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  e23.sjgames.com
  Stock #37-3313
  Version 1.0  June 15, 2007
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  ®
  ™
  In Nomine was written by Derek Pearcy 
  based on an original game by CROC
  By S. DiGiovanni, Jordan Grooms,
  AnnaLinden Weller, Steve Kenson, 
  and Derek Pearcy
  Additional material by Elizabeth McCoy
  and William J. Keith
  Edited by Elizabeth McCoy
  Sigil by Jordan Grooms
  Playtesters: Chris Anthony, Genevieve Cogman, 
  Nathan Henderson, William J. Keith, Fade Manley, 
  Christopher Pipinou, Sirea, Grady W. Smithey III, 
  Leticia Sparkman, James Walker, and everyone else who 
  didn’t present valid Hadean passports. Please follow the 
  nice Impudites and answer their questions.
  AN e23 ADVENTURE 
  FOR IN NOMINE® FROM
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  FOR 3 TO 6 PLAYERS
  SUperiOrS:
  ASmodeuS
  
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  2
  Contents
  ASMODEUS DJINN PRINCE
  OF THE GAME  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Dissonance  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Do As You’re Told  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Band Attunements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Servitor Attunements  . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Distinctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Higher Distinctions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Oh, the Humanity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Sidestepping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Relations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Rites  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Secret Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Asmodeus’Secret Rite  . . . . . . . . . . 7
  Additional Rites  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Chance of Invocation: 1 . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Invocation Modifiers  . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  GURPS Point Breakdowns 
  for Asmodeus  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  ASMODEUS IN DETAIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Names, Appearance, 
  and Manner  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  The Word of the Game . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  History  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Game Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Personality and Outlook . . . . . . . . . 11
  Politics  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  The Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Variations on a Theme  . . . . . . . . . . 14
  War Crimes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Endgames  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Ulamalitzli: Aztec Games  . . . . . . 15
  HADES: THE GRAY CITY . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Houses of Cards: 
  Places in Hades  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Denizens of Hades  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
  Word-Bound Servitors  . . . . . . . . . 18
  Asmodeus’ Tethers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  The Game Writ Small . . . . . . . . . . 19
  PLAYERS AND PAWNS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Asmodeans, Asmodicans, Canes 
  Asmodei, Gamesters . . . . . . . . . 20
  Suits of the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  The Name of the Game  . . . . . . . . 20
  Bands  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  Learning to Play: Chess,
  Go, Mao  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
  Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn  . . . . 22
  Winning Free . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
  Benedict Chess:
  Changing Superiors  . . . . . . . . 23
  Playing the Game: 
  Inside InfSec  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  The Emerald Countess 
  of Intrigue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
  Tools of the Trade  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  Games Gone By  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
  Rules for Rules’Sake  . . . . . . . . . . 26
  Humanity in Action  . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
  Jobs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  Stealing Information:
  Theft and the Game . . . . . . . . . 29
  Playing Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  Caseworkers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
  Corner Police Stations . . . . . . . . . 30
  Sample Servitors  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
  Across the Board: 
  Judgment and the Game  . . . . . . 34
  Games within Games . . . . . . . . . . . 35
  The Trouble with Judges  . . . . . . . 35
  Dealing with the Game, 
  Inside and Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
  Bureaucratic 
  Departmentalization  . . . . . . . . 36
  Anatomy of a Hunt  . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
  Crimes Against Hell . . . . . . . . . . . 38
  GAMING WITH THE GAME:  
  ADVENTURE SEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . 39
  An Otherwise Unconvincing 
  Narrative  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
  The First Rule of LARP Club  . . . . 39
  The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis . . . . 39
  Go Fish  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  Talking Is Prohibited  . . . . . . . . . . . 40
  Real Life Games  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
  GURPS IN NOMINE
  This expanded Superior write-up includes material
  both for the traditional In Nomine rules and GURPS In
  Nomine. Converted characters have been only slightly
  “normalized” – they are straight conversions, using the
  rules in Chapter 9 of GURPS In Nomine. The only
  exception is in levels of Discord; in a normal conversion,
  an adapted Frequency of Submission table (pp. CI10-11)
  would be used. For simplicity, Discord has been taken
  “straight,” with the default GURPS Basic Set or GURPS
  Compendium I mechanics. Human characters have also
  been rounded or approximated in some cases.
  Note that Songs have had the -5 applied for use outside
  the celestial realm. If these characters go to Hell or
  Heaven, they will have +5 to all Songs.
  The default Tech Level for GURPS In Nomine is
  TL7.
  Extra Hit Points 
  and Reduced Hit Points
  Many converted GURPS characters have Extra Hit
  Points for physical, mental, and celestial combat. The
  physical advantage is written as Extra Hit Points for the
  vessel in question. Extra Hit Points (Mind) are bought
  with the -50% Limitation, “Only for mental combat,” and
  Extra Hit Points (Soul) are bought with the -20%
  Limitation, “Only for celestial combat.” Reduced Hit
  Points for Mind hits and Soul hits have the same
  Limitations. See pages 27 and 28 in GURPS In Nomine
  for more information.
  Power Investiture 
  and Essence Control
  The GURPS In Nomine advantages Power Investiture
  (p. IN27), and Essence Control (p. IN31) are both includ-
  ed in the Basic Celestial Template (pp. IN9-10). Non-
  player celestials are assumed to have the default 9 levels
  of Essence Control, and have allocated their initial Power
  Investiture levels to Power Investiture (Corporeal) 3,
  Power Investiture (Ethereal) 3, and Power Investiture
  (Celestial) 3. Any totals listed in the descriptions include
  these levels plus any additional purchased.
  Page References –
  GURPS and 
  Original In Nomine
  Rules and statistics in this article are specifically
  for the GURPS Basic Set, (Third Edition, revised),
  and In Nomine, third printing (available from e23).
  Any page reference that begins with a B refers to the
  GURPS Basic Set – e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of the
  GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition, revised. Page refer-
  ences that begin with CI indicate GURPS
  Compendium I, M is for GURPS Magic, and IN
  refers to GURPS In Nomine. For a full list of GURPS
  abbreviations, see p. CI181 or the updated web list at
  www.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html.
  
  ASmodeuS
  Djinn
  Prince of
  the Game
  The world is a game, whose rules must be followed.
  Asmodeus and his Servitors are Lucifer’s secret police,
  responsible for hunting down Renegades and other traitors to
  the infernal armies, and for keeping order in Hell.
  The Prince of the Game is one of the most powerful of
  Hell’s royalty. He is widely feared and roundly hated by his
  peers. His agents always have at least one cover identity and
  often move through infernal society unseen, only unmasking
  themselves to levy an accusation and make the subsequent
  arrest.
  Gamesters are charged with slaying or seizing any
  Renegades they encounter. To Asmodeus and his servants, a
  demon is Renegade and within their jurisdiction if he acts
  against the expressed or implied wishes of his Prince, if he
  possesses dissonance or “angelic” Discord, or if his actions
  call his loyalty to Hell into question – in short, if he breaks
  the rules.
  Above all, Lucifer uses Asmodeus to weed out demons
  who might defect to the angels or threaten Lucifer’s own
  plans. The Game is the counterweight to the unrest Malphas
  stirs up, a force of totalitarian order imposed on an ever-
  volatile Hell. While any Prince may call upon the Servitors of
  Asmodeus, most prefer to deal with problems themselves
  rather than risk close scrutiny.
  Asmodeus usually appears as a tall man with burning eyes
  – the Inquisition incarnate.
  DISSONANCE
  Servitors of Asmodeus generate dissonance by disobeying
  any of his direct orders or by helping a Renegade to escape
  judgment.
  BAND ATTUNEMENTS
  Asmodeus’ Band Attunements are for his Servitors only.
  Gamesters are attuned to the members of their respective
  Bands, and can identify them with a successful Perception
  roll; they will also know how much dissonance the target has,
  if any. This is a passive attunement: the GM may roll private-
  ly as needed. AServitor with more than one Band Attunement
  rolls only once and knows which Band he has detected. If the
  roll fails, the Gamester will be unaware of the subject’s nature
  for the check digit in hours – at which point the GM may
  make another roll.
  All Servitors of the Game also get 12 extra character
  points, which must be spent on a Role or skills for that Role
  (In Nomine, p. 43, or p. IN32); this is a one-time bonus, not
  associated with Band Attunements. (Shedim may spend this
  on Servants, to use as hosts, or Roles as their Servants; see
  p. 22 for more Shedite-host-Role tricks.) While Asmodeus
  may grant Roles to others’ Servitors, it is certain the Game
  knows everything about such gifts.
  Balseraphs
  Balseraphs of the Game assume Roles such as lawyers,
  stockbrokers, meteorologists, and politicians, which permit
  them to creatively redefine opinion – though always within
  the Rules.
  Djinn
  Asmodeus’ Djinn serve the Game by taking jobs as secu-
  rity guards, accountants, police officers, and members of the
  military: positions from which they can watch over, possess,
  and control lesser pieces on the board.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  3
  DO AS
  YOU’RE TOLD
  Asmodeus’ dissonance conditions provide
  him with an extremely effective way of pre-
  venting sedition in the ranks of the Game: all
  he has to do is forbid his Servitors from
  attempting to redeem, breaking their Hearts, or
  running. As this aspect of Asmodeus’ disso-
  nance conditions makes it more difficult to
  play Renegade Asmodeans, GMs may consid-
  er it an optional Rule of the Game.
  (The GM should assume that celestials lose
  Word-imposed dissonance conditions if their
  Hearts are broken (p. IN12). Not using this rule
  makes it effectively impossible to escape from
  the Game without excessive amounts of
  Discord, given the existence of the Song of
  Celestial Tongues.)
  
