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== Introduction ==
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__NOTOC__
 
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= Amar - the realistic, simple and community-driven Role-Playing Game =
''Amar The Role-Playing Game – Rules 2.0''
 
  
 
{{ infobox
 
{{ infobox
| abovestyle  = background:DarkSeaGreen;
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| abovestyle  = background:#d4a05f; color:white;
| above      = TABLE OF CONTENTS
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| bodystyle  = width:350px
| image       = [[File:Kingdom_of_Amar.jpg|300px|center|thumb|<center>Kingdom of Amar</center>]]
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| above       = Quick introduction
| caption     =  
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| header1     = What is a Role-Playing Game?
| headerstyle = background:Cornsilk;
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| data2       = Some people sit around a table with their player character described on a sheet of paper in front of them. The Game Master (GM) sits at the end of the table hiding his secrets behind a cardboard screen. The GM tells the players what their characters see and what they meet. The players respond by saying what their character does. Whenever there is a chance of failure, a dice is rolled to see if the character is successful in that task. The players usually play only one character each. The GM plays every non-player character (NPC) the player characters (PCs) meet. Small metal miniatures are sometimes used to represent the PCs and NPCs, especially to help track combat situations.
| header1    = [[The Character]]
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| header3    = What is the Amar RPG?
| header2    = [[Combat]]
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| data4      = Amar is two things: a) A realistic rule system that guides the GM and players in the game. The rules makes it possible to easily determine if a risky task like attacking the troll under the bridge is successful. And b) Amar is a fantasy world where the game play takes place.<br /> This site covers the rules of the game as well as information about the Amar fantasy world.
| header3    = [[Equipment]]
 
| header4    = [[Magick]]
 
| header5    = [[Encounters]]
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
[[File:Amar.png|400px|thumb|right|<center>Amar cover</center>]]
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<youtube>Soj9RPjSYGA‎</youtube>
 
 
Your are now reading the fantasy game of Amar. Fantasy is a literary term dealing with myth and magic. It is usually based on a medieval world were the gods are real and magic is a way of life. Here you will find the valiant knight battling it out with the mighty dragon to rescue the fair princess.
 
 
 
You have probably already encountered some fantasy books like JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, JE Howard’s Conan or films like Willow or Princess Bride. At least you have heard about King Arthur or legends of the Greek, Celtic or Norse mythologies. They all embrace the mystic feeling of adventure.
 
 
 
In reading a book or watching a movie, have you ever wondered why the hero made the mistakes? Would you like to rectify it? Would you like to be the hero yourself? Now you have the chance. With the Amar RPG you can take part.
 
 
 
The Amar RPG allows you and your friends to collectively imagine an epic adventure. It is similar to reading a book or watching a movie, except that you are controlling the actions. There is no set plot or outcome, it all depends on your decisions. You make your way of life in a fantasy world.
 
 
 
When you start playing, it will be on the island of Amar. This is a place were the legends are real and your fantasies come true.
 
 
 
As a player, you are not actually playing out yourself in the fantasy world.  You create a character that you play and act out as your alter-ego. This character may be anything from the valiant knight to the fair princess or a barbarian gladiator or even a sorceress. The more you involve yourself in your character, the more rewarding the game will be.
 
  
The characters played by the players are called player characters, or PCs. In the Amar RPG there are no real winners as in other games. The players act together to defeat the perils they encounter. Survival is easiest when the PCs cooperate. You may gain some treasure or lose some honor but in all, it is all about living out your fantasies.
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This is the site of the Amar RPG - the simple yet realistic Role-Playing Game. The game is the result of more than 35 years of development and play testing. Its forerunner, ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEGA_Role-Playing_System The Mega Role-Playing System (Fantasy Edition)]'' was published in the UK in 1987 and aimed to be the most realistic RPG. The target audience was seasoned RPG players. An RPG simulating real life was bound to be quite complicated and thus cumbersome. The developers ([[User:Isene|Geir Isene]] and [[User:Brakas|Bent Brakas]]) decided to cut down and simplify the rule system.  
  
