I think it's hilarious that the largest complaint about this book from existing Nobilis fans is "They changed the art!!!" Why? Because this (third) edition changes so many major things. Literally half of the attributes have been replaced (goodbye Realm and Spirit, hello Persona and Treasure). Bonds and restrictions have gone from a mild weakness to one of the most expanded and important systems in the game. Chancels and Imperators are designed more loosely now, with no point system to min-max. Everything works BETTER in so many ways!

And I guess that's why people whine about the art. Because it's the only possible thing to complain about. (Well, that and the organization. I think this core book can be a little schizophrenic or ADHD in how it presents sections, even if those sections themselves are very clearly written. But that's not enough to knock off more than half a star, at worst.)

Well, I'm here to say that the art is GREAT! The relaxed, anime-style approach is exactly what Nobilis needed -- it's a wonderful change from the Serious Art Pieces of the second edition. I think it will help to dispel this notion that Nobilis is some pretentious, serious, intimidating game. Seriously, there are a LOT of gamers who look at Nobilis and think, "I can't run that. I wouldn't even know where to start!" and a large part of that is presentation. When the truth is, at heart, Nobilis really boils down to, "OMG I'm a demigod now. I can do cool miracles and stuff! I'M GONNA GO DO COOL STUFF!!! :D"

Nobilis can be played seriously or lighthearted, but no matter what, it's supposed to be FUN, and this new edition really puts that in the foreground. So five stars from me for taking an RPG I already loved and making it better, clearer, and more accessible. Thanks, Jenna and everyone involved!