  Calabim
  Calabim in service to the Game tend to get Roles as con-
  struction workers, oil tanker captains, organized crime mem-
  bers, and other places where their destructive nature can open
  new lines of play.
  Habbalah
  The Habbalah who work for Asmodeus occupy Roles
  where they can punish those who break the Rules, such as
  therapists, school counselors, corrections officers, and
  judges.
  Lilim
  Lilim who Bind to the Game become traps for the unsus-
  pecting and unprepared, pinning their adversaries between
  the snare of their resonance and their Roles. They range from
  private investigators, policemen, and lawyers to prostitutes,
  students, and aides to people in power.
  Shedim
  (partially restricted)
  Asmodeus’ Shedim need not wear out their welcome by
  perverting their hosts – their Lord has other duties for them,
  preferring their capacity to spy over their ability to corrupt.
  They may stay in a borrowed body for a number of days
  equal to the check digit of the successful possession roll and
  don’t generate dissonance if they fail to corrupt their host.
  (Members of other Bands may use this attunement to iden-
  tify Shedim and their dissonance.)
  Impudites
  Gamester Impudites become doctors, solicitors, creditors,
  telemarketers, and other Roles that provide opportunities to
  leech away all of their target’s support, leaving them vulner-
  able to more direct plays.
  SERVITOR
  ATTUNEMENTS
  Argument of Casuistry
  A Servitor using this attunement can use convoluted logic
  to convince someone else of the rightness or wrongness of a
  particular premise, based on actual evidence. This evidence
  can be flimsy, circumstantial, or self-manufactured. The
  Gamester could try to convince the witness of a crime that the
  blood he saw was a movie prop by “discovering” a burst cap-
  sule at the scene, but could not convince someone that his
  spouse was cheating on him without some kind of evidence
  in support.
  This ability requires a Will roll to activate and lasts for the
  check digit in minutes. Subjects negate the effects with a
  Perception roll; a simple success is enough to notice the flaws
  and inconsistencies in the demon’s argument. If the manufac-
  tured evidence is very good, the GM may allow the subject to
  still favor the explanation! However, if proof of the false
  nature of the demon’s “evidence” is shown to the victim, his
  mind will be unclouded – and he will remember who lied to
  him.
  The demon cannot attempt to use Argument of Casuistry
  again at all for a number of hours equal to the check digit of
  the target’s successful Perception roll.
  Dissonance Binding
  For 3 Essence, this attunement permits its owner to bind a
  celestial in his own dissonance, creating invisible chains that
  restrict the victim’s movement. The subject’s Agility is
  reduced by his dissonance plus the Celestial Forces of the
  binder for the binder’s total Forces in hours; penalize the
  appropriate attribute in other realms, whether the victim was
  affected in the corporeal first or not. The bound celestial may
  not spend or regenerate Essence. (It does not work against a
  target who is not dissonant at all.)
  Humanity
  This attunement lets a demon pass as a human under any
  circumstance, to anyone shy of Asmodeus or Lucifer himself.
  It costs 1 Essence to activate and remains in effect for 24
  hours (no more, no less). During this time, the demon will not
  make disturbance when damaging objects or people. He
  becomes a mundane human in almost every regard: his ves-
  sel requires food and maintenance, and he can’t perform
  Songs, or assume his celestial form on Earth. Invoking
  Humanity while in celestial form would mimic a ghost! In
  Hell, he would seem to be a damned soul; in the Marches, a
  dreamshade. He may use attunements, both passive ones and
  those requiring Essence to fuel them (including Humanity
  itself), as well as his basic resonance, and he may spend
  Essence to enhance die rolls. Spending Essence for any rea-
  son will cause disturbance. He may not exchange Essence
  with someone else, nor regenerate Essence naturally (even at
  noon or via Rite).
  Insert Coin to Continue
  For 1 Essence, the Gamester may massage the Rules of
  the Symphony in order to give himself another chance if he
  has failed. After the Gamester’s player has rolled the d666
  and failed, he may invoke this attunement and re-roll the dice.
  Essence spent to improve the failed roll is still gone, though
  Essence may still be spent on the new roll as is normal. (The
  Essence used to activate the attunement does not improve the
  new roll.) Interventions of either kind may not be re-rolled,
  and if the new roll also fails, the attunement may not be
  invoked again on the second failure. This ability may be used
  as many times per day as the Gamester has Celestial Forces.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  4
  
  Rule of Law
  This attunement can only be used by a being who has
  invoked Asmodeus’ Humanity attunement. Rule of Law
  forces celestials in the corporeal realm to play by corporeal
  rules, whether they want to or not. The targeted celestial has
  all the restrictions of Humanity (whichever the GM is using;
  see p. 27), adapted to suit his current form. This requires 3
  Essence, cannot normally be resisted, and the victim must be
  inhabiting a corporeal vessel or host which is within touching
  range. (This applies to any vessel or host: a Kyriotate of
  Lightning possessing a piece of technology might require
  maintenance, but not the same maintenance as a human
  form.) The effects last for a number of hours equal to the
  user’s Celestial Forces, or until the user’s own Humanity
  ends, whichever comes first!
  Rule of Law is a useful means of avoiding disturbance
  from celestials the demon might be hunting while simultane-
  ously limiting the target’s means of escape or self-defense.
  This attunement is especially useful when dealing with celes-
  tials whose human Roles have a lower Status than the
  demon’s: when all else is even, the Gamester’s influence in
  society may be the deciding factor. Some Gamesters, posing
  as Hellsworn or human servants of demons, have used Rule
  of Law to discomfit angels trying to kill them. Asmodeus
  frowns on thus revealing the nature and powers of his pieces,
  unless the angel is killed or captured before it understands
  what exactly happened.
  Sense for Betrayal
  While all of Asmodeus’ Servitors can sense dissonance in
  their Bandmates, this attunement allows them to perceive it in
  any celestial, including angels. It functions similarly to the
  Band Attunements, requiring a successful Perception roll to
  activate and lasting for the check digit in hours. It will not
  identify a celestial’s Choir or Band, or even its divine or infer-
  nal nature, but the general efficacy of this attunement makes
  it quite popular among Gamesters, particularly since they can
  use it to estimate how close an angel is to Falling as well as
  how close a demon might be to running Renegade.
  DISTINCTIONS
  Knight of Judgment
  The Knight has the power to impress the humans he
  meets. They will respect his opinions and will not dispute his
  judgments. He receives Charisma +3 (respectable authority)
  for free, which functions in any form and stacks with normal
  Charisma.
  Captain of Integrity
  Asmodeus’ Captains can instantly detect anyone whose
  spoken words differ from their secret feelings, recognizing
  lies and hypocrisies as soon as they are heard. (This functions
  like Detect Lies, not like the Seraph resonance.)
  Baron of Justice
  The demon may identify those whose opinions are just,
  fair, and accurate. His Celestial Forces indicate how much
  detail the demon gets about their judgment.
  HIGHER DISTINCTIONS
  Distinctions above Baron are granted by Asmodeus for
  faithful and loyal service over very long periods of time. A
  servant of the Game must have a spotless record for
  Asmodeus to even consider offering a promotion to such an
  exalted position. Higher Distinctions also come with a com-
  mensurate increase in duties. The closer a demon of the Game
  gets to the top of the ladder, the more of Asmodeus’ attention
  he draws, for good or ill.
  Asmodeus’ Marquises, Counts, and Dukes are always
  Word-bound to some lesser but important aspect of the Word
  of the Game. Each one plays a particular role in Asmodeus’
  plans, and they tend to spend more time carrying out the
  schemes of their master in Hell than on Earth.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  5
  OH, THE
  HUMANITY
  “So, will I be affected like a mundane
  human would be if-”
  “Yes.”
  – A conversation between senior and junior
  partners.
  By default, any attempt to distinguish the
  Gamester from a 5-Force human fails. He
  requires food, water, shelter, and sleep, and
  generates a dreamscape normally (though he
  may dream . . . odd things). Essence reserves,
  as seen by Vapulan Impudite glasses, are with-
  in human norms and appear to regenerate at
  noon. A 7-Force Shedite could possess a 18-
  Force Duke of the Game, and notice nothing
  odd – until evicted, should the attunement
  lapse. If the Servitor tells a Seraph he’s really a
  demon, the Seraph will believe he’s lying or
  deluded.
  For some GMs, this is far more potent than
  desirable! However, weakening it is quite pos-
  sible. See Humanity in Action, p. 27, for more
  details.
  
