From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Thu Jul 12 08:18:36 2001 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id IAA02325 for ; Thu, 12 Jul 2001 08:18:35 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id IAA14910 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Thu, 12 Jul 2001 08:17:50 -0500 Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 08:17:50 -0500 Message-Id: <200107121317.IAA14910@lists.io.com> From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #2298 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Thursday, July 12 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2298 In this digest: IN> Playing the Hero (RE: WoD / IN vignette) IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? Re: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? IN> Printer's Devils Re: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? Re: IN> malakim catch phrases IN> Ethereal Song of Forms Re: IN> "And I Feel Fine" - Part 8: The Keys to the Abyss IN> Kochab, Renegade Demon Prince of Constellations Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? IN> Re: WoD/In Nomine IN> Re: Flashman IN> Re: Help for a Neophyte GM IN> Re:Brightness IN> Hi IN> IN - dilemma Re: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? Re: IN> Ethereal Song of Forms ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 19:35:10 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> Playing the Hero (RE: WoD / IN vignette) At 12:41 AM -0600 7/11/01, Julian Mensch wrote: >Does anyone else get that? That is, when confronted with a >Dark setting, inevitably want to play the hero? I dunno. When I read (GURPS) Vampire:TM, I wanted to play a Malky. In a one-shot W:TA, I had the metis Glasswalker-White Fang crossbreed and Flaws oozing out my (nonexistant) gills... I generally play the weirdo, at least the first time in a game. The outsider to the world. After a while, I may well drift into a more sensible character. This may explain why my first IN character was the Renegade Lilim, while a subsequent game has a nice bog-standard Cherub of War. (Jesui is bog-standard, right? Big, tough, likes fights, not as bright as he might be, attuned to Trouble...) - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 18:34:45 -0500 From: "Erich S. Arendall" Subject: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? Or: In Nomine Even More Backwards, While Moving Forwards Alternately: Don't Point That Canon at Me! So, if you've even a passing familiarity with "classic" Star Trek* then you probably know about the episode in which Kirk travels to a mirror universe, where the Federation is titled something else and people raise in power by treachery and deceit. Fun, no? I always wanted to game in the "Mirror Universe," too. Idea Seed (aka, the point): What would happen if Vapula, through complete accident, tore a hole in the spacetime continuum that the PCs fell through. In this alternate world, the diabolicals won their revolution and angels are a freedom-fighting force. Think Dark Victory(TM) from the start, rather than later in the War. Lucifer reigns in Heaven, the imprisoned Michael his trophy. The remaining Archangels fled to Pergatory (what would have been Hell in Canon) and are more concerned with regaining Heaven than helping Humanity. Any thoughts? *Will Enterprise, the upcoming series that takes place before Kirk's adventures be called New-Classic Star Trek? Cordially, Erich S. Arendall "This time, Robert, we will start creation properly. Tell me about... computers." - -Evil, Time Bandits ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 19:46:41 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? At 6:25 PM -0500 7/11/01, Erich S. Arendall wrote: >> >[...] I live in >> >Boston, and since I can't find an IN GM in the area, Boston... BOSTON?? Hm. Now, if I can get a weekend, and you don't mind an hour and a quarter drive... (Heck, if you had Fridays free, maybe I could scare up one of those other people with Fridays free...) >>>I've never GMed anything, much less an IN game. It'll grow on you. O:> >>> I figure running a module to start off with would be avisable. [...] >>>Are there any that people would recommend? Erich pretty much nailed down the INC suggestion I would have had; I should note that the Rev Cycle adventures are of varied quality -- I'd be inclined to suggest the one in Heaven&Hell or Night Music. (There are also a lot of adventure seeds in the Superiors books.) You might want to run a "one-shot" to get into the swing of things; that way, if things go really screwy, you can figure out where things went "off," and fix it. (That, and the players can tinker around with characters.) Things for new GMs... When in brainfry, roll the dice to give yourself something to do while you think frantically. Play up interventions. Keep forward