TEXT: The Strings
  
  Contents
  Roleplaying Game Basics 
  3
  Prologue 
  3
  What is a Roleplaying Game? 
  3
  A Game is not a Puzzle 
  3
  A Game is not a Toy 
  3
  A Game is not a Story 
  3
  A Game involves Participation 
  4
  The Essential Game Assets 
  4
  Decision Making 
  4
  Goals 
  4
  Opposition 
  4
  Managing Resources 
  5
  The Character 
  5
  Information 
  5
  Summary 
  5
  Strengthening The Game  
  6
  Prologue 
  6
  Diplomacy 
  6
  Variety 
  6
  Identification 
  6
  Roleplaying 
  6
  Gamesmaster Law  
  7
  Prologue: How to be a GM 
  7
  Preparation 
  7
  The First Session 
  7
  How to Gamesmaster 
  8
  Example No. 1: Simple Game 
  8
  Example No. 1: Analysis 
  10
  Practise Makes Perfect 
  11
  Advanced Gamesmaster Skills  
  12
  Prologue 
  12
  Style 
  12
  Bending Dice 
  12
  The Rules vs The Flow 
  12
  The Global Mis-rule 
  13
  Mechanics 
  13
  Improvisation 
  14
  Drama 
  14
  Applying Detail 
  14
  Player Attachments 
  14
  Killing Characters 
  15
  Missing Players 
  15
  Game Style 
  15
  Game Style Critique 
  16
  The Icarian Model  
  18
  Prologue 
  18
  GM Mechanics 
  19
  Introduction 
  19
  Doing Things 
  19
  Combat Description 
  19
  Combat Mechanics 
  20
  Giving Roleplaying Points 
  20
  Time Guide 
  21
  Connection Diagrams 
  22
  Introduction 
  22
  What you need 
  22
  Building an Example 
  22
  Power 
  22
  Power Table 
  22
  Illegal Level 
  23
  Reknown 
  23
  Diagrams that Grow 
  23
  Building Your Own Diagrams 
  23
  Start with Friendly Groups 
  23
  Reknown Table 
  23
  Illegal level Table 
  23
  Add Foe Links 
  24
  And Finally, the Player Team 
  25
  What the Connection Diagram Shows you 
  25
  Timelines 
  26
  Dynamics 
  26
  Removing Character Dependency 
  26
  Linking 
  27
  Event Skipping 
  27
  Dynamic Timelines 
  27
  Introducing the Timeline 
  27
  Dissecting the Example 
  28
  Building Timelines 
  28
  Timelines Hints and Tips 
  29
  Tracking 
  30
  The Three Dice Rule 
  31
  Baron Method 
  31
  Rolling Dice 
  31
  Using the Rule 
  31
  Three Dice Rule Examples 
  32
  Epilogue 
  34
  Information
  Strings Version 1.1
  Copyright 1990-2003 R. Lang
  Web: www.icar.co.uk
  email: icar@icar.co.uk
  2
  
