One objection I have with the Ethereal part....

[Azel]

Yeah, that IN SJG is not being sensitive enough is just not an argument that flies with me. Especially since I've seen, and have the PDFs of, the INS/MV original. The French original is deliberately blasphemous to Catholicism, "gloriously" so. In comparison SJ games went above and beyond the call of duty to make the setting more: a) palatable to American sensitivities, and b)theologically neutral for setting flexibility. They didn't have to do any of that, and in fact they've been pilloried in many an RPG forum for "wussing out" and trying to mimic WW clan proliferation and splatbook fatigue.

Further, when the game's explicitly about angels and demons using Levantine names for angels and demons, you really should have an idea that this game supposes *some* specific setting assumptions. That it then went out of its way to be deliberately inclusive, particularly in the DMG and Ethereal PG, makes me feel rather insulted when anyone says IN SJG wasn't "sensitive enough," (and I had nothing to do with this game's creation). I think I know what I'm playing. When I hear this criticism it strikes me as though one hasn't bothered to notice the effort that went in to making it so religiously neutral, particularly from the original.

In retrospect, it might have been a better thing to pick a singular setting perspective and run with it. Being inclusive was a huge 1990s thing, and many rpgs definitely made the effort. But if you still can't catch a break in your effort to please everyone because of casual assumptions, might as well pick a viewpoint and tack to it hard. I have no patience for the modern "activist gamer" trend, vilifying the past offhand and ignoring context.

[Archangel Beth]

(DMG? The GMG (Game Master's Guide), perhaps? Or the IPG (Infernal Player's Guide)? O:> )

Another thing one can do, if one wants to drop-kick the setting, is take the mechanics from the EPG (Ethereal Player's Guide) and the basic game mechanics from the core rules... and run with it. I believe the EPG has some potential conversions of Dominic, as a guideline for making the angels (and likely demons) with ethereal assumptions.

[Whitelaughter]

Originally Posted by robkelk

Only if you're a Christian. Looking at it from the outside, the game is closer to Judaism than it is to Christianity.

Originally Posted by naraht

I'm a fairly secular Jew and I agree with this.

In fact, looked at as a secular Jew, it seems more of the underpinnings of Islam are true in Canon IN than Christianity..

[raises hand] Christian, also agree.

Although a fair case could be made for the game being Sikh - the blend of monotheism and paganism has resulted in a mix similar to Sikhism.

Going 'pure' I would prefer that the game was closer to Judaism, given how much the game depends on Jewish myth. The default setting for most roleplaying games is paganism, that option has been done to death. Dogs in the Vineyard has shown that breaking away from that stereotype makes for a better game.
Even Pendragon doesn't assume a Christian worldview; nothing that I'm aware of even considers a Jewish worldview. Given the way that both religions have changed the world, that's a great loss to roleplaying.

A historical/biblical IN setting, adventuring in the books of Judges-Chronicles would be a lot of fun, and avoid a lot of CDaU by occuring before the events that get people het up.