The Amber Mailing List FAQ, February 4, 1998
This is the unofficial FAQ (frequently asked questions) list for the
Amber Mailing List. This FAQ is derived from Brian Moore's
(moore@fac.com) original unofficial Amber FAQ. It was further adapted
by Lisa Leutheuser (eal@us.itd.umich.edu). The current FAQ maintainer
is Bernard Hsiung (bshsiung@netcom.com).
Other contributors include Steven Kaye (managarn@aol.com), Peter Miller
(pjm93ph@soton.ac.uk) and Sarah Wishnevsky (MATOCIQUALA@delphi.com).
This FAQ will be posted occasionally, and is also available via FTP at
the Amber FTP site: ftp.visi.com, in the directory /users/kbremer/amber.
Or, if you're using the WWW, http://www.visi.com/~kbremer/amber
The FAQ is on the WWW at http://www.spectra.net/~ian/amberfaq.html and
http://people.delphi.com/matociquala/amberfaq.html
Mail suggestions/corrections/additions to me, bshsiung@netcom.com.
Changes in future releases will be marked with change bars | on the left.
WARNING: this FAQ is chock full of spoilers for the Amber series.
Proceed with caution. Better yet, read the books first. The general
section of the FAQ is relatively safe except for question G12.
===================================================================
Table of Contents:
GENERAL
G1) What is this list about?
G2) What sort of etiquette should I use here?
G3) What is Amber? (with a list of Amber books)
G4) What is the Amber Diceless Role-Playing Game (DRPG)?
G5) What other Phage Press stuff is there?
G6) What non-Phage Press stuff is there?
G7) Is there an anonymous FTP site for this list?
G8) How about a mail server for those without internet access?
G9) How do I subscribe/unsubscribe to this list?
G10) What are all those funny acronyms?
G11) What is this "second series canon" stuff?
G12) Are there any conflicting statements in the books?
G13) What/Where is AmberMUSH?
G14) Should this list be a newsgroup instead?
G15) What's important to know about copyright for the list?
NEW POWERS
N1) What are all these new powers?
PATTERN
P1) How many Patterns are there?
P2) What is the Broken Pattern?
P3) Is the Pattern or Logrus stronger?
P4) How many generations removed from Dworkin can you be, and still
be able to walk the Pattern? What does it take to have one's
blood be capable of erasing the Pattern?
LOGRUS
L1) What is the plural of Logrus? Answer: Logri. :)
L2) How many Logri are there?
L3) What is the Fixed Logrus?
L4) Are there "Logrus weapons" that make Amberites burn up?
L5) What is the origin of the Logrus?
TRUMP
T1) Is there a Power (Pattern or Logrus) behind Trump?
T2) What form can Trump take?
ITEMS
I1) Are items really as powerful as they seem?
I2) What about that "Tireless, Supernatural Stamina"?
I3) What about "Invulnerable to all Conventional Weapons"?
I4) What about "Psychic barrier"?
I5) What about conferred regeneration?
PEOPLE
A1) Can I kill Benedict with warfare?
A2) How many children does Oberon have?
A3) How many other Amberites are there?
A4) Is anything stronger than Gerard?
A5) Is it spelled Dierdre or Deirdre?
A6) Does Coral become pregnant in the second series?
A7) What's the deal with Caine's parentage anyway?
A8) What color is Florimel's hair?
A9) How can Dara be born in a week after Lintra died? How can she
be ancient and powerful in the Merlin series?
A10) What makes some Amberites older than others? Are they immortal?
A11) What was Julian's favorite game?
PLACES
B1) What's the time differential between Amber and Chaos?
RULES
R1) How do people handle Good Stuff and advancement?
R2) Can the first-ranked in a stat be surpassed through advancement?
R3) Does Stuff equal "Alignment"?
OTHER QUESTIONS
O1) I want to run a game, what should I do?
O2) What has been discussed on the list?
O3) Who's that "Carmen" that Corwin mentions at the end of _CoC_?
O4) How do the Elder Amberites match up with the Tarot deck?
O5) What is good music for Amber gaming/inspiration? / What is the
Amber Theme Song? / What music might Corwin have composed while
he was trapped on Shadow Earth?
O6) What is the effect on an unborn baby if the mother walks the
Pattern or Logrus while pregnant?
O7) Since Shadows can have different timerates, how do you explain the
fact that Trump has no time lapse in the books?
===================================================================
GENERAL
G1) What is this list about?
This list is for discussing the Amber novels and role-playing game.
As long as a topic relates to the game or novels in any way, it is fine.
G2) What sort of etiquette should I use here?
Try to follow Usenet etiquette. Ignore spelling errors. Keep
flames to a minimum. Include smileys :) when you are joking. (It
is sometimes difficult to tell, no matter how clear you think you
are being.) Only quote relevant portions of a message you reply to;
especially avoid repeating a long message only to add a short comment.
Always include AMBER in the subject of your messages: this
allows people with mail filters to separate out these postings.
Don't ask for people to send you electronic copies of Zelazny's
works; such distribution of copyrighted material is illegal.
Messages which are not related to Amber don't belong on the list.
We understand that warnings are sent out with the best intentions, but
if everyone sent out the latest virus, scam, or bad policy warnings,
we'd be swamped with more non-Amber mail than Amber mail.
G3) What is Amber? (list of Amber books)
The Amber universe was created by Roger Zelazny in his very popular
fantasy/sci-fi series: _Nine Princes in Amber_, _The Guns of Avalon_,
_Sign of the Unicorn_, _The Hand of Oberon_, _The Courts of Chaos_,
_Trumps of Doom_, _Blood of Amber_, _Sign of Chaos_, _Knight of
Shadows_, and _Prince of Chaos_. The first five books deal with
Corwin; the second five with Merlin, Corwin's son.
