Nobilis- A Decade Long Obsession
1992- Jason, a friend of mine reads Upon a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. He tells me about it and we agree that the concept of playing incarnations of ideas and concepts would make a great roleplaying game. Together we start designing a campaign for GURPS. The game never starts.

1994- After hearing about it for years, I decide to start reading Sandman comics. I am instantly hooked and the "GURPS: Incarnations" starts floating around in my head again.

1997- Carla and I join MK's Amber game. Talking to MK one day about Ambercon US, the Incarnations idea returns to me as a possible Ambercon scenario. This time, I base it more off of Hindu/Buddhist Mythology than the modern fantasies of Piers Anthony and Neil Gaiman. Carla and I don't end up attending Ambercon until a few years later and by then I no longer want to run "Death in the Lotus Vale." I keep saying, "Maybe next year."

2000- I finally read Upon a Pale Horse. I had tried to read it back in 1993 and it didn't hook me. This time it does. This forces me to reevaluate my opinions of Piers Anthony, whom I had previously judged off of the few Xanth books Jason forced me to read. I also read Bearing an Hourglass. I don't like Hourglass as much and I don't continue with the third one. Hourglass starts out great, but half-way in to the book it takes a nosedive. I'm sure it probably ends well, and keep wanting to finish it, but I never do.

Early 2002- My Changeling game is wrapping up and I have worked in the Fates. I decide to read With a Tanged Skein. It's excellent and it gets me thinking about what to do with the next game. If the characters re-create the world, then maybe next game they can replace the incarnations. I email and ask for their "words" to get an idea what incarnations they could be. I later decide to do the next game more low-key in power than "The Shattered Crystal" and drop the idea. Still, I plan to work Incarnations in to the background of the next game.

Today- I have Nobilis. It is a very well designed game in the type of setting I have been wanting to run for years. It is much better than the GURPS game would have been or the Amber-based "Death in the Lotus Vale." The setting and rules give enough limits to challenge the characters while allowing them to be god-like and work almost any kind of miracle. "You want to hide the moon in your cloak? No problem."