  Roleplaying Game Basics
  Prologue
  Most Roleplaying games give a brief introduction about how to Gamemaster (GM) and what sort of 
  additional rules one should consider when being a GM. A typical book would also give some examples 
  of play and then explain a few campaign settings and some adventures. To shun convention, this section 
  begins with a description of Roleplaying games in general. It then goes on to describe techniques that 
  can improve the game for all. These two sections should give you a good grounding in what the author 
  likes to call ‘Game Theory’. The next section describes tools which Icar uses to weave and control the 
  campaign setting. By this point, you will be familiar with all the game mechanics.
  What is a Roleplaying Game?
  It is important for any Gamesmaster to define exactly what a Roleplaying game is before beginning to 
  design and play. It is quite easy to mistake a part of a game for the game itself. To try and avoid this, the 
  next section will begin to describe a game by stating what a game is not. The following descriptions use 
  ‘A Game’ in place of a ‘Roleplaying Game’ for easy of reading.
  A Game is not a Puzzle
  A game may have puzzle elements but it is not itself a puzzle. A puzzle is a static structure which can be 
  solved either by clues, guessing or logic. A game is dynamic (the opposite of static) and changes with the 
  actions of players. If the game’s sole objective is solve a puzzle, then there is no roleplaying required, 
  no resources to manage and not neccesarily any opposition. The game can simply be won by completing 
  the puzzle. For a game to be interesting, it needs some element of puzzle solving, the players like to feel 
  their own intelligence is aiding them along the course in some way.
  A Game is not a Toy
  A toy is device which may have many difference behaviours and may be used in a game but the game 
  is not the toy itself. For example, a football can be seen as a toy where 22 men playing football is a 
  game. The players impose their rules and objectives onto the toy to create a game. Therefore, a toy can 
  be interactive but a game has goals, some end to which the players strive. In the same way, the game 
  world (or game background) is the toy that players can interact with but to become a game the players 
  need goals.
  A Game is not a Story
  The author has a pet hate about ‘Storytelling’ games and the use of the word Storyteller. A story is not a 
  game at all. Stories are linear, no matter how many times you read a story, the outcome does not change. 
  Stories score well in this way as the characters can be chosen to be interesting and to have interesting 
  and the story guided in a direction that the reader would find interesting. Sometimes in roleplay games, 
  the characters do something that might not be as interesting as one might have thought.
  Games are non-linear, they do not follow a predetermined path. The players make decisions and the 
  decisions affect the game world to alter the current situation. It is possible to think that a player might 
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  make two different decisions in two similar situations on two different days. A decision, therfore must 
  have some alternatives to choose from, otherwise the game becomes a story. The more linear you make 
  the game, the less decisions the players have (or the less affect the decisions have) the more like a story 
  the game becomes and less like a game.
  A Game involves Participation
  Many descriptions of roleplaying games begin ‘It’s like a film but...’, this is an immediate fallacy as the 
  audience watching the film is utterly passive. The audience may think of sub plots or reasons behind the 
  story unfolding but you are just watching what the film company have made, you are passive. The same 
  is for plays, reading books and TV, you have no affect on the story. The GM provides the theme behind 
  the game and the players steer the story how they want, playing their parts to the full. This participation 
  is vital, the GM is not there to tell a story but let the players play out the story.
  The Essential Game Assets
  It is easy to spot where the above areas fall down when compared to a game, but what is a Game? To 
  try and define this, I use The Essential Game Assets. If your game does not include one of these, then it 
  ceases to be a game. Harsh but fair. To take the standard game definition:
  “A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage 
  resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal.” - G. Costikyan
  Decision Making
  Interactive is an overhyped and largely misued word. Games are interactive, without interaction, the game 
  would be a puzzle. But a light switch is interactive, you turn it on, you turn it off. Interaction. Interaction 
  must have a purpose. Decision making takes interaction a stage further, it uses goals, resources and a 
  carful weighing up before the interaction is made. For example: do you you want the lights on? Will 
  the bright light hurt your eyes? Do you dislike the dark? This is suddenly decision making, a form of 
  interaction but so much more. Success should be mainly rooted in decision making. All decisions made 
  within the game are dependent on Goals, Opposition, Resource management and information. The more 
  complex each of these aspects are, the more complicated the decision will be.
  Goals
  The second vital aspect of any roleplaying game is to have goals. A game without goals is merely a toy. 
  To keep both the GM and the players interested in the game for a prolonged period of time, goals or 
  objectives need to be set. Although roleplaying games are without victory conditions (you very rarely 
  win a RPG) they are packed full of goals, both long term and immediate. If the players don’t have a goal 
  and can not generate one by themselves, then the GM must provide one or the game will degenerate 
  and eventually become pointless. Decision making require goals otherwise there will be no distinction 
  between two choices. If in doubt, the goal should be character survival, the greatest goal of all.
  Opposition
  Victory is all the sweeter if the opposition made the fight more of a struggle. In most Games (RPGs in 
  particular), the opposition arrives in the form of NPCs. However, opposition can also come in the form 
  of weather, unhelpful council employees, old ladies and jamming weaponry. Whatever the goal that has 
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  been set, a GM must make it difficult to acheive their goals or the feeling of richness and acheivement 
  is diminished.
  Managing Resources
  Often choices are meaningless, there are many options but they differ little or the outcome will have 
  much the same effect. These choices can be made meaningful by adding resources whether they be 
  money, equipment, favours from a friend or boss, the goodwill of an NPC, food, sex, or information. 
  Adding these resources makes the game more interesting “I’m sorry, monetarily speaking, I can’t afford 
  to shoot you to I’m going to hurt you a bit with this big stick”. The resources must also have some 
  part in the game world, otherwise the resource has nothing to contribute to the success or failure of the 
  decision.
  The Character
  The actions you make in the game are made through your Character. The difference between a character 
  and a resource is that the resources are items you can manage and the character the player’s method of 
  managing them. The Character is all important to the player as it controls the viewpoint the player has 
  on the world. The Character allows the player the feeling that they control their own destiny, that she is 
  playing the game rather than watching a story.
  Information
  The balance of information in roleplaying games is very much up to the style of the GM. However it 
  must be noted that players can not be expected to arrive at a sensible decision without enough meaningful 
  information. The players might have as much information at their disposal but without meaning, they 
  can not put it to use. Given the decisions that the players need to make, the GM must make enough 
  information available to make a reasonable decision. If the players lack information to begin with, the 
  GM should advise them to look for more.
  Summary
  Before the game can begin, the GM must make sure that what is being played is actually a game and not 
  just a story or puzzle. Absolute freedom must be restricted somewhat, otherwise they will stray from the 
  plot however at no time should the players feel restricted. A Roleplaying game is a game where a group 
  of players play the parts of characters, managing resources, collecting information and making decision 
  that help them struggle toward goals. The GM is there to tell the players the outcome of the decisions 
  and to provide them with enough information to make further decisions. 
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  Strengthening The Game 
  Prologue
  Roleplaying and GM in particular is an art. There are said to be good GMs and bad GMs. As Roleplaying 
  is not a science, there are not sure fire ways and methods to go about running a good game, there are, 
  however a few tools that can be used to make a GM better.
  Diplomacy
  Diplomacy is one way of dealing with opposition. Another way of dealing with opponents is to kill them. 
  Rather than let the game degenerate into a set of running battles (to play these, you might as well be 
  playing a board game), allowing players to talk their way out of problems can not only add intrigue to 
  a story line but provide the players with the feeling that they have control of the game. Diplomacy can 
  also be used to gain allies, maybe through doing favours. Having contacts of this kind is a very powerful 
  resource but the players must be prepared to do something in good faith once in a while.
  Variety
  Everyone has a certain GMing style, things that they always take with them from one game to the next. 
  However, variety is the differing encounters that the players can be faced with. How boring can D&D 
  get with ‘It’s a band of angry orks’, once you’ve spent three hours slashing them, the players get bored 
  if it happens again. Randomness can provide a variety in itself, if the dice go against the players then it 
  might take the game down a route you would not have expected. However, when creating a campaign, 
  you need to make sure there is a variety of places to explore and fact to discover. Icar lends itself to huge 
  variety but it up to the GM to inlcude it.
  Identification
  If a player identifies with their character, an emotional impact is added to the game. Players invest a lot 
  of time in their characters as it shows their position and standing in the game. It can be difficult to get 
  a player to identify with a character that is far removed from their own personality and experiences. By 
  giving the player examples of the character’s points of view (generated with the guidance of the player, 
  of course!) on different subject matters, the player can understand the character better.
  Roleplaying
  Roleplaying is taking on the persona of yor character. When you do so, you are roleplaying. Roleplaying 
  helps character identification and fuels socialisation within the group. When a player plays a role, they 
  are effectively performing in front of their friends. From a selfish point of view, they are exploring their 
  character’s persona through their own character.
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  Gamesmaster Law 
  Prologue: How to be a GM
  A game is an art form in which players manage resources by making decisions through a character 
  in pursuit of a goal. So what is a Gamesmaster? This section runs through the basics of how to be 
  a Gamesmaster (GM). All aspects are covered in a very general way, Icar specific GMing is quite a 
  departure from the normal but there needs to be some groundwork before Icar GMing is described. 
  Although this Chapter is called ‘Gamesmaster Law’, these laws are more guidelines. Following the next 
  steps will take you through the principles of being a GM.
  WARNING: GMing is not easy, it is hard work compared to being a player but the rewards are far 
  higher. GMing is not something you can do by halves, you need to put effort in. The more effort you put 
  in, the more the players will enjoy your game and the more of a kick you’ll get out of it.
  Preparation
  The first thing any GM needs to do is to prepare the game properly. Many games fall flat quickly as little 
  or no thought and effort has been put into the game before play. Putting effort into the game before takes 
  pressure off during the game. A GM’s preparation includes the following steps:
  1. Find Players. You need players to play your game, not having enough or having too many can 
  ultimately ruin the game. A good maximum is 5 players. 
  2. Pick the Game System. Choose a system you know the players will like. Also choose one that 
  interests you, as the GM you need to enjoy it aswell. 
  3. Learn the System. You’ve got the game, now read it. Make sure you know all the background 
  and have a good grounding in the rules. This will make the game flow better. This might seem 
  daunting but the time will not be wasted. 
  4. Devise a Scenario. To give the game goals, you need to devise a scenario. This can be a campaign 
  (a series of games) or a single game. Icar requires some special skills for creating Icar scenarios 
  (explained later) but for other Roleplaying Games, there are plenty of resources on writing a good 
  scenario. Make sure your scenario is broad, as you will never predict exactly what the players are 
  going to do. 
  5. Organise your information. After creating the scenario, you are likely to have a lot of 
  information. Organising the information by date, type or order of occurance can help dramatically 
  in the game. It also allows you to... 
  6. Revise the Scenario. Have another look at the scenario and make sure you are not turning the 
  game into a puzzle, toy, story or a trivial bore! This second look is very useful as there might be 
  aspects of the plot that the characters will never interact with. 
  The First Session
  Once you’ve planned everything you think you’re going to need, you’re ready for the first session. This 
  invariably invlovles making characters, this is counted as the first session regardless if it is done in 
  public or private. The reason for this is that it is the first game interaction with the players. At this early 
  stage, you can begin moulding the characters to fit the scenario. No doubt you have created a method of 
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  the characters meeting, either through family, corporate or friendship so give this as a basis of making 
  the characters. Make sure the players add some colour to their characters by including background and 
  listing friends and enemies.
  How to Gamesmaster
  You have your characters, you have all your information ready and scenario primed, you know the rules 
  and you are ready to start. Where do you start? As a GM, your role includes these primary roles:
  1. Describe the Environment
  Tell your players what they can see, feel, touch, hear and smell. This sensory information, if correct 
  will give the players emotion immediately (whether it is an emotion of comfort, fear, suspicion, etc. 
  etc.) and put them into a setting. 
  2. Answer Questions about the Environment
  You may have missed something the players deem important. You must answer questions by the 
  players, sometimes the information is not available, tell them so and why. For Example: You can’t 
  see any doors because the room is dark. 
  3. Improvise
  The most useful GM skill. As not everything can be written down and the player’s actions can not 
  be guessed during planning, you must improvise. The better your preparation, the easier this is to 
  do. 
  4. Describe the results of actions
  The players will interact with the game world, so tell them the results of their actions. This can 
  come in the guise of applying the game rules (a player wants to shoot an NPC) or in describing 
  more information (a player wants to switch a light on to see the exits of the room). The better the 
  description, the more understanding the players will have and the better they will react to the game 
  world. 
  5. Play Non-Player Characters (NPCs)
  The players will soon get bored interacting with each other so Non-Player Characters are brought 
  in. Non-Player Characters are ‘everyone else’ in the game world and can be broken down roughly 
  into two categories; Plot NPCs and Innocent NPCs. These ideas are expanded later in Icarian 
  Model. Normally it is fun to ‘ham up’ NPCs, that is play a distinct archetype that the players can 
  identify with, they are also easy to play. 
  6. Keep the game moving
  Most player groups can win awards for side tracking the discussion away from the game. Don’t 
  worry about butting in and steering the game back on track.
  Example No. 1: Simple Game
  This is an example of a simple Icar game that will appear a little generic to experienced Icar players. 
  Throughout the example are small numbers (1) in brackets that refer to the techniques described in the 
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  list on the previous page. The lines are numbered for the analysis on the next page.
  The GM has two players, Simon and Yvonne. Simon is playing a policeman and Yvonne is playing a 
  private eye. The GM has set up a scenario where both players are looking into a murder and have decided 
  to work together. The GM has written a fair amount on the actual corpse but has very little information 
  on the apartment except a few clues.
  i. GM: You are both standing in a poorly lit, metal corridoor in front of the victim’s apartment. The door 
  has a police seal on it and around you are pot plants and advertsing holograms. The air is clean and fresh, 
  and the corridoor is artificially warm.(1) What do you want to do? (6)
  ii. Yvonne: Well, I can’t get in. I need the police pass. Simon, are you going to let me in?
  iii. Simon: GM: Is the door damaged? Any signs of the door being forced?
  iv. GM: None that are visible.(2,3)
  v. Simon: Use my police pass to open the door slowly, I don’t want an evidence being disturbed.
  vi. GM: The door hisses quietly as it slides to the side (4). A repulsive, stale smell of rotten eggs drifts 
  out of the room (1,3). The apartment is completely dark inside. What are you going to do? (6)
  vii. Yvonne: Ergh! Cover my nose and mouth with my hand and peer inside.
  viii. Simon: Use my neck-scarf to cover my face and turn on the lights.
  ix. GM: Yvonne, putting your hand over your mouth is not helping a great deal. Simon, you’ve deadened 
  the smell a little. (3,4) The blue lights come on, getting brighter and whiter.(3) You can see the entire 
  contents of the room, like any normal living room. The corpse is sitting in a large, leather backed chair 
  to one side of the room. He is wearing a very expensive suit and is holding a glass filled with red liquid 
  in one hand. (1) Some of the liquid has spilt onto the floor, leaving a red stain. (1)
  x. Yvonne: Isn’t there automated surface cleaning devices that would detect the spillage and clean it 
  up?
  xi. GM: They are disabled when someone is in the room.(2)
  xii. Simon: Check his terminal, is there any information on it?
  xiii. GM: The terminal has ben reset to factory settings, effectively removing all information that was 
  stored on it. (2,3)
  xiv. Yvonne: Simon, we should wait for the forensic report. There is nothing we can find that they can 
  not.
  xv. Simon: Forensics are good at detail, not the overall picture. GM, check his personal affects, anything 
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  out of the ordinary.
  xvi. GM: Personal grooming items, some ready meals, an ornamental Grav Bike, Planetball holograms, 
  some holostories and ‘The Compendium of Ancient Rites’.(2)
  xvii. Yvonne: I’d say that was out of the ordinary. 
  and steering the game onto the right track.
  Example No. 1: Analysis
  The example demonstrates the Primary Roles of a GM except the NPC interaction (covered later in 
  the Icarian Model section). In this section, the example will analysed, pulling out the finer points and 
  showing how the example demonstrated the Primary Roles. The Roman Numeral numbers (i) refer to 
  the lines on the previous page.
  • Begin with a description.
  To start off any section, you need to begin with a description (i). This sets the scene for the players 
  to then roleplay around the situations. The more detail you put into the description the better the 
  players will understand their situation. Use at least three of the senses in your description and do not 
  forget to include any extended sensor data that the team might be receiving. 
  • It’s their turn to speak.
  My favourite “What do you want to do?” prompts the players that it is their turn to speak and that 
  they have the opportunity for action (i). This helps keep the game moving. 
  • Let them play.
  It is important that the players get a chance to interact with each other (ii, iii). Don’t be afraid to let 
  them argue out situations by themselves. If they need your help, then they’ll ask for it. If they start 
  to wander off the subject into something irrelevant on non-game related, then pull them quickly 
  back into line. 
  • Add-Lib
  Add-Lib is the art of making things up as you go along and is a very difficult skill that needs 
  practise. Too much add lib and the game becomes very difficult to play, random and without any 
  kind of direction. This can be avoided by preparation but never irradicated, you will never predict 
  what your players will do. Add Lib improves with practise. 
  • Don’t assume anything.
  In the case of (vi), you could say:
  ‘... the door slides open and you turn on the lights’.
  This is putting the words in the mouths of the players and is an error made by many GMs. Don’t 
  do it. If the players want the lights on, they’ll tell you. This may seem like a good way to move 
  the game on, but it will just fustrate the players. Instead give them a pointer that will get them to 
  automatically to put the light on for example:
  ‘.... it is too dark to see.’
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  Practise Makes Perfect
  An old English phrase but one that works. GMing is definitely something that can be improved by 
  practise. Although the whole GMing prospect may seem daunting to being with, once you’ve tried it, 
  most of the things listed in the last section become quite easy. If you talk to the players afterwards, using 
  the pointers in ‘How to Gamesmaster’ to question them, you can improve for the future. After all, if there 
  is anything glaringly wrong with your GMing style or preparation, then the players will spot it first.  
  11
  