The little-known "Prologue" to his novel _Trumps of Doom_, which
briefly describes Merlin's traversal of the Logrus, was republished
in Amberzine #4. (Aug '93)
Roger Zelazny also wrote five Amber short stories:
"A Salesman's Tale", published in Amberzine #6. (Feb '94) (see G4 for
more about Amberzine). Rinaldo's POV.
"The Shrouding and the Guisel", published in the premiere issue of
"Realms of Fantasy" magazine (Oct '94), as well as Amberzine #8.
Merlin's POV.
"Coming to a Cord", published in Pirate Writings (Summer '95).
Frakir(!)'s POV.
"Blue Horse, Dancing Mountains", in the anthology "Wheel of Fortune",
edited by Roger Zelazny, ISBN 0-380-77423-2. (Dec '96) Corwin's POV.
"Hall of Mirrors", in the anthology "Castle Fantastic", edited by
John DeChancie and Martin H. Greenburg, ISBN 0-88677-686-4. (Mar '96)
Corwin's POV.
Although I haven't tried this myself, I have heard it said that one
can get Roger Zelazny's books on-line. e.g.: http://www.amazon.com
G4) What is the Amber Diceless Role-Playing Game (DRPG)?
It is a game designed by Erick Wujcik and published by Phage Press in
Nov '91. It contains a set of rules and background for running a role-
playing game in the Amber universe. It heavily emphasizes role-playing,
and uses NO dice at all. For anything. Ever. It costs $22.95 US,
and you can order it directly from Phage Press, PO Box 519, Detroit,
MI USA, 48231-0519. It costs $25.00 US with shipping and handling.
The supplement _Shadow Knight_ came out Dec 1993, after being delayed
for a few years. It mostly covers the Merlin series (which was not
in the core rules) and sells for $23.95 US.
The other promised supplements have been not yet materialized, but
the Rebman source book should be published "soon." (as of Apr '96)
G5) What other Phage Press stuff is there?
Phage Press also publishes the fanzine "Amberzine," which has a limited
print run of 1000 copies per issue. It largely carries gaming fiction
(i.e., other people's campaign logs, with all that implies) and a small
sprinkling of essays and miscellaneous things. There are 9 issues now out.
Issues or back issues cost $10 US apiece. A subscription to Amberzine
is $40 US for 5 issues; release dates are erratic. As far as I know,
all issues are still available from Phage Press; write them to order back
issues or request a subscription.
G6) What non-Phage Press stuff is there?
There used to be several non-Phage press Amber fanzines which were
dedicated to the Amber DRPG. Among these were _Hellrider_, from
the UK, and _Trump Call_, edited by Cort Odekirk. Unfortunately,
they have all since died out to the best of my knowledge.
There is, however, a WWW fanzine, "A Pattern in the WEB", at
http://www.mcs.net/~grizzly/pw.html
Other potential sources include _Roger Zelazny's Visual Guide to Castle
Amber_, co-authored by Neil Randall, who is also the author of two
choose-your-own adventure style books called _Seven No Trump_ and _The
Black Road War_ (ISBN 0-441-11537-3, published by Ace Books, 1988).
The first casts you in the role of Random; the second places you in the
shoes of Derek, son of Eric; they are both out of print. The _Visual
Guide_ is somewhat reviled on the list, as it not only contains art which
charitably may be said to be not particularly inspiring, but it also
suggests the Amberites were extremely influenced by Earth, of all places.
_The Complete Amber Sourcebook_, by Theodore Krulik,
ISBN 0-380-75409-6 (Jan '96).
This has some uses as a book where one can find various parts of the
series summarized, but the author's extensions of Zelanzy's universe
(e.g., his treatment of the Moonriders) read like something out of
someone's personal campaign, and an uninteresting campaign at that.
In 1985, a graphical computer adventure game called, unsurprisingly,
"Nine Princes in Amber" was published in 1985 by Telarium Software.
It was based on the first two books; you took the part of Corwin.
It was available on the Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari ST (possibly
the Amiga), and IBM, but is presently out of print.
There was supposed to be an Amber boardgame which was worked on by
some people at Eon Games. Unfortunately, it was never released.
DC Comics has an adaptation of NPiA in three parts; the first part was
out in late May '96. It has also published a complete adaptation of
GoA illustrated by Christopher Schenck, also in three parts; the first
part shipped in late August '96. ambre@anv.net is in touch with the
GoA artist and has volunteered to field questions regarding it.
G7) Is there an anonymous FTP site for this list?
The Amber list FTP site is run on a volunteer basis by Kevin Bremer.
It is at ftp.visi.com, and the directory is /users/kbremer/amber. If
you're using the WWW, http://www.visi.com/~kbremer/amber
Older archives of the list starting from 92-06 and recent archives
are preserved there; there is a gap from 95-03 to 95-12 for which
no archives exist.
G8) How about a mail server for those without internet access?
There are some alternatives. The best way is to try the ftpmail
server run by DEC. Just send a message containing "help" in the
body to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com. You should get back a message
telling you how to use it.
G9) How to I subscribe/unsubscribe to this list?
The list is administered by Lisa Leutheuser. To subscribe or
unsubscribe, send e-mail to majordomo@logrus.org with:
[subscribe/unsubscribe] amber [your e-mail address here]
in the *body* of the e-mail message. You can also go to the URL
http://www.us.itd.umich.edu/users/eal/amber/email-list.html. If you
have questions about or problems with the the functioning of the
list itself, send e-mail to amber-owner@logrus.org (not to Lisa).