  Rank isn’t everything, however. While the system of
  Distinctions is deeply important in the Game, it doesn’t
  always reveal true power. Asmodeus often has reasons of his
  own for leaving an expert Gamester without any official mark
  of his approval. A few Gamesters are so infamous that they
  wield approximately the same influence as a demon with a
  Distinction, yet have no official rank at all. Furthermore, even
  an official Distinction may not truly be a reward: high-ranked
  Asmodeans may get caught up in the internal politics of the
  Game, which conveniently prevents the excessively ambi-
  tious from meddling with the Prince’s plans.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  6
  SIDESTEPPING
  The “glass ceiling” of Word-binding in the Game’s
  Distinctions is not as much of a limitation as it could be:
  Asmodeus has deemed two “side-Distinctions” to not
  require an accompanying Word. These act as half-step
  increases in rank, and are available to demons below
  Marquis rank. No one has been known to hold both side-
  Distinctions at once.
  Bishop
  While chess terminology is often used to denote status
  amongst Asmodeans, the ecclesiastical definition of a
  bishop – an official who holds jurisdiction over a particu-
  lar region called a “bishopric” – is an equally likely source
  for the title of this side-Distinction. Bishops of the Game
  hold status akin to Seneschals in the Game-defined bish-
  oprics they oversee: usually junior Bishops hold segments
  of territory within a senior Bishop’s jurisdiction.
  Bishoprics are mostly found in Hades, though there are
  Baron Bishops who oversee all Gamester outposts for var-
  ious regions of Earth, and it is rumored that Asmodeus has
  assigned Bishops to an ethereal Domain or two.
  As long as the Bishop is within the boundaries of his
  bishopric, he may use any of Asmodeus’ attunements and
  Distinctions (that he possesses!) without spending Essence
  and rolling only to determine check digit – on Servitors,
  Soldiers, or other subordinates of the Game. For example,
  the Captain Bishop of Honshu may use Humanity freely
  anywhere on that island, but must still pay Essence to use
  Rule of Law on angels or other non-Asmodicans – though
  Game-contracted Free Lilim are fair game.
  Asmodeus has Bishops supervising even Principalities:
  these are officially considered direct subordinates of the
  Demons of Mao, Chess, and Go (p.  21), as it is the Bishops’
  responsibility to oversee the assignments and activities of
  Gamesters within their bishoprics. These demons do not
  advertise their presence, and as long as they ostensibly
  restrict their attentions to Gamesters, most Princes tolerate
  them. Others may not have even noticed them.
  (Many Bishops never achieve a rank beyond Baron;
  after all, holding a Word is required to rise higher.
  Asmodeus rarely considers it necessary to grant the 
  powers of a Bishop to one of his Word-bound. It 
  happens sometimes, or a Bishop gains a Word and is then
  promoted, but it’s not the default rule.)
  Dealer
  Mammon, now Prince of Greed, was originally a
  Balseraph of the Game, and Asmodeus’first Dealer. When
  he assisted Asmodeus in winning the Right of Contract
  from Lucifer (Superiors 4: Rogues to Riches, p. 52), the
  Prince of the Game decided that Mammon should be the
  first to Play with this new rule. Since then, Mammon’s
  side-Distinction has evolved far beyond its origins.
  A Dealer of the Game bears a signet ring or other
  appropriate item with Asmodeus’ personal sigil at all
  times; this seal cannot be used by anyone save a Dealer or
  Asmodeus himself. Dealers cannot hold any Discord or
  dissonance if they wish to activate a seal. (There are no
  Calabite Dealers.)
  Upon activation, the seal will inscribe the Game’s sigil
  upon any reasonably flat surface (including flesh), and the
  sigil “reads” as an artifact created directly by the Prince. It
  can cause items that bear its mark to become minor relics,
  sufficient to carry a contract from Earth to Hell. Marked
  upon a living being, the sigil will remain upon the soul
  until erased by a Superior . . .
  A Dealer has the right to treat in Asmodeus’ name with
  humans for purposes of Contract, or with demons – up to
  and including Princes – for anything else the Game
  requires. Most Dealers are given specific realms of author-
  ity, such as soul-distribution in the Yards, where at least
  three Captain Dealers are always on staff.
  A Dealer outranks a Bishop of equivalent full
  Distinction everywhere save the Bishop’s own territory,
  without specific orders from Asmodeus or a higher-ranked
  Gamester to the contrary. A significant percentage of
  Asmodeus’ long-term Dealers are Fallen Traders and
  Mercurians; his most senior living Dealer is Sharezer,
  Impudite Baron of the Game, who was one of the first to
  Fall from Marc’s service.
  
  Marquis
  Asmodeus’ Marquises are often given control of a specif-
  ic project or objective in the Game, such as toppling a gov-
  ernment, tracking down a particularly important traitor,
  manipulating city politics to aid formation of Hell-Tethers, or
  corrupting a specific individual to Hell’s cause. A rare few
  have indefinite assignments, such as assigning demons for
  training and missions (p. 19). Marquises have free rein with-
  in the confines of their assignment: they may co-opt the serv-
  ices of nearly any Gamester in order to execute their plans. A
  successful Marquis will follow a line of play to conclusion
  relentlessly. An unsuccessful one will soon be outmaneu-
  vered and replaced.
  Count
  Counts of the Game are placed in charge of one of the
  organizations that control Hades, such as the Infernal Police,
  or one of the key buildings in Hades and its staff, such as the
  Halls of Loyalty or the Arenas. They are given almost com-
  plete authority over their particular organization, and are
  deeply embroiled in the highest levels of the Game’s designs.
  Duke
  The Game’s Dukes are governors of large areas within
  Asmodeus’ territory. Each Duchy is composed of many bish-
  oprics, and a Duke of the Game holds a position much like a
  feudal lord: he is the immediate authority for all the Bishops
  in his Duchy and all the Gamesters those Bishops command.
  This gives Dukes enormous amounts of power – more than
  any other Gamester save Asmodeus himself. However, a
  Duke of the Game must deal with other Dukes, his Bishops,
  and his Lord Prince.
  Higher Distinctions include the powers of lesser ones and
  Dukes oversee bishoprics – but Bishop is a side-Distinction
  that Dukes are rarely granted. A Duke who finds this a crip-
  pling disadvantage will not long retain the position.
  RELATIONS
  A demon of the Game will never ignore treason out of
  “friendship.” Asmodeus is allied with Kronos, but Kronos’
  demons are cut no slack. In fact, some Gamesters might let
  treason in a hostile force fester a bit longer “just to see who
  we can smoke out.” Any extra damage in the enemy ranks is
  just the fortunes of war.
  Allied: Kronos (None consider themselves Allied to
  Asmodeus)
  Associated: Baal (Baal, Beleth, and Kronos are
  Associated with Asmodeus)
  Neutral: Beleth, Malphas (All the others are Neutral to
  Asmodeus, except . . . )
  Hostile: All the others, except . . . (Saminga is Hostile to
  Asmodeus)
  Enemy: Valefor (Haagenti, Kobal, and Valefor are
  Enemies of Asmodeus)
  RITES
  • At sunset, Asmodeus’ Servitors regenerate 2 Essence,
  not just 1.
  • Eliminate a Renegade demon. (3 Essence)
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  7
  SECRET SONGS
  The files of the Game are extensive, and con-
  tain several Songs that only Asmodeus and
  Servitors of his choosing have access to. These
  include 
  the 
  Song 
  of 
  Banishing 
  (Liber
  Canticorum, p. 61), the Song of Binding (Liber
  Canticorum, p. 64), and the Song of Retribution
  (Liber Canticorum, p. 76). It is rumored that
  Asmodeus also occasionally distributes the Songs
  of Concealment (Liber Canticorum, p. 31) and
  Correspondence (Liber Canticorum, p. 65). A
  variant on Numinous Corpus: Arms (Liber
  Canticorum, p. 72), that produces appendages
  capable of dealing with large amounts of paper-
  work, is also a favorite.
  ASMODEUS’
  SECRET RITE
  • Identify and exploit a loophole in one of the
  Game’s Rites, attunements, Distinctions, or disso-
  nance conditions. (I.e., persuade the GM to allow
  a usable loophole in game mechanics or
  Asmodeus’orders to remain as it is.) The loophole
  must be used as well as identified, though the GM
  should give Essence for this Rite if he or another
  player can make use of it but the player can’t. (2
  Essence, regardless of whether or not the loophole
  is beneficial, neutral, or harmful to the character. 3
  Essence if the loophole is in Asmodeus’ orders,
  and was not intentional on the GM’s part.)
  This is actually a basic Rite of the Game; it’s
  just that few Gamesters know it exists. After all, to
  regenerate Essence through this Rite, a Gamester
  has to be able to identify a flaw in the rules of the
  Game, and bring the flaw to someone’s attention
  one way or another, without actually allowing the
  flaw to be eliminated. Among those who have
  heard of it, it is rumored that activating the 2
  Essence form of this Rite is a requirement for
  Knighthood, and activating the 3 Essence form is
  a requirement to go past a Barony.
  
