by Alex Yeager

Art by Kyle Miller and Phil Foglio

(Author's Note: We apologize for the delay in this product, after having been promised three years ago (New Product Releases: April 1, 1997). The computer that has the current draft has decided that it is entirely too silly and refuses to allow access to the original document. We have managed to obtain this scenario from the current draft (after bribing the computer with back issues of Wired and pictures of a G4 server with its cover off). We hope you enjoy it.)

Introduction

"Good morning Celestials!" Nybbas' voice cut through the homeroom like a burr saw through sandstone over the loudspeaker. "Welcome to another day of fun fun FUN here at Higher Heavens High!"

The irritating voice continued, "First, congratulations to Marc for having the highest sales during the school manna sale -- way to suck up, Marc! The co-ed touch football game is today, and everybody is encouraged to donate blood at some point during the day at the school nurse's office . . . "

* * *

"In Anime" is adapted from characters and settings found in In Nomine (IN), and uses the Toon mechanics. The intent is to have some fun with -- and even play as characters -- the major figures in the IN universe, while encouraging the slapstick of cartoon roleplaying. Those familiar with In Nomine will probably enjoy the characterizations of Archangels and Demon Princes more than someone with no previous knowledge, but Higher Heavens High School (HHHS) could be easily adapted for Teenagers From Outer Space, Big Eyes Small Mouth, or even a charter school under the auspices of (GURPS) Illuminati University . . .

You'll find that the pace of this scenario begins more slowly than a typical Toon game. This is intentional -- the personalities here are less iconic than your standard Toon character, and this will give your players a chance to get comfortable with their characters. However, you'll be thankful for the simplicity of the Toon mechanics later in the game when the PCs are being swarmed by drunken teenage Vikings. But we digress . . .

Cast of Characters

The Animator can include as many characters as they can handle, but remember that Toon moves at a maniacal pace compared to many RPGs. Players can build characters at the suggested 14 Attribute-point level to represent the "average" Celestial student, or they can even take the role of an Archangel or Demon Prince(ss)! (Laurence, who is used during this scenario as an NPC, is built with 18 Attribute points, as are all IN Superior characters.) Note that even Superiors can Fall Down in In Anime -- and a PC can cause it! Toon emphasizes fun, not realism; if it's funny, allow it and don't worry about the implications for the In Nomine world!

Laurence is IN's Archangel of the Sword and the leader of Heaven's armies; In Anime transforms him into the quarterback of the Higher Heavens Halos football team. Other NPCs include:

• Novalis, In Nomine's Archangel of Flowers, who is transformed into a hippie chick who is slow to violence, but protective of nature,
• Kobal, the Demon Prince of Dark Humor, who is Higher Heaven High School's resident prankster,
• Dominic, the Archangel of Judgment, who will play a role in the final scene of the scenario,
• Any other Angels and Infernals you choose. Marc could run the ticket booth and food concessions, Belial fires off the cannon every time the HHHS football team scores -- let your mind roam . . .

In addition, a brush-up on your Norse mythology might prove helpful. Three specific notables that appear in this scenario:

• The Valkyries, the female warriors who escort fallen warriors to Valhalla, become the Valhalla Valkyries touch football team,
• Loki, the trickster god of the Norse pantheon, who becomes Valhalla High's master of practical jokes,
• Mimir, wisest of the Aesir, who advises Odin despite having his head cut off by the Vanir. He comes into play during the final scene, still wise, knowledgeable and missing a body.

Note that a useful online resource for mythological reference is the Encyclopedia Mythica, at http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/.

Norse by Norse-est

The HHHS Dean of Extracurricular Activities has informed Laurence that Valhalla High wants to arrange a touch football game between the two schools in one week. Valhalla High has a girls' touch football team (the Valhalla Valkyries) that has played together for some time; they have offered to let the Higher Heavens students field a co-ed team for the game to make up for it. The PCs are part of the team that Laurence has put together for the game.

Most of the time at HHHS, the Angelic students ("the good kids", "teachers' pets", "those with a Bright future") are at odds with the Infernal students ("the bad kids", "the troublemakers", "those with a permanent record"). However, there's still enough school spirit that both sides can unite for short periods against another school. Consequently, even some of the Infernal Superiors can join the Archangel characters on the touch football team -- just emphasize that there's no love lost between the two factions.

Laurence will schedule a meeting with the PCs (and any other NPCs you want to pepper the team with) to get organized for the game. Laurence, in addition to being the school quarterback, is devastatingly handsome, very focused on succeeding honorably at any task put in front of him and is generally a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. (His standard reply to being asked out on a date is infamous: "How will this date benefit the school?" The date usually goes downhill from there.)