G10) What are all those funny acronyms or words?
Book abbreviations:
NPiA - _Nine Princes in Amber_ ToD - _Trumps of Doom_
GoA - _Guns of Avalon_ BoA - _Blood of Amber_
HoO - _Hand of Oberon_ SoC - _Sign of Chaos_
SotU - _Sign of the Unicorn_ KoS - _Knight of Shadows_
CoC - _The Courts of Chaos_ PoC - _Prince of Chaos_
Others:
:-) or :) - a sideways smiley face, meant to indicate a joke
AFAIK - As Far As I Know
BTW - By The Way
FAQ - Frequently Asked Question
flame - verb. To violently vocally disagree.
FTF - Face-to-Face (as opposed to PBEM)
IIRC - If I Recall Correctly
IMC - In My Campaign
IMHO - In My Humble Opinion (there are variants)
IMOC - In My Other Campaign
IOC - In Our Campaign
LOL - Laughs Out Loud
OTOH - On The Other Hand
PBEM - Play by E-Mail
ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing
YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary
G11) What is this "second series canon" stuff?
Quite a few people on this list disagree with things in the second
series (_Trumps of Doom_ through _Prince of Chaos_). As such, they
simply ignore it as not canonical, usually starting their games at
the end of CoC. This is a stylistic preference.
G12) Are there any conflicting statements in the books?
Yes! There are comments about family relationships and other things
which are contradicted in other books or in the visual guide. Zelazny
claims some contradictions are due to Corwin's amnesia. Perhaps the
rest are outright lies by the Amberites. If people want to tell me
about them, I'll add them to the list. Here's a few:
a.) Corwin states that Random is his full brother in NPiA, but this is
contradicted everywhere else (including by Corwin). This is probably
the result of wishful thinking by Corwin or his subconscious.
b.) When Corwin and Benedict are fighting, Ganelon is casually brushed
aside. Yet Ganelon managed to take Gerard down in a fist fight when
even Corwin couldn't.
c.) Corwin mentions wildly different numbers when counting relatives in
NPiA and GoA.
d.) Caine's parentage is controversial. (See A7 for full details.)
G13) What/Where is AmberMUSH?
AmberMUSH is a MUSH (multi-user quasi-realtime virtual reality) based
on Amber. You play by telnetting into muds.okstate.edu, port 5150.
You need to send mail to amber-request@muds.okstate.edu in order to
request a character. You can find the new player guide through the WWW
at http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~lwl/guide/guide.html (preferred), or via
FTP from ftp.cis.upenn.edu in /pub/lwl/amber/amberguide. It also has
a homepage: http://www.math.okstate.edu/~hfreder/ambermush.html
Then you wander around talking with other people and generally
having fun. For more information on Mushes, Muds, and the like,
see the rec.games.mud newsgroups.
G14) Should this list be a newsgroup instead?
The activity level of the list varies from several dozen messages daily
to less than one a week. This question generally arises when the list
is in one of its busier phases. There are several reasons why the list
has not become a newsgroup: 1) a newsgroup would produce a lower
'signal to noise' ratio due to things like spamming and an increase in
the number of 'dice vs diceless' and 'is Zelazny a good writer'-type
conversations (which while sometimes interesting aren't really on topic
and are the sort of thing some people can get very fanatical about) and
2) any newsgroup would have to be an alt.* group which a good proportion
of the list does not have access to. In my opinion, if someone would
like to start a newsgroup on this topic, fine. I'd probably read it.
I'd also continue to subscribe to this list, though, because I feel
that it offers a much higher ratio of "interesting stuff" to "things
I'm tired of seeing" than any newsgroup ever will.
G15) What's important to know about copyright for the list?
Adapted from a message from the list admin:
- Don't ask for electronic copies of RZ's or any copyrighted material
on the list. It's bad. It's wrong. It causes people to detonate.
- Don't propagate electronic copies of RZ's stories or any copyrighted
material (including other people's unpublished Amber stories and diaries)
without permission. If you do have such permission, attribute the author.
- Formal copyright notice (i.e., Copyright Name Year) has not been
necessary in the US since 1989, but it can help in court cases.
- If you're not from the US, this doesn't mean you can copy at will.
It's likely your country honors US copyrights, and the US honors yours.
===================================================================
NEW POWERS
N1) What are all these new powers?
Many people have posted unofficial new powers to this mailing list.
All of these and more are available at the FTP site. For example:
Frank T Sronce, Advanced & Exalted Sorcery & Conjuration, new Power
Words, and Novice Pattern Imprint: much as they sound.
Dave Martin, Broken Pattern: This is a game description of the
Broken Pattern powers described in the second series. Normal humans
can walk the broken Pattern. It is cheaper, less powerful, and more
dangerous than regular Pattern Imprint. The break in the Pattern
manifests in almost every use of this power. This predates the
version of the power described in _Shadow Knight_.
Allan Lawrence Shampine, Fixed Logrus: This is equivalent to the
Broken Pattern, similar in cost, danger, and power to the Broken
Pattern. It is based on a comment by Merlin, specifically that some
Trump artists near the Courts have walked imperfect reflections of
the Logrus, and that their Trump are somewhat dangerous to use.
Kenn Crook: New Powers, Partial Point System
Peter Miller and Marc Reynolds: New Powers; a ranked point system
where characters have a variable number of points in powers which
roughly mirror the standard set, and are allowed to specialise
some of these points in specific areas of a power. There are
also different stats, no bidding rules, a treatment of Warfare as
a "Power" and no items or stuff rules. (available at
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~games/diceless/amber/partial2.html)
===================================================================
PATTERN
P1) How many Patterns are there?
