The Seasons of Our Discontent F.A.Q.

What is Canon in this campaign?
Only the first five books of the Chronicles of Amber are canon (the “Corwin series”).  The second series (the “Merlin series”) is generally ignored in it’s entirely, both in terms of chronology and content.  This means that we also are not using material from the Phage Press rules for Shadowknight.

How do the rules for differ from the Phage Press DRPG?
A little bit.  We have included Doyce Testerman's holistic stat system in our house rules, but in general the powers and abilities contained therein are 90% similar to the ones in the printed rules. Exceptions are noted under the Rules section of this site.

How does Seasons differ from your previous Amber campaign, Ancient Roots, Young Boughs?
A lot. The scope is intended to be less expansive, and more personal.  Seasons hopes to be much closer to the beginning of ARYB than the end. Additionally, the GM has determined that many of the plot elements revealed in ARYB will not show up in Seasons in order to make a distinction between the two games and provide a fresh approach to Amber. These banned plot elements are: Chaos as a direct adversary to Amber; the Abyss spawning enemies; Yggdrasil having any more importance than being a bit of talking lumber; and Dworkin/Oberon having origins other than those in Chaos.

What makes Seasons unique? What's it's spin on things?
Seasons is a 'what if' scenario. What if the Amber described by Zelazny in the Merlin books never came to pass? Taking a page from William Shakespeare's play Richard III, we examine the Amber universe through a lens of discontentment. Things are not stable, and the valued peace of the post-Patternfall War Amber leaves many things to one's desire.

Where is the focus of the campaign?
The campaign is not going to purely focus on Amber – indeed, for those players who make personal shadows, they will be incorporated into the scene-setting of the game.  Part of the fun of playing in Amber is not only cavorting about in Amber, but in fleshing out the shadow worlds you envision.  Best guess is that there will be an even split between time spent in Amber and time spent out in Shadow or the Courts.

What is the level of Player participation?
Players should be able to post with some regularity.  They must be able to prepare a character designed to add his or her own plot elements to the game. The GMs have a few wide meta-plots, but the GM has also determined that to enter into the game early with a complex plot scheme is not only futile, but confining - - after all, few GM-invented scenarios survive contact with players, at least initially. Your PC must be created with the idea that you will at some level be propelling the game forward. The GMs will not be holding hands for the entirety of the game.

What are the basics for making a character?
Unless otherwise specified, all characters are should follow the Phage Press character creation guidelines. Characters get 200 points. They are ranked roughly at the level of power of Martin, Dara, Random and Florimel from the DRPG rules.  Those who tightly focus on a core attribute can even aspire to match Gerard, Corwin, Bleys or Fiona in some areas.  Your characters are young, but coming into their own. We are using a variant of Doyce Testerman's holistic stat system. There is no stat auction. There are no points from contributions.

Can I play a character whose gender is opposite my own?
Yes, you can. For the male gamers, please avoid making women caricatures – ie, bitchy amazons, sex-starved vixens, or merely men with breasts. I find that women tend to run male characters more effectively than men run women characters...so just guys take a step back and think on it, and you should be okay.

May I be a Lord of Chaos?
No. Chaos is a part of the game’s backdrop, but to keep it mysterious and strange no characters may be Chaosian. 

Can I choose my parent?
Yes, with GM final approval. If you wish to choose, look at the timeline in the Campaign section. You will want to plan for your character to have been born between -187 and -22 Amber Reckoning, on the timeline. Take note of where your parent was living at the time (ie, such as Flora being in shadow earth), as it may affect your background. You and your parent will know each other, irregardless of who did the childcare.  Available parents are: Oberon, Benedict, Llewella, Eric, Corwin, Dierdre, Fiona, Bleys, Brand, Florimel, Caine, Julian, Gerard, and Random, plus Sand and Delwin. Of these, Bleys is supposed dead, as is Oberon. Eric, and Dierdre are alive.

May I be a half-elf?
No. Your other parent is human if you are Amberite, or something close enough to human to be irrelevant. You can't be a half elf, werecreature, Chaosian/Amberite hybrid, or any other combination.  You may have a Rebman parent (they count as ‘human’), if you wish.

