Read other reviews for Chaosium products and you'll find a common thread: you shouldn't buy Chaosium's books because of their great layout, mindblowingly cool pictures or impeccable editing.

You should buy Chaosium books because of the well-thought content and the simple and flexible mechanics.

Such is the case with Nephilim. The layout could use some work, most of the drawings are of average quality, and it needed some serious proof reading and spell checking before going to the printer. But it paints such a colorful and well-researched world that you can't help but sit down and write some scenarios or maybe a short story or two for it.

The game world

As its name so clearly states, Nephilim deals with the hidden world of the occult. In it you play a Nephilim, a member of an ancient race of beings of pure magic, born of the magic fields that cover the Earth and move like tectonic plaques.

Nephilims are hard to describe. A Nephilim is something like a mix of D&D's Liches, The Stage's Matars, the Yithians and those parasitic thought-beings from Dark City. Nephilims emerged contemporaneous to the Saurians, who were great magicians, and caused the downfall of said race and later on created mankind. They are made of a mix of five Ka elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire and Moon), with one of them being dominant and marking the Nephilim's personality.

Nephilims used to be create their own bodies, from where legends about mystical creatures like satyrs and drakes sprang, but since the fall of the great Orichalka (the destroyer of Ka) meteor, a Nephilim must incarnate into a creature with Solar Ka, most often a human. This vehicle for the Nephilim's consciousness is called a simulacrum.

Each Nephilim is trying to reach Agartha, a nirvana-like state where the Nephilim's Ka elements mix with the simulacrum's Solar Ka to create a being of pure energy. They actually divide themselves in Arcana, depending on their preferred method to achieve Agartha.

Nevertheless, all is not meditation and research. Their old creation, humanity, has through the millennia learned the secrets of the Nephilim and gathered in secret societies, some of which are partial to the Nephilim but most of which oppose the Nephilim and have learned to use Orichalka as a weapon. And thus, Nephilim must ward themselves against all kinds of dangers, from being killed with Orichalka and dissipated into the magic fields to being subjugated and turned into an elixir or homunculus.

The world is quite rich and demonstrates the countless hours of research that must have gone into creating it. While the main book deals mainly with playing during the great Nephilim awakening taking place in the late 20th century, the game and game system are flexible enough that it can be played on any period along mankind's history.

Throughout history, Nephilims have incarnated in notorious humans like Torquemada, Jesus Christ and Leonardo da Vinci, their struggles and plots shaping the world, which gives place to an almost obligatory revision of history. There GM and players can find out what's really going on. This background information is incredibly rich. So rich, actually, that it gives way to one of the game's main flaws.

When playing games like Call of Cthulhu, bringing new players into the story is not hard, since the character at the start is probably as clueless about what's really going on as the player. In Nephilim, however, a character is supposed to have had several incarnations before their current one. This either creates a stark contrast between the vast amount of character knowledge and the meager knowledge of a new player, or it forces each player to digest well over 120 pages of background information before entering the game. Players that do go into it will be rewarded with an interesting view of human history and a well-rounded character, but I doubt that many GMs are blessed with players who are actually willing to make the necessary effort.

The game system

Nephilim uses a mildly modified version of Chaosium's standard roleplaying system, with only a few key differences.

First, character statistics are not the Nephilim's but the simulacrum's, and are modified up depending on the Nephilim's Ka elements. These statistics are not fixed in stone and change when the Nephilim changes simulacra.

Second, a Nephilim keeps not one list of skills but two: one for the Nephilim and one for the simulacrum. After possessing a human, the Nephilim gains access to the human's memories and can, if the Nephilim wishes, make use of the human's skills. While the Nephilim attempts this in the danger of falling in Shouit (a state where the Nephilim's consciousness is relegated and the person's mind takes control again for some time) it is an useful way of extending a Nephilim's skill set, which may be a little outdated depending on when it last incarnated.

