written by james cambias, sam chupp, g. r. cogman, david edelstein, matthew graze, elizabeth mccoy, walter milliken, derek pearcy and john tyres
published by steve jackson games
128 pages
$19.95

Ah, how times change. A decade ago, religious extremists held protests against allegedly Satanic role-playing games that had nothing to do with real-world belief systems. Today, Steve Jackson Games can release a blatantly Satanoriented supplement - the Infernal Player's Guide - as an add-on for a game about the ultimate religious extremists (the angels and devils who populate the world of In Nomine) and nobody blinks an eyelid.

In doing so, the authors have crafted a piece of work that is not only a valuable resource for any In Nomine campaign but a thoughtprovoking and - as expected from SJG - thoroughly entertaining read.

When In Nomine made its American debut after a prolonged delay, my greatest worry would be that its designers would take the easy, expected route and turn its setting into yet another Gothic-Punk playground in the White Wolf vein; while such influences do exist (the Choir/Band arrangement, for example, the sort of character class system which has pervaded the industry since Vampire's first appearance), the game's milieu is instead both dark and triumphant at once, a quirky blend that resembles both Milton and the Marx Brothers by turns.

The Infernal Player's Guide is more of the same, a sourcebook designed to expand on the world of the diabolic (coming just on the heels of its companion: the Angelic Player's Guide, released earlier last year). And what an expansion! As with the Angelic Guide, the Infernal Guide provides details about everything from the individual Bands (including some new and truly nasty Dissonances for wayward demons), climbing the infernal ladder to power and prestige (or what passes for it in Hell), what to do when you meet your boss (grovel, mostly), to methods of walking the razor-thin tightrope to Redemption... And, who is going to be very happy to help you fall again, on both sides of the war. All of this is rounded out with a decent index and a reprint of the demonic PC creation rules from the core book for convenient reference.

The interior art (black and white) is up to par, but as always with SJG supplements, the real meat is in the writing. Delicious touches abound, from rundowns on Hell's politics and why incompetent demons often prosper over loyal and smart ones (the whole place seems to run on the Dilbert principle) to the particular foibles of the infernal princes; Gamemasters will find plenty of resource material to build from here, and even players who would normally stick to the angelic Choirs might consider a walk on the other side after reading the role-playing possibilities presented here.

There are a few snags, most notably the periodic references to sections in the Night Music supplement, rendering a few of the authors' points oblique to those who haven't purchased that book. A few potentially interesting topics are given short shrift, while others receive far more attention than they merit (at a few points, I was wondering if I had picked up a copy of the Lillim Player's Guide by accident).

Overall, though, this is a quality sourcebook and a must-have for In Nomine gamemasters and players alike. Moreover, the authors deserve kudos for taking a potentially problematic and offensive subject for a supplement - even more than the basic game itself - and handling it in a mature and sensible manner.

While humorous touches abound, the subject material is never treated lightly: these are the Bad Guys, no question about it. However, instead of presenting the diabolicals as mustachetwirling villains (or worse, the Tragically Hip), the authors provide a well-thought-out section explaining why demons are the way they are, how they think, and the fatal flaws that keep driving them to evil. The result is a framework for fullyfleshed, three-dimensional characters that, like their angelic contemporaries, generate as many interesting thoughts about human nature as they do about the game itself.

villains rule!