What It Means to be "Amber-Centric"

Our game is Amber-centric, which means that our setting is centered upon Amber, and the way that stories ultimately relate to Amber. This does not mean that other places are not important, but rather, that in the end, everything ultimately ties back to this core setting element. Since this is a frequent point of confusion, this page spells out exactly what we mean by this.

  • All player characters need to live in Amber, and they need to have a reason to care about what happens to Amber. They may have come from elsewhere, and they may have agendas that are primarily centered around some other place, but they need connections and ties to Amber — a reason to care about what's going on and to interact with people in Amber.
  • Shadow is a place to visit. Shadow is a place to go have adventures. In the case of near-Amber places like the Golden Circle, they are also of direct political and personal importance to Amber, and thus should be ongoing play-generators. Near-Amber travel is quick and often hand-waved on our game, so it is easy to go back and forth to the Golden Circle without being out of play for an extended period of time. We expect that many characters will have reasons to visit GC shadows frequently.
  • There are an extensive array of shadow travel powers, most of them specifically designed to facilitate adventuring — many such abilities essentially have a narrative component to the travel itself. Such abilities should provide significant fodder for adventures in shadow.
  • You are encouraged to take advantage of infinite shadow. However, when you are running plots in shadow, please have the courtesy to inform the participants in advance if you think that your plot will involve them being out of Amber for more than a day or two. Some people don't like being out of the main stream of pick-up play, so this warning will enable them to make an informed decision about plot participation.
  • You are welcome to build Golden Circle shadows, Silver Circle shadows, and Far Shadows to the extent needed for play. Such places don't need to be large, unless they are permanent home bases for player characters.
  • You are welcome to build (on a small scale) shadows for plot purposes.
  • Amber, Rebma, Tir, and the shadows of the Golden Circle all have crucial parts to play in our setting's overall cosmology. The game's lore system, at the upper levels, is fundamentally centered on these cosmological secrets. The details of local flavor, on the other hand, are generally in the hands of prop controllers.
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