Another interesting difference is that, in the same way that Call of Cthulhu has a stable of skills for driving vehicles and using weapons, Nephilim doesn't use a generic Occult skill but instead has skills for Kabalistic Lore, Astrological Lore, Hermetic Lore and what not; a reflection of its greater focus on occult roleplaying.

It also includes a detailed system for magic, which is divided in sorcery, summoning and alchemy. Unlike AD&D magic, the three schools can create spells that are vastly different and there is little overlap in style and focus.

Overall, I like Chaosium's system. It allows for lots of detail with simple and easy to learn mechanics. However, I'm not sure about how easy it will be to keep track of two sets of changing skills, specially since the Nephilim might be forced to change simulacras often in a violent campaign.

What's missing

All is not well, unfortunately, and Nephilim is far from a perfect book.

Here and there you'll find phrases that are unintelligible, probably a result of the game's translation from the original French. There are also several typographic errors scattered through the text, betraying a lack of spellchecking that mars the book's quality.

Nephilim is also lacking in an important area: there are no complete scenarios or campaign guidelines that show you what a Nephilim game is supposed to be like. These are included in the Gamemaster Screen and Gamemaster companion (respectively) but it would have been nice to have seen them in the main book. Fortunately, Chaosium recently put out a Nephilim Pack, which retails for $25 and included the three aforementioned items and a collection of character sheets, so there is no reason prospective GMs can't get a complete set of information.

Finally, the layout is a little confusing and sometimes concepts are used repeatedly before they are explained. Granted, something like that can't be avoided in a book as complex as Nephilim, but it makes the first reading a matter of flipping back and forth through the whole text.

Overall

Nephilim is an intriguing game marred only by poor editing and imperfect layout, but is a good bet for any GM who has an itch to play the other side of Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum", can put with the lack of proofreading and had players willing to do the necessary homework.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

What do you think?

Visit the above forum to let us know!