  Advanced Gamesmaster Skills 
  Prologue
  This Chapter details many additional facets you can bring to your game. Not all of these will work for 
  particular GMing styles or for the particular part of the scenario you are trying to run. 
  Style
  Every GM has their own style. Fact. Developing your own style is a matter of course and will happen 
  over time. If you’ve played with another GM who was very good and ran a good game, you might feel 
  that you shoud emulate his style. Ultimately, this is folly as you will be trying to take on their personality. 
  Instead of emulating their style, try and incorporate the good things that the GM did. For example, you 
  might try to increase the number of senses that you use in your description. This is not really changing 
  your style, just adding to it.
  Bending Dice
  There are times in the game when the dice go against either you or the players. Sometimes, there is just 
  a large amount of bad luck and the players get into a situation that realistically, they can not get out of. 
  At this point, you might say that their bad luck killed the players. As a GM, you can normally spot when 
  the dice have consistently gone against the players, regardless of their actions they are going to die. The 
  sides of the argument, that you must realise at the time of the game are so:
  Did the players put themselves into the situation?
  Quite often the bad dice would not have mattered, the players were playing appaulingly anyway. They 
  reacted badly to the dice and deserve to die. Kill one of them. Be merciless. Don’t bend the dice. On the 
  flip side, the players were trying to do the right thing but were entirely unfortunate, relying on a skill or 
  attribute they were good at. At the critical time it failed. Continual failures put them in a bad way. This 
  is a cause for dice bending.
  Did you put them into this situation?
  You ran a nice little plot line that you were sure they’d understand and they ‘muffed it’. The whole things 
  is tumbling out of control and at the point where you are sure they’d roll good dice a spate of bad luck 
  ensues. So what do you do? Bend the dice. Put them into a situation that they then have to roleplay out 
  of. If they continue to mess up, then it’s their problem.
  Bending dice is a very powerful technique and if used incorrectly may make the players feel like their 
  whole game is utterly being controlled and there is no random element at all. This is a God - Like 
  complex that must be avoided.
  The Rules vs The Flow
  The rules are provided by the game creator to provide strcuture to the game session, not to slow down 
  roleplaying. Most roleplaying games state this as fact in the Gamesmaster section but totally throwing the 
  rules out of the window can cause just as much of an issue as allowing the game to slow. Bold comments 
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  to the affect of ‘Ignore the rules if it slows down the game’ are a fallacy and born of experienced players 
  with experienced GMs who know enough of the rules to make a educated guess. But as a blanket 
  statement it simply does not work. Such siutations are best illustrated by an example:
  Take the case of the new GM, he knows most of the rules and will be pretty hot on the background. 
  Most of the time, the new GM will make judgement calls on rules he’s familiar with. However, at 
  a particularly important point in the game, he needs to refer to the rule book. For a well designed 
  rule book, with plenty of reference-type aids, this may take a matter of minutes. The new GM will 
  then learn from the new rule and play will continue. If the GM made a ‘judgement call’ and was 
  wrong, this would then set a precedent for the future. The GM would have to make the same call in 
  the future or the system would become a mockery. Using the rulebook makes sure you use the same 
  ruling each time. That’s what it is there for. 
  The difficulty comes when assessing how much time to spend looking for a rule. A quick check might 
  not break the flow. A long perusal of a minute rule in a complex book might annoy the players. The is no 
  way to set a time for this as it is utterly case dependent. However, a good rule of thumb is five minutes, 
  any more and you’ll annoy. A good technique is to give the players a ‘comfort break’ while you look, 
  this would then give a natural gap for you to hunt for the rule and the players will know they will not 
  miss anything if they leave.
  The Global Mis-rule
  One pet hate of the author is when the above argument is joined and moulded with the ‘incorrect rule’ 
  argument. They are two separate arguments and should be treated differently. When writing a game, 
  there is no way for the creator to write for every possibility. Players are the most random bunch of people 
  ever formed into a team and can arrive at some very strange ideas. These ideas may mean that a rule 
  becomes incorrect, if in doubt, discard it for something more sensible, pencilling a note in the margin. 
  As long as the mis-rule is treated the same way in the future, the players will not mind the alteration. 
  Mechanics
  The last two examples show how a GM requires the mechanics of the game. Quite often, a GM will 
  make a ruling different to that in the rules. The players, often better versed in the rules than you, may 
  argue the ruling due to it being unfair or incorrect. Either set a precedent (a new ruling) or admit your 
  mistake and change the way you do things. If you make a precedent then you must follow it in the future. 
  The danger here is that if a precedent is set and you decide not to follow it in the future, the players will 
  consider this as being unfair and will loose respect in you and your game.
  Another issue on the subject of mechanics is balancing and unbalancing. Without a doubt, the system 
  you run will have possiblities that make the character unbalanced. There are two ways out of this: 
  Alter the mechanics at the start of the game, letting all the players know of its error and how you want 
  to run it. Unfortunately, not all the mechanics make issues like this easy to spot, especially with add-ons, 
  conversions and extra game books. 
  i. Make a deal with the player in mid-game saying you did not spot it before. This bout of honesty 
  will go down well the with player. 
  13
  