Is there anything else I need to know about being raised?
Yes. You were prepared by your parent to survive, and to be an Amberite. They would not let any of you grow up to be a hippy flower child with delusions of world peace, or raise you only in a forest of gentle woodland creatures and egalitarian elves. Your parent wants you able to defend yourself, able to understand social intricacies, and so forth. Your parent could have been very cool, or very harsh - that's your call, but they would not neglect your proper education. All players should assume they've been trained to handle weapons (particularly swords), lead troops, bandage wounds, make tactical decisions, know proper forms of address and etiquette, ride a horse, identify people from their Trump or picture, etc..

What about names?
Please use names that fit the Amber genre. Your parents will give you a name that they know will be suitable for the court of Amber, and not identify you as a social gaffe.  Do not use names that are culturally inappropriate to Amber, or are too esoteric, too modern/trendy, or are nonsensical. This includes, for example, names like: Tomiko, Shard, Jandalar, Drzz’t, Jennifer, Mackenzie or Hammurabi. Acceptable names are things like: Bridgette, Isadora, Juliette, Mercutio, Blake, James, Tybolt, Rene, Stuart, etc.  Celtic names, Historical Romance-language names, Shakespearian or Tudor-period names, are all fine examples.

Can I take Powers other than Pattern?
Yes. Trump, Trump Tricks, Power Words, Sorcery and Shapeshifting are all available.  Logrus is not. Conjuration is now combined with Sorcery in some respects, so it is not a separate power. Broken Pattern is not available. Powers are secondary to character development, and the game will take a minimalist approach to power-mongering. For any Power other than Pattern, you must have an appropriate Patron, who will have taught you, or who will teach you in the future.  You will also need GM approval. Patrons are discussed under Perks.

Can I have magic items?
Yes, and no. Yes, they are available, but no if they end up being one of two personally detestable categories:

    The Swiss-Knife object: if it shapeshifts into too many odd and useful forms, it's not appropriate. Best to avoid shapeshifting items if you want approval on them. Another variant to be avoided is the suit of armor/clothes/robe/cloak/hairpin that has one shape, but more powers than Iron Man. Avoid the superhero suit of armor, please.

     The Ghostwheel Mini-God: you can make up Constructs (there are house rules), but if they are anything like Ghostwheel, be prepared to have it turned down. Constructs should be immobile, and have a specific function, and non-sentient for the most part. Make them plausible -  like light houses, standing stones, faerie rings, crystal thrones, great cathedrals, a grove of sacred trees, an altar of bones...

Can I have good/bad stuff?
No, we are not using Stuff. We are using a Tony Lower-Basch’s Drama and Flaw system, which is very similar to the system used in the Nobilis RPG. Simply put, you have several Flaws for your character which, when activated, earn you Drama Points which you can later use to your benefit.

What should I be 'discontent' about?
 Here are examples below:

·         Discontent with Glory. While everyone else got to march off to join battle with Chaos, you were stuck back in Amber with Gerard guarding nothing....all those battles in previous years, all that training... and Oberon sticks you in the rear like a small child. Now, the victory songs you hear from the veterans, the stories told around mugs of ale, the ballads sung of the heroes...all of it is noisome discord to you, a reminder of how you failed to be a part of the greatest battle of all time. And it twists your guts like a knife buried deeply in your stomach.

·         Discontent with Love. You went away. She promised she'd wait, the lovely daughter of House Enzio. But the years passed for them swiftly while you were off in Chaos, and you returned to find she'd love and married another...you know her father put her up to it. Did he not ever profess to believe any of Amber would toss her off discarded, heart broken? But now it's your heart broken, and you want satisfaction... it's just too inconvenient that House Enzio is so tightly connected to Eric, the new king.

·         Discontent with Self. Mother doesn't really like you - hasn't she always favored your sister more? No matter what you did, the praise flowed more readily to her than to you. You feel clumsy, ugly, even though you are not, and people can only comment on your grace and beauty. You know they can't possibly be lying, right? Or is it a conspiracy - to keep you down, while your vain sister is held up above you. You're tired of being second best. You will craft events to show up those who look down on you, to show them how much you are worthy of so much more... and maybe give your sister and mother a lesson in the process.