A
roleplaying game written by
R. Sean Borgstrom, originally published in a
Lightning Press print on demand edition by
Pharos Press, in which players take on the role of
godlings ensconced in a hidden realm called a
chancel, who must help defend their reality against external forces who wish to see it destroyed.
Nobilis is noteworthy for being
diceless, with a very simple rules system, placing emphasis more on story than on mechanics. Ironically, it is much less easy to
powergame in such a system (where you're playing an outright
god!) than it is in a game with many more rules where you're playing someone closer to a normal human being--
RIFTS, for example.
As a game setting, Nobilis draws on many religions and mythologies, but also seems heavily influenced by the writings of Lord Dunsany and Neil Gaiman, with perhaps a touch of H.P. Lovecraft as well. Nobilis is currently undergoing expansion and revision, and will soon see a second edition from Hogshead Games.