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      Wind in the Flowers: Re-inventing a Game

    The Emperor to Come

*R. Sean Borgstrom*

January 31, 2002

Much of the *Nobilis* setting draws its passion and temper from the

character of Lord Entropy, the anointed ruler of the material Earth.

Callous, oppressive, and indisputably malevolent, he has created a

government and code of law that reflects his own nature. He sanctions

sevenfold vengeance, extends the protections of his law to the enemies

of all Creation, and forbids the Nobilis love. He embodies the concepts

of Destruction, Desecration, and Scorn. Because of his existence, these

things afflict the Earth.

*Nobilis* pursues a value-neutral approach towards such entities as Lord

Entropy. Destruction, Desecration, and Scorn are ugly things, but also a

part of the natural order of Creation. For player characters, loyal in

some sense to the universe, Lord Entropy is not the enemy -- he is a

cruel lord, but not an inadequate one. He makes a fine villain for

characters who simply /must/ foment rebellion -- but in most games, he

is not a villain at all. Rather, he represents an unpleasant part of the

order of things. He is a natural force that one cooperates with or works

around.

*Nobilis* is not a horror game. I've always intended that it be a game

of wonder and horror, balancing the ugly elements of the setting with

beauty. Getting strong reactions out of players -- terror in a horror

game, fascination in a game of mystery or conspiracy, romantic fantasy

in a romance, the spiritual experience in a religious game -- depends

entirely on the person running the game. /I/ can't directly put wonder

and horror into *Nobilis*. Instead, I must produce a toolkit that the

player group can use to evoke those reactions. That's one of the central

purposes of both mechanics and setting.

In this respect, placing Lord Entropy alone at the pinnacle of Earthly

power was a mistake. You can use him easily to invoke a sense of horror,

but he just won't take the players' breath away with the beauty, wonder,

and scope of his nature. He is a single point of darkness in a key area

of the setting, with no brightness to mitigate it. At the same time, I

found his place in the world a very useful tool during game design.

For example, Lord Entropy's code of law forbids love. (Specifically, to

the Nobilis -- half-divine beings and the default character type.) This

isn't a physical law, nor is Lord Entropy omnipotent. Characters can

break the law, and can even get away with it. At the same time, Lord

Entropy is powerful and cunning, providing powerful incentive to follow

his code. This combination of traits gives much more significance to the

decision to love. Every time one of the Nobilis gives their heart, even

in relative secrecy and safety, it forms the core of a powerful and

dynamic story. Weakening Lord Entropy's power base weakens that story.

Similarly, because Lord Entropy extends the protection of his law to the

enemies of Creation -- the Excrucians -- launching a preemptive strike

against that enemy takes on new significance. Instead of a tactical

decision, the choice whether to gather evidence against the enemy or

attack prematurely becomes a real, meaningful choice.

In the Hogshead edition, therefore, I set out to create a thematic

balance for Lord Entropy in the topmost levels of Earth's power

structure -- without balancing his temporal power. The first edition

offered a useful tool: the "Council of Four," an august governing body

to which Lord Entropy belonged. The combined decision of the three other

members could thwart him -- although this didn't happen very often.

The new edition introduces the character of *Ananda*, who sits on the

Council of Four. He shines with a terrible glory. Humans and the weaker

Nobilis cannot enter his presence lest his countenance drive them mad

with joy. The world sings in his presence. Grass and trees become

crystal instruments. Concrete buildings clamor out hard-edged refrains.

Birds pour out symphony after symphony, until their hearts burst from

the strain.

Some of you may wonder why we would choose such a stark and hostile form

of beauty for a character intended to balance out a monster. In fact, in

his original conception, Ananda had a kind beauty, a tame beauty, a

loveliness to put one in mind of rainbows and waterfalls. From the

perspective of /my/ injecting beauty into the game, that would have

worked. As soon as the first words went onto the page, though, it became

clear that, as part of a toolkit for creating wonder, that idea didn't

work at all.

The members of the Council of Four, I discovered, need stark detail and

absolute magnificence. Anything less would less would compromise the

feel of the game. *Nobilis* postulates that many of the /player

characters/ have personal presence exceeding that of Napoleon or

Elizabeth I. Ananda stands several steps higher on the ladder of

authority. Further, members of the Council of Four must play a small

role in the game. (Why overshadow the player characters?) Since Ananda

should rarely appear "on screen," the person running the game has very

little time to make an impact with him. Thus, his beauty strikes like a

thunderbolt; it does not drift to the senses in gentle waves.

Ananda is a creature of conscience. In this, he is unique on the Council

of Four. (When creating Ananda, I did not know this for sure -- but, in

response to a playtester request, we've added a short box describing the

other two members. Now, I know.) He represents a court of last resort --

a final hope for Nobilis desperate for justice or succor. He is a

benevolent administrator who might take action in a worthy character's

name.

So that Ananda does not become a panacea, an escape from all the terrors

of the setting, we limited his authority. Ananda knows of an

"unacceptable" horror that will come to pass if he casts his vote

directly against Lord Entropy's in Council. His greatest protest against

Entropy's actions is an abstention. Ananda must abstain, and the other

two members of the Council vote against Lord Entropy, for the Council to

overrule Lord Entropy's decisions. Ananda remains one of the four

Imperators directly charged with governance over the Nobilis and the

mortal world, but his inability to vote his conscience limits his power

base.