  ii. Do not, in any way, try to push the problem under the carpet, blaming it on the game creator, 
  player or milkman. This will again loosen the respect the players have for and eventually weaken 
  the game.
  Improvisation
  Touched on earlier, improvisation or add-lib is what separates the good GM from the bad. If a player want 
  to do something you haven’t planned for, you could give a response that makes the action impossible. 
  Doing this will only make the player less likely to try anything in the future. Make them roll dice or 
  describe in detail what they want to do (it may go wrong halfway through) and then let them do it. This 
  will also spur on the other players to do interesting things and the game will really run along.
  Drama
  Being overly dramatic in your descriptions can help build tension into the game. If a player falls into a 
  hole. Don’t just say ‘You fall in the hole, it hurts.’, give a description of the hole, how black and deep it 
  is. Give them the chance to grab for the edge, increase the tension. Maybe a hand slips, or the character 
  grabbed with the arm that has been injured somehow. Maybe the edge is treacherous, have them slip, roll 
  another die and then make another grab for something before falling in. This may seem over dramatic, it 
  would be if on film, but it helps the players’ imaginations grasp the tension of the situation.
  Applying Detail
  Descriptional detail is the most powerful and subtle technique a GM has to guiding the players. In 
  describing a scene, you can take emphasis away from, or add to, a certain object by removing or adding 
  detail. This can be demostrated with two examples:
  i. You are standing in a large silver room, it has one ornate and sturdy door. In the centre of the 
  room, just metres from you is a low table with a goldern datacard and a rifle. The rifle is a matt-
  black machine gun with four notches on the barrel. Toward the butt of the rifle are more scratches, 
  as if it has been stored standing up. There is a slightly curved magazine in its centre and a sight 
  made from several cylinders on the top. 
  ii. You are standing in a large silver room, it has one ornate and sturdy door. In the centre of the 
  room, just metres from you is a low table with a goldern datacard and a rifle. The gold card has a 
  crest of an eagle on it, resessed into the metal but with minute detail. On close inspection you notice 
  all the feathers are etched separately. The datacard has a few glyphs, which you don’t recognise, in 
  one corner and a notch in one end. There is no writing on it. 
  The emphasis from one to the other can be altered to distract the players or point them in the right 
  direction. The players know that the GM will put effort into writing down descriptions of the important 
  artifacts and not for the unimportant ones. A lot of fun can be had telling players more about useless stuff 
  than the interesting nuggets. Tell them if they ask but otherwise play it down. One would like to think 
  that the players get wise to this, but they never do.
  Player Attachments
  Many players like to become attached to an item within their inventories. This can happen to many 
  different objects from a car to a gun. This attachment can be increased and played upon by the 
  14
  
  Gamesmaster to great affect. For example, someone might park carelessly and dent the player’s favourite 
  car. If this is the pride and joy of the character, the player is likely to roleplay anger. Used correctly, this 
  technique is a powerful way to get a player to bond with their character.
  Killing Characters
  At some point in the game, a Character is going to die. Whether you bend the dice or not, the character 
  is still going to die. If you let the character live any further, chances are the player will not learn from 
  the many mistakes that have been made to make the character die and thus you must go through with it. 
  However, if a character does die, then make a big show of it, describe every last moment of the character’s 
  life for the player and string it out. If you are going to end the campaign there, then fine. The players will 
  get a chance to make new characters. However, it is the author’s opinion that if one character dies, then 
  the player should be able to make a new character that slots neatly back into the campaign. 
  Missing Players
  It is unavoidable that at some point there will be a player missing from the game. The problem is with 
  what to do with the character when the player is gone. This is ultimately the choice of the GM. However 
  there are a few options that the GM has before taking the task on.
  i. Give the character to another player. If the character is well known and the GM has a 
  experienced player to hand the character onto then another player can take charge. The pitfalls here 
  are concerned with the player’s original character being neglected and the player knowing secrets 
  about the character. 
  ii. The Character is out of the action. Have the character play along with simple sections but is 
  effectively out of the action. This is only really acceptable if the character is not pivotal (the other 
  characters will die without their help) but means that no one has to worry about the actions of the 
  character. 
  iii. Played by proxy. Have the player send the character’s actions for the GM to play out. This can 
  involve a lot of effort but if the player is away for an extended amount of time, then the character 
  can still take an effective part of the game. 
  iv. GM Plays the Character. This should be the last resort as the GM has enough to deal with, 
  without having to worry about another character in the story. 
  Game Style
  This section is included to try to address an argument that is and has been fought over many years. 
  It concerns the style of game the GM is running. Although, all these styles can be considered as 
  Roleplaying, they are quite different when seen from the GM point of view and thus are often a bone 
  of contention. The crux of the problem comes with assigning Experience points. Experience points are 
  the only fiscal reward the players get for their hard efforts. Although one might argue that finding out 
  information previously hidden is reward enough, Experience Points are a more tangible form of reward. 
  The argument begins: ‘What do you give expereince for?’. There appears to be three options available 
  to the new GM:
  i. Award Experience Points based on how much they kill. This is the standard Advanced 
  Dungeons and Dragons (from TSR) technique. You get 100 points for killing one sort of monster, 
  15
  
