I never had much interest in Nobilis but borrowed a copy because a lot of folks were comparing it to The Whispering Vault... which I love. The similarities seem tenuous though... at least from what I read of it... and I haven't heard of anyone running Nobilis as a horror RPG.
Could you run it as a Dukes of Hell/Inferno sort of affair?

Quote from: Daedalus;444592I call Medical Doctors doctor and they are the only ones.

When I worked at a toxicology lab we always laughed at the 'little doctors', our name for the medical guys. There were a bunch of PhDs in our group, who disliked being called 'doctor'... but the medical fellows, who were not PhDs (not 'true' doctors)... insisting that THEY be called 'doctor'.
So I don't call anyone 'doctor' these days... except for my friend... who IS 'young Dr. Jones'.

The best thing Nobilis ever did for me was get me to begin work on a diceless resolution mechanic for a RPG that wasn't just dick-size comparisons. I ended up abandoning the project to pursue other things, but the core system remains intact and I can throw it up sometime.

It involved using various kinds of techniques to adjust a number up or down with the targets varying based on how difficult the task was and what you wanted to accomplish (up was a mutual win-win, down was a first-past-the-post winner). Techniques were exhausted once used, but some techniques would refresh themselves or others if you used them in exchange for a less drastic adjustment of the number. This was gonna be used for a game set in the world of Buddhist myth where you play holy warriors and monks journeying around defeating demons.

Quote from: thenorm42;444577Just thought I'd mention - 333 copies of Nobilis 3rd edition are now available for pre-order from //www.eos-sama.com (payment by Paypal I believe). They're shipping in late March / early April, but you get the PDF immediately! I've got mine, I'm particularly digging the new take on Hell.

By chance I ended up with a free copy of the PDF.  I had tried to purchase with credit card (I am fond of PDF/print bundles), but it turns out that although Eos Press had put up a form they weren't actually able to process credit card payments, just PayPal (note to self, get a new credit card number).  So my order was cancelled, but as consolation everyone in my situation was sent a free copy of the PDF.

While I won't complain about getting something for free, having read the book I have no particular desire to ever own it in print.

Random initial impression: the "life path" section is really bad.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;444729The best thing Nobilis ever did for me was get me to begin work on a diceless resolution mechanic for a RPG that wasn't just dick-size comparisons.

Oh yeah, right; instead it was a completely mediocre bean-counting system.  Because we all know chartered accountancy is so much more fun than chess.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;444891Oh yeah, right; instead it was a completely mediocre bean-counting system.  Because we all know chartered accountancy is so much more fun than chess.

RPGPundit

What, Nobilis's system? I hated it, but it's just dick size contest where you choose how many pumps of the fist you get before measuring. My goal with my own system was to introduce something like tactical complexity and unpredictability beyond "I spend two points for a total of five," "I spend three points for a total of five."

It seems more akin to a poker game, since you know what your opponent is playing but not what he still has in his hand, and have to consider how much of your power you can afford to put forth at the moment and how much you might need later.

3e is a bit more generous in letting you regain MP as you go along, so you can spend a bit more than you could in 2e, but there's still a fair amount of play in the resource management.

Is it still trivially easy to be immune to all physical harm and the powers of others?

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;444981Is it still trivially easy to be immune to all physical harm and the powers of others?

More importantly, is it still trivially easy to be put off by a promising premise that is ruined by endless pages of flowery prose (ha, pun!) that has no discernible purpose other than to make the author think they are awfully clever?

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;444981Is it still trivially easy to be immune to all physical harm and the powers of others?

Powers are no longer immune to direct alteration by miracles- that's been replaced by a wounds system. Immortality is still buyable, but it's no longer absolute, so now being immortal only means that killing you is tiresome and expensive.

QuoteMore importantly, is it still trivially easy to be put off by a promising premise that is ruined by endless pages of flowery prose (ha, pun!) that has no discernible purpose other than to make the author think they are awfully clever?

I loved the prose, so at the very least it had two purposes!

Anyway, the tone of the third edition is much different. I wouldn't call it flowery at all.

I have read the first 102 pages of the PDF. Sometime Thursday I will start reading the actual rules since everything so far has served as setting/background. I found the prose readable and not overly flowery. That said 100+ pages seems like a pretty steep buy in for GMs let alone players before you even get to character creation.

I do like that Nobilis appears to have sold 200+ copies in the first 24 hours because it helps to prove that Diceless RPGs can sell. Obviously I'm really looking forward to Lords of Olympus and Lords of Gossamer and Shadow.

Quote from: Lorrraine;445012I do like that Nobilis appears to have sold 200+ copies in the first 24 hours because it helps to prove that Diceless RPGs can sell. Obviously I'm really looking forward to Lords of Olympus and Lords of Gossamer and Shadow.

While Nobilis strikes me as being a horrible, horrible game, I guess it's a good thing that any given non-Wizards of the Coast RPG can sell 200 copies in a day - although that's probably damn close to critical mass, yeah?

After reading the circle-jerk around Nobilis on RPGnet for... how long now? Often by people who had often only heard of it...  I'm not surprised it could sell 200 copies that fast.
What might be more impressive is if 200 people actually end up playing it.

Quote from: Lorrraine;445012That said 100+ pages seems like a pretty steep buy in for GMs let alone players before you even get to character creation.

Speaking of GMs, the book doesn't seem to have advice in it for running a game.  I'm guessing that will appear in one of the upcoming supplements you mention.

Quote from: Lorrraine;445012I have read the first 102 pages of the PDF. Sometime Thursday I will start reading the actual rules since everything so far has served as setting/background. I found the prose readable and not overly flowery. That said 100+ pages seems like a pretty steep buy in for GMs let alone players before you even get to character creation.

According to my GWB (signed by the artists, as I am fond of mentioning), you can "create" a character starting around page 45.  But you won't really be ready to play until about page 175.

Kids these days, and their mere 100 pages before character creation.