According to the books, there are at least 15. There is the Primal
Pattern, created by Dworkin. There are 3 perfect reflections, one in
the dungeon of Castle Amber, one in Rebma, and one in Tir-na Nog'th.
In the second series, Jasra mentions that there are many more which
are broken reflections of the above 3. However, they are more flawed
and dangerous the further one goes from Amber, so that only the first
9 are somewhat safe to use. Note that one broken Pattern was absorbed
in the Primal Pattern after Merlin walked it to rescue Coral, and this
may have been one of the safe 9. Add in Corwin's Primal Pattern, and
possibly the first reflection.
P2) What is the Broken Pattern?
The broken Patterns are imperfect reflections of the known perfect
Patterns. Anyone can walk these by following the gaps between the
broken sections to get to the middle, thus gaining limited power over
shadow. Jasra in the second series is a broken Pattern initiate. It
is included in _Shadow Knight_. Dave Martin also posted a game
description of the Broken Pattern power a while ago.
P3) Is the Pattern or Logrus stronger?
The answer varies, depending on whether or not you believe the second
series. According to the second series, the Pattern was weakened by
the blood stain, allowing the Logrus to gain the upper hand. Corwin's
Pattern is an outside force, with varying effect on the battle between
Dworkin's Pattern and the Logrus. Dworkin's Pattern grew in power
when it absorbed the Broken Pattern it had Merlin fix. As usual, the
final answer is up to the GM.
P4) How many generations removed from Dworkin can you be, and still
be able to walk the Pattern? What does it take to have one's
blood be capable of erasing the Pattern?
Dworkin at one point suggests that the blood of his descendants unto
the third generation is capable of destroying the Pattern; Martin's
fate is evidence that this is so. On the other hand, Dara also
succeeds in walking the Pattern, which raises several questions
about the validity of Dworkin's assertion. There are many plausible
explanations; here are some starters for who can walk the Pattern
(note that some or even all of these could be true simultaneously!):
a.) Dara is lying, and she is actually Benedict's daughter. (What,
Dara lie, like an Amberite? You must be joking. :)
b.) Dara is descended from another Amberite as well. (Brand spent
some time in the Courts, after all.)
c.) Dworkin is wrong, lying, or not telling the whole story.
i) Anyone who can trace their ancestry back to Dworkin, no matter
how remotely, can walk his Pattern.
ii) Anyone Dworkin wants can walk his Pattern.
iii) Anyone Dworkin's Pattern wants can walk it. (Possibly,
although not necessarily, equivalent to option ii.)
iv) Anyone of sufficiently strong will can essay the Pattern.
v) Anyone with blood "sufficiently close" to Dworkin's can essay
the Pattern. (Here's where those vampires recently gorged on
Amberite blood and advanced shapeshifters might fit in. Or not.)
d.) Dara is pregnant with Corwin's son when she walks the Pattern, and
this gives her the extra support she needs to survive it. (See O6.)
e.) Anyone who is within three generations of a Pattern initiate can
walk it (Dara is three generations from Benedict).
f.) Anyone who is within three generations of someone who is attuned
to the Jewel of Judgment can walk it. (This has two interesting
implications: one, that Benedict was attuned to the Jewel, which
seems unlikely, or Brand wouldn't have so easily blindsided him with
it, and two, that there is no suggestion in the books that one must
be of the blood of Amber to attune the Jewel, as one can be attuned
by someone else who is attuned, and Dworkin must have attuned it
before he created the Pattern. This could give you an entire cast
of non-Amberite Pattern initiates...)
Here are some ideas for how blood can damage the Pattern:
a.) Only the blood of someone who could walk the Pattern can be
used to efface it.
b.) Only the blood of anyone who has actually walked the Pattern
can be used to damage it. There is vague evidence for this:
Brand selected Martin, who had already walked the Pattern, over an
Amberite (or a specially raised sacrificial child) who had not.
c.) Only the blood of those descended of Dworkin (perhaps to the
third generation from him, or to the third generation from a Pattern
initiate, or to the third generation from a Jewel initiate, etc.)
can damage the Pattern. a) or b) are possibilities along with this.
d.) Perhaps only the Primal Pattern is vulnerable to Amberite blood.
Given all the opportunities for spilled blood in a Pattern Chamber
before Patternfall and the fact that the damage to the Primal Pattern
was apparently not reflected in any of the other Patterns directly,
this is a possibility. On the other hand, it is suggested that the
images of the Broken Patterns were the reflections in Shadow of the
damage to the Primal Pattern: it could be that bleeding on a reflection
of the Pattern would transform that reflection into a broken image.
===================================================================
LOGRUS
L1) What is the plural of Logrus?
Answer: Logri. :)
This isn't definitive, of course, since in the series only one
Logrus is ever mentioned.
L2) How many Logri are there?
The books only mention one Logrus. However, Merlin does make a
passing reference that some Trump artists use bastardized versions
of Pattern or Logrus, and that such Trump are dangerous to use.
L3) What is the Fixed Logrus?
The fixed Logrus is a hypothetical analogue of the broken Pattern.
Just as the Pattern has 3 perfect reflections and 9 safe broken ones,
there may be reflections of the Logrus which are broken. A broken
Logrus could have a flawed fixed section which does not change. Allan
Lawrence Shampine posted his version of the Fixed Logrus power to
the list a long time ago. If you want a copy, check the FTP site.
L4) Are there "Logrus weapons" that make Amberites burn up?
Merlin acquires a "Chaos dagger" at one point in his journeys, but
he doesn't use it on any Amberites, so nobody knows. Some people
have suggested that Chaos daggers might come in all sizes; others
think that a whip or flail would be more in keeping with the Logrus.