  200 for a more difficult one and so on. More points can be gained for having good ideas and for 
  winning overall. 
  ii. Award Experience Points based on how much they experience. In other words, the more 
  the characters do, the more experience is awarded. If the players experience a lot, go through a lot 
  of hell and come out the other side, they experience a lot, the get a lot of XP. In this case, good 
  ideas are automatically rewarded as to get in and out of situations (and thus experience a lot), you 
  normally need to have good ideas. 
  iii. Award Experience Points based on how they Roleplay. The character gets rewarded for how 
  they play their character. If they play a believable character then the character gets lots of points. 
  Game Style Critique
  The styles of GMing on the previous page lead to three distinct styles of game. Different players and 
  GMs wants to play different games at different times. Therefore, the new GM must tailor the game to suit 
  the players and themselves. After all, fun is the object of the game. This section includes a description 
  of how each method of assigning Experience Points leads into a style of game and a few justifications 
  for doing so.
  Firstly, a note on optimisation must be understood. A simple concept: The only real reward in a 
  Roleplaying Game is Experience Points. To do well in a Roleplaying game, you need to accumulate a 
  lot of Experience Points. The more Expereince Points, the better you are at the game. It is a measure of 
  your worth in the game. Therefore, whatever you award Experience Points for is the very thing that the 
  players are going to try and achieve. This affects our game styles thus:
  i. Award Experience points based on how much they kill. If the players get rewarded for how 
  much they kill, then they will kill more. There is no need for them to Roleplay, as long as they get 
  through to the next part of the adventure. They are not rewarded for Roleplaying, so why bother? 
  This leads to a ‘Hack and Slash’ type of game which is fun in short bursts but can quickly become 
  boring. To be used with caution. 
  ii. Award Experience Points based on how much they experience. Here, the characters are 
  pushed to have good ideas. This is a literalist view of Experience Points as the rewards are only 
  for experiencing things. This is good when justifying skill raises, if you experienced a lot, chances 
  are you’ve used a lot of skills and therefore you should be able to raise them. However, there is 
  no way to reward Roleplaying. The character might have spent the entire session locked in a box 
  and the player had Roleplayed the neurosis that the character began to experience. A real feat in 
  Roleplaying but for no reward. 
  iii. Award Experience Points based on how they Roleplay. Normally difficult to gauge, to get 
  Roleplayers to Roleplay well is to reward them for it. You could argue that the character should not 
  be allowed to improve if they have not experienced anything. But the game is a Roleplay game and 
  therefore Roleplaying should be rewarded. How this is then spent (probably through justifying why 
  skill or stat raises occur) is a game specific matter. 
  This has been a general description of the methods you may like to consider when running a game. 
  In essence, an experienced GM is likely to use a combination of the above not only one. However, 
  it may be prudent to check with the players how they wish to be judged, giving the options above. 
  16
  
  This way, they will feel like their hard work each evening is actually improving them in some way. 
  Whatever the guide the GM uses to assign Experience Points, it must be consistent between games 
  otherwise the players will not be able to gauge how to play better. The Icarian Model for Experience 
  Points is given later.  
  17
  
  The Icarian Model 
  Prologue
  The Icarian model is a set of tools and rulings to allow a GM run Icar in its full manner. Regardless of 
  your GMing experience, Icar is utterly different from anything else you have run. This is not a selling 
  point, it is a fact. The Icarian model initially makes more work for the GM but allows far more depth and 
  colour to any campaign setting. If you really like to GM but have trouble creating in deep, meaningful, 
  different, vast and consistent campaigns that allow the players to do just about anything then this is the 
  system for you. Of course, not all the tools will be useful for every GM but to play Icar to the full, all 
  the assets below must be used. You can run Icar in a more linear manner, but experienced players may 
  baulk at being forced into a linear setting. Most of the Icar non-specific rules can be ported to other game 
  systems with little effort and this is encouraged for the GM with too much time on their hands!
  The Icarian Model consists of the following aspects:
  i. GM Mechanics. Rulings and tips on how to run the Icar Elements quickly and cleanly and 
  methods to make your sessions runs more smoothly.
  ii. Connection Diagrams. These are diagrams that show the present state of the Galaxy. They are 
  fully scalable to allow Galactic alliances as well as local alliances to be represented. This is an 
  invaluable way to work out who hates who. 
  iii. Timelines. An invaluable resource, the Timeline shows how the connection diagram changes 
  over time and also illustrated aspects of the connection diagram. 
  iv. Tracking. Tracking is a system by which everything that the characters have affected can be 
  traced, plotted and fitted into the connection diagram. A useful tool for creating recurring NPCs and 
  events. 
  18
  
  GM Mechanics
  Introduction
  This section gives some information about how to run the Icar system mechanics. Scenario information 
  is given later. Icar is a cinematic system (also known as Narrative) where the exact figures do not really 
  matter, but the game flow does. This help section is to be used in addition to the Elements and it is 
  assumed that they have been read and understood.
  Doing Things
  For most actions, skills are used to see if the character can achieve them. The player must roll under 
  the skill number and then give you the difference between what they roll and their skill. You can then 
  add and subtract difficulties (%). Once this is done, if the number is still positive then they have passed. 
  Rolls of 1% and 100% should be taken as automatic passed and failures respectively. A list of typical 
  skill uses is given below.
  Typical Action
  Skill Required
  Modifier (if any)
  Searching for information on Gaia
  Computer Know
  None
  Trying to start a Grav car without the owner’s 
  Gaiacard.
  Hacking
  None
  For statistics, it is much the same case but a D10 is rolled. 1 and 10 should be considered as automatic 
  passes and failures. When there is no skill appropraite for the action or when the character is trying 
  something physical beyond what is normal (such as feats of running / jumping), then statistics are to be 
  used. The table below gives some example where Statistic are to be used.
  Statistic
  Types of Action
  Battle
  Pretty much only used when fighting
  Meat
  Lifting things
  Carrying things
  Shift
  Running
  Dodging
  Jumping
  Soul
  When facing scarey situations
  When doing something inhuman
  Wit
  When noticing things
  When trying to remember something
  When the GM wants them to spot the obvious in a situation but the 
  players have not quite managed to spot it!
  Combat Description
  The Icar mechanics system is a cinematic one, it is not the intention of the author to create something 
  numerically realistic to the point of pedantry! Combat should be a descriptive process, using the numbers 
  19
  
  as almost an afterthought. This puts more emphasis on the narrative nature of the game.
  For Example
  i. The thug kicks you for 8 Stun.
  ii. The thug swings his leg round to slam with a thud into your side, knocking you sideways (8 
  stun).
  In the above example, the first method is quicker but much less interesting than the second. The second 
  is a much preferred method as it builds up a better image of what is going on. This will spur the players 
  into more descriptive actions of their own. The same goes for both Fire Fighting and Dog Fighting. In a 
  fire fight, the players can see if the dice they have rolled has got under their skill score, but they do not 
  know wether they have actually hit anything (because of modifiers). Describe what happens instead of 
  stating what has happend and then let them make their own mind up.
  For Example
  i. You fire into the crates area, you miss.
  ii. You fire into the crates, rounds bounce of crates sending sparks up into the air.
  In the second example, it is less obvious whether a stray round caught the target than the first. This 
  provides more intrigue and interest for the players.
  Combat Mechanics
  The combat in Icar is inteded to be quite quick and deadly. There are a few pointer that can help speed 
  up the mechanic part of the game. This section will grow as more ideas are added.
  i. Ammo Recording
  When firefighting, the players should record their ammunition by magazine on the weapon sheet 
  (see right). This allows them to see quickly and easily how many rounds are left in the magazine 
  left in the weapon. 
  ii. Getting the players to do some maths
  Players tend to fire in either full bursts (at the maximum rounds 
  per turn) or at a single round. Get used to asking them how many 
  rounds and how much damage the weapon does. Do not worry about 
  trying to memorise all the different amounts of damage different 
  weapons do. If you have trouble with this multiplication, then ask 
  them how much damage they want to do. The players will not notivce 
  this subtlety but it will speed up the game.
  iii. Passing players by
  If you have entered combat and you ask the player what they want to do and they stall by asking 
  questions, give them one question and then say “that’s your turn taken up with questions” and move 
  on. A good situation description can avoid the players asking many questions.
  Giving Roleplaying Points
  As stated before, what you give RP for will determine much how the game is played by the players. 
  20
  
