Only play Amber with Amber fans

I am of the opinion now that all good Amber campaigns include no more than one player who has never: played the game before and/or read the first five novels of the series. That's the conclusion I've come to: "Only play Amber with Amber fans". Kinda sad in that it renders it nigh impossible to ever grow the game's following.

A long-term fan knows the world, and cares about the setting. When you mention Tir'Na'Nog'Th, they know how it works, even if they (like me) can't spell it. If forced to invade or defend Amber, they can dream up multiple plans. Fans of the books tend to spend their time in and around Amber, not deep in shadow. They have a vision in mind of what the place looks like and what makes it so intriguing. As a result, the richness of the existing setting is amplified, not suppressed.

When they do go wandering through shadow, they're looking for places that feel like Arthurian England, Upstate New York in the 70's, or that weird Tower that Brand is locked in. Maybe that gives way to Pharaohnic Eqypt, David Bowie's Labyrinth, and Los Angeles, but it doesn't clash much against the existing backdrop. They don't tend to go looking for Coruscant, Superman's Ice Cave, or that place where Marvin the Martian keeps his Eludium Pu-36 Space Modulator.

Most importantly, a fan of the novels cares about the Royal Family. They already hate and love Fiona, Julian, Corwin, Benedict, etc. Given a chance, they'll gladly chew-the-fat Zelazny-style (or at least Tarantino-style, which is close enough) with the existing NPCs. They've decided who's their favorites, and will approach them (of their own accord) with preconceived notions that are sometimes spot-0n and sometimes deathly dangerous. When a big NPC does something sinister, a long-term Amber fan doesn't kill them. The long-term Amber fan has them banished, imprisoned, tortured, dismembered, blinded, etc, so that proper villains can recur until what feels like it must be the final reel.

A new player, who hasn't read the books, tends to shy away from those NPCs. They never trump anyone but their fellow players, or MAYBE their Amberite Parent every 5th session or so. The first time someone stands in their way, they immediately go lethal like it's just another monster to kill in D&D. But if you don't mess with them, they'll spend all the time they can deep in shadow dallying and pursuing minor personal goals of minimal import completely unrelated to anyone else's plots. All this is acceptable if it's one person doing it. A single contrasting view point is great, it spices up the game and brings unique perspective.

But the Amber RPG is at it's best when everyone has an understanding of the setting and what makes the game tick. And that just doesn't happen with a bunch of new players. The difference is so pronounced it's between the most artful RPG experience of your life, and the worst chaotic "too many cooks" of a broth you've ever tasted.