Thinking About Amber DRPG

The Amber Diceless RPG has been one of my favorite games for years. Recently I've been trying out its successor game, Lords of Gossamer and Shadow, with my local RPG group.  As part of designing the campaign, I've been thinking about what makes a good Amber game work.  (When it works; sometimes it doesn't.)

1) Deep Character Investment: I've found that players often develop a deeper investment in their Amber characters than they do in characters from other games.  The system encourages you to think deeply about the characters' background, their upbringing, and their goals and wants. But, more than that, the very simplicity of the system encourages deep characterization.  Amber characters have only four stats, and maybe one or two of a handful of powers, but players are encouraged to visualize everything about them, from what they are wearing, to the worlds they visit, and have almost no limitations in inventing these details.

2) Infinite Setting: The characters can go anywhere, and do just about anything they wish. It is extremely common for Amber groups to separate, pursuing different goals, in entirely different worlds.

3) The Ties that Bind:  Despite the open setting, Amber characters are always drawn back to each other and to the important NPCs.  Most player groups quickly obtain a full set of Trumps, permitting them to call each other and teleport to each others' locations. So a widely scattered group can almost always reform for a plot point.  Amberites are also all family.  The important NPCs have similar powers, are usually blood relations.  Player characters cannot help but be pulled into the plotting and adventures of other Amberites.

I'm not sure how this will play with my current group, but I hope they will have a good session.