  In Icar, RP is given for playing a believable and for taking part in the game. It is largely subjective, 
  but the  players should feel that they are rewarded for doing well and not rewarded when they achieve 
  nothing. Do not be afraid to give maximum points or minimum points, quite often it will help the player 
  try harder and enjoy the game more. The following table is to be used as aguide on how much RP that 
  should be given in a session.
  RP Given
  Description
  0 Player did not turn up
  1 Player rarely did or said anything and when they did, did not do so in character.
  2 Player rarely speaks but does so in character, most of the time.
  3 Player plays their character believably and consistently most of the time.
  4 Player plays a believable and consistent character all evening and adds flavour and depth 
  to the game.
  5 Player is indestinguishable from the character.
  Time Guide
  Once all the players are gathered together in one spot, how does a session start? Often, the players will 
  chat about non-game related things for a while before the GM is ready. Socially this is fine, but it is also 
  a waste of precious game time. Here is an order of doing things that allows the players to get into the 
  game quicker.
  i. Arrive. This is sort of prerequisite, included here for completeness. 
  ii. Arrange Seating. People normally sit in the same places. 
  iii. Issue Character Sheets. All sensible Gamesmasters keep the character sheets with them so that 
  they can roleplay a character if a player is missing. 
  iv.The Recap. At this point, a volunteer is chosen to recap what happened last session. Up to 3 
  Roleplaying Points should be issued for the accuracy and style of the recap. This is to refresh 
  everyone on where they stand. 
  vi. Issue Roleplaying Points. At this point, the RP are given out. It is normally a good idea to 
  suggest where the player can improve or where they did particularly well in a session. 
  vii. Players spend RP. Any spending of RP must be justified, if they fought in a session, they 
  should be allowed to increase a fighting aspect of their character. 
  viii. Set the scene. Following on from the end of the recap, set the scene. Where the characters are 
  and what they are experiencing individually normally works quite well. 
  ix. Begin. Ask the players what they want to do now. 
  This Icarian way of doing things will not suit everyone but can be used as a guideline for a good way to 
  run a session. The author has certainly seen better use made of the start of the session when this method 
  is used.  
  21
  
  Connection Diagrams
  Introduction
  A Connection Diagram describes the state of play at any particular point in time. Connection diagrams 
  are the heart of Icar. It normally takes many diagrams to show the whole state of play at any one time, 
  but only one really needs to be referred to at a time. A Connection Diagram shows each group of people 
  as a box and uses lines to join these boxes up. The type of line shows how the groups are connected, 
  normally as either friends or foes. From this diagram, timelines can be created and updated, and complex 
  stories created (more of this later).
  What you need
  Connection diagrams can be as rough or as neat as you like. Simply, you need a pencil and some paper 
  (most of the author’s start this way). If you are making Connection Diagrams for Icar, you will also need 
  a copy of the GM Connection Diagrams that display various states around the Galaxy and the Galaxy 
  as a whole.
  Building an Example
  This section will create an example from scratch using generic situations. A more Icar specific Icar 
  example is included later. It must be kept in mind that a Connection Diagram is there to show the 
  relationships between groups, so you need to start by creating the groups. Each group shown on the 
  Connection Diagram should be important in some way. Uninteresting groups should be left off.
  The Megacorp example (right) shows a ‘Large Manufacturer 
  specialising in large scale automated production’. The 
  Name is clearly displayed on the top and a small description 
  (the more succint the better) is included. These two features 
  are the most important. Below this are three numbers, 
  each relating to the company’s standing. All values are 
  local values, showing their operation in comparison with 
  the local operation of other groups on the diagram. Each 
  figure’s relevance will now be discussed.
  Power
  This is the measure of the group’s ability to 
  bring to bear resources in a manner that affects 
  many people. The larger the number, the more 
  people would be affected by the group and the 
  more resources they have to use. All values are 
  compared against the table (right) and can be 
  taken to read approximately the percentage of the 
  population’s lives can be influenced and by how 
  much. For example, 90% could read that you can 
  almost completely change the lives of 90% of the 
  population.  
  Power Table
  Value
  Example
  0-25
  Can influence 25% of population’s 
  jobs or make their lives difficult. 
  26-50
  Can 
  influence 
  about 
  50% 
  of 
  population and has contacts in other 
  areas. 
  51-75
  Can influence 75% of population. 
  76-100
  Can influence 90% of population and 
  event kill people. 
  22
  
  Illegal Level
  This is the gauge of how much the group depends 
  on illegal activities. The figure is often a gauge on 
  how many illegal connections the group has. The 
  figure also gauges how the police forces will react 
  upon finding out about the activities. The higher the 
  figure, the more venom the police forces will put into 
  hunting them down. Illegal level will never be 0, any 
  company with employees have some connection (no 
  matter how weak) with crime. This value should be 
  used carefully, most corporations fit a score around 
  10, where syndicates should start at 50.
  Reknown
  Reknown is a measure of how well known in the 
  area, the group is. A high reknown shows that many 
  people know about the group. A low reknown shows 
  that very few know of the group and that they are 
  quite obscure. A reknown of less than 25 tend to be 
  classed as ‘secret’. Reknown can be quite specific, 
  people within a certain field may have heard of 
  others that the general public would be oblivious 
  to. It is best to keep these numbers in relation to the 
  general public or the diagram can be confusing.
  Diagrams that Grow
  No one can create a good, well connected diagram 
  straight off, they require time to grow and mature. 
  This also means that diagrams should not remain static (Timelines organise changes to the Connection 
  Diagram), do not be afraid of adding new Syndicates or removing ones that you think are not important to 
  the game at that time. You diagram should stay true to the Galactic Diagram. This will stop inconsistency 
  later on, when the teams might meet the similar siutations in a year or so. 
  Building Your Own Diagrams
  Now you know what the diagrams looks like and what they are for, now it is time to build one from 
  scratch. The best way of doing this is to write down the main protagonists in your campaign and then 
  build around them. In this example, two fictional syndicates will be used. The Munters are a technology 
  based syndicated who are hard line automaton builders. The Munters have aid from MuntTech who are a 
  legal company that builds spare parts for Automatons. The Argiebargies are a humanist syndicate whose 
  fears are based around robots taking over the human race. Now we have our protagonists, we can start 
  building the connection diagram.
  Start with Friendly Groups
  It seems the best way to start a diagram is to note all of the friendly groups first. Once all the friendlies 
  Illegal level Table
  Value
  Example
  0-25
  Small time industrial espionage, 
  biribng for information. 
  26-50
  Undeclared profits, hiring known 
  felons. Also covers extorsion and 
  widespread bribery. Small scale 
  theft. 
  51-75
  Grand 
  Theft 
  Astro, 
  Extorsion, 
  Trading  
  76-100
  Murder. 
  Reknown Table
  Value
  Example
  0-25
  Small local syndicates or secret 
  organisations with a carful recruiting 
  scheme. 
  26-50
  A small, priviledged group or 
  company with little or no publicity, 
  although known within their field. 
  51-75
  National club or organisation. 
  76-100
  Massively popular, widely known 
  across the area. 
  23
  
  are done, you should have all the groups on the chart (but without any foe links). Friendly links are 
  shown by an Arrow head on each end of the line.
   