momentum! If we can do it, you can do it... O:> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 20:32:28 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? >You might want to run a "one-shot" to get into the swing of things; >that way, if things go really screwy, you can figure out where things >went "off," and fix it. (That, and the players can tinker around with >characters.) One-shot? Screwy? http://www.ishware.com/prodigal/IronRev/DanceShoes.htm Now that I think about it, this'd make a truly weird LARP adventure. - -- Casca ("Do the Hustle.") _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 17:36:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? - --- "Erich S. Arendall" wrote: > Idea Seed (aka, the point): > > What would happen if Vapula, through complete > accident, tore a hole in the > spacetime continuum that the PCs fell through. In > this alternate world, the > diabolicals won their revolution and angels are a > freedom-fighting force. > Think Dark Victory(TM) from the start, rather than > later in the War. Well... http://www.godmachine.org/tattered/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tattered might prove of interest to you.* Moe *Not quite the same concept, I grant, but I dunno if you were aware of them. :) ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 06/05/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 17:38:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Printer's Devils Just a little background for a fairly nasty club that's going to creep out onto the paper Real Soon Now. Gotta get back up to speed... Moe Printer's Devils Hell does not have a legitimate publishing industry, obviously: if they did, then they'd have to publish books, and of course you can't let books be freely available in Hell (if you could, then it wouldn't be Hell in the first place). What few actual books exist are usually props, exhibits or prophecies. None of the Princes are really interested in changing this, either: after all, they can get books if they want to, so who cares about anybody else? However ... Hell does have a literary subculture, in it's own inimitable fashion. The basic format would be familiar to anyone that lived in a totalitarian society: books of poetry, prose and drama circulate in a furtive fashion, endlessly copied, read, then passed on again - and all underneath demonic noses that range from vigilant to uncaring. Of course, this being Hell, there are unique problems. The first problem is creating the works in the first place. As has been noted elsewhere, Hell is extremely short of resources, at least among damned souls. Most printers use simple mechanical presses cobbled together from whatever scraps of metal and wood become available (when they haven't resorted to bone - or even less savory materials). The average publisher husbands his or her movable type as if it were gold: any of them will cheerfully murder another for another twenty E's. There's also the issue of paper and ink. Don't look too carefully at the ink on a book published by the Infernal counterculture - in fact, try not to too closely examine the paper, either. Reproduction of books is a problem, as well. Most printers are constantly moving, even in Shal-Mari or Stygia (the two places where damned souls have the best hopes of bribing their demonic overlords into looking the other way): the average print run of a book is usually half a dozen copies. Unlike human samzidat networks, photocopiers or mimeograph machines are not available to help get the message out. Hell, secret wars have been fought for the possession of a working stapler. Most underground books in Hell are thus hand-copied and crudely stitched together (need I say, don't examine the stitching too carefully), not to mention falling apart from the number of hands it's passed through. This is not a place to appreciate books for their artistry. That leads to the third problem: the words on the ... well, best to think of it as 'paper'. Most corporeal literature isn't very well received in Hell, you see. It's too hopeful, too happy, too naive to resonate with the inhabitants. Equally unfortunately, actual writing ability is in short supply among the damned. The result of this is that most of the books circulating among the various networks would be considered by any objective observer as being not worth the trouble to publish. Monotonously despondent verse, incoherently self-contradictory subversion, ungrammatical rants and a certain amount of whining are the hallmarks of Infernal literature. It all gets read anyway, of course: the level of intellectual stimulation is really that low. The centers of the Infernal literary 'movements' are, as mentioned above, Stygia and Shal-Mari: the bribery's easier, and more likely to work. Most customers are from those two Principalities