the characters when I ran this the first time with the group I play with online). Questionnaire Character Name (first name + middle names - if any + surname) Gender Height Weight Hair Colour Eye Colour DOB Family circumstance Both Parents : Single Parent (Father) : Single Parent (Mother) : Fostered : Adopted : Orphanage Siblings Only Child : Youngest Child : Eldest Child : Middling Child If any except only child Older Brothers Younger Brothers Older Sister Younger Sisters Ethnic origin Caucasian(white) : Indian : Pakistani : African : Caribbean : Chinese : Japanese : Korean : Vietnamese : Thai: Arabian(Specify) Country of Origin England : Scotland : Wales : Ireland : France : Germany : Spain : Poland : Bosnia : Hungary: Italy : Austria : Switzerland : Morocco : Kenya : Uganda : South Africa : Dubai : Egypt : Turkey : Greece : Russia : Ukraine : Mongolia : Nepal : China : Korea : Hong Kong : Japan : Vietnam : Thailand : Australia : New Zealand : USA : Canada : Brazil : Argentina : Peru Place of residence (where you live) Major City : City : Major town : Town : Village : Farm If anything except farm suggest somewhere :.... Current Education Status 6th Form(School) : 6th Form(College): College(Day Release): College(Full Time): University(Full Time): University (Sandwich) Subjects in relation to above: If 6th Form pick 4xGCSE(A-Level): If College pick BTEC Qualification: If Day Release then pick Apprenticeship: If University then pick Degree Subject: If University specify your current year (1,2,S,3,4) Rank the following in order of importance to your character (1:Highest->4:Lowest) Intellect Fitness Health Competitiveness Sexual maturity of your character - Consider romantic relationships your character may have had, past/current boyfriend(S)/Girlfriend(S), if any. - Are you going to play a Catholic (other religions/faiths are applicable) who adheres to the dogma, or has strayed, or are you going to play a "lady's man" who cruises the bars in their spare time looking for conquests, or are you going to play somebody who's been in a stable relationship for the last 2 years with your first and only love, or something else entirely. Current Sexual Status: Celibate (Voluntary): Celibate(Involuntary): Active(as per above) Internet presence:- Please select all that your character uses and the frequency of use (0= never , 10=several times a day) Email (gmail/yahoo) Email (private provider) Facebook Twitter Instagram Google+ Other(___________________) Select one of the following Abilities you may wish your character to have Shapeshifting (see 6 below) Magic:Spells (see 1 below) Magic:Power Words (see 2 below) Chi (see 3 below) Mogwai (see 4 below) Picture Magic:Trump (see 5 below) Unusual Item (Gadget/Pet) Describe how you might have gained/used this ability/item (consider how people around you today might react if you used this ability): Describe any hobbies interests your character may have (i.e. what they do in their spare time instead of their homework/coursework) Describe any other concepts in relation to your character that you may think are important: Describe how the events of the Rodian War affected your Earth and potentially yourself and your family/friends. (You can find relevant background on this on my website as above. Magic in Amber is not like other RPG's. It takes time to prepare the spells often in advance, and requires them to be modified to the Shadow you're in, but not all Shadows support magic. To modify a spell to a Shadow requires you analyse the Shadow which can take between tens of hours and tens of weeks depending on you're other abilities. If you have spells racked and move to a Shadow that doesn't support Magic then the spells will rapidly degrade and dissipate. You also need to work out whether you want to create stuff (Conjuration) or bend the world around you (Sorcery) There are several different forms of Power Words. Being a form of Magic they suffer the same effects as all forms of Magic. Chose from Spoken Word Magic, Tattoo Magic, Staff/Blade Magic, Stick/Card Magic, Origami, or Knot-Magic. Chi powers are similar to Power words. They are only available to characters with a background in Martial Arts, Buddhism, and/or Taoism. Chi Powers come from internal abilities and do not suffer the same effects as Magic; although the ability to recover expended Chi can vary considerably from Shadow to Shadow, as can Chi Leeching. Mogwia are my implementation of Pokemon(TM). They are currently only a very rough implementation and subject to heavy change to make them usefully usable and balance. If you really want to play test them and have your powers change on a weekly basis then they are available.. but you have been warned. Since your character cannot have Advanced Sorcery which allows Shadow travel your "Picture Cards" will only work within the Shadow in which they were made. You will have to learn, once you have the necessary powers, how to manufacture "shadow traversing" cards. You can only create cards of people you have actually met in person and places you have actually been. If you pick Shapeshifting then your mother is a Chaosite, and this is therefore an inherent biological capability.. it has other repercussions as well..