Maybe they make Amberites freeze solid. Maybe they infect Amberites
with Primal Chaos or Chaos Cancer. Maybe Chaos has nothing of the
sort. They lost the Patternfall War, after all, and they didn't
kill a single Amberite of Royal blood directly.
L5) What is the origin of the Logrus?
Nobody knows. (i.e., your GM gets to make it up) The Logrus could be:
a.) created by the Serpent or a consequence or side-effect of the
Serpent's existence.
b.) created by one or more persons under the influence or direction
of the Serpent (or someone or something else).
c.) a natural phenomenon (or maybe the Serpent is a force of nature).
d.) an anti-Pattern.
e.) a prototype Pattern.
f.) torn from the Unicorn's mane.
===================================================================
TRUMP
T1) Is there a Power (Pattern or Logrus) behind Trump?
Fiona suggests in one of the books that you can see part of the
Pattern in Dworkin's Trumps. People from the Courts of Chaos can
draw Trump. Trump may just be an extension of the main two Powers,
or it may be a Power unto itself. The rulebook suggests many
different possibilities in the game master section on Trump
Artistry. However, the rulebook doesn't list any required powers
for Trump Artistry.
T2) What form can Trump take?
Depends on the GM. Larger paintings are reasonable. Most people
think any fixed media representing the subject will do, including
sculptures, carvings, even voodoo dolls. Performance art Trump
(drama, music, poetry) are less common, although some GMs allow
them. Abstract art may work, depending on the GM and level of skill
of the Trump artist. Some GMs may even allow computer images.
===================================================================
ITEMS
I1) Are items really as powerful as they seem?
Yes and no. Almost anyone can find or create any item they want.
Such items can easily be lost, stolen, destroyed, or subverted.
Paid for items are more permanent, but there are no guarantees.
Also, you may be better off buying better stats rather than, say,
a magic weapon or armor.
I2) What about that "Tireless, Supernatural Stamina"?
Some people have discussed it on this list, and some recommend
following the Aggression or Vitality patterns. Specifically, an
item with 4 points of Stamina would have Amber level endurance.
For 8 points, you could get low ranked endurance, 16 for high or
elder level. Alternatively, 4 points may give you an item that
requires refueling or recharging in some manner after a day or so.
I3) What about "Invulnerable to all Conventional Weapons"?
This hasn't been discussed (that I know of), but some GMs tone
this down also. For example, your 4 point armor may not protect
you from a nuke, or the #1 in warfare, but normal humans might
beat on you all day and you probably wouldn't have to worry.
I4) What about "Psychic barrier"?
Also discussed here, some suggest that Fiona, Brand, or a group
of people should be able to break down a Psychic Barrier. After
all, a group of the elders do it in the first series when they
try to rescue Brand. Maybe this should follow the same progression
as the other stat oriented qualities.
I5) What about conferred regeneration?
Based on the rules, almost anyone can find or create an item that
confers fast regeneration (regrowing limbs in less than an hour).
Does this unbalance the game if allowed? Depends on the GM. Could
Benedict have regrown his lost arm this way? Maybe, but he didn't.
He was glad that Corwin regenerated his eyes, as it gave him
hope for his arm.
One way to limit conferred regeneration would be to specify that the
fast regeneration would only regrow portions of a body as "shadow";
thus, any portion of the body replaced in this way would be less
flexible and less durable than normal regrowth.
===================================================================
PEOPLE
A1) Can I kill Benedict with warfare?
This is up to the GM. According to the rules, Benedict has the
highest Warfare there is. He is The Best, so good the other elder
Amberites won't even try to beat him in warfare. Can he shadow
shift away from weapons of mass destruction (nukes, bobbles, and the
like) fast enough to survive? Will he always spot snipers? Can he
dodge bullets? Lasers? Does he always avoid such circumstances by
using his spies and patrols or shadowshifting so well? After all,
he doesn't need to dodge bullets if no one can ever get close enough
to fire one at him or they never work near him.
On the other hand, no one has a heart attack when Corwin beats
Benedict by the side of the Black Road, lucky fluke or not.
IMHO, the most reliable way to kill Benedict is through treachery.
Just make sure you don't miss, because he won't when he gets his turn.
A2) How many children does Oberon have?
In the second series, a Pattern ghost of Oberon mentions that he
had 47 children. If this is correct (who knows), then there are
a number unaccounted for. There are the ones seen in the first
series: Benedict, Eric, Corwin, Deirdre, Fiona, Bleys, Brand, Caine,
Julian, Gerard, Llewella, Random, and Flora. There are some extras
in the second series: Dalt and Coral. Corwin mentions Osric and
Finndo, dead brothers of Benedict. Merlin mentions Delwin and Sand.
Mirelle is listed as Random's sister in the _Visual Guide_, and is
supposedly a character in one of the choose-your-own-adventures.
That totals 20. Corwin mentions different numbers in NPiA and GoA.
A3) How many other Amberites are there?
In the first series, we see Dara (descended from Benedict), Martin
(Random's son), and Merlin (Corwin and Dara's son). According to
Dara, she is a few generations removed from Benedict, so there may
be other unnamed descendants of Benedict in the Courts. The second
series introduces Rinaldo (Brand and Jasra's son), and two half-
brothers of Merlin, Despil and Jurt, who at least are likely to
have Amberite blood from being Dara's children.
A4) Is anything stronger than Gerard?