as well, but these books can end up anywhere. What passes for an elite among damned souls usually have a volume or two hidden away in their meager personal possessions, although very few actually dare to read them - even in Hell, pretensions to intellectual ability is a popular pastime. Oddly enough, for the most part the Princes don't bother to stamp out this little practice - either they don't really care, or else have noted that it's acting as an inadvertent safety valve. Demons will take immense gratification in beating up any soul that they discover carrying around a book - if they feel like it. It's a useful justification for punishment (not that one's really necessary, of course), but not really a burning issue. Indeed, some demons find it amusing to commission a printer to publish one of their manuscripts and have it disseminated. For one thing, the demons are often better writers... Seed: The Inevitable Belial Slam Every so often, a gem or two gets discovered in the muck. Well, not a gem - but maybe a crystal or two of potassium nitrate. The metaphor is deliberate: the latest piece of not-quite-crap offers to be quite explosive, if prepared correctly. The book in question is called 101 Things to Do With a Dead Prince of Infernal Fire, and it's actually not too bad, by Hell's standards. In fact, one or two of the crudely drawn pictures might even raise a chuckle on Earth. This has made it the Instant Classic of the Infernal Samzidat circuit, naturally, and some of the choicer illustrations are even getting painted on walls. Needless to say, Belial is not amused - although some of his colleagues are - and wants to find the author responsible, now. He's managed to prevail upon Kronos to loan him a Balseraph (Seraph) of Fate to get to the bottom of this - and has handed him off to a group of investigators (the PCs, naturally). Objective: find author, find printer, drag them back to Belial and duck. Needless to say, this is an excellent opportunity to get a good look at the Damned intellectual subculture, such as it is. Feel free to toss in your favorite cliches, from poseur-Goth to beatnik to white-bread book circles - heck, use all of them at once. Needless to say, the Balseraph is probably going to be near his Use By date by now (Balseraphs of Fate with the Seraphim resonance tend to not last very long. Funny about that), so the longer he's with the PCs, the twitchier - or actively murderous - he'll be. Toss in a few cartons of clove cigarettes (worth their weight in refined plutonium), and you've got a seed. Now, the natural inclination is to have Kobal and/or Michael ultimately responsible, right? Shame on you. Furfur is a much better choice: the humor's certainly in his style, and it's been kind of fun being a little more subtle for a change. Of course, he's already soul-killed the printer and scattered the press across Hell, but since when has that ever stopped a clever demon? ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 06/05/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 20:12:44 -0500 From: "Erich S. Arendall" Subject: Re: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? > > Think Dark Victory(TM) from the start, rather than > > later in the War. > Well... > http://www.godmachine.org/tattered/ > and > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tattered > might prove of interest to you.* From now on, Moe, I'm just going to check all ideas through you first, okay? Excellent stuff there, yes indeedy. Cordially, Erich S. Arendall "Take that, Miskatonic scholars! I've solved the translation where you could not!" - -(in)Famous last words ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 22:34:14 -0400 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: Re: IN> malakim catch phrases >http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/stonekeep/25/witty.html > > >Cass Partial to #s 9 and 20, myself. ^_^ The image of a knight in full armor and brandishing... a... ... Okay, the image of Laurence filling in "Laurence" and "God" in those blanks in #9 just popped into my head. Naturally, the demons are fouling themselves at the Archangel of the Sword having just personally responded to an Invocation, but imagine if just *one* of them had the presence of mind to get the unintentional reference.... %^) William ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 02:40:01 -0000 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: IN> Ethereal Song of Forms 1. Does the Ethereal Song of Forms make you invisible to cameras, surveillance devices, electric eyes, etc. as well as perception? _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 22:56:11 -0400 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: Re: IN> "And I Feel Fine" - Part 8: The Keys to the Abyss >Lucifer's Word is Darkness. As in "Prince of Darkness." As