Nobilis

[Silverlich]

Does anyone want to explain the pros and cons of the game Nobilis? It seems good, but very dependent on the players.

[Maerok]

You can do a lot with the mechanics and the setting. It's pretty open ended. I think the pros/cons depend on how you and your other players intend to play it. I wouldn't *not* recommend trying it out.

A lot of things, especially in setup, are dependent on the players. This makes it rather hard to start up in PbP as people have to coordinate their Imperator and Chancel based on their Realm scores which takes a bit of extra delegating if you can't do this face-to-face.

The games tend to end out coming out very pretty; I'm not sure if this is because of the game itself or that the thematics are pretty inspiring.

EDIT: If 4e follows the philosophy that the outcome of every action is supposed to be predetermined and controlled even beyond the GM's wishes then Nobilis is on the opposite side of that. There's a lot of subjectivity possible with everything in it.

[NichG]

Nobilis is quite fun with the right group, and beyond that I think its a valuable experience that can modify how you approach running or playing in other games. Since you can personally do nearly anything in Nobilis, what it comes down to is 'what do you care about?'. It's a question that should be central to most characters but which is often glossed over in less open-ended games.

The other useful thing it teaches is just how much you plot you can produce just by applying the consequences of people's actions. There's always gonna be that one guy in the group who just can't be subtle, and things will naturally snowball from there.

[Zanatos777]

I think the game is quite fun but in my group we had some issue trying to figure out the rules. They appear to be hidden in the fluff text and stories. That is not true for everything though, some of it is explicit.

The realms can quickly get weird too, ours was an airport on an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle where all lost things congregated (I was the Noble of Lost). We also had talking dinosaurs as the main inhabitants of the island overseen by Emilia Erhart. It was quite awesome though.

[Silverlich]

Just as a preliminary thing, would anyone be interested in a play-by-post on these forums?

[Sanguine]

Just as a preliminary thing, would anyone be interested in a play-by-post on these forums?

In theory I would as Nobilis sounds awesome. In practice I would not be able to take part in a Nobilis play by post game as I don't have the book and real life issues would prevent me from posting regularly.

[The Glyphstone]

Great Modthulhu: Moved to Other RPG Systems.

Burble.

[JMobius]

A lot of things, especially in setup, are dependent on the players. This makes it rather hard to start up in PbP as people have to coordinate their Imperator and Chancel based on their Realm scores which takes a bit of extra delegating if you can't do this face-to-face.

FYI, 3E simplifies this considerably. Both are done in a considerably more abstract fashion, with Imperators in particular being significantly more brief.

[JMobius]

In theory I would as Nobilis sounds awesome. In practice I would not be able to take part in a Nobilis play by post game as I don't have the book and real life issues would prevent me from posting regularly.

The 3E PDF/hard copy will be available again shortly. There was a last minute snafu with the art, which resulted in it being pulled for legal reasons, but plan is currently to have it up again late April.

[1of3]

Does anyone want to explain the pros and cons of the game Nobilis? It seems good, but very dependent on the players.

Yes. The setting is quite interesting, but unsusual to say the least.

I had the best start when the players began as humans and became Powers, learning everything in play. That's certainly possible, but it takes time. For this reason, I found the game difficult to use in one-shots.

When you start the game, encourage players to choose Estates they enjoy. Make sure everyone understands what those Estates are about.

Making stuff up as a GM is defenitely easy. You can borrow elements from everywhere as each chancel and world is unique. I introduced the Beggar Lord and Emerald Lord from Wraith for example, making them Powers of Mystery and Chance. The Power of Wrath was easy, as well (http://fma.wikia.com/wiki/King_Bradley). When I needed an alien species from another world, I borrowed those guys (http://www.orionsarm.com/eg-topic/464635ea58237).

The game is fine for players who enjoy storytelling and method acting. Buttkicking is quite difficult.

[Maerok]

The 3E PDF/hard copy will be available again shortly. There was a last minute snafu with the art, which resulted in it being pulled for legal reasons, but plan is currently to have it up again late April.

Oh, I stopped following developments. I didn't even know the 3E was out yet. How much has changed over 2E (I've still got the GWB)?

[JMobius]

Oh, I stopped following developments. I didn't even know the 3E was out yet. How much has changed over 2E (I've still got the GWB)?

The PDF version was officially out for a week or two in early March, before getting pulled.

Stylistically, a lot of people have been put off by it. It is considerably more light-hearted and whimsical than the GWB, so this is understandable for those expecting something similar in tone. If you can look past that, though, I feel it is significantly improved mechanically.

Some highlights:
* Mortals have defined rules, mechanically defining their capability to perform and potentially overcome the low levels of Aspect.
* Spirit and Realm have been removed. The replacements are 'Persona' (miracles relating to redefining the properties of your Estate, and imbuing them in other things), and 'Treasure' (miracles relating to the significantly expanded and more generalized treatment of Anchors).
* Virtues, restrictions, and limitations have been removed, in favor of a more general 'Affliction' system, which defines properties of a being which are cosmically, objectively true.
* Immunity to direct miracles is gone; instead, the wounds system has been expanded to address resistance to miraculous effects.
* MP are, generally, more free-flowing. 1 CP buys an extra permanent MP for all four attributes, instead of just one. You regenerate one MP in each attribute at the start of any scene in which someone decides to make life difficult for you, and you can earn more any time your Bonds or Afflictions cause meaningful trouble for you, as well as acting in accordance and furtherance of the defined properties of your Estate.