The real reason for playing the Amar RPG is to have fun. Never forget that!
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While still maintaining a high degree of realism, the rules were simplified and simplified and simplified. Until the rules themselves were only a small fraction of Mega. The system is now one of the simplest yet most realistic. The Amar RPG uses only a 6 sided dice (d6) for determining outcomes of risky events. It is easily learned by the Game Master in an evening. The players catch on in an hour or two. No sweat. Just pure role-playing fun.
  
=== What Do You Need? ===
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== Introductory Podcast ==
 +
Here is a podcast that will give you a 20 minute introduction to the creativity, fun and excitement of Role-Playing Games in general and the Amar RPG in particular:
 +
[https://isene.org/2018/09/Podcast-RPGs.html What are Role-Playing Games?]
  
Since this game is played out in the imagination of the players, you need that for a start. You also need a couple of friends to play with. With the books in the starter set, a dice, paper and pencil you are all set to go!
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== Amar Lite ==
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If you would like a dead simple game system to get introduced to role-playing, try the one-page system, [[Amar Lite]]. You can use this together with [[The first Amar Lite adventure]] as a one-off evening game or use the system for a campaign with very young or beginner players. It offers one of the simplest systems around while maintaining realism. Here is [https://isene.org/2018/10/Podcast-AmarLite.html the podcast introducing the Amar Lite RPG].
  
==== The Game Master (GM) ====
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[[File:BasicSystem.jpg|344px|right]]
  
To see that everything is done right and in a fair way, you need the rules and a game master.
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== Amar RPG and the Kingdom of Amar ==
 +
This wiki gives you the complete game system as well as information on the Kingdom of Amar. As a Game Master, you will also find the [http://isene.org/amar.html Amar Tools] helpful.  
  
The game master creates and plays out the dangers and the people the player characters meet. After all, the island of Amar is populated by more than the few player characters. The rest is played by the GM as they are encountered. The GM creates the framework of the game before you get together to play. He creates the adventures that the PCs later play. He creates towns, inns, castles, traps, monsters and all the people in an adventure. All this information is kept secret from the players. They will discover it as they play.
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To help you understand the rules better, our contributor, Katageek, has written a story that exemplifies the rules in a simple way: [[Amar rules 101]].
  
The GM tells the players what their characters see. The players then say what their characters do. The GM then tells what happens. In this way the game is played.
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The Amar RPG follows a very simple system for everything a character does. The character has a value in a skill, such as "Climb", adds the result of a dice roll to match a certain Difficulty Rating for climbing that wall, tree or obstacle. The Difficulty Ratings (DRs) are given by the rules system. The character increases in skill values as he or she gets more experience or training in that skill. With higher skill values comes the opportunity to best more difficult DRs. Amar RPG uses a special dice roll called an "open ended dice roll". When you get a 6, you throw the dice again and again, adding one to the total as long as you get a 4 or higher. When you throw a 3 or lower, the "open ended dice roll" stops. When you get a 1 on the initial roll, you throw the dice again and again subtracting one from the total as long as you get a 3 or lower and stop rolling if you get a 4 or higher. By using such an "open ended dice roll", even the most skillfull characters can mess up and the unskilled peasant can get that lucky strike.
  
We have included a ready to play adventure in the starter set. This will make the job easier for the GM in the beginning, as he doesn’t have to create much in order to start playing.  Other ready to play adventures will be published on our web site. The creatures and persons that the GM plays are all called non-player characters or NPCs. The GM must remember to be impartial. He should not favor any player or player character.  He should be realistic in making his adventures and playing the NPCs. The GM must keep in mind that the game is only fun as long as it is not too easy or too hard.
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=== The Amar RPG Rules ===
 +
*[[Introduction]] – an introduction to role-playing and the Amar RPG.
 +
*[[The Character]] – rules covering character generation, attributes, skills and the experience system.
 +
*[[Combat]] – rules covering melee and missile weapons, armour and … combat.
 +
*[[Equipment]] – all kinds of goods and equipment as well as salaries for various professions.
 +
*[[Magick]] – rules covering magick and all the various spells.
 +
*[[Movement and Weather]] – rules covering movement in different terrains and weather conditions.
 +
*[[Encounters]] – description of humanoids and monsters.
  