in the >opposite of "Light." Negation simply is not as broad as Darkness. I'd call it much, much broader. What do you get when you negate light? Darkness. What do you get when you negate sound? Silence. What do you get when you negate a true statement? A falsehood. What Word do you need if you're going to try to go up against the Being that not just created, but in a certain sense *is* Everything? Destruction isn't nearly wide enough; that's just another physical process. But to literally slice off and destroy pieces of Reality, and ultimately, to remove the root of existence... that is Negation. It's also, quite possibly, the ultimate suicide. But then, nobody said Lucifer was in it for anything sane. >Ryan Roth William ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 21:51:23 -0500 From: "Erich S. Arendall" Subject: IN> Kochab, Renegade Demon Prince of Constellations Not sure where the seed for this one came from, but none-the-less... Kochab Renegade Demon Prince of Constellations (Calabite) The world is written not in Heaven, but in the heavens, in the stars. Kochab began as a servitor of Vephar, Angel of Sailors and, in turn, Oannes, Archangel of the Waters. While Vephar instructed humans on the basic tenets of ship-building and sailing, Kochab taught them the importance of the stars and how to guide themselves through the seas by them. Around the same time the Lightbringer was sowing the seeds of rebellion amongst the angels Kochab was gaining the word of Navigation. The rebellion came as a complete shock to the recently-Worded Ofanite and he fought along-side his Archangel against his former superior, who he once called friend. Kochab returned to his duties as the Angel of Navigation, helping man name constellations to guide them by in the night. While he would assist angels in their attempts at thwarting demons, Kochab felt pangs of guilt when one of his former compatriots was returned to Hell. When Vephar was slain, Kochab wept. When Oannes was slain, Kochab rejected the War and became an Outcast. During his self-imposed exile on earth, Kochab became fascinated with the powers humans were putting in the stars, the idea of the zodiac. He ignored the pangs of dissonance that came from neglecting his Word and eventually Fell. Eagerly trying to build their forces Kochab was taken in by Hell and promoted to Superior status by Lucifer, who thought he had found his replacement for Vephar. Kochab was given the Word of Constellations. That which turned the former Wheel into a demon would also sway mankind away from God, proving that the Prince of Darkness was right all along. Kochab worked dutifully, promoting the power of the zodiac and fortune-telling based on the stars. While most Word-bound are concentrated on their word, Kochab was consumed by it. He ceased any activities that he did not feel were written in the stars, to the dismay of many of the Horde. Eventually, and rumored to be led by the stars, Kochab simply disappeared from Hell. Some servitors likewise renegaded, thinking their Prince to have read something in the stars that they missed, but most were either vanquished by The Game or transferred to other Princes. Kochab spends most of his time in the Far Marches, these days, searching for the Ethereals that represented the constellations, especially Gemini, his own sign. The few demons who still remain loyal to him are offered no reprieve by the Host or the Horde. Hidden, the spread to words about what the stars have in line for them and offer encouragement, claiming all will be made right when the Age of Aquarius is in its height. DISSONANCE It is dissonant for a demon of Constellations to scoff astrology, no matter how foolish the prediction might be, unless the prediction is made as a mockery itself. Further, each of Kochab's servitors must read their horoscopes daily and try to ensure that their day is as the stars write it. BAND ATTUNEMENTS There are few demons of Kochab these days, most of the remaining loyalists have been slain and new demons are only created when the stars write it to be so - which, of course, is quite rare. Balseraphs (Restricted) These Liars may, with a successful resonance roll, force a victim to obsess about their horoscope for CD days. Djinn (Restricted) Kochab's Djinn know the correct reading of the stars for any item they are attuned to. Calabim (Restricted) Calabim of Constellations are as attuned to the zodiac as they are entropy. The stars and the soul are tied together and the Destroyers can see that. If they chose, they may use their natural resonance to cause Soul damage rather than harming the Body. Habbalah (Restricted) Habbalah serving Kochab can look into the night sky and accurately predict their horoscope for a number of days into the future equal to their Ethereal Forces. These usually obtuse