Wow, my second second Zelazny post of the day.
A friend sent me this link to a kickstarter for the Lords of Gossamer and Shadow Diceless RPG. It's based on the rule system for the Amber Diceless RPG and designed by one of the writers for Shadow Knight.
My impression after reading the blurb and the preview PDF is that this is very much ADRPG with the Amber-specific terminology stripped out.
The setting is a clearly an analogue for Amber, with one to one correspondences for the elements in the original, and the impression I get is that it's as close as they could get without using the specific terms.
I'm not sold on the need for the game, since the original RPG is still fairly widely available, but it's a project by fans of Zelazny and Amber. I thought I should at least give bring it to the attention of the folks who read this site and let you make your own decision if it's right for you. I'll probably throw in enough money for the PDF, because hey, Amber fans gotta stick together.
They obviously don't have the permission of the Zelazny estate to use any element of Amber (setting, characters, plot, etc.). That's unfortunate. I'd be a top backer for a true sequel or supplement to Amber Diceless, but not for something that uses the structure of the game but none of the Amber elements.
ReplyDeleteWhile it has some similarities to Amber (multiverse travel, a order/entropy power dichotomy, powerful characters) by design and intent, it has a lot of differences.
ReplyDeleteThere is no One True World. There is no equivalent to Amber/Chaos, or a progression of Shadows. The two big powers are there, but picking one isn't picking a side... just a way of doing things. It draws a bit more from Zelazny's Roadmarks, in that there is a central artifact (the Stair) that runs through all of the realities, and characters are those who are able to walk upon it.
Additionally, Jason Durall clarified much of the rules, especially when governing conflicts. Now Psyche and Strength have as many options as does Warfare, and there are more straight-out guidelines about how to GM conflicts.
ADRP has been out of print for years. The goal is to provide a core rulebook, a new setting, and a treatment of the rules that could be used for other, future diceless games, for existing Amber fans and for new players unfamiliar with diceless gaming.
Steven D Russell
Rite Publishing
Thanks for the clarification, both as far as what the product will contain and your goals for the future. I've owned a copy of ADRPG for quite a while (though I haven't played in ages) and I didn't see a lot of value in Lords for players like me.
DeleteHowever, on reading your reply, I see that the game has expansion and clarification of the rules and the possibility of future games or supplements, and that is what has me most interested.
ADRPG might be out of print, but it's still easy to get. But we're never going to see any more direct support for it, whereas with LoG&S, there could be both official products and fan-produced material, so I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.
I did wind up kicking in for this project, so I'll have a review up once I get my copy in a couple months.
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