That depends on the GM, just like everything else. Maybe all of
shadow is just a pale reflection of Amber, so no human can be
stronger. Maybe someone in the Courts can beat Gerard, as the
Courts aren't a reflection of Amber. Maybe it is possible to find
the Marvel Universe, where the Hulk is stronger than Gerard. But
perhaps the Hulk would lose his strength if he left, while Gerard
would retain his strength everywhere. Maybe Gerard would grow in
strength to equal the Hulk in the same Shadow. In any case, no one
seemed shocked when Ganelon beat Gerard in a fight, so perhaps he
doesn't have the same reputation as Benedict. _Shadow Knight_
mentions it is possible to find a bull stronger than Gerard.
A5) Is it spelled Dierdre or Deirdre?
Roger Zelazny spells it Deirdre, but Wujcik misspells it Dierdre in
the Amber DRPG book.
A6) Does Coral become pregnant in the second series?
Possibly. Several quotes in _Shadow Knight_ supposedly taken from
_Prince of Chaos_ indicate that she is pregnant. However the quotes
in _Prince of Chaos_ don't match. Apparently the _Shadow Knight_
quotes were taken from an original draft of _Prince of Chaos_.
Zelazny removed the quotes stating that Coral was pregnant from the
final (published) copy.
A7) What's the deal with Caine's parentage anyway?
According to Corwin, Caine is just after him in the succession, yet
Merlin says Caine, Julian, and Gerard are full brothers. That should
put Bleys and Brand ahead of Caine, unless Caine is illegitimate, but
Corwin never mentions that. An evaluation of the situation:
a.) Both Corwin and Merlin are correct.
i) Caine may be the illegitimate son of Rilga. This may be the
most popular explanation. It's certainly the simplest.
ii) Caine may be legitimate, and Oberon was involved in (yet
another) bigamous marriage, knowingly or not, and/or some (more)
strange timeflow problems.
iii) Julian and Gerard should have been directly after Caine in
the succession but have been delayed for unspecified reasons.
(One might imagine Gerard accepting this without a fuss, but
Julian would seem a different matter...)
b.) Corwin is wrong but Merlin is correct. It seems unlikely for
Corwin to miss a small detail like who is right behind him in the
succession (then again, at an earlier point, he thinks of himself
and Random as full brothers). This would imply Caine is somewhere
else in the succession, perhaps immediately before Julian.
c.) Merlin is wrong but Corwin is correct. In this case, Caine is
the son of an unnamed woman, whether legitimate or not, born sometime
between Corwin and Fiona. (The _Complete Amber Sourcebook_ takes the
view that Caine is Corwin's full brother, born after him and before
Deirdre, but hardly anyone else does.)
d.) Both Corwin and Merlin are wrong. Anything goes. Make up your
own thing.
A8) What color is Florimel's hair?
NPiA, Chapter 2: "The woman behind the desk wore a wide-collared,
V-necked dress of blue-green, had long-haired low bangs, all of a
cross between sunset clouds and the outer edge of a candle flame in
an otherwise dark room, and natural I somehow knew, and her eyes
behind glasses I didn't think she needed were as blue as lake Erie
at three o'clock on a cloudless summer afternoon; and the color of
her compressed smile matched her hair."
SotU, Chapter 4: "Pale gold, her hair. She had cut it, but retained
the bangs. I could not decide whether I liked it that way or not.
She had very lovely hair."
Sunset clouds are seldom yellow, and it's doubtful that Florimel wears
blonde lipstick (though one never knows). While the second quote is
unambiguous, from the first quote, it appears as if Florimel is a natural
redhead. Even if Corwin's memory was failing him when he said he knew it
was natural, you'd think he might have said something if Flora's Trump
representation had blonde hair. So what's going on? Some possibilities:
a.) Zelazny made a mistake and gave Florimel different hair colors. It's
possible, although not terribly likely. He mentions a change in her
bangs; it seems odd that he would say something like that and then get
her hair color wrong. On the other hand, Delwin's Trump has reddish hair
but when Merlin sees him in the hall of mirrors, he has blondish hair.
b.) Florimel's hair actually changes color between NPiA and SotU.
Corwin's "I could not decide whether I liked it that way or not" easily
could be referring to the change in hair color as well as styling.
Perhaps Florimel (gasp) dyes her hair from time to time, or her hair
color fluctuates naturally. Maybe she's a shapeshifter. :)
c.) Chris Doherty (cpdohert@calum.csclub.uwaterloo.ca) has spent some time
staring at sunset clouds (pale orange, he claims) and a candle's flame in a
dark room (which he says is bright yellow). Seizing on the word "cross", he
believes the first passage is an artistic attempt to describe gold-colored
hair. He also says pale orange or peach lipstick was not uncommon in the
early 70's when NPiA was set so the compressed smile works out alright.
A9) How can Dara be born in a week after Lintra died? How can she be
ancient and powerful in the Merlin series?
Corwin's impression of Dara on first meeting her and Merlin's impression
of his mother are at odds. Corwin sees Dara as young and naive; Merlin
sees her as someone who negotiates with the Logrus on an equal basis and
who is powerful enough to scheme for control of the Courts. Furthermore,
the obvious way for Dara to be Lintra's great-granddaughter (through
Benedict's liaison with Lintra in Avalon) would require very rapid
timeflow for her to be ancient and powerful by the time she raised Merlin.
Very clearly, Dara lies to Corwin about some things, since she claims
knowledge of Benedict when he insists he knows nothing of her. It's
not inconceivable that she in fact deceives Corwin about many things,
which could easily include the specifics of her heritage and her age.
Some possible explanations: Dara and Merlin spent a good deal of time
in extremely fast time Shadows; Dara lied about her heritage and is not
descended from Benedict or Lintra (yes, Corwin saw confirmation of Dara's
heritage in Tir -- but doesn't Tir show you things you think are true?);
Dara was descended of a liaison of Benedict and Lintra that happened
before their encounter in Avalon (perhaps even before Amber was founded).