Ananda, like the other members of the Council of Four, is an Imperator

-- a great spirit, the essence of several fundamental concepts of the

world, served by several of the Nobilis. He embodies the concepts of

Murder, the Infinite, and the Fourth Age. The Fourth Age immediately

follows the current era; when the very nature of the world next changes,

Ananda's essence will pervade reality. For this reason, many call him

the Emperor to Come.

*Nobilis* does not insist on an explanation for the groups of concepts

that the Imperators embody. However, one might reasonably believe that

Ananda is the essence of murder because the Excrucians seek to murder

Creation -- the Third Age, the current Age, /could/ end with the death

of all worlds. Similarly, the Third Age could end with the Excrucians'

utter defeat. The universe could then, in theory, endure indefinitely;

this would explain why he embodies the essence of the Infinite.

Since *Nobilis* detailed Lord Entropy's home -- his "Chancel," a pocket

reality he created -- the new edition also describes Ananda's Chancel.

This is the Cityback, a vast world hidden behind modern cities. The

Cityback is home to wild flora, fauna, and urbana (living elements of

urban life, such as scavenger shopping carts), as well as Ananda's

"ombudsmen." These ombudsmen help the modern world function. For

example, Ananda's ombudsmen protect and facilitate the mysterious

process by which cows become packages of plastic-covered meat at

supermarkets across the world.

The Council of Four remains a dark and oppressive institution. Ananda's

addition to the world does not change this. Still, by taking his place

on the Council, by building the Cityback, and by being Ananda, he brings

hope to the world.

R. Sean

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 Topics 	Author  	Date 	Latest Reply

 James and the Small Caps

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=81&t=81> (2) new 	Kibo 

08-20-2002 16:29  	02-10-2003 01:23 new

 Art <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=77&t=77> (1) new 	Lxndr 

04-26-2002 07:36  	04-26-2002 07:36 new

 The Original Nobilis Club

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=76&t=76> (3) new 	Bret Gillan 

04-17-2002 11:28  	03-17-2003 17:48 new

 Questions & Thoughts

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=64&t=64> (3) new 	Pyske 

03-20-2002 18:31  	05-01-2003 13:03 new

 Noble Buddhism?

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=61&t=61> (9) new 	Tlaloc 

03-20-2002 12:17  	12-10-2004 01:20 new

 Noble Suicide <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=58&t=58> (9) new

Eric Christian Berg  	03-20-2002 07:43  	01-18-2005 16:27 new

 Art Notes <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=54&t=54> (4) new 	R.

Sean Borgstrom  	03-14-2002 16:31  	03-21-2002 03:44 new

 Ack...you just lost my sale

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=45&t=45> (10) new 	SteveD 

03-14-2002 04:06  	03-15-2002 06:29 new

 Onomastikon working URL

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=36&t=36> (4) new 	Jorge

Hernández  	03-06-2002 12:51  	08-20-2002 16:10 new

 Why do angels change names ?

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=33&t=33> (10) new 	philippe

tromeur  	03-06-2002 10:13  	12-10-2004 01:34 new

 R. Sean, some examples?

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=32&t=32> (3) new 	Arref 

03-05-2002 08:17  	03-13-2002 20:28 new

 Sounds great, BUT...

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=28&t=28> (2) new 	Kane 

02-27-2002 16:43  	02-27-2002 17:30 new

 Sort of backwards?

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=21&t=21> (8) new 	Eric Finley 

02-20-2002 14:25  	02-28-2002 09:35 new

 Programmer nature slips out!

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=20&t=20> (2) new 	Sean

McCarthy  	02-20-2002 13:18  	02-21-2002 10:30 new

 Object Lesson Damage

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=15&t=15> (1) new 	Darren

Miguez  	02-13-2002 12:45  	02-13-2002 12:45 new

 How about this?

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=12&t=12> (2) new 	Kristian

Lund  	02-13-2002 11:30  	02-14-2002 01:17 new

 Now, this was strange!

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=9&t=9> (7) new 	access.denied 

02-13-2002 07:44  	02-16-2002 21:44 new

 Briefs on the other two?

<http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=5&t=5> (5) new 	Eric Finley 

01-31-2002 18:39  	02-13-2002 10:36 new

 Forum now works <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=4&t=4> (1) new

Sandy Antunes  	01-31-2002 17:36  	01-31-2002 17:36 new

 limited series <http://www.rpg.net/pf/read.php?f=88&i=1&t=1> (2) new

Sandy Antunes  	01-21-2002 17:41  	01-31-2002 17:36 new

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------------------------------------------------------------------------

    * Editing, Development, and Production

      </news+reviews/columns/wind27mar02.html>

      March 27, 2002

    * Affiliations </news+reviews/columns/wind20mar02.html>

      March 20, 2002

    * How to be a Hollyhock God </news+reviews/columns/wind13mar02.html>

      March 13, 2002

    * Naming Conventions </news+reviews/columns/wind06mar02.html>

      March 6, 2002

    * Art Notes </news+reviews/columns/wind27feb02.html>

      February 27, 2002

    * Dynamic Nobilis </news+reviews/columns/wind20feb02.html>

      February 20, 2002

    * Systems Change </news+reviews/columns/wind13feb02.html>

      February 13, 2002

    * Treachery </news+reviews/columns/wind06feb02.html>

      February 6, 2002

    * The Emperor to Come </news+reviews/columns/wind31jan02.html>

      January 31, 2002

    * The Changing of the Guard </news+reviews/columns/wind21jan02.html>

      January 21, 2002 

      Other columns </news+reviews/columns.html> at RPGnet

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