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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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