  ADDITIONAL RITES
  • Cause delay, frustration, and confusion via legal
  paperwork.
  • Officiate at a chess tournament, deal a poker game, or
  otherwise control the gameplay of humans.
  • Play and win three games in a row against a skilled
  opponent or opponents. (Occasionally, Asmodeus gives out a
  variant of this worth 2 Essence, but limited to a specific game
  or type of game.)
  CHANCE OF
  INVOCATION: 1
  Regardless of invocations, Asmodeus personally checks
  in on each of his Servitors roughly once a month to assess
  their progress. Any dissonance they’ve gained will be imme-
  diately noticed and require an explanation.
  INVOCATION
  MODIFIERS
  +1 A deck of cards, chessboard, or other means for play-
  ing a game
  +2 A captured Renegade
  +3 Use exhaustive evidence to bog down a trial
  +4 Evidence of treason against any state, celestial or
  corporeal
  +5 Presence of a chess Grandmaster or player of similar
  caliber
  +6 Take control of a government – any government, in
  any manner
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  8
  GURPS POINT BREAKDOWNS
  FOR ASMODEUS
  Here are the GURPS In Nomine point breakdowns
  for Asmodeus (including the ones on pp. 110-111 of
  GURPS In Nomine). For mechanical details, consult the
  main text.
  All: Symphonic Knowledge: Band recognition/disso-
  nance (No media use, -66%). 10 points. This must be
  bought separately, at full cost, for each Band. It must be
  taken for the demon’s own Band; this adds 10 points, in
  addition to the costs below. (The points toward Roles are
  part of the Servitor cost, not Band Attunements.)
  Shedim: Adds Limited duration (-5%) to Body-
  hopping [-4]; their Dissonance Condition drops in value
  from -8 (daily corruption and host death) to -1 point (only
  host death) [7]. Total: 3 points.
  Argument of Casuistry: Symphonic Influence:
  Belief (Requires Evidence, -20%). 24 points.
  Dissonance Binding: New power, including No Roll
  Required. 25 points.
  Humanity: New power. 30 points.
  Insert Coin to Continue: Luck (Costs Essence, 
  -10%; One Re-roll, -5%, Uses in-game time restrictions,
  +0%). 13 points.
  Rule of Law: Applies the Enhancements and
  Limitations of Affects Others Involuntarily, +60%; No
  Roll Required, +66%; and Costs Essence, -20%, to
  Humanity. 32 points.
  Sense for Betrayal:
  Symphonic Knowledge:
  Dissonance (No Media Use, -66%; Extended Duration
  (degree of success in hours), +90%). 38 points.
  Knight of Judgment: Charisma +5 (Only affects
  humans, -10%) [23]. Celestial Rank +1 [5]. Total: 28 points.
  Captain of Integrity: Symphonic Knowledge:
  Liars/Hypocrites (No Roll Required, +66%; No media
  use, -66%; Restricted scope, -33%) [20]. Celestial Rank
  +1 [5]. Total: 25 points.
  Baron of Justice: Judgment ability (No Roll
  Required, +66%; No media use, -66%; Restricted scope,
  -50%) [15]. Celestial Rank +1 [5]. 20 points.
  Bishop: Applies No Roll Required to all his attune-
  ments and Distinctions (+66%), as well as Reduced
  Essence (+40%), but only within his bishopric (-10%)
  and only upon “pieces” of the Game (-20%). This may be
  calculated individually for a given Bishop PC, or assume
  a cost of 114 points, plus 5 for Celestial Rank (within his
  bishopric), for a total of 119 points.
  Dealer: A combination of a relic with minor game
  effects (such as the ability, akin to the Celestial Song of
  Artifacts (p. IN159), to make an item a level 0 artifact) and
  vast political power, restrained only by the good sense of
  the Dealer and fear of the Prince’s wrath, as well as a level
  of celestial Rank when relatively off-duty. 50 points.
  Marquises, Counts, and Dukes each add an addition-
  al +1 Celestial Rank at 5 points per level. (So a Marquis
  has paid 5 points more than a Baron, a Count has paid 10
  more, and a Duke has paid 15 more.)
  Other: Part of the Servitor Cost (p. IN80) includes 20
  points for purchasing a Role; Shedim should use these points
  for servants (Allies or Unwilling Allies) to use as hosts.
  
  NAMES, APPEARANCE,
  AND MANNER
  When appearing openly, the Prince of the Game finds it
  useful to cultivate a fearsome presence: his only consistency
  in vessel styles is that they are intimidating. The chilling
  effect of his infamous burning eyes is a byword in Hell, and
  foolhardy beings have made bets about the number of times
  he has raised his inflectionless voice. Most demons – even
  Princes – find it wise not to provoke such a display.
  And display it would be. Asmodeus does nothing that
  does not benefit him, down to his appearance. To appear
  imposing reminds demons that he writes their rules, and
  showing certain characteristics, like the burning eyes, con-
  tributes to the misimpression that Asmodeus always appears
  in such a way. The Prince of the Game has found that an even,
  bland tone of voice heightens useful anxieties, and makes
  occasional deviations from that monotone even more strik-
  ing. Furthermore, to instill more energy into his voice or
  actions than absolutely necessary is to care about the subject,
  which Asmodeus consciously refuses to do. This in no way
  stops him from redefining situations so that any irritation he
  may wish to express becomes a useful move: even when act-
  ing out of displeasure, Asmodeus will not fail to turn anything
  to his advantage.
  When not appearing openly, Asmodeus can resemble any-
  one at all, from an innocent bystander to a therapist, bar-
  tender, or even a friend of his target. (The vulnerability of the
  target having a friend in the first place will be noted, particu-
  larly if the subject is one of his own Servitors.) When mas-
  querading, Asmodeus frequently does not announce himself
  even to his servant. A few of his Servitors have even been
  unaware that they were reporting to him, thinking the Prince
  had passed them over for inspection. Asmodeus deals with
  that naïveté as he sees fit.
  The Prince of the Game has used many pseudonyms and
  even Roles over the years. However, the vast majority of these
  are not known to be his pseudonym or Role. Asmodeus sees
  little point in acquiring influence under names known to be
  his: it is less work to simply use his own name in the first place.
  THE WORD
  OF THE GAME
  A common misperception of Asmodeus’ Word is that the
  Game is a metaphor: insert “piece” for person, “move” for
  action, and so forth: an elaborate, complex, and useless sys-
  tem for re-labeling the Symphony. However, a metaphor is an
  artificial analogy drawn between unrelated concepts.
  Asmodeus and his Servitors believe that the Symphony is the
  Game: not the filter through which the Symphony can be
  understood but what it actually is. They believe that the uni-
  verse was designed with certain rules and its denizens were
  endowed with particular capabilities and flaws. Both celes-
  tials and mortals are controlled by these attributes and
  restricted by the very nature of the world they live in. Thus,
  they are easily manipulated by anyone who understands their
  strengths and weaknesses. The Game’s arrogance leads him
  and his Servitors to believe, then, that this is the entirety of
  the Symphony.
  All of this is unfair, and Asmodeus knows it. There is
  nothing fair or just in the nature of the world; therefore jus-
  tice and fairness do not matter. What matters is what works.
  The Game is about knowing the rules well enough that they
  can be manipulated and brought to bear on one’s opponents –
  and everyone is an opponent – instead of oneself, so that there
  can be no possible doubt of the victor.
  And Asmodeus believes that with victory safely in hand,
  there is no reason that the rules of the next game should not
  be rewritten as he prefers.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  9
  ASmodeuS in Detail
  