A10) What makes some Amberites older than others? Are they immortal?
Corwin says he appears to be in his mid-thirties, and then says that the
Shadows will lie for him. The appearance of all the family on the Trumps
seems to be young mature adulthood, with the possible exception of Benedict
and the definite exception of Oberon. There are several frequently
advanced theories. One is that an Amberite is literally only as old as
he or she feels. In the course of the first series, Random advances from
"asthmatic teenaged hood" and "homicidal little fink" to being described
as having a regal cast to his features. This could be merely an effect of
Corwin's changing perceptions, or it could be an actual change brought on
by maturity and Random's new self-image as husband, father, and king.
Another theory is that the Pattern freezes you at the age you are when you
walk it. Or perhaps the exercise of Real power ages Amberites.
As for Amberite immortality: some suggest is that it's the effect of the
Pattern. Others point out that Swayvill, Moire, Roger-the-guard and others
appear to have extremely elongated life spans. Corwin himself spent some
number of centuries on Shadow Earth, and did not age excessively in that
time. Corwin also tells Ganelon that Benedict has enjoyed a lifetime
measured in terms of millenia. On the other hand, in the second series,
Swayvill of Chaos ostensibly dies of old age. So a GM has the option of
giving the average Amberite either a very long lifespan with the possibility
of death from old age in some distant future -- or functional immortality.
Some have found that the elongated lifespan helps to curb the PC tendency
to spend a thousand years in a fast time shadow learning macrame.
A11) What was Julian's favorite game?
There's no answer for this in the books. However, Judd M. Goswick
(juddg@randomc.com) regaled the list with the following tale, which
speaks for itself:
Julian's self-control slipped only once, when Corwin kissed his cheek.
In that single moment, Julian's hand strayed and "BZZZT!" the nose of
the Oberon Trump shone red and Julian looked down to see that in
attempting to remove the Jewel of Judgment from the card, he had hit
the edge of the card with the Tweezers.
Corwin then drew the "Crown" card, took the tweezers and fetched it with
no problem, as Julian was still shocked. He then laid claim to the
throne until Oberon sent him to his room. Just before he was taken away,
Julian threw his tumbler of "Juicy-rific Kool-Aid" at Corwin's face.
"I'll have your eyes for this, Corwin!" He had spoken too soon and
the disappointment on Overon's face was apparent. He had lost his
self-control twice in one sitting.
All Dworkin could do was look up from his paper and ask Julian, "How
do you know about the eye thing?"
===================================================================
PLACES
B1) What's the time differential between Amber and Chaos?
Apparently immensely variable. In fact, it may vary from one part of
Chaos to another, especially if you treat Merlin's explanations from
the second series as canon and consider Chaos a series of loosely woven
Shadows, the "veils" between having become frayed and torn. The fact
that years can pass in Amber while hours pass in Chaos, and yet on
other occasions the effect can be reversed, gives a GM immense latitude
in making decisions about relative time. Chaos is like Faerie in that
respect: a night spent there can be moments or lifetimes in the outside
world. Other GMs chose to ignore this as too messy to keep track of,
and just run Chaos time as roughly parallel to that in Amber.
===================================================================
RULES (the answer is *always* "it depends on your GM" :)
R1) How do people handle Good Stuff and advancement?
Many people on the list recommend altering the standard good stuff
and advancement rules. Specifically, according to the rules,
someone saving up for Pattern may go from 49 points of good stuff,
to 0 good stuff and Pattern Initiation. There is rarely a good
reason in the game for such an enormous change in luck/outlook/
whatever. Some recommend using partial powers, and charging only
10 points or so for walking the Pattern, with other Pattern abilities
are developed and purchased over time, with appropriate roleplaying.
Other people recommend keeping 'stuff' points and advancement points
separate. Some people don't charge for powers gained "in game".
R2) Can the first-ranked in a stat be surpassed through advancement?
Some people find it fits their campaign to not allow the first-ranked
stat to be surpassed: no one can buy up until the first-ranked
character does (or dies, perhaps of a surfeit of ambitious, impatient
second-rankers). Others create NPC ranks or allow a lesser ranked
character to buy past a first-ranked character who has not continued
to invest in their stat.
R3) Does Stuff equal "Alignment"?
In other words, can an evil person have Good Stuff? (And vice versa.)
Many game masters see Stuff in a very karmic fashion: it reflects the
way the universe treats you, and the way you treat the universe. If
you are basically good, then you will be protected by the goodness of
your own actions. If you are evil, evil will find you. "Those who
live by the sword will die by the sword," "You will reap what you sow,"
and "Whatsoever thou doest, returns unto thee threefold" and all that.
Others see "stuff" simply as a combination of luck and charisma, and
explain that there are many evil, lucky, charming people in the world.
===================================================================
OTHER QUESTIONS
O1) I want to run a game, what should I do?
Read both series by Zelazny, you really need the background. Note
that you don't have to follow everything in them.
Buy the rules, read the rules, throw the rules away (it even says
to do that on p. 234 :).
Decide what to do with the elders. Are Caine, Oberon, Brand, and
Deirdre really gone? Are you going to use one of the suggested
versions in the book, or will you design your own?
Decide what to do with the Powers. Will you allow Broken Pattern
or Fixed Logrus? Can starting characters buy advanced powers?
Do you have any new powers you want to introduce?
O2) What has been discussed on the list?
Tons of stuff. Some archives are available at the FTP site, and
there is an outdated timeline with some of the major topics.
