What is In Nomine?

[Andygal]

I don't like campaigns where pretty much everybody on both sides sucks and humanity is screwed, or where the good guys are losing horribly, because the real world sucks enough without playing a game where the world completely sucks.

Like the above poster,I prefer higher contrast in the upper ranks then the lower, the Archangels are pretty much good, the DPs are really nasty, but a lot of the lower ranks of demons are just doing their jobs out of fear, or because they don't know anything different and not because they really enjoy hurting people, and the angels mean well but don't always come across as "nice" from a human point of view.

[ladyarcana55]

I like IN Primarily because f the RP challenges. Dissonance Conditions, Discords and Natures all come together to add flavors to a character. It forces the player to really think about what they are doing and t avoids the cookie cutter scenario where every one of the characters are different shades of the same color.

[Edman]

I think that canon mostly shows the Archangels as being good but flawed. They are good (with various shades of adherence in the idea of Greater Good, Michael being on one side and Novalis/Yves on the other) but politics can take over and without G-d to show them the way, they all have to find their own way. The Demon Princes are evil, the way I see it. You don't get high up in Hell's Hierarchies without being a backstabbing, betraying bastard who will sell and/or kill your own grandmother for advancement. Lilith and Baal might be noticeable exceptions, Lilith because she just wants to get out ahead and Baal who merely wishes to prove G-d wrong. Kronos, of course, is PURE EVIL regardless of how you look at it.

[JCD]

I believe In Nomine is one of the most accessible games based on Western Culture's Religious traditions. I have had a lot of fun playing and GMing it. But I've had good players.

However, bear in mind a few things which can turn off players.

-First, if they have a serious religious bone in their body, it will be a hard sell.

-Second, unlike pretty much every other game I recall enjoying, there is a Heirarchy on both ends which 'make me compromise my character' (this is player whine for 'I'm not allowed to do whatever I want whenever I want')

-Third, it isn't intrinsicly a 'bug hunt'. One does not sweep dungeons of orcs, nor score Elder blood. For example, my latest demonic character spends a great deal of time destroying relationships and breaking hearts, which makes it Lifetime Channel fodder in some books. The default adventure is "save/ destroy the community center." This can be a bit esoteric for many players who are used to putting notches on their scabbards. Additionally, the creators rather purposefully made the Kewl Powerz not particularly combat intensive. Not much whizz/bang, which will disappoint a lot of players who relish their Great Balls of Fire. It CAN be played this way, but it requires some tweaking.

-Fourth, it suffers from the lack of a Second edition. Some basic editorial work and rules clean up is lacking. The game is very free form, allowing rules lawyers a field day without a strong and attentive GM.

However...it is a good game

[Ragitsu]

Is it like Exalted?

[BillionSix]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

Is it like Exalted?

Do you mean in system, or setting? In both cases, no.

The system is rather odd, and people tend to love it or hate it. There really isn't any attempt to create an artificial game balance, so you could use the same point totals to create a very powerful brick, or someone who is merely functional.
It's actually rather hard to be killed, since if you die on earth, you go back to Heaven or Hell, and hopefully are given a new body. Celestial combat can destroy your soul, but that type of fighting can be avoided, since most of the action takes place in the corporeal world.
The setting is more or less the real world. You can play different types of angels or demons, who serve different Superiors. Race and Class, sort of. So you could play a Seraph of War, or a Cherub of Lightning. Each one gives you different powers and restrictions. A Seraph can always sense the truth, but can never lie.

Brian

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by Ragitsu

Is it like Exalted?

But it is like WoD games in that it's heavily CvC--you're playing against other characters as a rule rather than the environment itself. I've always thought it had great potential for LARP, provided you could control for minmaxxers vs. the inherent unbalanced-ness.

[Zone]

I would just like to say this and get it off of my chest, first and foremost:

Oh.
My.
Lords. Thank you everyone for keeping this game alive! Around my parts little - if anyone - has heard of In Nomine, let alone want to play it.

I knew that this game was out of the line up and most of the books have either become out of print or heading there. But reading these forums -and- seeing people partake in the forum RP lightens my heart!

I wish there were more books coming out. I wish that they were still in print - or better yet, a 'Second Edition' - but it is possibly not going to happen. If I'm wrong, please allow someone to correct me.

But I digress from the main question: I've not played Exalted, but I found In Nomine similar - yet refreshingly different - from the WoD and the old World of Darkness. Although an oWoD fan through-and-through, I enjoyed the d666 system and its functions! Obviously the two (White Wolf System and Steve Jackson Games) are going to have different settings, but the 'difficulty level' of the dice score is relatively the same, with the difference of the grade of success based on the 'check digit' rather than how many successes you attain on the copious (and sometimes sickening) amount of dice.

That's about where the two games come closest to being 'similar', however.

As with every game, however, there will be bumps and hurdles. With the right group and the right Storyteller / DM / Holmeister / what have you, you can smooth the game to however you wish it to be.

Angels don't have to be goody-goody.
Demons don't have to be repetitiously 'Disney Evil'.
Open the doors and let them all out.

Thank you again. I think I'm done gushing now. :D

[Andygal]

there is supposed to be a couple more Superiors books coming out on e23 (Marc and Zadkiel I think).

Of course, all bets are off on WHEN, but they are in the queue to be produced. And apparently all the out-of-print books are going to end up on e23 sooner or later.

[tHEhERETIC]

Originally Posted by Zone

But I digress from the main question: I've not played Exalted, but I found it similar - yet refreshingly different - from the WoD and the old World of Darkness. Although an oWoD fan through-and-through, I enjoyed the d666 system and its functions! Obviously the two (White Wolf System and Steve Jackson Games) are going to have different settings, but the 'difficulty level' of the dice score is relatively the same, with the difference of the grade of success based on the 'check digit' rather than how many successes you attain on the copious (and sometimes sickening) amount of dice.

Thank you again. I think I'm done gushing now. :D

You can't imagine how glad we are to have you.

Personally I think the Check Digit is the best thing since sliced cheese, though it took awhile for me to come around to it. I was a decade-long Cammie, see... By divorcing the CD from the target number i.e. the number of successes from the amount of that success, you've taken away a lot of incentive to stack numbers. That's my favorite part of the mechanics.

Bickering Archangels...my favorite part of the setting. ::;) (Seraph slyly winking)