  The Game is undoubtedly a force of order. The rules are
  to be followed, and when not followed, to be used. This
  applies both to the rules that comprise the natural world and
  to those Asmodeus constructs himself. The Prince of the
  Game draws no distinction between the two. If a demon is to
  bend them, he had better not get caught at it – or at least have
  very good reasons for his audacity.
  First rule of the Game: Don’t
  break the rules. Second rule of the
  Game: Finding a loophole isn’t
  breaking the rules. Third rule of the
  Game: If you get caught, it wasn’t a
  loophole after all.
  – Aclahaye,
  Habbalite of the Game
  In addition to providing order to Hell, Asmodeus oversees
  all forms of the Game played by humans. Whenever a mortal
  plays mind-games with another person, or twists the truth for
  personal gain or pleasure, they are Playing the Game of
  Asmodeus. Hypocrites, oath-breakers, and those who exploit
  the letter of the law rather than following its spirit all further
  the cause of Asmodeus’ Word. Additionally, the Prince sup-
  ports human competition in more “traditional” games: sport-
  ing contests, board games, and gambling all see attention
  from Gamesters working to support the Word.
  HISTORY
  Before the Fall, the Cherub Asmodeus was one of the
  most devoted angels in service to Dominic, the Angel of
  Judgment. He served the Word of Judgment with diligence
  and passion, but his loyalty to his superior was even greater.
  Asmodeus was Dominic’s trusted companion and friend: the
  two angels worked together with the Metatron to codify the
  Word of God into the first laws, a task that Asmodeus in par-
  ticular found utterly fascinating. Given their closeness, it was
  unsurprising that Dominic sent Asmodeus to speak with the
  Archangel of Light when Dominic thought Lucifer had begun
  to misjudge issues.
  Asmodeus spoke with Lucifer for a long time, trying to
  discover the reasons the Archangel had for his activities. The
  Archangel of Light was apparently forthright with the
  Cherub, appealing to his sense of justice and equity.
  Asmodeus came to believe that it was unfair that God not lis-
  ten to Lucifer’s grievances, and that the lack of acknowledg-
  ment should be redressed. Lucifer further convinced
  Asmodeus that Dominic would better judge the
  Lightbringer’s underlying rightness when he saw the
  Movement in action, rather than becoming distracted by what
  only seemed to be flaws. Wishing to best persuade his friend,
  Asmodeus returned to Dominic and told him strict truth:
  “Lucifer is aware of the choices he has made, and his reason-
  ing will be explained soon.” Dominic could not hear Truth
  through Lucifer’s haze of ineffability, but trusted Asmodeus’
  judgment. Having satisfied his superior, Asmodeus returned
  to helping Lucifer plan what would become the Rebellion.
  The failure of the rebellion was, in Asmodeus’ mind, a
  triple betrayal: Dominic’s, for not following them, God’s, for
  not listening to them, and even Lucifer’s, for lying to them.
  As his nature twisted into a Djinn’s, Asmodeus realized that
  those betrayals signified a larger truth: justice itself was a lie,
  and did not exist anywhere in the Symphony. He had no rea-
  son to care about it any longer: God toyed with them as pieces
  in a cosmic game.
  In the chaos in the new Hell, Lucifer granted the Word of
  the Game to the former Cherub who had loved God’s laws,
  and gave him the authority to enforce order on the seething
  mass of demons. Asmodeus took to the task with a
  vengeance: instead of penance he levied punishment, and in
  place of justice he raised up the Rules.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  10
  GAME THEORY
  Asmodeus’ most recent attempt to expand his
  Word is the advent of “game theory,” an area of
  mathematics that describes decision-making
  among people with competing interests. Whether
  or not the original theorists were intentionally
  serving Hell, the Prince of the Game claimed their
  ideas as part of his Word, and has promoted them
  as such.
  Though it has rapidly expanded in scope, cov-
  ering fields from biology to ethics, game theory
  originally sought to describe and predict econom-
  ics. Asmodeus turned this into an overt challenge
  to Trade, verging on a declaration of war. As such,
  the Archangel of Trade has taken an intensive
  interest in the study as part of his retaliatory
  measures.
  This conflict between the Game and Trade is
  largely one of ideals: what is the impact of game
  theory on the minds of humanity? Does it encour-
  age selfishness and self-interest, or is it innocuous,
  promoting cooperation and concern for others?
  Trade and his allies have largely blunted the thrust
  of game theory as an Asmodean weapon, but
  Asmodeus has not abandoned the concept’s
  potential for Hadean purposes. Gamesters often
  use the terminology of game theory in casual con-
  versation, though its impact is still in contention
  on Earth.
  
  The Game has not always been the finely tuned mecha-
  nism that now exists in Hell. When Lucifer gave Asmodeus
  the Word, the concept of interpreting the universe as a Game
  to be Played did not exist: several precursors were present,
  including games of chance in which one played for one’s life,
  but the idea as a whole was unrefined. Even now, the inven-
  tion of new games or changes in old ones shift the metaphors,
  labels, and stereotypes of Gamesters: the current vogue of
  chess and card-game structure is only a few thousand years
  old. In the first years of the Game in Hell, Lucifer gave
  Asmodeus the job of keeping order in the infernal realm. The
  new Prince built on what he was familiar with – which was
  Judgment. The beginnings of the Game were more directly an
  opposition to Dominic in Heaven. It required Asmodeus’
  single-minded obsession to create the idea of the Game as a
  thing to be Played, and he is unspeakably proud of what he
  has accomplished.
  The way the Game is played has never quite been the way
  that Judgment is administered. Where Dominic is known for
  his public trials, the Game prefers to handle things more sub-
  tly. Makatiel, Prince of Disease, was the first Prince openly
  executed by the Game, but that was in collusion with
  Judgment. Asmodeus either has (or would like celestials to
  think he has) arranged for the removal of other Princes, from
  Beelzebub, first Prince of Corruption, to Mariel, Princess of
  Oblivion. Those who suggest that the Game takes credit
  where credit is not due are likely to be accused of treason
  themselves.
  The activities Asmodeus does not admit to performing are
  also enlightening. Older Gamesters believe that the Game has
  enacted a quiet, intensive investigation into Factions. They
  point to the open hostility the Game showed to Factions early
  in Hell’s history as evidence, and Malphas’ attempts to fac-
  tionalize Hell instead of just Heaven and Earth as reason.
  These Servitors remember the abrupt change from hostility to
  the current tolerance bordering on approval, and believe that
  Asmodeus was satisfied with his inquiries. The Prince of the
  Game neither confirms nor denies this, just as he neither con-
  firms nor denies other rumors about him.
  PERSONALITY
  AND OUTLOOK
  “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be
  both.”
  – Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
  Priorities and 
  Views on the War
  It is commonly assumed that Asmodeus’first priority is to
  prevent demons from going Renegade. That assumption is
  incorrect: the Prince of the Game’s first and only priority is to
  win, though he pursues that goal by breaking it down into
  several lesser objectives.
  First is the prevention of demonic pieces benefiting the
  other side, either directly or indirectly. Asmodeus believes that
  Hell cannot Play effectively if its pieces break the rules, and
  so he must devote a substantial amount of time preventing
  such violations. Lucifer charges the Prince with maintaining
  order and loyalty among demons: inherently selfish, chaotic
  and traitorous creatures. Asmodeus takes a certain pride in the
  fact that he does his job so well under such difficult condi-
  tions, while holding the necessity of the task itself in Djinnish
  contempt. If demons would simply follow the rules appropri-
  ately, the Game would be free to focus its energies on offen-
  sive strategies. Still, Asmodeus does what he can to advance
  his own agendas while enforcing the rules as required.
  The Game also regulates the actions of his fellow Princes.
  Although Lucifer sometimes chooses to intervene personally
  in the workings of Hell, he relies on his appointee, Asmodeus,
  to keep the daily operations of the infernal realm running
  smoothly. Asmodeus accomplishes this by mitigating the
  influence Hell’s factions have on each other. He usually sup-
  ports the more militant, proactive elements, though he has also
  been known to undermine them, through discreet support of
  “softer” Princes, should the militant factions threaten his own
  plans.
  Since playing blind is a state best left to one’s opponents –
  and Asmodeus classifies everyone as his opponent in some
  way – he has a remarkable network of spies. His own
  Servitors usually go disguised in order to mislead his oppo-
  nents – by Roles in the corporeal realm, and more inventive
  methods in the ethereal and celestial realms. When his ser-
  vants uncover some disloyal or dangerous element, Asmodeus
  does not always order them to take immediate action, but may
  instead bid them to wait and observe. This allows the Prince
  to acquire a better understanding of the variables of the situa-
  tion, as well as potentially uncovering accomplices or allies of
  the traitors. Nor is he above setting up systems of informants
  who do not know the ultimate destination of their reports, or
  filtering bad information to others’ spies.
  Asmodeus also allocates resources to more straightfor-
  ward pursuits, such as offensive maneuvers against Heaven
  and expanding the Word of the Game. The first he prefers to
  do by influencing the appropriate factor to take a desired
  action, usually by just giving the Prince of the War – whom
  Asmodeus considers a highly useful piece indeed – enough
  information to act on. However, Asmodeus does not rule out
  more subtle influences, or even personal appearances. Like
  all Superiors, Asmodeus must dedicate a portion of his own
  resources to expanding his Word. While the Prince holds that
  his Game is Played by everyone everywhere, if often ineptly,
  he finds it easiest to demonstrate this to others in the fields of
  politics and law.
  As for the end of the War . . . Asmodeus is prepared to
  design a set of rules to play by after Hell’s victory.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  11
  