  Two arrow heads denote aid or friendship between the two groups. 
  The other group that needs to be added is The Argiebargies. Although they have no friends as such, they 
  should be listed anyway. 
  All groups should be added, regardless of how many connections that they have. 
  Add Foe Links
  Once all the groups who are to take part in the campaign 
  are added to the diagram, it is time to add the foe (or 
  enemy) links. These links should only be added with 
  direct enemies. For example, MuntTech and The 
  Argiebargies are only enemies by association. So, by 
  adding a link here would only serve as to add confusion 
  to what was really going on. Foe links are shown by 
  circles on the end of the links. 
  24
  
  And Finally, the Player Team
  Always the last thing to go on is the player team. They should begin unlinked and then add and remove 
  links as applicable. This is so that the GM can see exactly who the players are working for at any 
  particular time and who are out to get them. The player team can be added just as a box on the page with 
  the team name in it.
  NOTE: If you are printing out the connection diagrams, it is best to leav the links off and draw them in 
  with a pencil as they do tend to change. 
  What the Connection Diagram Shows you
  What’s the point in using something like this? Isn’t it easier just to write it out in paragraphs, a more 
  descriptive way of really showing what is going on. Clearly not, as the diagram is showing a great deal 
  more than just ‘who hates who’. The Connection Diagram also shows how long a siutation is likely to 
  last. If you have two very powerful syndicates who hate each other, they may go to war. This would be 
  a very public thing to do so thier Reknown would increase. This increase in Reknown may then lead 
  to unwanted Star Enforcer involvement and so on. However, if a powerful syndicate hated a not-so 
  powerful one, the smaller of the two could quite easily be destroyed by the larger. Given the following 
  situation:
  The player team could swing the balance, either making The Argiebargies the stronger, defeating the 
  Munters or by giving MuntTech strife so that they would have to withdraw their funding. A good 
  Connection Diagram can show you places where the players do and do not want to tread. It also gives 
  an unbiased view of where everyone stands. This is important as the players will normally get a biased 
  view from Non Player Characters, so it can be difficult, even for the GM to work out what is what.
  However, the Connection Diagram is most useful in making Timelines... 
  25
  
  Timelines
  Timelines (see picture) list events in a chronological order, a representation of how the game world 
  would continue if the player characters had not effected it. A Timeline should be distinguished from a 
  plot line, a plot line is a number of events connected in some way. A Timeline can contain many plot 
  lines. Galactal Timelines are supplied with Icar and show the overall working of the Galaxy through 
  time. Local timelines are created by the GM running the game to show the events in the plots. Before 
  any discussion on Timelines can begin, it important for the reader to understand the background of the 
  Icarian model and why it exists the way it does.
  Dynamics
  The Icarian model really differs from classical gaming when considering plot line creation. The classical 
  method for creating an adventure is thus:
  i. Have an idea for a plot. 
  ii. Split up this plot into a beginning, middle and end. 
  iii. Go through each section and break it up into scenes, chapters, encounters or sections. 
  iv. For each scene, break down the scene and create detail for that scene (including maps, NPC and 
  so on). 
  v. Check that no scene’s information conflicts with any other. 
  vi. Create a set of random encounters. 
  This creates what is essentially a linear plot. Although the direction the players take from beginning 
  to end might be different and the outcome is likely to be different, as long as each section has been 
  predecided to occur at some point by the GM, it remains linear. This is the manner in which most 
  GMs go about planning and creating a scenario. However, the Icarian model uses dynamics rather than 
  linearity. The Icarian method for creating an adventure is thus:
  i. Have several ideas for plot lines (either taken from Galactic Timelines or Connection 
  Diagrams). 
  ii. Write down a set of events that would happen along these plot lines for the first 10 days, 
  irrespective of the player characters. 
  iii. For each plot line, plan how each major event would occur if the player characters did not 
  attend. 
  iv. Write all the events onto a local Timeline. 
  The main difference here is that plot lines will work quite happily if the player characters did not 
  interfere. The player characters will inevitably interfere thus changing the timelines. Events that occur 
  later in the Timelines may not happen in the same way after the player characters interfere with earlier, 
  but this is the joy of dynamics. 
  Removing Character Dependency
  The thinking that the player characters are not the centre of the events in the game world is a counter-
  intuitive step for a GM to make. If you are not making things for the player characters benefit, then who 
  26
  
  are you making them for? An added element of realism is achieved by making NPCs the centre of the 
  story. Of course, if the player characters become important in 
  themselves, then plot lines may be written around them (such 
  as enemeies hunting them down), but there will always be plot 
  lines that do not centre around the player characters. This is 
  effectively removing the dependancy on the characters for the 
  game to work.
  Linking
  If the Timelines move along without any player character 
  intervening, why should they bother playing at all? Is it not just 
  a story? This is where linking comes in. Linking connects the 
  player characters to the Timeline and thus the plots within it. A 
  link (much like a plot hook, except they can choose to ignore it) 
  can be provided from public news broadcasts, a friend or maybe 
  something they unwittingly get invovled in. Links should occur 
  in batches, giving the players a chance to choose their routes 
  through the timelines. As each day passes, the player characters 
  will see some events (and may even be involved in them) and 
  miss others, only to hear about them in the future. The events 
  are not always labelled for a particular plot line and the players might find themselves running down a 
  dead end chasing an event that had nothing to do with what they are interested in. The personalities of 
  the character should outline the route that they take, not the pre-determined decision of a GM.
  Event Skipping
  One troubling upshot of this dynamic system is the problem of event skipping. There is a possibility 
  that a carefully planned event that a GM has spent time preparing might be totally missed by the player 
  characters. However, if the event is really monumental, then they will hear about it through rumour or 
  news reports. This can add depth and atmosphere almost to the level of them being there and the GM 
  does not loose the descriptive narrative that had been prepared. This is indeed, a drawback of using 
  dynamics in a game system but it does reinforce to the players that the game world does not revolve 
  around them.
  Dynamic Timelines
  The timelines are, of course, dynamic. This means that the timelines change over time. A the end of 
  every session, the GM must look through the timelines and make any alterations that may have occured 
  through the actions of the players. For example, if an event involved a Councillor making plans to 
  expand a colony and the player team accidentally murder him before hand then either the event may not 
  occur or the plans may be given out by some other person. The players may not always see the effect 
  they have on the timelines, it is not necessary for them to see what effects they are having.  
  Introducing the Timeline
  You’ve heard all about these timeline things, but what do they look like? Click here for an example that 
  this page will run through. Below you can see the first day of the timeline. The day number is written 
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  in the middle column (here, appears as a white 1). In the left hand column are listed all the Galactal 
  or Local events. Galactal events are listed with a ‘G:’. All local events are listed with an ‘L’ and then 
  a number. This number represents the plotline that the event belongs to. Each event is listed as a note, 
  normally this is enough for the timeline and more information can be written in a traditional way. In the 
  right-hand column should be written what the players did and any effects they did. This should only be 
  in note form as too much information can confuse.
  G: Empress takes a tour of the Lone Systems.
  L1: Syndicate starts killing council members.  1
  Character get drunk. Again.
  Galactic and local events
  The date
     All the actions the players did
  Dissecting the Example
  In the example, there are two plotlines; L1 and L2. L1 involves a syndicate killing off the ruling council 
  of a system. L2 involves a vigilante syndicate trying to stop the council being murdered. These plotlines 
  are linked to each other and can be seen as one, but for ease of use in example, they will be kept separate. 
  Without any player interference, the plotline concludes with the whole council being murdered and the 
  vigilantes either dead or in jail. The Galactic issues just add flavour to the game.
  Once the timeline is written, the player characters must be linked to it. This should be done with the 
  Connection Diagrams but can be done (in simple cases like this one) by just placing them on one side of 
  the story. Do the players play as vigilantes or another syndicate? Depending on how they are linked to 
  the story, they may either help the syndicate killing off the council (and thus the end result is probably 
  the same) or help the vigilantes (at which point they are likely to drastically change the timeline). If the 
  players manage to stop one killing and kill off a few of the murdering synidcate, the murdering syndicate 
  may not have enough resources to continue. The repocussions are great and require a little thought. 
  Building Timelines
  So, how are Timelines made? There are several distinct steps to making a Timeline that will be detailed 
  here. Not all steps are necessary, so feel free to avoid any step that appears to be superfluous.
  i. Research. This is the simplest step. Read the Galactic Timelines provided and have a look a the 
  Connection Diagrams. Anywhere that looks interesting to you might be a good place to start with 
  plotlines. 
  ii. Brainstorming. This is where you should write down as many ideas for plotlines as possible. 
  Note which areas of the connection diagram you are using and how they are affected by the 
  plotlines. You might even want to create your own, local, syndicates and link them in with the main 
  plotline. 
  iii. Selection. Choose between 3 and 8 plotlines that you are going to use. They do not need to be 
  connected in any way. 
  iv. Refinement. For the plotlines you have chosen, write them out in simple form, a short paragraph 
  about what happens in the story. 
  v. Event Listing. List all the events in each Timeline. Keep the Timelines separate if you can as it 
  28
  
