Keith's MisCon 22 Amber LARP - Weird Rules Crap
Montana Role-Playing Calendar
Rules Notes
This Amber LARP is being offered as part of MisCon 22 - You MUST be registered with MisCon to participate.
Generally, Amber is a pretty rules-light system, and it's pretty open. It's also very deterministic. In order to prevent things from going out of hand, and to help people stay on the same page as far as what's going on, I have a few rules put together. I don't believe this changes the feel of the game significantly.
MisCon 22 LARP Rules
This is Amber. It's a brutal game. Character death is not only possible, it is likely. Actually, character death is not only likely, it is encouraged. Be mean. Be power hungry. Be paranoid. Be fratricidal. It's OK. It's nothing personal. (Hey, it may even be fun.) If you lose a character, you can sit out, or check with the GMs about getting another character if there are extras. It would be cool if you could all agree on the new king (or queen) in a polite and mature manner, but you're Amberites, so that's not possible. You're only polite in public. What you do in private is up to you.
Amber and Chaos
You are all Amberites, born of he blood of Amber, descendents of those with the ability to walk the Pattern and move between the infinite shadows of the multiverse.
At the center of Amber (well actually in a natural cavern deep below the dungeons of Castle Amber) is the Pattern, inscribed in the living rock and faintly pulsing with an inner power.
This pattern generates order and promotes stability in the shadows of the multiverse near at hand.
At the opposite end of the infinite layers of Shadow is the Logrus. The Logrus is the ever-shifting embodiment of chaos. The courts of chaos exist around the changing essence of Logrus.
Logrus and Pattern are diametrically opposed to each other, both massively powerful and massively destructive forces. Both are sensitive to the presence or use of the other, and contact between the two opposed forces is catastrophic.
Amber, being based off of Pattern is very stable and Chaos, based off of Logrus is, well, very chaotic.
The Logrus remembers a time when there was no Pattern, and everything was chaos and shifting. Members of the Courts of Chaos have a desire to return the universe to this state, eliminating the infinite shadows that are reflections of the Pattern and its influence, constantly being disrupted by Logrus, each layer becoming more chaotic until you eventually reach Chaos itself.
One of the easiest ways for an Amberite to detect a Chaos Lord is their ability to shape-shift. All Chaos Lords must be able to shape shift to survive for long in the Courts of Chaos, and definitely need this ability to traverse the Logrus to become attuned to it. Use of Logrus is also a significant indicator of a Chaos Lord.
Chaos Lords are considered to be a threat to Amber and to Pattern, though it will take the blood of an Amberite to damage or destroy the Pattern.
Pattern:
Pattern is the embodiment of all logic and order in the multiverse. Your understanding of pattern gives you power over the material universe. The Pattern is central to Amber.
If your character sheet says you have a pattern imprint, you have a pattern imprint. For game purposes in this LARP, it means you can walk the pattern (and have done so in the past), and that you can attune yourself to the Jewel, if it comes into your possession. It also means that you can walk shadow, but as tonight's activities take place in the Castle, this is probably not relevant.
However, it is relevant that anyone who has walked the Pattern has the ability to destroy it by shedding their blood on the original pattern in the caverns below Castle Amber.
Logrus
The Logrus is at the opposite end of he multiverse, the embodiment of chaos. Constantly changing and evolving, contact with Logrus can destroy normal items and temporarily cause madness in any who are not already attuned to its shifting ways.
Having Logrus mastery gives you many powers similar to those of a pattern master, but instead of you going to places, you can bring things to you.
Stuff:
There is "Good Stuff" and "Bad Stuff." The GMs know if you have good stuff or bad stuff and will use this for or against you if there is a questionable call. Play fair, but remember, it's a deadly game.
Combat:
There are two kinds of damage, physical or psyche/mental. Each character has a number of 'wounds' or 'boxes' of damage they can sustain for each variety. When you take too much physical damage, you die. When you take too much mental damage, talk to the GM, you may have been killed or you may have been rendered unconscious. The number of boxes of damage you can take is based on your Psyche (for mental damage) and your Endurance (for physical damage). Your combat action will inflict 1-4 wounds. Normally, it's one, but check your sheets for conditions for more.