  Views on God
  Asmodeus acknowledges that God created the most rudi-
  mentary Game: the Symphony before the Fall. However,
  Asmodeus believes himself to have redefined and refined this
  Game after the Fall, making it something indubitably his.
  Asmodeus believes that God, too, must Play by the Rules,
  which is why He has not intervened directly in the Game
  between Heaven and Hell.
  Views on Lucifer
  Lucifer does not correspond to any standard piece or card
  in any game, though like every piece in the great Game, he is
  also a player - and Player.
  Even the complex game of chess does not hold a classifi-
  cation for Lucifer. He cannot be the queen piece of Hell, as
  Asmodeus knows the available moves of a queen, but does
  not know the full extent of Lucifer’s abilities. Asmodeus does
  not consider Lucifer to be Hell’s ultimate king piece, either;
  the War would not be over if Lucifer were somehow
  destroyed, though Hell would be crippled. (The designation
  of “king,” without whom the game is lost, has gone to Fate
  even before Kronos’ advent.) Asmodeus continues to resent
  his position as Lucifer’s underling, and takes a certain satis-
  faction in refusing Lucifer the position as the most important
  piece in Hell.
  Views on Humanity
  Asmodeus does not hold the same personal antagonism
  and contempt for humanity that most other Princes do: he
  does not care enough about them to do so. He has noted their
  capacity to act upon the Symphony without disturbance and
  their influence on celestial Words, which has led him to cre-
  ate the Humanity attunement to duplicate the effects and dis-
  guise the nature of one piece with the seeming of another. The
  Prince has come to the conclusion that as a whole, humanity
  is most valuable as ignorant pieces and tokens for Heaven
  and Hell to feud over. Still, he notes individual humans’ skill
  in Playing as accurately as any other being’s, and does not
  spurn Hellsworn or sorcerers from his service.
  POLITICS
  As the Prince responsible for keeping order in Hell,
  Asmodeus actively involves himself in the political conflicts
  that constantly absorb the demonic royalty. As a Djinn,
  Asmodeus shows nothing but apathy or occasionally irrita-
  tion in response to any attempt to engage him on a personal
  level, from Malphas’ overtures of friendship to Kobal’s
  witticisms.
  Princely Opinions
  Despite the fact that they are ostensibly on the same side
  of the War, most Princes spend almost as much time obstruct-
  ing Asmodeus as they do opposing Heaven. In return, the
  Prince of the Game analyzes their weaknesses and strengths
  as he would any enemy’s.
  Andrealphus: He acts the cold fish, with his only pleas-
  ure being paper-pushing. It’s as if he thinks that the rest of us
  don’t understand the desire he has for control. But I under-
  stand that perfectly. Oh yes. (He wastes time in his own phys-
  ical pleasures rather than usefully furthering the cause of
  Hell; he may serve his own Word, but that is of small concern
  to me. A distressing number of Renegades come from his
  ranks, and he takes little interest in pursuing them. I would be
  interested in evidence of personal recusancy on his part.)
  Baal: He understands the importance of maintaining
  order in the ranks, and does so with considerable artistry. We
  must be unified where the Hosts of Heaven are scattered and
  discordant. (Baal is a useful leader. He deals harshly with
  deserters, so I rarely have to become involved. He does his
  job well and leaves me to my plays.)
  Beleth: The Game ensures that even the least demonlings
  in Shal-Mari know that terror has a face and form, and might
  turn its crimson eye to them at any time. Prince or newly
  birthed, all have a shadow to fear in the darkness. Asmodeus
  understands, though our paths cross but rarely. (Her agents
  are typically cooperative, but more importantly, she is
  Lucifer’s piece, and interfering with his Plays is not a thing
  to be done lightly. I rarely see the need to do so, and particu-
  larly not with her.)
  Belial: Bah! He’s a wet blanket with no fire. Everything’s
  so cautious and so planned – there’s no room to breathe in
  Hell. Why Lucifer allows him so much control is beyond me.
  (If he cannot restrain his destructive nature, it will be appro-
  priate to remove him before he does too much damage. Too
  many delicate plays have been ruined by this loose cannon.)
  Haagenti: Rules, rules, rules! All this talk about rules
  gives me indigestion! Can’t he ever leave well enough alone?
  I can’t be truly hungry if I’m thinking about the rules – and I
  don’t like his attitude toward me and Kobal. He’d better be
  careful. Or else. (Excessive and unintelligent. Not really
  faults in themselves, but he listens to Kobal. To be watched
  like all that Prince’s other tools.)
  Kobal: It’s almost too easy. He’s so full of himself, so
  puffed up with his own importance that I just have to poke a
  few holes to deflate him. But then he spoils the game anyway,
  because he just doesn’t get it. (He seems to think that he can
  play by his own set of rules in the Game. I doubt he quite real-
  izes just how wrong he is about that. When the time comes, I
  will be there to remind him of the rules in Hell. [pause] I owe
  him a special favor, as well.)
  Kronos: He is more aware of his role in the grand scheme
  of things than most. He knows being a leader often means
  being a follower as well, if only of the unwritten rules. (He is
  the key to our entire strategy and the board upon which I will
  construct the next phase of the Game. Even now, he directly
  manipulates the Symphony itself and turns it to our favor. His
  style of play is . . . appreciable.)
  Lilith: To him, I owe nothing. He is a slave at heart,
  knowing nothing of real freedom. I’m amazed he found the
  spirit to rebel against Heaven in the first place. (She is flighty,
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  12
  
  too devoted to herself and not enough to Hell. If she did not
  provide useful services and demons for the cause, she would
  be just another Renegade. As it is, I must police her “free”
  children carefully, since she cares not what they do.)
  Malphas: Everyone thinks I should have a problem with
  him, but it’s just the opposite. My work would be much less
  interesting without all of his rules to play the game by. And
  while everyone is looking over their shoulder for Asmodeus,
  they never see me. (A useful piece for stirring up treason,
  bringing it to notice. However, should he create more disloy-
  alty than he uncovers, he will become expendable.)
  Nybbas: Hey, games are fabulous, babe! Bread and
  Circuses sell to the masses like nobody’s business, but you
  have to make sure the Game is a spectacle for people to
  watch! Cheerleaders, lighted scoreboards, jump cuts to the
  extreme! Nobody wants to watch a guy play solitaire behind
  a screen of smoke. Strictly C-SPAN. (Frivolous and imma-
  ture, but he does promote Hell on Earth. He has had too much
  easy success, and grows too complacent. I don’t disparage
  his power, though, just his judgment; his support of Vapula
  makes them both too strong. I plan to change that.)
  Saminga: He used to laugh at me, like they all did. Now
  he’s laughing out the other side of his face. He can have his
  stupid games. I have all I need. (An almost mindless piece,
  incapable of anything but the most infantile plays. Rarely sig-
  nificantly useful.)
  Valefor: He’s too caught up with his rules and regulations.
  He doesn’t realize that he risks losing it all by trying to hang
  onto every little thing. Demons need to be free to create –
  that’s what we rebelled for! Still, we have to be careful of
  him. Getting nailed by the Game is not fun. (He appears out
  of nowhere one day, the power in him obvious. Yet there is no
  record of him, either as an angel from before the Fall or as a
  demonling created here. Of course, the records aren’t perfect,
  curse Kobal. And how convenient that he brings Lucifer a gift
  from Yves’own Library – a place none of the rest of us could
  penetrate . . . What is his game? Just who is his master?)
  Vapula: He would have humanity cling to the ways of the
  past when they should really be looking forward to the future.
  Why am I forever plagued by bureaucratic idiocy? How am I
  supposed to work like this? (His anarchistic tendencies are
  dangerous, but for all his undeniable intelligence, Vapula is
  easily manipulated.)
  Archangel Opinions
  While no Archangel can be appreciative of such a power-
  ful Demon Prince as Asmodeus, opinions of him range from
  visceral detestation to bitter acknowledgment of his control
  over the elements of Hell which would prefer a hot War to the
  current cold one.
  Blandine: He is nothing to me; there are no rules that can
  restrict the human spirit. (Dreams are nothing but foolish, dis-
  tracting delusions. If I catch any demons wasting time in
  dreaming, there will be Hell to pay.)
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  13
  THE TOWERS
  Asmodeus has no respect for the Word of
  Dreams. Dreams reveal details of the self to any-
  one who discovers them, and in the Game’s eyes,
  this weakness makes the Archangel Blandine one
  of the more flawed pieces on the board.
  Even so, his dislike for Dreams appears to be
  of a more personal origin than simply one born
  out of his Word. Some of the excess is doubtless
  that of a Djinn for a Cherub, but it does not appear
  to this degree in his assessments of the other
  Cherub Archangels.
  It is possible that Asmodeus Djinnishly resents
  the steadfast love Blandine still holds for Beleth.
  It is even possible he is Djinnishly jealous, hold-
  ing his own secret and twisted obsession for the
  Archangel, exacerbated by Blandine’s utter disre-
  gard for the Game. (Or, some unwise demons sug-
  gest, Asmodeus is jealous of the obsession Beleth
  continues to have for her former partner.)
  Alternately, Asmodeus could very well be
  planning – or already implementing – a major
  move in the ethereal involving the Marches them-
  selves, their Superiors, and his professed opinions
  of them both.
  
