Special House Rules

Tone and Suspension of Disbelief

Ground rules for keeping in tone with the background.

This story is about fallible characters that live in fey darkness but emit light. Our story is about a Shadow reflection of the Eternal City of Amber. It is about the lives shaped by a Broken Power and a Family recovering from a War that has cost it very dearly.

Umbra is a dark fey realm of immortal legends.

As such, this Family has more in common with Addams than Barimen. I'd love for us to collectively capture a very un-monstrous darkness. Something like being able to find life-affirming style in the worst of calamity.

The center of this universe is the mighty Caer Umbra and the picturesque port town that lies beneath it.

This campaign will have smaller differences between Player Characters and Elders. PC's start at 80 points total of Powers/Attributes. Elders will likely have 100-120 points. Some of the most impressive Elders are already dead.

PC's will turn out to be the first line of defense for future troubles directed at the Kingdom.

The Old Nobility of Umbra are those persons who were recognized by Queen Odessa. Sirs and Dames who were given their titles for service rendered to the Throne of Night in centuries past. Being made noble by the Queen confers some degree of immortality. The Night Blade drinks of the blood of the candidate and they stop aging.

Dame Hen is the Caer Steward.

Dame Bayne is the Minister of Agriculture

Dame Kairn is the Minister of Commerce

Dame Felbane is the Minister of Defense

Sir Karmine is a cavalry commander

Many lives were lost in the War. Many townsfolk played direct parts. Some of them have been ennobled by Queen Rakshasa in the last few months. The Nobles are working authorities.

Sir Mauric is a flotilla commander, former student of Carnage

Dame Wit is an army commander, former student of Beneficent

Darkweir's Doom

There is a Doom on the Family Darkweir.

The HiveMother of the Host threw a Curse upon the Get of Darkweir when your ancestor forged the Night Blade from the Foundations of the Host.

Every Player is completely free to interpret this Curse upon their Character with "inventive glee". The Doom is chaotically unique to each person in the Family. It means some sort of bizarre weakness or supernatural debilitation for everyone.

Examples:

A Psyche curse, such as rage/bloodlust under a full moon

An Endurance ailment, such as stigmatic bleeding

A Strength doom, such as only having mortal strength when bound

A Warfare liability, such as being half as capable against men

An Arcane burden, such as becoming a monstrous shape by day

~Stuff penalties should NOT be used for the Doom, that is a separate issue, in other words you may have Bad Stuff on top of the Doom.

Your parents (and/or theirs) will be Very Unlikely to share/discuss their own Doom with you.

Figure it out for yourself and Deal with it in back story.

Warnings

Do NOT run your story lines over territory that belongs to Amber geography or myth. Do not figure to meet Zelazny's characters. This story is about Umbra and a different family; the descendants of Darkweir.

You may design back-story around Darkweir Elders and help 'shape' them (with some veto power retained by the GM). You may and are encouraged to use Zelazny's work to create reflected "visions" of landmarks in this universe.

Examples:

The Keep of Four Winds

Prince Flight's favorite Shadow Urth

Princess Corvidae's blade DarkSilver

Do NOT lie in your fiction-- as Corwin doesn't lie to himself in Zelazny's narrative. He may be wrong but he's not lying. Since other Players will be attempting to function in the same universe as you, don't mis-report information in an effort to be "sly" or "duplicitous"--- it is inappropriate to a "letter game".

Example:

Corvidae left a note for Dame Hen telling her to have the apartment aired and scrubbed. That should take care of the bloodstains and forestall any later problem of someone collecting evidence.

Simply put-- this demonstrates truth is not shared but reality is. Dame Hen does not know of the real reasons the PC is doing something, but other Players do.

Game Postings

I can tell you that First person storytelling is a very demanding technique (even for established authors). Third person storytelling is superior, because you get to display hidden perspectives from several reference points. Either is fine for fiction--- but I prefer Third person past tense for the game. Also note that Third person allows other Players to grab portions of your text for common events in their stories.

Example:

Rakshasa welcomed Prince Flight back to the fortress with a quick nod and a kiss. They had not seen eye to eye for many years, owing in part to the antics of Rak as a young adult.

Flight was not one to hold a grudge and let others know it, but sometimes made an exception for Rakshasa. Flight sat and poured himself some brandy.

"So what happens next, your majesty?" He toasted the queen.

See how it reads the same way as a piece of fiction? You don't need to tell what someone IS doing in present tense. You need to relate this as a story that has happened.

Questions? Drop me a line.