It’s been liberating to do some coding lately. I finally got around to update my Non-Player Character (NPC) generation program (npcg) for the Amar Role-Playing Game. I have added a major feature – the ability to generate random encounters for the game. I also improved the generating of human NPCs and fixed several bugs. The online version of the program went south after Ruby (the programming language) was updated to version 1.9 as the templating engine I used – Amrita – stopped working. The nerd in me woke up and rose to the occasion. After two weeks of Ruby coding and a major overhaul, I am proud to present the new online version of NPCG 🙂
If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t be too shy to speak up.
The Kingdom of Amar
Geir Isene - uncut 
Totally cool 🙂
What’s even cooler is that I got a comment on this blog post 🙂
And cooler yet, it was from the Amazing Bren 😀
I think your game has potential in these areas.
Back in my “everyone thinks you are an OSA spy” days, you pretty much blew me off when I recommended that this game could be morphed into cool things. Here is that list again:
1. An expanded version of Amar’s game mechanics could be a good coaching tool for helping people role play difficult circumstances in life. A person could learn to sell, negotiate, manage and other such skills with the die mechanics crating various outcomes. Their OWN LIFE could be practiced in AMAR.
GEIR: “Okay, we’re negotiating a salary with a prospective employer.”
CLIENT: “Cool.”
GEIR: “I’ve enjoyed this interview, and we are willing to extend you an offer of 65,000 a year.
CLIENT: “Hmm. I appreciate your offer and really want to invest my efforts at Big Bucks Corporation of the World to achieve your goals, but based on my value of (VALUE) I feel my salary is more in line with 85,000.
GEIR: (DIE ROLL) 1. “This is an amazing opportunity and no. 2. Would you consider 75,000? 3. I’m sorry, I guess we can’t come to terms. 4. Sure. Can you start Monday? 5. Honestly, with your skill level you are lucky to get this job at all. 6. Tell me more why you feel you are worth that much?
After the negotiation role play, you make a skill roll on negotiation to see if the exchange was successful.
2. Amar could be a great asset in oppressive environments like solitary confinement. In solitary, a person could create a 6 sided die methodology several ways (pattern on floor and a small people) allowing him/her to create an alternate reality to maintain social skills and human connection. Kind of like Tom Hanks did with the character “Wilson” in “Cast Away” but way better. That way a person could still “Live their life” even though they technically don’t have one.
If a person is stuck in a terrorist prison, he/she and friends could play a version of your game engine. The rules are small enough to pass notice. All that would be required is a small paperback.
3. Amar’s die mechanics could make a great children story telling product line. A bed time “choose your own adventure ” genre that makes story time at night the best thing kids get in life. I did a version of this with my kids just using a 20 sided die in the 90’s and to this day, I have friends of my kids talk about those stories. One graduated from college and at her graduation she asked me to perform one of my “Blue Bird of Weirdness” stories in front of her friends who were in their twenties.
I keep waiting for a simple RPG to make it mainstream and not require volumes of books to run. But volumes of books is the way the money is made. “Kobolds Ate My Baby” is a simplified RPG that was successful, but not as simple as AMAR. And AMAR in its current manifestation still cannot be picked up and run by a non-gamer and be easily understood.
You’re is simple enough. But it’s current manifestation is still difficult to a new player who is not a computer whiz.
EVERY RPG IMHO is way too complicated in its explanation. None of them align with HOW humans with average intelligence learn things.
And here is HOW you could do that.
The entire rules explained through an ongoing story as it’s being played.
When explaining the mechanics of play, write the story of an adventure on the right page of the rulebook. On the left side explain the mechanics being used in the story appearing on the Right. Use plenty of graphics for the left side of the page and PRESUME YOU ARE TALKING TO AN IDIOT AND EXPLAIN IT IN 4TH GRADE LANGUAGE.
((READER TURNS PAGE))
The story continues and (surprise) the hero has to use another game mechanic very similar to the one just used, but it is more complicated. Same thing: Story on the Right. Rules and graphics on the left.
Wash, rince, repeat.
Put character creation at the BACK of the book.
No introduction! They one the book and the Adventure BEGINS on the RIGHT side of the page.
It’s a STORY annotated by RULES.
They can read just the story. They read just the rules.
They can read them concurrently.
Sorry spell check did a number on me.
“No introduction! They OPEN the book and the Adventure begins on the right side of the book.
“Rules? We ain’t got time! Danger is here! We’ll learn them as we go along!”
RIGHT SIDE OF BOOK
“Crailo is climing a wall. Beneath him are a sea of festering Mergs. He looks up … decides to climb. He barely makes it!”
LEFT SIDE OF BOOK
“Climbing is a skill in AMAR. And Crailo doesn’t have time to spare so let’s show you his technique. When using a skill like climbing in AMAR …”
If you want this rulebook, there are two guys in Texas who can knock this shit out. If you want a quote, send me a FB message.
Oh yeah, and Amar (or Hyper Story) could also be used for solo play as a creative exercise. Nobody uses RPGs like that because nobody has thought it useful.
I think it could be very useful. One could rehearse real life circumstances over and over again with different outcomes SOLO.
Regardless, expand this game. It’s worth it and I have eight years making this shit so I know what i’m talking about.
If you want me and Carl (my former coworker/boss/friend and graphics ninja) to power up this game. We can.
These are great comments. I will do some experimentation with Amar in my coaching. Cool nudge, Kat 😀