[ChromeDragon]

I want to put forward, I am interested in joining.

[Admin Dirk]

I have to ask, why is all THIS in the application?


Sexual maturity of your character
- Consider romantic relationships your character may have had, past/current boyfriend(S)/Girlfriend(S), if any.
- Are you going to play a Catholic (other religions/faiths are applicable) who adheres to the dogma, or has strayed, or are you going to play a "lady's man" who cruises the bars in their spare time looking for conquests, or are you going to play somebody who's been in a stable relationship for the last 2 years with your first and only love, or something else entirely.

Current Sexual Status:
Celibate (Voluntary): Celibate(Involuntary): Active(as per above)

Internet presence:-
Please select all that your character uses and the frequency of use (0= never , 10=several times a day)
Email (gmail/yahoo)
Email (private provider)
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Google+
Other(___________________)

[Kepheren]

Yeah, I was kind of curious about it all but the application is a bit daunting. Plus I'm a bit unsure about some of the references...like 6th form under education? Is that something from Europe?

[Larson Gates]

Originally Posted by Admin Dirk

I have to ask, why is all THIS in the application?


Sexual maturity of your character
- Consider romantic relationships your character may have had, past/current boyfriend(S)/Girlfriend(S), if any.
- Are you going to play a Catholic (other religions/faiths are applicable) who adheres to the dogma, or has strayed, or are you going to play a "lady's man" who cruises the bars in their spare time looking for conquests, or are you going to play somebody who's been in a stable relationship for the last 2 years with your first and only love, or something else entirely.

Current Sexual Status:
Celibate (Voluntary): Celibate(Involuntary): Active(as per above)

Internet presence:-
Please select all that your character uses and the frequency of use (0= never , 10=several times a day)
Email (gmail/yahoo)
Email (private provider)
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Google+
Other(___________________)

Because it's all relevant to a modern 21st century character living in/on 21st century Earth, and has specific relevance in game..

[Larson Gates]

Originally Posted by Kepheren

Yeah, I was kind of curious about it all but the application is a bit daunting. Plus I'm a bit unsure about some of the references...like 6th form under education? Is that something from Europe?

Yes.. but other countries around the world have equivalent systems .. some just call them high schools but they server the same purpose.

Creating a character is not daunting if you play characters.. if you can only play archetypes/stereotypes defined as "classes" by class based systems, then yes to actually define a concept as a character would be daunting.. it's part of the purpose of the questionnaire .. to make you think and conceptualize a character.. is it really that difficult to conceptualize a character that lives in the same world as you do?

[Kepheren]

It was curious as I've never seen it approached that way before. I will consider it.

[Admin Dirk]

Originally Posted by Larson Gates

Yes.. but other countries around the world have equivalent systems .. some just call them high schools but they server the same purpose.

Creating a character is not daunting if you play characters.. if you can only play archetypes/stereotypes defined as "classes" by class based systems, then yes to actually define a concept as a character would be daunting.. it's part of the purpose of the questionnaire .. to make you think and conceptualize a character.. is it really that difficult to conceptualize a character that lives in the same world as you do?

ok

[penbeast0]

One of the games I joined just doesn't seem to be getting started so I will post interest here and see if I come up with any interesting ideas.

[Larson Gates]

I now have almost one character completed, played by ChromeDragon
As I've posted previously, I need 4 characters to start and ideally 6..
Whilst it may be possible to join later in the game, there are only a few limited points in the initial phases where this is possible and there are much greater restrictions then on what characters you can play.

[penbeast0]

[Larson Gates]

Penbeast0 - I've sent you a PM in response.

[penbeast0]

[Larson Gates]

With Penbeast0 we now have 2 characters.. still not enough to start...

[DrSabek]

This seems intriguing. I'll give it some thought, but should be able to submit something soon.