Also, the GM must be strict in his decisions. If a character dies, he dies, and if he finds a huge treasure, he finds the treasure. Even if it is not deserved. Remember to keep a good game balance between opposition and reward.  That makes all the fun.
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=== The Kingdom of Amar ===
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*[[The Rise to Infamy]] – a short story giving the background to Amar.
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*[[Mythology]] – the creation of the world, current religions and the calendar.
 +
*[[The World]] - information about the world in which the Kingdom of Amar resides.
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*[[The Kingdom of Amar]] – an introduction to the Kingdom of Amar.
  
==== Dice ====
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=== Resources for the Game Master ===
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*[http://isene.org/cs.html Character Sheet] ([http://isene.org/csm.html Character Sheet w/Magick])
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*[[Advice to the GM]] – tips for new GMs.
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*[https://isene.org/2019/01/Podcast-Improv.html Podcast: The value of improvisation in Role-Playing Games]
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*[[The First Adventure]] – to get a fresh GM started.
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*[http://isene.org/amar/ Amar Tools] - online generator for encounters, NPCs, Villages/Cities/Towns, residents relations, weather and more.
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*[[Compacting information]] - Adventure descriptions to the point - create information with no bloat.
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*[[Conversion from other RPGs]] - Convert characters and monster from other RPGs (Runequest, AD&D, Pathfinder...)
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*[[Special:ListFiles|Image Library]] – lots of graphics, floor plans, etc. Free for personal use.
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*[[Other Resources]] - links to external resources (adventures, graphics, dice etc.)
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*[[Universal Amar]] - Amar RPG system in other settings; pirate, modern, sci-fi, etc. (with guns and laser weapons)
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*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHUA-o_5dgJbOXwtdVx--gTnmWfiyyys Great ambient sounds] for your gaming sessions.
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*[https://youtu.be/L0aL3EopqP4 Inspirational music] for the Amar RPG.
  
Somewhere in your home you will probably have a dice, confiscate this for playing the Amar RPG. It is practical for each player as well as the game master to have their own dice.
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To get you into the right Amar mood, listen to Derek and Brandon Fiechter's music on Youtube:
  
The dice is used to determine the outcome of many situations. A dice roll is usually made whenever there is a doubt about the outcome of an action. If a character (PC or NPC) tries to climb, swim, fight or cast a magic spell, a dice is rolled to check if it is successful. The procedure for this is explained later. The abbreviation for dice is simply d.  Sometimes you are supposed to roll a dice and add a number to the result. This is written for instance d+4 if you are to add four. D-2 means that you must subtract two from the dice result.
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[[File:DerekFiechterMusic.png|800px|link=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVRJdMxf_nuCR6C1ZMgn7Ug]]
  
=== What Do You Do? ===
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To create your own Amar RPG book, click [[Special:Book|Create a book]] at the bottom of the menu to the right and collect the pages you want in the book.
  
Since you have already read this far, you are familiar with the basics of the Amar RPG. Both players and the game master should read the introduction. Only the GM needs to read the rest of the book.  The next three chapters are the heart of the game, the rules.
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Contact Geir Isene (g@isene.com) to register as a user and contribute to this wiki. You will receive an e-mail with basic information on how to correct errors in the text, add new skills, spells or rituals, potions or magical items or new creatures.
  
You should read it carefully and be very careful not to read past any words you do not fully understand. If you encounter such a word, look it up in a dictionary. The GM should make a character and try out the game mechanics as he reads about them.  Have fun!
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== Latest announcements ==
 +
* '''2024-09''': Added the video "Hymn of Amar" and several minor edits
 +
* '''2023-11''': Lots of artwork refreshed and updated
 +
* '''2021-11''': Lots of artwork added (on all the God's and lots of scenery across the pages)

Latest revision as of 18:23, 12 September 2024

Amar - the realistic, simple and community-driven Role-Playing Game

Quick introduction
What is a Role-Playing Game?
Some people sit around a table with their player character described on a sheet of paper in front of them. The Game Master (GM) sits at the end of the table hiding his secrets behind a cardboard screen. The GM tells the players what their characters see and what they meet. The players respond by saying what their character does. Whenever there is a chance of failure, a dice is rolled to see if the character is successful in that task. The players usually play only one character each. The GM plays every non-player character (NPC) the player characters (PCs) meet. Small metal miniatures are sometimes used to represent the PCs and NPCs, especially to help track combat situations.
What is the Amar RPG?
Amar is two things: a) A realistic rule system that guides the GM and players in the game. The rules makes it possible to easily determine if a risky task like attacking the troll under the bridge is successful. And b) Amar is a fantasy world where the game play takes place.
This site covers the rules of the game as well as information about the Amar fantasy world.