messages, filled with symbolism and metaphors, have caused most of the Punishers to leave the service of Kochab. Lilim There are no Lilim of Constellations. Lilith simply would not place her creations in such a dangerous position, and those that were his when he renegaded simply had their Geases pulled and were placed in somewhat safer situations. Shedim (Restricted) These Corrupters may enter a host seriously reading his star charts or examining the heavens without a Will roll. Impudites (Restricted) The Impudites of Constellations can look into a person's eyes and know their "sign", how it relates to the person's personality, and how well it coincides with their own sign. SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS When You Wish... Demons with this attunement may make a wish upon a star for a single corporeal item and have it appear beside them. The items cost an expenditure of 1 Essence for each half-pound the item weighs. Stargazing This attunement allows the demon to become invisible while 50% of his form is against the night sky. He may be seen as a somewhat blurred or inconsistent form with a successful Perception roll, minus the demon's Ethereal Forces. Each level of dissonance within the demon adds to the ease of being spotted. DISTINCTIONS Kochab offers no distinctions, nor did he grant any before his self-imposed exile. RELATIONS Strangely enough, due to the signs of the other Princes (or their rising signs), Kochab finds himself incompatible with any of the other demons. Asmodeus is offering rewards for accurate sightings of the Renegade Prince. BASIC RITES - - Convince a human that their horoscope or star reading is true - - Read about horoscopes and star signs for an hour - - Gaze at the stars for two hours CHANCE OF INVOCATION: 0 INVOCATION MODIFIERS +1 With an printing of Kochab's horoscope for that day +2 In an empty field with a sky full of stars +3 By a shelf of books on the stars and their mystic principles Credits: Erich S. Arendall ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 23:56:57 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? >>My name is Eileen, and I have a penchant for playing Seraphs. [Everybody together] HI, EILEEN! Eileen is one of mine -- she ran the Seraph of Revelations in my New Haven campaign last year. I'd just like to say that I'm so darn proud to see my little girl all grown up [sniff]. >>I've never GMed >>anything, much less an IN game. Bluff a lot. When in doubt, roll dice and/or smirk knowingly. Prepare, but don't overprepare. Manage your players, but don't shove them around (well, don't be obvious about it). Move things along. And don't be afraid to chew the carpet -- one of the great things about GMing is you can say "BWAH HA HA HA," and mean it. >>I figure running a module to start off >>with would be avisable. However, the GM pack with Feast of Blades seems >>to be out of print, and I'm not familiar with others. >>Are there any that people would recommend? Well, from SJG I would recommend: - -- Night Music ("Revelations Cycle Book 1"). Eileen, you guys were about to run into this adventure when we had to end the campaign; if you pick it up, you'll find out what Furfur's secret "Project Hardcore" was all about, and where the Demon of Strippers has been keeping herself, and much else besides. It's more of an adventure setting than a "module", but you can have a lot of fun with it -- read it carefully first, and get to know the NPCs and their interactions. It's set in Texas, but would translate easily to many other cities, including Bostong. I was going to set it in New Haven, myself, with the climactic scene coming at Toad's Place. - -- Heaven and Hell ("Revelations Cycle Book 3"). Lots of useful source material, plus a short module/adventure at the end. It's called "No Dinero" and it's about this nightclub in New York City, see, and angels and demons have been disappearing around it... Yah, it's the one your group ran through. And yah, I did customize it quite a bit -- the Empire State Building tether, Jack Faust, the Demon of New York City, the Angel of Strippers, the dwarves and the "I Love NY" button, and of course Mayor Giuliani. If you don't soup it up, it's a shortish adventure -- playable in maybe two sessions. It's mostly puzzle-solving, though, and so may not be suitable for all parties. - -- Liber Servitorum, the Book of Servitors. This is just a big book of NPCs, but they're _good_ NPCs (you might recognize a couple of them), and there are some spiffy plot seeds in here. Also, the lists of destinies/fates/Needs at the end is real handy. Finally, rummage around on some IN pages online. Some people have done _amazing_ stuff. Most seem to prefer characters and plot seeds to "modules", but there are some of those too. I completely agree with Elizabeth's suggestion about running a one-session scenario first -- although, in practice, often PCs go haring off after red herrings and the "short adventure" expands to two sessions or three. IMS that's what happened with you guys. But it's no big deal, if people like the campaign and the game. Good luck, and welcome to the Choir! Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 12:27:50 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re: WoD/In Nomine > Maurice Lane wrote: >> >> --- Kish wrote: >> >> > I believe that comes from reading the Seraph of >> > Flowers attunement as >> > not affecting the user. >> > >> >> No, I'm quite aware that the Attunement affects the >> user: that won't prevent the Seraph from _capturing_ >> entities and handing them over to, say, Malakim of >> Divine Fire...* > > That all depends on how you define "violent." Was it someone else who > had Novalis telling Asmodeus that trying to restrain her Servitors was a > form of violence? I have that linked with your name in my head for some > reason. No, that was me. And I agree that having a Seraph of Flower around is going to spike the wheels of most WoD creatures - if nothing else, Werebeasties lose all of their Rage. However, I fail to see why this is a bad thing. Vampires in WoD are basically human with some supernatural abilities and some serious disads - in other words, about the same as the 5 Force Vampires in In Nomine. So why change them? If they're lower than 8th Gen, give them an extra Force for each generation; this makes Cain a 12 Force Vampire, 13 Force if you treat 6 Forces as basic. Given that his parents were only 15 Forces this seems realistic. Remember that 'Guardian Angel' is a 7 pt merit in Vampire; for that to be worthwhile Angels have to be tough. Having one of their elders as a mentor/defender is only a 3 pt merit. Also, remember that drugs can pump stats in WoD up through the roof; PCP adds +4 strength IIRC, while drugs in In Nomine have a ceiling of a stat of 10, no matter how powerful the starting character. I've had werewolves in my In Nomine games. It's easy - overload a Shedite with Discord. Discoloured(Wolf fur), Vestigium (wolf ears, wolf tail), Vulnerability (Silver). Is the basic kit. Add NC(Claws, Teeth) and Joe mundane turns into a werewolf whenever he's possessed. In normal games, I also have the Shedite be Bound to an item which they inhabit when not possessing someone (both Baal and Haagenti make excellent Superiors for this sort of werewolf); for a cross-over I'd make the Garou a micro-tether or give them the Sorcerous ritual Summon named Demon as an instinctive skill. Mages - IIRC, angels in WoD are the paradox spirits from when Celestial Chorus held sway, so angels need to be almost as tough as regular paradox spirits ie nigh on invincible. 'Nuff said. Yes, it would annoy the WoD players to be outclassed. So what? The basic rule of WoD is: "there are big nasties out there who can splat you, and the only reason they haven't is that you are too insignificant to have attracted their notice". Toning down In Nomine violates that basic rule. James. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 12:30:18 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re: Flashman > Flashman has very good > instincts about nastiness - he should, considering his > earthly habits - and he sourly suspects that Laurence > has always wanted to _really_ put a sinner through his > paces. The ... blessed soul ... must have seemed like > a gift from God Himself. Well, it has to be Heaven for Laurence as well, doesn't it? :-) [snicker, snicker] Well Done - again! James. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 14:21:58 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re: Help for a Neophyte GM >>Hello all :) >> >>My name is Eileen, and I have a penchant for playing Seraphs. I live in >>Boston, and since I can't find an IN GM in the area, but have come up with >>people interested in being players, I've decided to step up to the plate >>and GM a game myself. From which comes the cry for help. I've never GMed [snip] >> Does anyone have tips and pointers for a first >>time GM? I'm planning on running the non-GURPS. >> >>Thanks muchly >> >>Eileen Rule 1 - it is only a game. So long as people have fun, all is well. Every other rule is merely a suggestion; having fun is mandatory. And that includes YOU having fun. Don't worry about rules you don't know - ignore them. look them up between games. Don't worry about mistakes. if a mistake you make annoys a player, apologise, try to learn from it; but don't take it seriously. if a player doesn't notice a mistake ignore it. Have you played with any of your group before? That gives you an edge - what do they enjoy? Try to provide it. if not, Players seem to come in 3 basic types: combat freaks - make sure they have things to hit. Thinkers - make sure they