  David: Asmodeus spins Gordian knots of intrigue, well
  beyond my ability to unravel. I do not bother unraveling
  them. My hands can tear the strongest knot. (David’s blind
  loyalty and ostensible refusal to Play makes him little more
  than Heaven’s pawn: the supplier of brute force to carry out
  even their most ill-advised military schemes. The pattern is
  clear, if unremarked upon in Heaven.)
  Dominic: Once, he was my confidant, always at my side.
  Now he is everything I hate, arbitrary and corrupt. The only
  remnants left of the Cherub are his dedication to rules. It . . .
  can be sufficient. (Once my mentor, now my opposite number.
  I can use him, and have. He tries to use me, and thinks he has.
  It is a most . . . satisfying . . . play.)
  Eli: I don’t think Asmodeus understands quite how cre-
  ative he gets sometimes. All those shadow-plays, lies, traps,
  counters, moves – man. It’s not that I like him, but hey, he has
  his cool moments. (He is . . . excessively creative in his inter-
  pretation of the Rules. This recent strategy of his bears watch-
  ing, given that unpredictability, though it is convenient to col-
  lect his discarded cards while he claims to leave the table. If
  he bluffs too long, all his infinite creations shall become mine
  – whether he Falls or not.)
  Gabriel: Burn the boards, shatter the pieces, tear away the
  self-written rules that blind you, Asmodeus, and see the truth.
  God does not play games with His children. You are ashes
  and cold iron, charred and bitter. (A dangerous wildcard who
  upsets the settled order of Heaven, and an unpredictable
  piece. It is a pity that Dominic cannot control her better. Her
  servants have an annoying habit of detecting those who are
  . . . efficient . . . in my service.)
  Janus: “Why – you’re nothing but a pack of cards!” And
  one who really should learn a few new tricks – houses get old,
  so blow ‘em down. His rules are stifling – just go right
  through them. (The first and most effective wildcard in
  Heaven’s deck. The only advantage he provides us is he
  sometimes plays against Heaven as well.)
  Jean: His intelligence is undeniable. His focus is charac-
  teristic of his Band. If he would permit himself to remember
  more of Heaven, there is a point at which he would be even
  more effective. I shall not inform him of this; there is current-
  ly no reason to draw his attention as an opponent if I can
  avoid it. (A skillful player, though limited in his chief objec-
  tives. He has been known to make moves in unforeseen areas,
  however, and bears watching.)
  Jordi: Chasing leaves in play teaches the young to hunt:
  the Game is nothing more. He continues to claw the trees in
  my territory, and I will not permit it. (He controls certain
  basic resources that Heaven does not realize its dependence
  on, and his isolation renders them vulnerable. I neither forget
  nor neglect that kind of advantage.)
  Laurence: By killing their own kind, his demons do some
  of our work for us. But he is crafty and his spies are every-
  where, forcing us to be ever-vigilant. (An impudent Virtue,
  blinded by idealism. He’s a child pushing pieces around on a
  board he doesn’t understand. He served Heaven better as a
  pawn to attack our pieces directly. I wish him a long career
  as General of the Host.)
  Marc: The only “give” in his “give and take” is a setup
  for more taking. He’s almost as greedy as Mammon, if sub-
  tler. (Marc’s chief weakness is his emphasis on fair trade. I
  find it satisfying to take advantage of it wherever possible,
  and force him to sacrifice his pieces instead. He is able to
  bring influences to bear that can cripple a complex play, and
  it is necessary to ensure that he does not get the opportunity
  or information required to do so.)
  Michael: There is something worse than Dominic, and
  it’s Asmodeus. Give me just one more piece of reliable infor-
  mation of their collaboration, and I look forward to sharing it
  with the Seraphim Council. (He is undisciplined, arrogant,
  and proud. It is unreasonable and unjust that God should
  have pardoned him for his sins. I am pleased to share news of
  Outcasts from War’s ranks with Dominic.)
  Novalis: Asmodeus . . . knows very well when to use
  peaceful methods, and to use them first. But I don’t admire
  him for what he does. It is cold calculation, because he wants
  to be sure there is always some worse threat he can use. (She
  counterbalances the influence of Heaven’s military in favor
  of protecting its living resources: while her nonviolent influ-
  ences can be subtle, it is an obvious flaw that she must be
  driven to violence.)
  Yves: He’s relentless in hunting down Renegades, those
  for whom the Symphony still has hope. Destroying the repen-
  tant cannot drown out his desire for forgiveness. (Ah, yes,
  Yves. There’s a curious being. So unlike the rest of Heaven’s
  host. Destiny is the victory condition of Heaven; it is fitting
  that he should have different characteristics than pieces that
  may be sacrificed.)
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  14
  WAR CRIMES
  Asmodeus’ use of Judgment’s diction when
  speaking of the Archangel of War represents the
  Game’s analysis of Michael using the perspective
  of a Judge, and obliquely serves to illustrate his
  own view as well. Michael was found guilty; what
  reason was there to show mercy to him, when his
  pride is so dangerous to himself and others? To
  Asmodeus, that incident reveals God’s true role as
  a Player of the Game, using Judgment to accom-
  plish Plays and then disregarding its strictures
  when useful.
  Asmodeus finds Michael himself to be one of
  God’s more effective pieces, if not the subtlest.
  Michael’s games with Truth and deception are a
  sign of skill, though his pride and dissonance con-
  ditions are flaws that Asmodeus exploits as often
  as possible.
  
  Other Opinions
  Humanity: They are most valuable as pieces, influencing
  Words in controlled ignorance. There are few of them who
  Play with an appreciable amount of skill.
  Soldiers and Sorcerers: While they do not have the
  power, Forces, or experience of a celestial, neither do they
  have the weaknesses. They are true pawns, and those that
  Play acceptably may become my pieces.
  Ethereals: Those not aligned with Hell are in a vulnera-
  ble position, particularly upon the corporeal. Removing them
  from it serves not only to remove an opponent, but to rein-
  force control over those belonging to Hell. At this point, their
  weak position on the board is more important than their indi-
  vidual characteristics.
  VARIATIONS
  ON A THEME
  Asmodeus can be portrayed in a number of ways, depend-
  ing on the role the GM wants him to play and the type of cam-
  paign in which he appears. He may even present himself as
  any or all of the following, depending on his plans and whom
  he speaks with! Of course, the safest bet with Asmodeus is to
  assume that all of the variants contain at least a grain of truth.
  Asmodeus the Player
  In a lighter, more humorous campaign, Asmodeus is truly
  obsessed with games-with-a-lowercase-”g.” His speech is
  filled with analogies and references to various games, and he
  never appears without a deck of cards or portable game board
  close to hand. He insists on being called Game Master or
  “DM.” He and his Servitors will go out of their way to accept
  a challenge to a match – their eagerness approaches addic-
  tion. Winning such a contest might even earn a clever demon
  a reduction in his sentence. For added amusement, the GM
  may encourage Asmodean PCs to refer to things as “leveling
  up,” “taking on a disad,” “putting points into my paperwork
  skills,” or any other slangy gaming term. If a GURPS In
  Nomine character takes this as a Quirk, he might even gain
  character points from it – while deliberately telling people
  that he’s roleplaying his character.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  15
  ENDGAMES
  Asmodeus believes that the conflict between
  Destiny and Fate is the true basis of the War.
  Michael and Baal strongly influence that conflict,
  but they are not the true king pieces. The War
  would not be decided should one die, and the
  Game divides his support between Baal and
  Kronos accordingly. Asmodeus believes that once
  the War has been won and the third phase of the
  Game begins, either Fate or Destiny will serve as
  the board upon which the new Rules are
  constructed.
  Given its degradation and corrosion of even
  the Symphony, however, Fate’s capacity to be a
  default condition of Play could be questionable. If
  so, the alliance between the Game and Fate may
  well be a feint, keeping the truest enemy of the
  Game closest of all.
  ULAMALITZLI:
  AZTEC GAMES
  The Prince of the Game is occasionally willing
  to grant certain corporeal privileges and advan-
  tages to ethereals who make themselves useful to
  him, especially those who are willing to act as
  spies and report goings-on in the Marches. Two of
  Asmodeus’ best spies are the Hero Twins of the
  Aztec Pantheon, Han-Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
  After the Purity Crusade, most of the Aztec gods
  became lackeys of Nightmares, far reduced from
  their original power. The Hero Twins seem to be
  no exception.
  However, during the height of the Crusade, the
  Game took note of one of the legends surrounding
  the two ethereals: the myth in which Han-
  Hunahpu and Xbalanque outwitted and destroyed
  the Lords of Xilbalba, Aztec gods of the under-
  world, by means of playing the Aztec ball game,
  ulama, with enormous skill and trickery.
  Asmodeus found the implications of this legend
  interesting enough to challenge the beleaguered
  ethereals to a game of ulama himself. The stakes
  were that if the Hero Twins won, Asmodeus would
  ensure that they would be remembered on Earth,
  not beholden to Beleth like the rest of their pan-
  theon. If he won . . . he would have no such obli-
  gation. Han-Hunahpu and Xbalanque accepted.
  The Prince of the Game is not a Lord of
  Xilbalba. Skilled though the Hero Twins were at
  ulama, they could not defeat Asmodeus. Still, their
  performance was noteworthy enough that
  Asmodeus decided to prevent their enslavement to
  Beleth anyway, and kept them as his own spies in
  the Marches. The Djinn has even gone to the trou-
  ble of preserving ulama in modern Mexican cul-
  ture, remarkably uncorrupted from its historical
  form, keeping the Hero Twins in the minds of its
  players.
  
