When my brain registred the word Nephilim, I thought it would be a TV adaptation of Sébastien Pennes or Fabien Clavel’s books. It is not even that.

Fernanda Andrade: Vilma Rodriguez, nephilim et petite amie d’Aaron
Paul Wesley: Aaron Corbett, le Nephilim héros de l’histoire
Hal Ozsan: Azazel
Rick Worthy: Camael, ancien chef des Puissances
Darren Scott: Gabriel/Gabe le chien (voix)
Tom Skerritt: Ezekiel/Zeke, un ange déchu, ami d’Aaron
Alex Ferris: Stevie Corbett
Chelah Horsdal: Lori Corbett, parents adoptifs d’Aaron
Elizabeth Lackey: Verchiel, ange chassant les Nephilim et les anges déchus
Will Yun Lee: Mazarin, chef des Puissances

Infos
A mini series in three parts for ABC Family, that did not have much succes. Broadcasted in 2006, it was already removed from the webside… and is impossible to find in DVD. It is the NRJ2′s french dubbing that allowed me to see it by luck.
Created and written by: Tim Huddleston et Sara B. Cooper, d’après une nouvelle de Thomas E. Sniegoski
Directors: Mikael Salomon, Kevin Kerslake
Cast
Bryan Cranston: Lucifer (sic)
Fernanda Andrade: Vilma Rodriguez, Nephilim and crush of Aaron
Paul Wesley: Aaron Corbett, the Nephilim, hero of this story
Hal Ozsan: Azazel
Rick Worthy: Camael, former chief of the Powers
Darren Scott: Gabriel/Gabe the dog (voice)
Tom Skerritt: Ezekiel/Zeke, fallen angel, Aaron’s friend
Alex Ferris: Stevie Corbett
Chelah Horsdal: Lori Corbett, Aaron’s foster parents
Elizabeth Lackey: Verchiel, angel hunting Nephilim and fallen angels
Will Yun Lee: Mazarin, chief of the Powers

Summary
On his eightenth birthday, Aaron discovers that he has strange powers (he can talk to animals, for example), and since he was adopted, does know nothing about them. He learns he is a Nephilim, the child of a human and an angel. He befriends a fallen angel, Zeke, and brings his college crush in the adventure, Vilma, who is a Nephilim too. Unluckily, the Powers (under orders of God) are roaming the earth to eliminate fallen angels and Nephilims. Aaron learns he could be the Nephilim of the prophecy, who could save them all.

My advice
Honestly, I was expecting better than that. I thought it was constantly oscillating between teenager movies and bad action series. Even the humour is not very good. I think the book’s plot(s) (based on the summaries) was used as a pretext (nice costumes, special effects and landscapes…) and not as a base for the story. Watch Sarah Jane Adventures if you want a good series with mysterious things…

DiversVarious
Fiche IMDB [EN]
Books [EN]

(Images source: http://www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk/2007/07/25/bryan-cranston-hal-as-lucifer-in-fallen/)

Some times ago, I bought a book titled “Jouer avec l’histoire” (Play with History, only in French [for now]) that I just had time to read.

Summary
Various authors from the world of roleplaying games look at the problem of History in the games (Olivier Caïra, Christophe Chaudier, Yann Lefebvre, Romain d’Huissier, Christophe Valla, …). Like you ask yourself “can one laugh of anything”, it is necessary to ask “can one play with anything?” When rpg are looking at difficult times of History (Shoah, …), can they be inserted in the game? In the same way, can we play with History without going into Uchronies or other “parallel worlds”? To what point must we stick to History, for example of medieval times or religion wars, and what is it, since each of us players has a different background and culture.

My advice
Though this books only treats each problem as applied to a precise game and in a small number of pages (160 as a total for the book), it is an excellent basis for thinking both on historical games and their reception, as well as on the way to use our historical knowledge in rpg. I recommand to any DM and player who wants to discover or already plays historical games to try to read this book.

Sommaire

Introduction – Olivier Caïra
I – Trois jeux, trois traitements de l’Histoire

• Te Deum – Jean-Philippe Jaworski
• Pavillon Noir – Renaud Maroy
• Maléfices – Daniel Dugourd

II – Jouer dans un cadre historique

• Ecrire et mener une campagne – Jérôme Larré
• Traiter l’Histoire par le genre – Romain d’Huissier
• Le Moyen Age des rôlistes – Antoine Dauphragne

III – Les plaies vives de l’Histoire

• Traiter les thèmes difficiles – Christophe Chaudier et Yann Lefebvre
• Nazisme et jdr – Olivier Caïra
• Tentacules et Croix Gammées – Christophe Valla

Reference:
“Jouer avec l’histoire”, 2009: Villecresnes, Pinkerton Press, ISBN : 978-2-9533916-0-2

Sites:
Official: http://www.pinkertonpress.com/ [FR]
(Added to the Ludivers bibliography of Games and Gaming)

A RPG “for younger people”? Yes, but not only…

Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game is a roleplaying game for 10 years old and more (for “mild violence”). I had the opportunity to have a good look at the book (a volume of roughly 20.6 x 20.6 x 2.8 cm), and the first thing to say is that the author does not take people for fools. A system that is not too complex, a very detailed universe, several visions of roleplaying games (tales like in Petites Sorcières as Dril explained, rpg like for older people, …), everything you need to prepare a campaign, …

I find the idea of a multi public game very appealing. If a majority of roleplaying gamers I know were born with or not long befor the rpg, a generation is now comming that saw / sees dad and mum playing, who wants to do the same soon, but for whom discovering Lovecraft, Moorcock or such authors is still a bit early…

Here is the Editor’s pitch

Join the Mouse Guard and defend the Mouse Territories against predators and dangers, in this roleplaying game for the Mouse Guard comic book series! The game is intended for all ages and levels of game-playing experience by award-winning game designer Luke Crane and is based on a simplified version of his Burning Wheel rules system (also used for the Origins Award winning RPG of 2007, Burning Empires).

Includes art and extensive background material on the Mouse Territories specially prepared by Mouse Guard creator David Petersen.

ID card:

Creator: by Luke Crane
Authors: Luke Crane and David Petersen
Illustrations: by David Petersen
ISBN-13: 978-1932386882
Pages: 240
Editor: Archaia Studios Press (24 Dec 2008)

Official Mouse Guard comic site: http://www.mouseguard.net/
Editor’s site http://www.archaiasp.com/mouse_guard.php