have puzzles to solve, foes to trick. character developers - give them interesting NPC's to talk to, and try to tie in their backgrounds indirectly, so that they will have fun discussing things amongst themselves. Make sure that the first few 'encounters' the group runs into can be solved by ANY of these three methods, talk/trick/fight. Once they've dealt with these, you'll know what your players want and how they'll try and get it. So make sure that during a fight, a dying foe sends off a message for back-up, that tricking the opponent results in the group learning some obscure facts relevant to the plot, and that anyone they talk to can introduce them to someone helpful. It's unlikely that all of your players fall into the category, so you'll need to blend these elements. So if you have a single hack-and-slasher, make sure that one NPC will only 'respect' someone who'll defeat them in a test of arms, or will need to be defeated and then will speak dying words to one of the talkers; if you've only one trickster in a group of hack-and-slashers let them know that unbeatable back up is on the way for the enemy, so that they have to divert the threat while everyone else is fighting. Mixing combat & character development is the hardest. If you have to do that in In Nomine, then I recommend having the combat as 'background' to what is really going on - think of any romance movie set during a war. Don't get to attached to your plot. No plot survives first contact with the PC's. If you do force the plot to work, then you'll end up ignoring the PC's actions, and that's disaster. A good motto: "Every PC is the hero of their own story". What happens should depend on the actions of the PC's, NEVER be predetermined. A good example is the Revelations cycle, where the PC's are determine whether or not a Demon Prince will be crowned, and later whether an Archangel will Fall. there are all sorts of books on 'how to be a good GM' floating around. Most of them are OK, but don't treat them as gospel. RULE 2: Trust yourself. You know that you don't 'know it all', you've asked for advice. Most GM's don't. That makes you one of the better starting GM's. If anything I, or anyone else says, doesn't seem appropriate then ignore it - - it's your game. You'll know the players, the situation, and what you want. Do it your way. In Nomine specifics; My personal check-list before starting an In Nomine game: 1) list all detection abilities possessed by party - not just resonances. Compare to list of NPC's, making sure that there's no threat of plot derailment or my wasting time thinking of answers. 2) make list of generic results for resonance use on minor NPC's - again, it saves time. 3) Decide where any Tethers are forming, and which Superior has a Soldier (or Celestial with an incredibly high Role as a psycho killer) on a roof top with a BFG/6 and orders to shoot at any disturbance they can detect. (Remember that modern high-powered rifles can put bullets through walls. Having a bullet fly out of a wall into the PC who's just caused a massive disturbance encourages players to keep disturbance below the 50 pt mark). Decide on their back-up if any. If nothing else, ensure that there's a Cherub/Djinn attuned to the BFG. 4) Decide which NPC Lilim is/are bugging the party (and how), and what sort of things they'll be offering in return for Geases, and what they'd actually like out of the party. 5) make sure I have a ready to run Triad or team of Gamesters written up completely. That way I can hand over the character sheets to players to NPC for me rather than them being bored during an investigation of one PC. 6) Decide what resources and support is available for the mundane police, how respectable/corrupt they are, and what supernaturals are watching over them. Remember that Kyriotates (and with more difficulty, Shedim) can possess people over via a radio link, so if a copper calls for back up over his radio it's quite reasonable to have a Domination of the Sword, Shield or Judgement answer the call instantly! 7) Run over the basic plot. Check to see if anything MUST happen. If so, think about changing the plot. Remind myself repeatedly that the plot is purely optional, and that if the PC's completely derail it, then they'll almost certainly be having fun. 7i - decide who my basic villains are, and who their friends and enemies are. 7ii - (tenuously) decide who the PC's can rely on for allies and contacts. 7iii - think about what'' happen if one of them changes sides due to characters' actions. 8)Decide how much information I want to make available for PC's who decide to do some research/ talk to contacts. This encourages the sane players. Also, the list is useful if the party Seraph is getting to close to information I don't want revealed - giving them a huge slab of info from this list will (hopefully ) hide the fact that I've just pre-empted questioning. 