Laurence will open the meeting with his rules for the upcoming game:

• No male is to hit a girl.
• No one is to commit any kind of foul or rule infraction.
• The team is to be absolutely sportsmanlike and polite to all opposing players.
• No spitting.
• No harsh language.
• If their uniforms get dirty, you will go change it. You are a symbol of Higher Heavens High School while on the field, and you will represent them in clean clothing at all times.
• No hitting each other on the behind -- it is unseemly.

Feel free to add more -- many more -- items to the list. The PCs should realize that they not only won't be able to get away with anything, but that the entire proceeding will be no fun whatsoever. The other impression they will be left with is that Laurence does not expect to lose, and he will not be pleased if the Halos even come close to losing. (Laurence is honorable to the point of stuffy, and very focused on the goal of winning.)

Novalis, on the other hand, is only here to help the other players have fun. Higher Heaven's resident hippie chick, she's all flowing dresses and floral garlands. She is, at least, until Belial sets fire to the school flower bed or something similar, at which she instantly transforms into the Raging Fury of Nature (tm). Violence disturbs her, but she chose to participate in the game because she wants to understand the fun of sports, and "football with touching" sounds -- well, fun.

Laurence will then show a videotape (compliments of Nybbas) that documents a Valkyrie practice. Nybbas' running commentary should detail scenes of such extreme violence and prowess that the PCs should be quaking in their shoes by the end. Laurence will stop the tape, reiterate that they the team has a lot to do in the next two days (!), and then hands out playbooks. (PCs should make a Lift Heavy Object roll to avoid dropping the book when passed to them.)

The first practice should be a disaster. Laurence will work them to the bone, running complicated plays (make up horrendously long play names, and don't tell them what they mean ahead of time) and chewing them out if they don't execute them successfully. Novalis will use her Dodge ability to simply avoid any player coming towards her, and will hand the ball to any player requesting it (on either team).

And, up in the stands, Kobal will heckle the players and occasionally use Cosmic Shift to turn the field to ice, or the ball into an anvil, or whatever other nastiness you can create. Kobol is HHHS's resident prankster, with a bit of a vicious streak and no school loyalty whatsoever. Unbeknownst to the players -- at least at the moment -- Kobal has bet Loki (Valhalla High's equivalent of Kobol) that he can make HHHS LOSE the game. Loki will be working as actively to make the Valkyries lose.

Left Guards, Right Guards -- All We Need Are Asgards

(Play the team meeting and the practice short and sweet, to get you to this scene as fast as possible. This scene should play out very much like a typical Toon scenario.)

The first play of the game was over -- and first and ten for the Higher Heavens Halos had become second and twenty-two. Laurence walked over to the huddle, a bit wobbly. "Work with me for a moment. They have agreed to play touch football with us, right?" A few pained nods followed. "So, even though we should not hit a girl, we CAN touch them in a respectful and defensive way."

"Respectful? . . . " asked one player, incredulously.

"Yes." Laurence nodded. "Be especially respectful of their offensive line, please, as the alternative seems to be me getting touched in a most painful and discomforting way . . . "

* * *

The stands are full, and the game is ready to go. Unfortunately, so are the referees -- Dominic (from HHHS) and Mimir (from Valhalla High). Dominic just likes rules: he's the quartermaster for the HHHS student council, hall monitor, head of the school Mock Inquisition team and isn't happy unless he's enforcing rules -- any rules. He's the one that will call anything possible -- football infractions, local statutes, traffic laws ("Failure to yield right-of-way -- fifteen yards!"), anything he (and the Animator) can think of.

The other referee, Mimir of the Aesir, is much more reasonable -- but, unfortunately, he's also a severed head, and will spend much of the game only looking where Dominic (or anyone else) points his head to look. He also gets set down often, and, oddly enough, is roughly the same size as the football. He's more interested in letting the teams play the game, but will become increasingly frustrated after being set on his face, left floating in the holy water cooler, being kicked through the uprights for three points, etc.

Here is where the PCs can cut loose. Laurence will still insist on honorable play, but is susceptible to Fast-Talk as to why it was appropriate for the PC to create a high-powered fan during the last play to blow the Valkyrie pass out of the stadium for an incompletion. Laurence will be conflicted, but his need to win shouldn't be overlooked in his desire for honorable play.

The Valkyries are incredibly physical and hard to hurt, but they are not the brightest beings in the firmament -- so Smarts and Chutzpah skills should be particularly effective. Their playbook seems to consist of one play (ram opponents into ground, ask if they want to go to Valhalla with them). The HHHS players will also need to avoid their horned helmets and their pigtails containing bricks, anvils and other dangerous objects. (PCs should learn to dread the Valkyrie Spinning Pigtails of Death attack.)

