Amber DRPG is a role playing system put out by Phage Press. What does the D stand for? Diceless. That's right, all you D&D dice whores... toss your d20s, d10s, d1/16s out the window. Amber has no dice at all.

And you know what else? It only has four stats.

I'll pause while some of you have minor heart troubles.

Now that we are through that, I can hear the little wheels in your brains turning. "A game with four stats and no dice? This has got to suck." Not so, my friends. Amber encourages real, honest-to-bob role-playing. Ironically enough, this seems to be the lost art in most gaming circles. Since there is little to rules-whore over, Amber forces the players to be inventive and ruthless to get the job done. It handles everything from hack and slash, to puzzle-gaming, to power games... but it is hand crafted to be an intrigue-laden game. The backdrop of scheming royals sets the tone for world-encompassing battles.

And all that 'the PCs have to get along to save the world' nonsense? You know, that old RPG cliché that everybody will get along no matter how disseperate... that rule that hardly ever works in-game? Out the window. If you don't get along, you don't get along. In fact, there is an entire style of Amber game called a 'throne war' in which the entire objective is to kill off the other PCs and take over the throne of Amber. And none of this 'nuke everyone, I win' business. You have to be subtle, or someone else will behead you before that sweet, sweet crown kisses your brow.

Amber is hands down the best RPG system I have ever played. Since you can go anywhere and do anything, it makes a good system to unite campaigns (as we did in Crossworlds, a game that meshed Cyberpunk, World of Darkness, AD&D, and Amber into one. My GM got sick of running 15 different games). I prefer it to GURPs, simply because it gives you a backdrop to meld the systems against, instead of just a revamped rule book. Combining the GURPs rule system with the ideas of the Amber DRPG does wonders to combination games, if you are so inclined. There is even a GURPs Amber book.

Unfortunately for those who want to play Amber, the rules books are damn near impossible to find. Only two have ever been put out: 'Amber Diceless Role-playing System' and 'Shadow Knight.' You can order them online through any number of bookstores or you can beg and plead with your local gaming store to get it for you.

Once you get into it, you will want to game and game a lot. There are a number of conventions around the world for ADRPG addicts such as myself. I have had the pleasure of attending The Black Road and AmberCon North. They are very small cons and very hospitable to new gamers. When I first attended TBR, I was a junior in high school and had to miss the first day and a half because of the SATs. I had never played straight Amber face-to-face before. Everyone was very welcoming and helped me adjust to playing in such a setting. The people at the conventions are awesome and it has become on of my favorite yearly events. I strongly encourage anyone who gets into the DRPG to attend the conventions, even if you have never gone to a convention before. Just don't expect to sleep all weekend. 3 days, 10 games, no sleep.

Another thing I strongly encourage is that you read at least the first 5 books before trying to delve into the DRPG. It will make much, much more sense to you if you do so. And you'll get all the jokes us Amber gamers love to make. Besides, reading the ADRPG book is a major spoiler if you haven't read the books.

Once you've read the basebook and gotten all stoked to play, you'll probably want to run a game amongst your friends. No, they don't have to read the books to play the DRPG. They don't even have to know anything other than the base rules and the basic setup of the system. It will make it easier if they have read it, but you can use the Amber system just like any other gaming system. You can go off on wild tangents that have nothing to do with the books. Please, please, go off on wild tangents. Roger Zelazny already did an amazing job writing the books. There is no need to recycle his plot again and again to have a game.

And play with the elders... no, no, really. If you or your gamers read the books, you will develop a certain sense of who the Elder Amberites are. Fuck with that. Twist people's perceptions. After all, Corwin and his son Merlin wrote the Chronicles. It is all from their perspective. Who says they didn't lie? Amber is all about twisting the truth to suit your whims.

Now, back to the whole 4 stats thing. I'll give you a brief run down on how the system works. The four stats are: Warfare, Endurance, Psyche, and Strength. Warfare controls how good you are with weapons, tactics, and any other things that involve strategy. Endurance is exactly what it sounds like; how long you can do something. This is the stat you use no matter if it is running a marathon or fighting mind-to-mind. Psyche is anything magical, as well as strength of mind. Telekinesis and Hermetic Magic would all stem from this stat. Strength governs not only how strong you are, but how well you fight hand-to-hand and whether you know any fighting styles such as martial arts or boxing. To see who would win in any sort of battle. Whomever has a higher stat wins... sometimes. Read on and you'll see.

These stats a ranked; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. How do you gain a ranking? Well, you auction. You want to be 1st ranked in psyche? Well, you have to outbid the other PCs. And you only have a certain number of points. Once you bid them, they are gone. Of course, you can secretly buy up after the auction is over, but you can never out buy 1st place. The auction is my favorite part of the Amber system. There is nothing like 5 people struggling to outmaneuver and outbid each other to set the mood for the power struggle that is Amber.

Now I am sure the old school gamers among you are wondering how Amber works without dice. Well, it has something called 'stuff.' You can have good stuff, bad stuff, or no stuff. Stuff functions like luck. If you have good stuff, you have good luck. Bad stuff, bad luck. No stuff, no luck either way. It can be what helps you win out in a battle with your betters.

Let's look at a typical ADRPG fight: PC A, lets call her Daphne, is 1st ranked in warfare, 4th in Endurance, and has 5 points of bad stuff. PC B, lets call him Drake, is 4th ranked in warfare, 1st in Endurance, and has 5 points of good stuff. They are having a swordfight. Now, comparing stats, Daphne should kick the crap out of Drake. But if Drake can keep the fight going long enough, he can use his superior endurance against Daphne. Also, Daphne has quite a bit of bad stuff, while Drake is blessed with a lot of good stuff. So some terrible things, like Daphne's sword breaking or her hair getting caught on a branch could tip the odds in Drakes favor. The outcome of any ADRPG battle are far from certain. Even a PC with no warfare, no endurance, and tons of bad stuff can win out over a gifted counterpart if he or she is sufficiently crafty. You just have to learn how to screw your friends and neighbors.

There is much much more to the ADRPG. I am not going to explain it all here. That is what the base book is for. I strongly encourage anyone who is into real role playing, not just hack 'n slash, to pick it up. But I warn you, its addictive.

Happy gaming!

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