Nephilim: Occult Roleplaying
Author: Frédéric Weil, Fabrice Lamidey, Sam Shirley, and Greg Stafford Category: game Company/Publisher: Chaosium Inc. / MultiSim Line: Nephilim Cost: $21.95 Page count: 230 Playtest Review by Ricardo J. Méndez on 02/10/00. Genre tags: Fantasy Modern_day Historical Conspiracy	Read other reviews for Chaosium products and you'll find a common thread: you shouldn't buy Chaosium's books because of their great layout, mindblowingly cool pictures or impeccable editing. You should buy Chaosium books because of the well-thought content and the simple and flexible mechanics. Such is the case with Nephilim. The layout could use some work, most of the drawings are of average quality, and it needed some serious proof reading and spell checking before going to the printer. But it paints such a colorful and well-researched world that you can't help but sit down and write some scenarios or maybe a short story or two for it. The game world As its name so clearly states, Nephilim deals with the hidden world of the occult. In it you play a Nephilim, a member of an ancient race of beings of pure magic, born of the magic fields that cover the Earth and move like tectonic plaques. Nephilims are hard to describe. A Nephilim is something like a mix of D&D's Liches, The Stage's Matars, the Yithians and those parasitic thought-beings from Dark City. Nephilims emerged contemporaneous to the Saurians, who were great magicians, and caused the downfall of said race and later on created mankind. They are made of a mix of five Ka elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire and Moon), with one of them being dominant and marking the Nephilim's personality. Nephilims used to be create their own bodies, from where legends about mystical creatures like satyrs and drakes sprang, but since the fall of the great Orichalka (the destroyer of Ka) meteor, a Nephilim must incarnate into a creature with Solar Ka, most often a human. This vehicle for the Nephilim's consciousness is called a simulacrum. Each Nephilim is trying to reach Agartha, a nirvana-like state where the Nephilim's Ka elements mix with the simulacrum's Solar Ka to create a being of pure energy. They actually divide themselves in Arcana, depending on their preferred method to achieve Agartha. Nevertheless, all is not meditation and research. Their old creation, humanity, has through the millennia learned the secrets of the Nephilim and gathered in secret societies, some of which are partial to the Nephilim but most of which oppose the Nephilim and have learned to use Orichalka as a weapon. And thus, Nephilim must ward themselves against all kinds of dangers, from being killed with Orichalka and dissipated into the magic fields to being subjugated and turned into an elixir or homunculus. The world is quite rich and demonstrates the countless hours of research that must have gone into creating it. While the main book deals mainly with playing during the great Nephilim awakening taking place in the late 20th century, the game and game system are flexible enough that it can be played on any period along mankind's history. Throughout history, Nephilims have incarnated in notorious humans like Torquemada, Jesus Christ and Leonardo da Vinci, their struggles and plots shaping the world, which gives place to an almost obligatory revision of history. There GM and players can find out what's really going on. This background information is incredibly rich. So rich, actually, that it gives way to one of the game's main flaws. When playing games like Call of Cthulhu, bringing new players into the story is not hard, since the character at the start is probably as clueless about what's really going on as the player. In Nephilim, however, a character is supposed to have had several incarnations before their current one. This either creates a stark contrast between the vast amount of character knowledge and the meager knowledge of a new player, or it forces each player to digest well over 120 pages of background information before entering the game. Players that do go into it will be rewarded with an interesting view of human history and a well-rounded character, but I doubt that many GMs are blessed with players who are actually willing to make the necessary effort. The game system Nephilim uses a mildly modified version of Chaosium's standard roleplaying system, with only a few key differences. First, character statistics are not the Nephilim's but the simulacrum's, and are modified up depending on the Nephilim's Ka elements. These statistics are not fixed in stone and change when the Nephilim changes simulacra. Second, a Nephilim keeps not one list of skills but two: one for the Nephilim and one for the simulacrum. After possessing a human, the Nephilim gains access to the human's memories and can, if the Nephilim wishes, make use of the human's skills. While the Nephilim attempts this in the danger of falling in Shouit (a state where the Nephilim's consciousness is relegated and the person's mind takes control again for some time) it is an useful way of extending a Nephilim's skill set, which may be a little outdated depending on when it last incarnated. Another interesting difference is that, in the same way that Call of Cthulhu has a stable of skills for driving vehicles and using weapons, Nephilim doesn't use a generic Occult skill but instead has skills for Kabalistic Lore, Astrological Lore, Hermetic Lore and what not; a reflection of its greater focus on occult roleplaying. It also includes a detailed system for magic, which is divided in sorcery, summoning and alchemy. Unlike AD&D magic, the three schools can create spells that are vastly different and there is little overlap in style and focus. Overall, I like Chaosium's system. It allows for lots of detail with simple and easy to learn mechanics. However, I'm not sure about how easy it will be to keep track of two sets of changing skills, specially since the Nephilim might be forced to change simulacras often in a violent campaign. What's missing All is not well, unfortunately, and Nephilim is far from a perfect book. Here and there you'll find phrases that are unintelligible, probably a result of the game's translation from the original French. There are also several typographic errors scattered through the text, betraying a lack of spellchecking that mars the book's quality. Nephilim is also lacking in an important area: there are no complete scenarios or campaign guidelines that show you what a Nephilim game is supposed to be like. These are included in the Gamemaster Screen and Gamemaster companion (respectively) but it would have been nice to have seen them in the main book. Fortunately, Chaosium recently put out a Nephilim Pack, which retails for $25 and included the three aforementioned items and a collection of character sheets, so there is no reason prospective GMs can't get a complete set of information. Finally, the layout is a little confusing and sometimes concepts are used repeatedly before they are explained. Granted, something like that can't be avoided in a book as complex as Nephilim, but it makes the first reading a matter of flipping back and forth through the whole text. Overall Nephilim is an intriguing game marred only by poor editing and imperfect layout, but is a good bet for any GM who has an itch to play the other side of Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum", can put with the lack of proofreading and had players willing to do the necessary homework. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty) What do you think? Visit the above forum to let us know!

Nephilim: Occult Roleplaying

The game world

The game system

What's missing

Overall

What do you think?