Whoever has the highest attribute wins - in a Psyche battle, for example, whoever has the higher Psyche wins. The winner of combat, if defensive can decide to continue combat or disengage, if offensive can decide to wound and continue, wound and disengage, or disengage. A group of characters with lower attributes can 'gang up' on a more powerful character. If you can amass over 3/4 the higher rank's bid, you can make a non-graceful retreat - each involved retreating character will take one appropriate wound, but you do get to retreat. If you can amass more than the points bid, you can make a graceful retreat - no wounds inflicted, but all you can do is retreat. Of course, bullies can gang up too... Also, if you see an attack coming, and have a specific instantaneous effect to block it, you can use that to block, but remember this is showing your hand to your opponent...
Sorcery:
Magic is "in the room" - you can only cast against people, locations, or creatures in the same room, or a room to which you have a Trump or other psychic contact.
Spells last as long as they are sustained (unless they're instantaneous). Sustaining a spell requires your concentration unless you can hand it off to something else. If you are sustaining a spell, anything that breaks your concentration will cause the spell to drop.
When casting you must clearly and audibly state that you are casting, name the target, name the shadow (this shadow will suffice), state the condition of any other described lynch-pins for the spell, and name the spell.
Power Words:
Power words are instantaneous and can even fend off an attack from a person who would otherwise out-power you - if you can get them off in time - and if you can use a relevant power word. Power words are draining. Use of 4 power words (that's four uses all together, regardless of whether it's the same word or not) will cause a mental/psychic wound.
Shape Shifting:
If you have the shape shifting ability, you can change you appearance. You have a mask to indicate that you have shape shifted, but you will have to declare your appearance to those you are interacting with.
Remember to play fair - if someone is shape shifted, you need to have a good reason to know who they are (i.e. they told you, or you are in Trump contact with them).
Devotees, Friends, and Allies:
You may have a note that you are a friend, ally, or devotee to another character. This is binding - that character spent points to make you devoted to them, to one degree or another. However, the player doesn't necessarily know this, though they may make assumptions. If you have one of these notes, feel free to tell the character you are devoted to - or not - or lie to someone else and tell them you're devoted to them. After all, this is Amber, a game of deceit and deception.
Your character sheet will also have names of characters you like or dislike (your "friends" and "enemies" or "loyalties" and "animosities"). Keep these in mind when working with other characters - but these are not binding like the Allies are.
Outside of these special cases, feel free to make friends or enemies, to form alliances and/or break them, or to kill off other characters in a systematic way.
Props:
Each character is provided with at least one prop to help with the character. You may choose to use this prop or not, as you see fit - with the exception of a couple of props which may be required by other rules. If you have a weapon prop, and you chose t start sword fighting with it, security will come in and stop us, so lets not ruin it. Besides, your combat will be determined by little pointless numbers on paper, not by breaking a piece of cheap plastic on someone's head.
Snakes: Some of you have toy snakes as props. These are used to indicate use of Logrus. If you have Logrus Mastery or Advanced Logrus Mastery, you have a snake in your bag. When using your Logrus abilities, you must display the snake. Advanced Pattern Masters can detect Logrus use (other people can't, so if you don't have Advanced Pattern, ignore the snakes).
Masks: If you have a shape-shifting ability, you will have a mask. If you shape shift, put on your mask. If someone is wearing a mask - you do not know their identity unless you have a means of discerning it beyond your normal senses (refer to your character sheet, or ask a GM).
Character Death:
It's Amber. Character death is VERY likely. Play along. I know you've put energy into your character, and it's a bummer when he or she dies, but it's part of the territory. There should be plenty of back-up characters if you want to keep playing, or you can feel free to just watch. (Honestly, I have never played in a Throne War where my character was alive at the end, but I still had tons of fun.)
If you have questions, or wish to reserve your character, please contact me through the link below and I will get back to you. - Keith
Details:
- : Keith's Holiday Amber Throne War
- System(s): Amber Diceless Role-Playing
- Contact: Keith Seyffarth
- Number of current players: 0
- Number of players wanted: 7
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- Quotes: From Keith's Holiday Amber Throne War posted in Great Quotes from Montana State Uinversity (and Other Places)