Main Menu

Nobilis is an RPG published by Guardians of Order and written by R Sean Borgstrom, now in its second edition (which is tricky, since the 2nd edition was actually done by Hogshead, but the game was bought by GoO later when everyone at Hogshead retired from the industry, basically).

Nobilis is a diceless RPG. More information on the setting of the game, as well as many examples, can be found at Ash and Chrysanthemum, and the web page for the Nobilis Mailing list.

Here is my personal Nobilis material:

• Chrysalis Campaign
  • Campaign Blog
• Files
• Links

Some commonly asked questions about the game include:

How is task resolution done?

Generally you decide for a miracle, how difficult it is, compare it with your stats and how many points to boost the stats for the task and then the Hollyhock God says whether it is a success or failure.

Is there any randomizer involved?

Not apart from the mind of the Hollyhock God and the players, no.

Are there system based ways for players to affect these non-random outcomes?

Yes, players can effect outcomes with spending Miracle Points to boost their stats for a task.

What are the characters for the game all about?

The stars of the game (as in the PC's) are Nobles. These Nobles have the power of gods, simply enough. Each embodies a concept of reality (usually filtered by their perceptions) and has control over that concept. As an example, the Marchessa of Night could cause night to fall early or to stop the sun from rising, whilst the Duke of Information could strip the meaning from a book, leaving only incomprehensible words.

Are there any limits?

Each task has a difficulty set by the Hollyhock God. As described under Task Resolution, the character needs to spend Miracle Points to create most miracles and they have but a limited supply.