9)Make sure that I have a note pad handy for the game. Whenever a player mentions wanting to talk to a specific type of NPC, note down name, profession, and any other details that come up during the conversation. That way they can be fleshed out in more detail between games. 10) Relax. it's only a game! think evil thoughts about what I'm about to do to the players' minds. James. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 12:33:57 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re:Brightness > This reminds me of Nybbas' line from Dark Victory: > "Playing Bright in a Dark world is good for the ratings..." > Does anyone else get that? That is, when confronted with a > Dark setting, inevitably want to play the hero? of course! james. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 07:15:03 -0000 From: "A C" Subject: IN> Hi Hi everybody, I'm new in your list and I'm not sure I'm doing things well. I'm a master in In Nomine Campaign (of course ! :)). I play in Italy. I'm with a little "dilemma" with a player of mine. He plays a Serpah of Destiny. In the Angelic Player Guide it seems that Yves' Seraph is able to detect true name of Celestial when Seraph touches it. What do you think about ? Somebody could help me ? Thanks. Bye,Grey _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 07:15:27 -0000 From: "A C" Subject: IN> IN - dilemma Hi everybody, I'm new in your list and I'm not sure I'm doing things well. I'm a master in In Nomine Campaign (of course ! :)). I play in Italy. I'm with a little "dilemma" with a player of mine. He plays a Serpah of Destiny. In the Angelic Player Guide it seems that Yves' Seraph is able to detect true name of Celestial when Seraph touches it. What do you think about ? Somebody could help me ? Thanks. Bye,Grey _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 07:30:35 -0400 From: Marc Bowden Subject: Re: IN> Mirror, Mirror ...Again? - --On Wednesday, July 11, 2001 6:34 PM -0500 "Erich S. Arendall" wrote: > *Will Enterprise, the upcoming series that takes place before Kirk's > adventures be called New-Classic Star Trek? > Personally, I'm waiting for Star Trek: Clear. I believe it'll be called , which is, in the Celestial tongue, "what the hell were they thinking?" Special effects on the new series will be powered by wrapping Gene's body in wire and placing several powerful magnets near his grave, so that rapid spinning effect doesn't go to waste. Marc. Just Marc. Elohite Angel of Salvation ("Diet Content-Free Star Trek, now in the 20oz size!") ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 06:04:30 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? > >My name is Eileen, and I have a penchant for playing > Seraphs. Hi, Eileen! > I live in > >Boston, and since I can't find an IN GM in the area, but > have come up with > >people interested in being players, I've decided to step > up to the plate and GM a game myself. Poor soul, you DO need help. > I figure running a module to start off > >with would be avisable. However, the GM pack with Feast > of Blades seems > >to be out of print, and I'm not familiar with others. If you can find Night Music, "The Demon Prince of Rock and Roll" adventure has potential. There are also a number of excellent plot seeds generated by members of this list for the two (to date) Iron Rev contests (Are the links to those still up, and if so who has them?). If we can't get the links to the complete collections for you, I'll be happy to send you my stuff. I'm sure that others would be willing to do the same. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Fall down seven times, get up eight." - -- Japanese proverb __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 06:08:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Help for a neophyte? - --- Eric Bertish wrote: > One-shot? Screwy? > > http://www.ishware.com/prodigal/IronRev/DanceShoes.htm > > Now that I think about it, this'd make a truly weird LARP > adventure. Casca, you read my mind. If you do this before I do, pleasepleasePLEASE let me know! ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Fall down seven times, get up eight." - -- Japanese proverb __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 06:16:32 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Ethereal Song of Forms - --- Janet Anderson wrote: > 1. Does the Ethereal Song of Forms make you invisible to > cameras, > surveillance devices, electric eyes, etc. as well as > perception? I would say yes. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Fall down seven times, get up eight." - -- Japanese proverb __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2298 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2001 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.