Let’s learn how to play the tabletop role-playing game In Nomine in an online virtual tabletop. In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by @Steve Jackson Games. You can learn more on the official website here: http://www.sjgames.com/innomine/ or the Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Nomine_(role-playing_game). You can buy In Nomine products here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/12199/Steve-Jackson-Games/subcategory/28908_30775/In-Nomine?affiliate_id=50797
Time Stamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:45 What is a Virtual Tabletop
- 3:17 Challenges of Online Play
- 5:08 In Nomine Challenges
- 7:35 How I Stream In Nomine
- 9:19 Outro
About In Nomine
Written by Derek Pearcy + Illustrated by Dan Smith
Edited by Jeff Koke, Steve Jackson, and Susan Pinsonneault
Cover art by John Zeleznik (first printing) and Christopher Shy (second printing)
In Nomine is a modern roleplaying game in which the players take the part of celestial beings – angels and demons – as they struggle for control of humanity and themselves. The celestials, powerful though they may be, are merely pawns in a much larger game being played by their Superiors, the Archangels and Demon Princes. Based on the best-selling French RPG by the wonderfully diabolical Croc!
In Nomine won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1997.
Transcript
Cold Open
Let’s find out why you should use an online virtual tabletop for a Theater of the Mind Tabletop Roleplaying Game like In Nomine.
Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3, the live media commentary show that answers the question, can you fall from grace online? Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today we are continuing our In Nomine series with this episode, playing In Nomine in a VTT.
Discussion
There are few more enjoyable versions of a game than the raw collaborative storytelling that can come out of tabletop roleplaying games, or TTRPG’s. The stakes of the session may be small and intimate or grand and earth shattering; but the combination of a prepared stories’ setup and the influence of the character’s actions makes what can only be described in its best case, as magic. In Nomine in particular combines not just the base roleplaying elements of character and story, but inherently injects it with myth and darkness, political intrigue and hysteria, nail biting action and otherworldly themes.
Unfortunately, potential Game Masters, or GM’s, and Players are not always available in one’s local region to gather around a table, especially with a more obscure roleplaying game like In Nomine. But, we happen to live in a truly amazing time when we can communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world with an internet connection, instantaneously. This allows us to locate and join together to play this and all other traditional TTRPG’s in an online virtual tabletop, or VTT.
What is a Virtual Tabletop
So what is a VTT, you ask? It’s a website where you and your friends can log into, and communicate in live time while watching each other on camera and roleplay your characters on a screen as if you were sitting around the same physical table. There are a large variety of VTT’s out there, and each has its upsides and downsides. The core to deciding on which one to use, in my opinion, is finding that sweet spot between functionality and accessibility all while comparing cost.
I was first introduced to VTT’s through the drivethrurpg.com website, but theirs is no longer around. A friend then introduced me to Roll20.net where we played Dungeons & Dragons, XD20, SAGA System, Call of Cthulhu, Board Games, Card Games, etc. For me, it offers just the right amount of customization for the GM and Player. You can load music to play during encounters, and set up various battlemap screens. It has a built-in audio and video interface, and lets you add dynamic lighting to maps. It has customizable and interactive character sheets and even rolls dice, which as you can imagine is the most important feature. Now you may see this as a commercial for Roll20, but you shouldn’t because most every VTT out there does the same things, so why did I land on this one? More than anything else, familiarity. So use whatever VTT you are comfortable, and happy with.
Challenges of Online Play
That being said, there are some significant challenges using VTT’s, even with all of their features. First and foremost, they all cost something. But there is also a learning curve, not just for the GM but for the players as well, who often just want to log in and roll some dice. Secondly, immediate interaction with the various people at the table. There is nothing worse than saying something, then waiting for others to reply. Roleplaying itself depends on facial and behavioral context clues that text and audio alone do not offer.
