Amar
A realistic role-playing game you learn in an evening, played with one six-sided die.
Skill + O6 ≥ DR
Every roll works the same way. Add your skill to an open-ended die roll (O6) and meet or beat the Difficulty Rating (DR).
Roll a 6 and you roll again, adding 1 for every 4 or higher. Roll a 1 and you roll again, taking away 1 for every 3 or lower.
“A fucking amazing game system” (GarThaleon)
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 die 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 realistic rule system that guides the GM and players in the game. The rules make it possible to easily determine if a risky task like attacking the troll under the bridge is successful.
- 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.
Get in the mood
- Enter the Faerie Forest
- Amar and Walmaer, albums on Spotify
- Ambient sounds for your gaming sessions
For the right Amar mood, listen to Derek and Brandon Fiechter's music:
New to role-playing
- Amar LiteThe whole game on one page, for beginners and young players.
- The first Amar Lite adventureA goblin hunt for a first evening of play.
About Amar
The game is the result of more than 35 years of development and play testing. Its forerunner, The Mega Role-Playing System, was published in the UK in 1987.
Mega aimed to be the most realistic RPG, and so it was complicated. Geir Isene and Bent Brakas cut the rules down again and again while keeping the realism.
The Game Master learns the game in an evening. The players catch on in an hour or two.
The rules
- IntroductionRole-playing, the dice and what you need.
- Amar rules 101The rules told as a story, by Katageek.
- The CharacterMaking a character, skills and experience.
- CombatMelee, missiles, armour and wounds.
- EquipmentGoods, gear, prices and wages.
- Movement and WeatherTravel across terrain and in all weathers.
Magick
The world of Amar
- MythologyThe creation, the gods and the calendar.
- The GodsEvery god, with symbol, domain and holy day.
- The Kingdom of AmarThe kingdom, its districts and its cities.
- PlacesTowns, castles and villages across Amar.
- The Rise to InfamyA short story giving the background to Amar.
People and creatures
- NPCsThe personalities of Amar, with full character sheets.
- EncountersAnimals, peoples and monsters, with 3-tier stats.
For the Game Master
- Amar ToolsOnline generators for NPCs, encounters, towns, weather and more.
- Advice to the GMTips for new Game Masters.
- Character sheetA4 PDF, with a spell sheet for magicians.
- The First AdventureA first adventure to get a new GM started.
- Compacting informationAdventure notes with no bloat.
- Conversion from other RPGsBring characters and monsters from RuneQuest, D&D, Pathfinder.
- Image LibraryGraphics, floor plans and more, free for personal use.
- Other ResourcesLinks to adventures, graphics, dice and more.
Add-ons
- Universal AmarPirates, modern days and science fiction, with guns and lasers.
- Evolutionary MagickA magick system where spells grow along paths.
The book
The rules and the Kingdom of Amar in one book of 305 pages, with the illustrations, maps, gods, creatures and personalities.
- The Amar RPG bookPDF for reading on a screen, 17 MB.
- Print editionPDF, A4 with bleed, 76 MB.
Podcasts
- What are role-playing games?A 20-minute introduction to role-playing and Amar.
- Amar LiteHow the one-page game works.
- The value of improvisationImprovising as a Game Master.
News
- 2026-09 Full overhaul of the site.
- 2026-08 The Amar RPG book: the whole game in one PDF.
- 2024-09 Added the video “Hymn of Amar”, and several minor edits.
Help build Amar
Found an error, or want to add a skill, spell, ritual, potion, magick item or creature? Write to Geir Isene at g@isene.com.