This was my fifteenth AmberCon NorthWest (ACNW), and this year it was online-only because of the covid-19 pandemic.
GM John Kim
Thursday - 7pm to midnight
This was the sixth year of this game - my only continuing campaign game thus far. It is a re-imagining of Zelazny's Amber around a Chinese theme, where all civilizations and universes are merely reflections of the great Jade Empire, and the Pattern is housed deep in the Forbidden City within the capital. There are many relatives since the first emperor long ago, and those in whom the imperial blood runs true are superhuman - able not only to walk the Pattern, but to leap to the tops of buildings and engage in fantastical swordplay. It merges Amber with the Chinese wuxia genre. My players and their characters were:
Important NPCs included:
We started with Sanniang (Kai) consulting with her astrologer XingXing (Stormy) about the strange split reality between the Jade Empire under Empress Sanniang and the Star Republic ruled by her twin brother President Wang.
Meanwhile, Junbao (Milo) was consulting with General Hin-hung (Pol) about possible rebels at the martial arts school taught by Shenshui (Todd) near the border with the Star Republic. Hin-hung was pulled through trump but came out as the woman Fang-min. Confusion and combat ensued which destroyed much of the town center.
After the fight, Junbao agrees to meet for tea on neutral ground with Fang-min, and started to get answers when Fang-min was pulled through trump to President Wang's estate, who is very curious about him/her.
They get him to agree to repatriate them to his sister the empress. Investigating at the palace, they find Hin-hung/Fang-min are a dual being who came about because Hin-hung was on top of the Great Wall between the Empire and Chaos when reality split. Further, he/she might disrupt President Wang's control over his reality, allowing him to be overthrown.
Sanniang agrees to a visit to her brother Wang with the crew. They flip Fang-min to Hin-hung which temporarily disrupts Wang's reality control, and then have a furious fight with the guards, ending with Wang being punched unconscious.
GM John Kim
Saturday - 9am to 4:30pm
This was a diceless game set in the 1980s, where the player characters were all top scientists who come to a small town to deal with strange events.
GM Michael Hewner
This was a no-prep run of the strange Powered-by-the-Apocalypse game, "The Veil".
GM Anne Delekta
This was a straight Amber Diceless game, set in the city of Rebma. The PCs were a mostly cooperative group sent by King Random to look into happenings going on in Rebma. After going down there, we investigated and found a giant sea monster representing the old powers of the ancient seas on the outskirts.
GM Karrin Jackson
Town: Small tourist town in the Catskills - Mayhurst, NY
Students at well-to-do high school for snooty rich people
By lake
Science teacher Mr. Theodore James; young + nature nerd
Aaron, Robin, ...
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Mortal: Hot 2, Cold -1, Volatile 1, Dark -1
Wendy, beautiful, doe eyes, your barista (works at hot dog stand)
* True Love: carry 1 forward to earn lover's heart/favor
* Sympathy is My Weapon: forgive, gain string on them
* Down the Rabbit Hole: poke nose, someone gains string, mark xp
Strings: Ghost *, Faithful ., Hollow ., Gargoyle *
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* Ghost (played by Amy)
not a local family, died within last 4-5 years, parents left
strangled in woods, didn't see face but smelled cologne
Kara, out of place look, unnerving eyes, murdered in cold blood
- gargoyle knows how died, in bedroom of Wendy
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* Faithful (played by Brandon)
from influential family managing the churches, judgemental Catholic
Julia Rose Richards, judgemental eyes, reserved, raised that way / guided by divine
- strings on everyone / ghost knows greatest sin-killed
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* Hollow (played by Dan)
foster kid in rich family, staying in boarding school, seems driven and reserved
Aaron, immaculate look, soulless eyes, once a toy
- taking social cues from Julia; Gargoyle knows that is all lies
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* The Gargoyle (played by Justin)
androgynous angel statue from Europe, put away from chapel to storage
Robin, Bs in everything, Catholic angst, cursed to guard crypt
- Julia saw transform; watching Wendy
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* The Mortal (played by John)
TV poor, mother a teacher, father unemployed (hardware store closed down Walmart)
Wendy, beautiful, doe eyes, your barista
- in love with Kara
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* Ghost (played by Amy)
You used to have a future. Growing up was a painful tumult at times, but at least you were growing. Now you only have a past - unfinished business to take care of before you can leave this world behind.
Life is precious. You understand that, now that you’ve lost yours. You just want to help. You just want to be seen. But sometimes even the simplest desires feel so difficult to grasp.
Ghosty ghost, you’re dead.
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* Faithful (played by Brandon)
Lost among a sea of ignorance and what they call sin, the Faithful is the lone paragon - a monster the rest. They know the others have no idea what faith is, or have the humility to commit themselves to anything beyond their petty wants. But for the Faithful that is ok, it is there job to show them. They’ll preach to whoever’ll listen and save their souls whether they want it or not.
But your commitments wouldn’t be meaningful without temptation lurking. Your body screams at you to betray your sacred promises. Your faith may grant you strength, but it’s not always easy to stand up for what’s right. It’s hard for you to be strong all the time, and something’s gotta give.
We all need forgiveness for something, right?
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* Hollow (played by Dan)
They set out to make something from nothing. It’s not clear whether they succeeded or not. See, it turns out there’s a lot of grey area between something and nothing.
You’re alive, but you’re not real. You don’t have a soul. You don’t have childhood memories, because you don’t have a childhood. You don’t have parents; you have makers. And those makers forgot to give you a place in the world.
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* The Gargoyle (played by Justin)
They remember being a real human kid once, a long time ago. Before they built the school. Before they were cursed to become the guardian of their domain.
But after a while the Gargoyle has come to accept the terms of their eternal lease. They are in your classes, attend pep rallies, run for student council. They’ve enjoyed the same classes over and over again, playing the joys of high school on repeat.
They were created to bless this school, and they will continue to guard it for years to come. The Gargoyle is the warning and the punishment to the various thieves, vandals, and other undesirables who would stain their grounds.
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* The Mortal (played by John)
None of them would understand. What you have here, in this dark and secret place, it’s beautiful. They’d warn you that this sort of beauty is dangerous, like a raging fire. Well some things are worth getting burned for.
Love has eclipsed all hope, and the dark has left you feeling beautiful.
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I've mostly avoided online gaming, but I went ahead with ACNW because of the community.