Drew Kompanek and I are going to start running an Amber campaign. What's that? Well, it is a form of role playing. What's that? Uh, well, it is a form of game where people create imaginary character roles to take on and act out, and where a Game Master creates an imaginary world in which these folks live.
Amber role playing is particularly interesting, for a couple of reasons. First, it is based on a fantasy saga written by Roger Zelazny. While there isn't really anything special about basing a game on a fantasy story, there is something special about the story. The basic idea is that the universe isn't what we believe it to be. In actual fact, the universe started out as utter nothingness. Then, after some indefinite period of time, there came into existence Chaos -- matter, energy, forms and beings which were unorganized and in constant flux. Eventually, sentient beings came into existence who lived in this Chaos. They created a culture based around the Courts of Chaos and lived good lives.
One day, Dworkin, a creature of Chaos, decided that he would go out and do something radical. He made use of the Jewel of Judgment, a stone possessing unknown and mystic powers to create the Pattern. This Pattern he drew in his own blood. It imposed order upon the Chaos around it, creating a dimension of stability. This was Amber, the one true reality. Immediately, the dimensions, or Shadows, between Chaos and Amber began to alter and take on different realities: those closer to Amber were more real, while those closer to Chaos were more fluid and unconstrained.
Dworkin fathered the ruling family of Amber, whose descendants wield control over Reality and Shadow alike.
It is in this Universe that the stories of Amber take place.
The second interesting aspect of the Amber role playing system is that it does not make use of dice. Most role playing games use some method of randomly determining what will happen to people. The common system is to have dice which are used in conjunction with a set of rules to determine the outcome of particular actions. With Amber, however, the outcome is decided based upon fixed values and upon the whim of the Game Master. This makes for some interesting play, and also puts a lot of responsibility upon the Game Master.
Drew and I are trying to collect a group of people who are inexperienced when it comes to role playing. We are doing this to try and avoid the standard notions held by people who have been role playing for a long time under older, dice based systems.
Our campaign is just getting underway. As it progresses, we will attempt to keep any interested readers informed by publishing commentary and notes in the Journal.
For more information about Amber or the Amber role playing system, check out Roger Zelazny's books or Erik Wujick's role playing publications, or ask any geek worth his or her salt to explain.