Example topics (these are also the recurrent topics on the list):
vampires in Amber, the supremacy of Amberites (can anyone kill
Benedict with warfare? Is Gerard stronger than the Hulk? Can
Fiona toast Mark Remillard?), the Amber theme song, the Amber
movie (no, there isn't one), matching Tarot major arcana with the
Amberites, walking the Pattern/Logrus while pregnant, etc., etc.
O3) Who's that "Carmen" that Corwin mentions at the end of _CoC_?
"Voulez-vous venir avec moi, Carmen?" = "Would you like to come with
me, Carmen?" This an allusion to Bizet's _Carmen_, an opera about a
strong-willed, flirtatious woman who makes a choice between two men who
desire her. In the context given, it is clearly a reference to Dara.
Vladimir Nabakov also uses this phrase in his book _Lolita_, about a
middle-aged man who is obsessed with a teenaged girl.
O4) How do the Elder Amberites match up with the Tarot deck?
There are many interpretations of this, stemming from the difficulty
that what Zelazny means by "Greater Trumps" is never made exactly clear.
Many people try to match the elders up with the Major Arcana: Jennifer
Jerlstrom's well-argued treatment of this is available at the FTP site.
One problem here is in numbering -- while the people Corwin names
(Oberon, Benedict, Osric, Finndo, Eric, Corwin, Deirdre, Caine, Fiona,
Bleys, Llewella, Brand, Florimel, Julian, Gerard, and Random) number 16
in all, well within the range of the standard 21 numbered and one
numberless major arcana, Corwin at one point states there were fifteen
brothers and eight sisters, which leaves one too many children of Oberon
to fit into the deck. And no cards for Oberon, or Dworkin.
On the other hand, using just the elders Corwin names, including Oberon
but not including Dworkin (whom Corwin never claims to have seen a card
for), gives a convenient count of sixteen, which fits neatly into the
number of the court cards: The Kings, Queens, Knights (Princes), and
Pages (Princesses). In fact, this is also tidy in that Corwin names
just enough sisters to fill out the Queens.
The problem here is in trying to assign suits. Some of the Elders are
obvious: Benedict, with a staff, must be a Wand. Llewella is a pretty
blatant choice as the Queen of Cups. Corwin and Eric are undoubtedly
Swords. The problem comes in what to do with, say, Bleys, who carries
a sword and a cup, and wears several rings (diamonds/pentacles?). As
usual, the solution is for the game master to do as he or she pleases,
up to and including ruling that there is no correlation at all. (And,
of course, our Tarot is surely but a Shadow of the Amber Tarot.)
O5) What is good music for Amber gaming/inspiration? / What is the
Amber Theme Song? / What music might Corwin have composed while
he was trapped on Shadow Earth?
"Princes of the Universe" is the frequently heard cry. Several rather
exhaustive discussions have been carried out on the topic. The answer
seems to derive strongly from the musical taste of the person doing the
arguing. Everything from Vivaldi to Simon & Garfunkle to Nine Inch
Nails to Frank Sinatra has been suggested, and argued to death. Like
many things, it is a matter of personal taste, and the theme and nature
of the campaign in question.
The only real information we have on the topic of Corwin's music is
Corwin's own admission that he composed the words and music to many
popular songs, whistled the tune to "Aupres de ma Blonde" while marching
under Napoleon, and the comments (of others) indicating that "Ballad of
the Water Crossers" is a terribly catchy tune. This would seem to
indicate that Corwin's strength as a songwriter is in ditties -- pretty,
unforgettable tunes. Given his love for France, "Je ne Regrette Rien,"
and "La Vie en Rose" could be pretty likely choices. On the other hand,
given his basically dark and brooding nature, he might be writing baroque
chamber music, goth rock and Joni Mitchell.
O6) What is the effect on an unborn baby if the mother walks the Pattern
or Logrus while pregnant?
The answer, as always, depends on the universe in which the game is set,
and the way the GM has decided to handle the powers. Pick any, all, or
none of the following, or make up your own answer:
a.) Nothing untoward: the child is born and grows up normally. This
argument is supported by the possibility that Dara may have been
pregnant with Merlin when she walked the Pattern.
b.) Brain damage or other injury to the child: the child is retarded,
physically deformed, unable to control spontaneous shapeshifting
(Logrus) or unable to ever change/grow (Pattern). (Some might claim
that this is also supported by Dara's possible pregnancy while walking
the Pattern, and the way Merlin later turned out... :)
c.) Pregnancy mishap: abortion, miscarriage, spontaneous reabsorption,
or the mother (in the case of the Pattern) gets stuck like that.
d.) Abomination. The child is born with adult powers/abilities/mentation,
like Alia in _Dune_. This can lead to babies shadowcrawling, or the
dreams of the unborn manifesting as reality around the mother. Other
possibilities include: gifts of prophecy, insight, weird psyche or power
effects, and anything else you can imagine. It can also lead to *very
interesting* problems for player characters. Also, the children being
somehow linked to/puppets of the powers involved is a possibility...
Another interesting variant is the idea of a mother of shadow blood being
able to walk the Pattern while pregnant with a child of Amber. (Who says
that Dara was really Benedict's great-granddaughter?)
O7) Since Shadows can have different timerates, how do you explain the
fact that Trump has no time lapse in the books?
Handwaving. A great deal of it. Various theories have been postulated
that Trump contact tends to equalize time rates between Shadows, that
Trumps do a lot of fancy footwork to make time differences unnoticable,
that Trump contact is primarily mental contact and the actual muttering
into cards is a peculiar side-effect, that Trump has power over time,
or that time is an illusion. It's safest to say that it's up to the GM.
===================================================================
Return to the Amber List page.
Lisa A. Leutheuser, eal @ umich.edu