The visitors' side of the field will be filled with drunken Vikings. (Yes, this is high school, but the Viking drinking age is low enough.) Throughout the game, they will yell various insults, unflattering comparisons and random speculation as to the lineage of Halo players. If the Valkyries lose, they will immediately rush the field, looking for a fight.

Kobal and Loki will be running around the stands and field, causing whatever havoc they can against their respective teams. Novalis will continue to sidestep and otherwise non-violently participate in the game. Have a few running gags ready -- Lilith (In Nomine's "I'll help you now, and you'll help me later" Princess) could be on the sidelines in her little cheerleading outfit -- but anytime a PC starts a sentence with "I wish that . . . " or "We need . . . ", Lilith should appear with the requested thing and a dangerous smile on her face. Feel free to transform any of the Norse or In Nomine superiors to their teen archetypes, spice to taste and stir.

Possible Endings

• The game comes down to a last-second field goal. The kick goes up, and suddenly the goal posts take off running, followed in hot pursuit by the football (Loki and Kobal again). It's up to the PCs to get the ball through the uprights.
• Several of the Valkyries sit on one of the Halos players and make that person eat a handful of turf pulled up from the field. Novalis's eyes narrow, she whispers, "For the grass!", and lines up with a very determined look on her face. (Use her Fight skill and her Grow shtick to full effect.)
• The Valkyries win, but at the last moment, Dominic walks over to one of the players and pulls off a mask -- it's Athena, the star touch football player from Olympus High! Dominic declares a forfeit in favor of the Halos, and the obligatory riot ensues.

Our Players

(Only Skills that are higher than the applicable Attribute defaults are listed.)

Laurence

Species: Angel
Natural Enemies: Infernals, Opponents from Other Pantheons
Beliefs & Goals: Act Honorably
Muscle: 5
     Fight: 8
     Throw: 7
Zip: 4
     Dodge: 8
     Fire Gun: 7
     Run: 6
Smarts: 5
     Hide/Spot Hidden: 7
     Identify Dangerous Thing: 8
     Resist Fast-Talk: 6
     See/Hear/Smell: 6
     Set/Disarm Trap: 8
     Track/Cover Tracks: 8
Chutzpah: 4
     Fast-Talk: 6

Novalis

Species: Angel
Natural Enemies: Infernals, Opponents from Other Pantheons
Beliefs & Goals: Act Peaceably (Unless Nature or the Peace is Threatened)
Muscle: 3
     Fight: 7
Zip: 4
     Dodge: 7
     Jump: 5
     Ride: 5
     Run: 5
     Swim: 5
Smarts: 5
     Hide/Spot Hidden: 7
     Identify Dangerous Thing: 8
     Resist Fast-Talk: 6
     See/Hear/Smell: 6
     Set/Disarm Trap: 8
     Track/Cover Tracks: 8
Chutzpah: 4
     Fast-Talk: 6
Shtick: Grow (Cause any plant to increase in size by up to 2d6 times; permanent effect): 8

Kobal
   (use comparable stats for Loki)

Species: Infernal
Natural Enemies: Angels, Opponents from Other Pantheons
Beliefs & Goals: Make Others Look Foolish, Especially in Front of Others
Muscle: 3
Zip: 4
     Dodge: 8
Smarts: 5
     Hide/Spot Hidden: 7
     Set/Disarm Trap: 9
Chutzpah: 6
     Sleight of Hand: 9
     Sneak: 9
Shtick: Cosmic Shift: 8

Dominic
   (use comparable stats for Mimir)

Species: Angel
Natural Enemies: Infernals, Opponents from Other Pantheons
Beliefs & Goals: Obey Rules, Make Others Obey the Rules
Muscle: 3
     Fight: 7
Zip: 3
     Dodge: 9
Smarts: 6
     Hide/Spot Hidden: 9
     Identify Dangerous Thing: 9
     Read: 9
     Resist Fast-Talk: 9
     See/Hear/Smell: 9
     Set/Disarm Trap: 8
     Track/Cover Tracks: 9
Chutzpah: 6
     Pass/Detect Shoddy Goods: 9
     Sleight of Hand: 7
     Sneak: 7

Valkyries

Species: Norse
Natural Enemies: Cowards, Opponents from Other Pantheons
Beliefs & Goals: Fight!
Muscle: 5
     Fight: 9
     Throw: 9
Zip: 5
     Dodge: 7
     Fire Gun: 6
     Jump: 7
     Run: 7
     Swim: 7
Smarts: 2
     Hide/Spot Hidden: 4
     Identify Dangerous Thing: 6
     See/Hear/Smell: 6
     Track/Cover Tracks: 5
Chutzpah: 2

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Article publication date: September 15, 2000

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