This is the site of the Amar RPG - the simple yet realistic Role-Playing Game. The game is the result of more than 35 years of development and play testing. Its forerunner, The Mega Role-Playing System (Fantasy Edition) was published in the UK in 1987 and aimed to be the most realistic RPG. The target audience was seasoned RPG players. An RPG simulating real life was bound to be quite complicated and thus cumbersome. The developers (Geir Isene and Bent Brakas) decided to cut down and simplify the rule system.

While still maintaining a high degree of realism, the rules were simplified and simplified and simplified. Until the rules themselves were only a small fraction of Mega. The system is now one of the simplest yet most realistic. The Amar RPG uses only a 6 sided dice (d6) for determining outcomes of risky events. It is easily learned by the Game Master in an evening. The players catch on in an hour or two. No sweat. Just pure role-playing fun.

Introductory Podcast

Here is a podcast that will give you a 20 minute introduction to the creativity, fun and excitement of Role-Playing Games in general and the Amar RPG in particular: What are Role-Playing Games?

Amar Lite

If you would like a dead simple game system to get introduced to role-playing, try the one-page system, Amar Lite. You can use this together with The first Amar Lite adventure as a one-off evening game or use the system for a campaign with very young or beginner players. It offers one of the simplest systems around while maintaining realism. Here is the podcast introducing the Amar Lite RPG.

BasicSystem.jpg

Amar RPG and the Kingdom of Amar

This wiki gives you the complete game system as well as information on the Kingdom of Amar. As a Game Master, you will also find the Amar Tools helpful.

To help you understand the rules better, our contributor, Katageek, has written a story that exemplifies the rules in a simple way: Amar rules 101.

The Amar RPG follows a very simple system for everything a character does. The character has a value in a skill, such as "Climb", adds the result of a dice roll to match a certain Difficulty Rating for climbing that wall, tree or obstacle. The Difficulty Ratings (DRs) are given by the rules system. The character increases in skill values as he or she gets more experience or training in that skill. With higher skill values comes the opportunity to best more difficult DRs. Amar RPG uses a special dice roll called an "open ended dice roll". When you get a 6, you throw the dice again and again, adding one to the total as long as you get a 4 or higher. When you throw a 3 or lower, the "open ended dice roll" stops. When you get a 1 on the initial roll, you throw the dice again and again subtracting one from the total as long as you get a 3 or lower and stop rolling if you get a 4 or higher. By using such an "open ended dice roll", even the most skillfull characters can mess up and the unskilled peasant can get that lucky strike.

The Amar RPG Rules

  • Introduction – an introduction to role-playing and the Amar RPG.
  • The Character – rules covering character generation, attributes, skills and the experience system.
  • Combat – rules covering melee and missile weapons, armour and … combat.
  • Equipment – all kinds of goods and equipment as well as salaries for various professions.
  • Magick – rules covering magick and all the various spells.
  • Movement and Weather – rules covering movement in different terrains and weather conditions.
  • Encounters – description of humanoids and monsters.

The Kingdom of Amar

  • The Rise to Infamy – a short story giving the background to Amar.
  • Mythology – the creation of the world, current religions and the calendar.
  • The World - information about the world in which the Kingdom of Amar resides.
  • The Kingdom of Amar – an introduction to the Kingdom of Amar.

Resources for the Game Master

To get you into the right Amar mood, listen to Derek and Brandon Fiechter's music on Youtube:

DerekFiechterMusic.png

To create your own Amar RPG book, click Create a book at the bottom of the menu to the right and collect the pages you want in the book.

Contact Geir Isene (g@isene.com) to register as a user and contribute to this wiki. You will receive an e-mail with basic information on how to correct errors in the text, add new skills, spells or rituals, potions or magical items or new creatures.

Latest announcements

  • 2024-09: Added the video "Hymn of Amar" and several minor edits
  • 2023-11: Lots of artwork refreshed and updated
  • 2021-11: Lots of artwork added (on all the God's and lots of scenery across the pages)