  will make constructing the Timeline easier. 
  vi. Stagger Events. The events do not need to follow each other day by day. Write down how many 
  days gap you want next to each event. 
  vii. Add Galactic Events. The Galactic events tend to be more important than your events, so add 
  them first. 
  viii. Add to Timeline. Take your Timeline sheets and add one of the plotlines to it. Then add 
  another. This should be done in an iterative manner. Any plotlines that interfere with each other 
  should be added together. 
  ix. Add Flavour. Take some random news stories (by looking at a news program) that lead no-
  where or are inconsequential and add them to the Timeline. This way the players will not know if 
  the event is interesting to them or not. 
  Each step is quite simple in itself, but becomes more complex with more plotlines. The more plotlines 
  you use, the more complicated the game will be to run. For a beginner, it is wise to start with only three 
  and add more as time and skill allows. ssions are great and require a little thought. 
  Timelines Hints and Tips
  Building Timelines can be quite distressing process if a GM is used to creating just the one plotline. 
  Brainstorming can be a very difficult thing to do under pressure. Here are a few hints and tips that you 
  might find useful when creating timelines.
  i. Keep plotlines simple. A standard linear plotline normally needs to be as complicated as the 
  players can handle. However, with multiple plotlines, each plotline should be kept relatively 
  simple. The players are following the timeline which is made from many different plotlines. It is 
  unlikely that the players will split up the plotlines how you have done. What tends to happen is that 
  the players will find out a little part of a plotline and then attribute every event to it! So each plotline 
  should be kept simple. This will also allow you to make alterations quicker in the future. 
  ii. Space Events Out. It does take time for players to move about and do actions. Make sure you 
  leave time for them to move about between events. Also, plotlines last longer. 
  iii. Recurring Characters. Often, players remember events more by the people they meet, rather 
  than what happens. The more memorable the character you make, the more chance you’ll include 
  the character again. 
  iv. Scale the Campaign. Work out a level you want the characters to work at and try to stick to 
  or near it. If low power characters are involved in a high-power campaign, this can seem daunting 
  when continually faced with seemingly impossible tasks. 
  v. Leak Information. There is not point having a plotline that is completely unfollowable. Leak 
  information to the characters to keep them going. Just because the timelines are written, it doesn’t 
  mean they shouldn’t be added to. 
  vii. Make plotlines by altering real world events. If there is something you see in the media that 
  interests you, warp it to fit Icar and include it as a plotline in a later timeline. Although your story 
  might be a carbon-copy of the news broadcast, it is very rare that the players make the link between 
  the real world and the roleplaying game. 
  29
  
  Tracking
  You have the current state of the Galaxy written in Connection Diagrams. You have a description of how 
  the Galaxy changes over time in you Timelines. How is the status of the team detailed? What about the 
  people they meet and the enemies they are likely to make? Tracking takes care of the player side.
  Tracking is by far the easiest part of the Icarian model. To track a team, you just need to write down the 
  enemies and the contacts the team makes. In Icar, tracking is done using the Icar Tracking sheet (see 
  right). The Tracking sheet consists of two columns, the Contacts half (on the left) and the enemies half 
  (on the right). Each section is a list of people who are either contacts (and thus, friend) and enemies. The 
  headings of the columns break down thus:
  Name
  The name of the NPC. This should also include any aliases or nicknames the players know of.
  Speciality
  For Contacts, this should be the style of information that this contact can provide. The style of information 
  is often related to their job. For example, a Star Enforcer contact might give either syndicate information 
  or Enforcer information. For enemies, this column should be used for which group the enemy belong, 
  either Imperial, corporate or syndicate.
  From
  This is the location that the Enemy or Contact resides in. There is more chance that an enemy or contact 
  would act if the team are in the same locale as them.
  3D
  3D is short for The 3 Dice Rule. Here, you write how strong a contact or enemy they are. This value can 
  take on either D12 for strong, D10 for average or D8 for weak. A strong contact would be happy to help 
  the team. A weak contact might require extra persuasion. A strong enemy would stop at nothing to see 
  the death of a team where a weak enemy might just let it pass. When rolling the three dice for an enemy 
  or contact and the dice written in this column is the nearest dice to you, then the enemy or contact will 
  always act. For more information about the three dice rule, see the next section.  
  30
  
  The Three Dice Rule
  Dice provide randomness within the game. But how can a 
  GM create randomness off-the-cuff. The classical method 
  for creating randomness within a game it by the use of 
  carefully prepared tables with random encounters. However, 
  these often do not provide the depth that a GM requires. 
  When meeting an Non Player Character (NPC), it can be 
  difficult for a GM to repeatedly choose the helpfulness of 
  the NPC. Humans are not, essentially, random creatures, so 
  it would be difficult for a GM to decide upon the stance of 
  NPCs entirely randonly. It is a situations like this where the 
  three dice rule comes in.
  The three dice rule uses three dice. The author prefers to use the following:
  D8
  D18
  D12
  Baron Method
  A notable GM, called James ‘Baron’ Neesom has devised another method using three D10, one red, one 
  yellow and one green. For the Baron method, the red dice represents the D8, the Yellow the D10 and the 
  green as the D12.
  Rolling Dice
  The GM rolls a lot of dice during the session. However, it is good technique to keep all rolls secret from 
  the players. This is so that they will not be able to work out anything by what you have rolled. The three 
  dice rule requires the random positioning of the dice, as well as the random values. The dice should be 
  shook in cupped hands before opening the hands down onto the table. The dice should be allowed to land 
  within an area. This is because the three dice rule uses which dice is nearer.
  Using the Rule
  The rule works like this:
  i. GM privately asks herself a question, such as “Will this NPC is helpful?”. 
  ii. The GM then rolls the dice, allowing them to land randomly. 
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  iii. The GM then checks to see which is the nearest dice to her. The nearest dice is the result. 
  iv. The GM then decides on the result based on this, the bigger the nearest dice is, the better the 
  outcome for the players. A D12 is good, A D8 is bad and a D10 can go either way. 
   
  This is a quicker system than checking tables as it is easy to see which dice is nearest. If more clarification 
  is required, then the GM may take the number on the nearest dice as a hint.
  Three Dice Rule Examples
  Assume for all these examples that the top of the page is nearest the GM.
  Situation: Players are confronted with an unknown NPC. The GM is unsure about how the NPC will 
  react. The GM asks herself “How will the NPC react?”. The GM then rolls the three dice, the outcome 
  is:
  D12
  D8
     
  D10
  Therefore, the D12 is nearest the GM. And the NPC is kind to the players. 
  Situation: The players have bought some suspicious ammo and they are not sure whether it will work. 
  Upon testing the ammo, the GM asks herself “Is the ammo any good?”. The GM then rolls the dice, the 
  outcome is:
  D8
  32
  
  D10
    
   
  D12
  In this case, the D8 is closest to the GM, so the ammo is unlikely to be any good. If the GM needed a 
  neasure of how bad the ammo is, she could take the number on the D8. High numbers are always better 
  for the players. 
  33
  
  Epilogue
  Icar in its entirity is not an easy game to run or play. Plots are rarely linear or easily predicted, tracking 
  allows villains and contacts to reccur later in the game, even if the part they played was very small. The 
  Strings gives the budding Icar GM all the tools required for running a complex game for mature players. 
  I would have included a section on ‘How to Run a Maximum Death Session’, but it requires little talent 
  to run one of these as the task is often linear and the enemies predictable.
  There is no right or wrong way to GM a game, there are just many different styles for different players. 
  This preference keeps the hobby alive. If you have tried running a game in this manner and the players 
  get horribly lost, then try another style, of which there are many across the internet.
  For the new GM, perseverance is the watch word. Quite often, the players will miss the point or not do 
  as you might guess they will. In this case, rejoice in the non-linearity of the game and continue to weave 
  the tale around the team within a huge Galaxy. They will enjoy the game more and you will get a sense 
  of satisfaction from being able to apply ad-lib while remaining consistent for future games.
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Icar/Icar The Strings.pdf