Edit this Review | Unlink This Review from In Nomine

Goto [ Index ]

In Nomine is the role-playing that I enjoyed so much, I bought two copies of the main rulebook. Partly the reasoning was for utility; I knew at once that I would *have* to run this game, and partly for the fact that having the white "angelic" copy on my shelf next to the black "demonic" copy (both are the same, internally, as is the soft cover "burning feather" motif) would look really cool.

In case you haven't heard by now, In Nomine is the game of angels and demons fighting The War (pronounce those upper case letters!) on Earth. However, it is not necessarily restricted to the corporeal sphere of influence; ethereal realms (the realm of dreams and of the other gods, such as Norse and Native American) and the celestial realms (Heaven and Hell) are also detailed.

Skills are handled by using a novel die mechanic - the d666. Three six-sided dice are rolled, two identical, one different. The two identical dice indicate whether or not the skill use is successful - not too precise, but that's not the point of the game. The third die is the check digit - it tells how successful you were, or how badly you flubbed. If you roll a 111 or a 666, you get an angelic or infernal intervention.

Interventions are one of the high points and trouble points of In Nomine. They give great flavor to the game, particularly when rolled at a dramatically appropriate time. However, at the same time, they can severely tax the GM's imagination and ability, particularly when rolled on several random events during a scenario.

Combat is cinematic. Celestial vessels (the corporeal forms that your characters take on Earth) can take more damage then a tank at times. Humans can take inordinate amounts of damage, as well - this is fixed in supplements (and on the Web). Combat is pretty much a straight opposed die roll, depending on whether the combatants are hand to hand, in ranged combat, or using Songs (celestial magic spells).

The players have a wide variety of options when creating characters. There are 7 choirs of angels and 7 bands of demons. There are also 13 Superiors for each type of Celestial - each Superior has a Word that he (or she) must uphold. Players can also play humans, Remnants (celestials that were almost killed in celestial combat), and Undead (humans that sold out to Hell in exchange for immortality).

In Nomine gives a great deal of leeway to the GMs, which can be bad if the GM doesn't want the work or the hassle of dealing with many sometimes legitimate complaints. It is also a very mature work - while there is a little sex (and always handled maturely), there is some jarring violence, and the depiction of some religious themes that not even all adults may enjoy.

All in all, however, In Nomine is a great game. Our sessions in playing it fly by, even with all the die rolls I enforce on players. Group mechanics are enhanced by the natures and abilities of the various types of celestials and the Superiors, and SJGames is very keen on avoiding the "White Wolf" syndrome of attributing everything in history to supernatural involvement.

In Nomine is definitely a game I can recommend without hesitation.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)