Trusting your players to tell you their accurate rolls is always a concern, but in a VTT, they are always transparent, and the Game Master can hide theirs if they prefer to. Sending secret messages over a table with a note is simple, but online might be a challenge. Being able to send private messages between players and the GM makes it even easier, and the other players don’t see the note being passed, potentially cutting down on meta gaming.
As a GM it’s also difficult to help players with their characters if you’re not sitting with them and the rulebooks. VTT’s have rules compendiums for a vast array of different TTRPG’s, and the ability for the GM to watch a players’ character sheet being filled out in real time. And finding other players to play online with, in a given TTRPG can be a challenge. VTT’s traditionally have game location systems in place, like forums, to assist in locating others to play with. Know that a VTT will not be the sole answer to your TTRPG issues, but they are a big step in the right direction, again, especially for niche TTRPG’s like In Nomine.
In Nomine Challenges
In Nomine presents some unique challenges that traditional TTRPG’s don’t have. First is the dice system. The d666 system requires two dice to be the same color, and the third die to be a different color. This is so you can easily distinguish between the Target Number die and the Check Digit die. Roll20 allows me to create custom die sets, known as roll tables.
You can easily customize the die to roll with an image or number, in any amount. Don’t have a numbered die, no problem. Need to roll a certain die with some form of differentiation, like in In Nomine? No problem. I quickly created a roll table for the d666 that automatically rolls the three die and in the chat field it tells you which two were the Target Number die, and which one was the Check Digit die. Including adding them together!
The character sheet is another problem. In Nomine focuses on story over details, but with its representation of the three realms and forces, it can be difficult to find a pre-existing digital character sheet in existing VTT’s. I found one that was nearly complete for Roll20 by jhoRoX and Lucas. But it was incomplete, the links were broken, and it was in spanish. So I used that code as the foundation, and created version one of my own In Nomine character sheet for Roll20. This allows players to create any number of Player’s Characters, or PC’s, and the GM to make any number of Non-Playing Characters, or NPC’s, that will live digitally forever. With Roll20, I can even create interactive rolls through macros, but In Nomine is such a simple system, I am not sure I will be going that far.
Lastly In Nomine is a lesser-known TTRPG, so no VTT has a game compendium of its rules. But with Roll20, I can load PDF’s, images and create my own handouts, ostensibly, creating my own compendium that is accessible to players, or not as the GM sees fit. Everything is indexed and searchable and easy to reference. I can load maps for visual aids, and images for players’ reference, making it nearly the same as sitting around a table.
How I Stream In Nomine
With all of the existing features in VTT’s, and the popularity of watching actual plays of TTRPG sessions, you may want to live stream your game online to a social network like YouTube. That is exactly what I do, and there are many very simple to complex methods that range from free to costly. I have been live streaming since twenty-eleven, so I have a set method that relies on my graphic design and production background. First, I like to design splash screens and intro and outro videos. In addition to this, I like to have a ‘be right back’, or BRB screen that will let us all take a break, as TTRPG’s can take hours and no one wants to sit in front of a screen that long without some form of a break.
I use Skype to capture my fellow player’s native audio and video feeds directly and isolating them with Skype’s built in NewTek Studio’s NDI technology, allowing me to build a screen however I want, and letting their connectivity be independent of the platform, presenting clearer audio and sharper video. I load the graphics and video streams into Xsplit Broadcaster, and live stream directly to YouTube. I can even capture Roll20 through my web browser, presenting it to the audience as well.
Again, my method of streaming and playing In Nomine online may not be the best solution for you, so if you are interested in playing or streaming In Nomine online yourself, please do your own homework and find a solution that fits your available technology, financial and personal skill level. If you would like a copy of my In Nomine Character Sheet code, feel free to email me at info@reverendcampbell.com, and I will send it to you.
I welcome you all to join our live stream of In Nomine: Feast of Blades beginning Sunday, January 21st, 2024 at 8:30am Mountain Time.
Outro
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And as always, remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and Be Evil!