Customer Reviews

In Nomine (Steve Jackson Games)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The game is good vs. evil - nothing new there! But the wrapping is definately different. A whole universe of angels and demons and more or less potenent (more less than more) mortals contesting in their, sometimes pathetic fashion, to gain the upper hand in a game beyond their comprehension - that is unless they are celestials (angels/demons). They, on the other hand know what is at stake and must therefore follow stringent rules of engagement while conducting a fierce battle for (or is it because of) all humnity. Being so stringent these rules make is nescecary for all celestials to be very inventive in order to succeed in the missions appointed to them. Both the master they serve and their own nature have certain rules of conduct that must be followed at all times. This matrix of celestial conduct and the need to make it work without stepping on anybodys toes is what is so fascinating about In Nomine. Believe me you must really have your wits with you to play this game...but is is worth it!!!

I'm an In Nomine player from some small time ago, and I was looking at the reviews and found some stuff on Angels being non-offensive and Demons being more... Y'know. Well, in In Nomine you being an angel doesn't mean you have to pray 10 hours a day and only do good stuff. The great thing about this game is its flexibility, and also the amount of creativity and imagination it requires from both player and GM. If your an In Nomine player, you've got to get it. Quick.

In Nomine is easily in my top 3 of RPGs. The main problem with it is finding people who are CAPABLE of playing it. I've tried to run two In Nomine cammpaigns for my gaming friends and both have been disasters. Partly its my lack of skills as GM, but it is also players who lack any trace of subtlety. People want to play Malakim ( very warlike angels for you non-players ) and charge after every demon they see. I've tried to slap them down after they do this, as the demon's friends take revenge, but it becomes a cycle of B.S. that wrecks the campaign. I would love to find a group that I could play with, but my current group of frineds, who I enjoy gaming with, are not set up to play In Nomine. I figure it's their loss. Give the system a try, but be warned, it's not hack-and-slash.

It may have taken Steve Jackson Games more years than they would have liked to finally publish their latest game, but the wait was worth it. You can play on the side of the angels or demons in trying to save (or corrupt) humanity, or you can be a Soldier of God or Soldier of Hell, a human with just a little something extra to help in the fight. Or you can even play a human, a plain-old, everyday Joe, caught up in the battle between Heaven and Hell. Well-written, with wonderful artwork...now how long do we have to wait for the supplements???

This is the first RPG I have found that allows you to role-play the lives of archetypes of good and evil. You are able to transcend humanity to see the world through the eyes of a Celestial being. Now dont get me wrong, this is NOT Steve Jackson being religious. This isnt really a religous RPG. Wuite the contrary. It shys away from the dark goth that is so popular today and boils the characters down to their essence. But even then there are so many ways to take this. I am deeply religious and honestly I dont like to play demons, but I am also not offended by their protrayl in this excellent universe.

The only problem with the RPG is that the combat mechanics suck! I get the impression that they tried to make it as simple as something like White Wolf or even GURPS and over did it, a lot. It puts too much emphasis on certain traits and totally ignores other (in my opinion) relevant ones for the sake of trying to keep things simple. There is a point of diminishing returns guys, less isnt always more... It is so simplistic that you WILL want to redo it yourself. There are some changes in this addition, but not enough.

Bottom line In Nomine is my favorite game after playing for 19 years... at least after I reworked the system.

In Nomine is one of the best RPG's I've seen in a long time. The setting is wonderfully rich and varied. What better way to simulate the battle between good and evil than the battle of Heaven vs. Hell? This is a great RPG, and even makes for interesting reading...if you like RPG's or just enjoy reading books with great settings this is a book for you

Steve Jackson Games has done it again. They have taken an idea, and made it a very marketable product. They created/Adapted one of the greatest backgrounds for a game I have ever read. The richness and depth of the spectrum is barely touched by the core book, but that is still no small miracle. However, the curse of SJG lives. They create imagination capturing rich worlds and them match them with some, well -BAD- mechanics, so if you plan on playing get ready to adapt, fast. But this hardly detracts from the overwhelming value of the product. Marc was pleased.

The only thing that "saves" this game from five stars is the fact that the rules themselves are severely broken.

The setting is rich, interesting, fun, original, and well-crafted. The book itself is more fun to read than any I own, with the exception of Nobilis. The prose is clear, concise, and even artistic in the story passages. The system is easy enough to grasp that the game can be run as a one-off or a mini-campaign.

However, the rules suffer the same problems as the previous GURPS edition: skills are far too compressed. Every task attempted seems either way too easy or ridiculously hard. GMs will have a very difficult time designing reasonable challenges for any group, and character creation is very vulnerable to min/maxing. Some of the races (particularly Shedites and Kyriotates) are almost impossible to adjudicate without making them either worthless cripples or unstoppably powerful.

I recommend this system very highly, but I suggest that the best way to run it is as a short interlude to a different campaign, or as a one-off, with pre-generated characters. In fact, the most exciting long-term campaign I know of in this system is actually a series of one-offs in which each session new characters that the players met in passing last week are the centerpieces of this week's playing.

A very good-looking book. Also immensely interesting and a good game. Well worth the money, couldn't reccomend it more.

IN NOMINE it's a wonderful book. The war between hell and heaven it's amazing! And the best: you choose your side, good or evil.