  Of course, Asmodeus as Player does not necessarily have
  to be comic relief: a Demon Prince who takes a cold pleasure
  in playing “lesser” games like Munchkin or Illuminati might
  be terrifying indeed – especially since he’d enforce every last
  rule.
  Asmodeus the Policeman
  This Prince of the Game is focused on order to the absence
  of anything else. He runs a totalitarian police state in Hell; his
  Servitors are visible on every street corner, watching for the
  slightest deviation in loyalty. Asmodeus has rejected subtlety
  in favor of an iron fist: there is no whimsy in this Game.
  Nothing but absolute obedience to the Rules is acceptable.
  The portions of his Word devoted to playing games – and
  even Playing Games – have been de-emphasized. This
  Asmodeus spends much of his time directly opposing
  Dominic: the infernal cliché that Judgment is Heaven’s Game
  applies more truly in reverse.
  Asmodeus the Pawn
  An interestingly limited Prince of the Game is one impris-
  oned by his own Word. This Asmodeus is crippled by a Word-
  based inability to disobey Lucifer (possibly imposed when
  the First Balseraph noticed resentment in his minion). Above
  all else, he is Lucifer’s pawn: whatever free will he might
  have is deeply buried in a Byzantine mesh of rules. His very
  nature, as defined by his Word, decrees everyone powerless
  to make any choices of their own accord. All are merely
  pawns – even the Prince of the Game.
  This Game is, correspondingly, much more hidebound
  than the intrigue-filled self-contradictory maze that it normal-
  ly is. Individual Gamesters will be drowning in paperwork
  and permits, preventing them from doing anything but their
  jobs.
  Asmodeus may not be aware of the situation he is in –
  however, if he is conscious of how Lucifer’s gift has limited
  him, he may be seeking an appropriate answer for that
  betrayal.
  Per me si va ne la citta dolente,
  per me si va ne l’etterno dolore,
  per me si va tra la perduta gente . . .
  Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate.
  (Through me the way into the suffering city,
  Through me the way to the eternal pain,
  Through me the way that runs among the lost . . .
  Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.)
  – Dante Aligheri, trans. Allen Mandelbaum, “Divina
  Commedia, Inferno, III, 1-9”
  Asmodeus’ Principality rings the rest of Hell, its massive
  urban sprawl insulating the infernal realm from all outside
  influence. Hades is an enormous, labyrinthine metropolis: all
  of the great cities of Hell in human legend – Pandemonium,
  Dis, and the others – are based upon the Gray City where the
  Game reigns supreme. The city itself is an obscene combina-
  tion of architectural styles, at times reminiscent of the oppres-
  siveness of Soviet masonry, elsewhere congested with hun-
  dreds of dim, twisted alleyways, all overlaid with
  the bustling, frantic energy and focus of down-
  town New York City. Skyscrapers loom in iron
  girders and dark glass, stark against the smog
  clouding the ever-overcast sky. Beneath the
  ground are howling subways, and the streets
  above are choked with demons and the damned.
  HOUSES
  OF CARDS:
  PLACES IN HADES
  Despite the oppressive modernity of the city,
  most Hadean landmarks are anachronistically
  constructed, from the pseudo-Roman Plaza of
  Ashes to the Renaissance décor of Asmodeus’
  Palace. The rest of the city is crowded with hulk-
  ing buildings made of concrete slabs and lit by
  sodium lamps that provide an inescapable mias-
  ma reminiscent of the darkest noir films.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  16
  HadeS: The Gray City
  
  The Gates of Hell
  The Gates of Hell are a pair of gigantic bronze doors
  standing open at the edge of Hades. The pillars they hang
  from were once mile-high ebony towers, but they were
  knocked askew millennia ago and no one has bothered to put
  them right. Engraved above the Gates is an inscription, bare-
  ly visible through the smog. At times it seems to read
  “Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here;” at others, “Arbeit
  Macht Frei.” Demons – mostly Habbalah – armed with whips
  drive masses of the newly damned through the Gates.
  Daniel and Hutriel, the Angels of Final Justice (Heaven
  and Hell, pp. 15-16), stand at either side of the gateway,
  examining each approaching soul for virtue. It is rumored that
  the two angels have occasionally released a soul to Heaven,
  but such rumors are forcefully discouraged. (Especially when
  true.) Most demons view the Angels of Final Justice as sim-
  ply part of the landscape: unmoving, unchanging, and perma-
  nent. They are feared, but with the fear of those who live on
  the slopes of a volcano. Final Justice are dangerous, to be
  sure, but mostly they are simply present.
  The Soul Yards
  The Soul Yards are the first destination of the newly
  damned after they pass through the Gates. A filthy sprawl of
  broken cobbles and brick, the Yards swarm with confused
  and miserable damned, shepherded by Habbalah with whips,
  prods, switches, and smiles. (Other demons serve as herders
  as well, but Habbalah predominate.) Looming over them all
  are high stone walls and several squat towers, from which the
  overseers tally the souls and issue orders for their inspection,
  classification, and branding (literal or metaphoric) as the
  property of one or another of the Demon Princes.
  Inside the towers, the atmosphere resembles both a cattle
  auction and the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Agents of each
  Prince bargain for the souls that are their due – and some-
  times the souls that aren’t. Once their quotas have been met,
  the agents collect their new charges and the holding pens are
  refilled with new damned. More information about the poli-
  tics of acquiring souls can be found in Heaven and Hell, p. -
  94.
  The Soul Yards comprise several Knight-level bishoprics
  (p. 6): Triel, Djinn Baron of the Game, is the current overar-
  ching Soul Yards Bishop (Heaven and Hell, p. 96). Murmur,
  Calabite Duke of the Game (Infernal Player’s Guide, p. 37),
  counts the Yards within his duchy as well as the Hadean ghet-
  tos housing Asmodeus’ damned; he considers himself over-
  seer of all souls in the Game, but this is frequently contested
  by his fellows.
  Asmodeus’ Palace
  Asmodeus’ Palace is a palace in name only. It is more
  accurately the repository for the Game’s files, central control
  for Asmodeus’ spy network, and home to some of his most
  poisonous Servitors. The amount of secret information stored
  in the vaults of the Palace is second only to Kronos’Archive,
  and unlike the Archive, it is meticulously ordered. The human
  souls who maintain the records have their Ethereal Forces
  stripped and adjusted to the bare minimum required for
  alphabetization, preventing even the possibility of betrayal.
  Most demons and their Princes would give much for a reli-
  able source within the Palace, but the Infernal Police make
  sure that only the most loyal Gamesters are ever allowed
  within its walls. The security around the Halls of Records has
  only strengthened in merciless lack of humor since Kobal’s
  Pranksters managed to infiltrate and . . . reorganize . . . files
  (Superiors 2: Pleasures of the Flesh, p. 72).
  Occasionally, the Palace has fulfilled a use more tradition-
  ally suited to its name. Asmodeus at times sees fit to play host
  to one or another of the lords of Hell, and during such peri-
  ods the upper halls of the Palace are opened: richly decorat-
  ed in red and gray, they’re an opulent setting as grandiose as
  that of any other Prince. Asmodeus’ reasons for this, permit-
  ting the most curious to be so tantalizingly close to his files,
  are unknown. The best money would be on games of cat-and-
  mouse.
  The Plaza of Ashes
  The Plaza of Ashes, the site of the Game’s public execu-
  tions, is also one of the few places in Hades that is undeniably
  beautiful. The plaza is a huge, open fan-shape, reminiscent of
  the Piazza del Campo, visible from the balconies of
  Asmodeus’ Palace and large enough to hold a hundred thou-
  sand. It is paved with a magnificent mosaic, in the style of
  ancient Rome, depicting a chess match in progress. (The rank
  and file Servitors frequently murmur rumors that the posi-
  tions of the tiled chess pieces change.) Statuary and monu-
  ments ring the Plaza, and the effect of emerging through them
  into the clear area is one of understated awe: the sudden lack
  of looming buildings coupled with the artistic design pro-
  duces a sense of overwhelming relief. The eye is then drawn
  to the formal executions constantly held atop the set of stairs
  at the northernmost edge, leading up to the shining marble
  facade of the Halls of Loyalty.
  The Halls of Loyalty
  The Halls of Loyalty are located next to Asmodeus’
  Palace, and a network of underground tunnels connects the
  two. The Halls rise from the Hadean streets in a facade of
  gleaming marble, the most pristine building in all of the Gray
  City. The ever-present smog is scrubbed away by thousands
  of damned souls. The Halls are the headquarters of the
  Infernal Police and the place where the treasonous are
  brought for interrogation and punishment. It is perhaps the
  most shunned building in Hell. Demons taken within are sel-
  dom seen again – InfPol always has a use for suspects,
  regardless of their ultimate innocence or guilt, and the miles
  of underground cells are never full.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  17
  
  The Arenas
  Beneath Hades lie the Arenas: gladiatorial pits devoted to
  trial by combat, contests of strength, and the entertainment of
  the Gray City’s populace. In previous centuries, Asmodeus
  used the Arenas directly in the enforcement of his Rules, but
  with the rise of Shal-Mari’s larger and gaudier arenas, the
  Hadean version has fallen out of the public eye of Hell. The
  Prince of the Game finds it politic to allow the lords of Shal-
  Mari to offer the entertainment of blood sport, while keeping
  his own Arenas for the Game’s private purposes.
  Gambling Halls
  The Game is not entirely a sleek, threatening, and pur-
  posefully organized society. There are high-class establish-
  ments (such as The Fair Chance; You Are Here, p. 98), but
  within the back alleys of Hades are many cheap casinos, full
  of damned and desperate addicts sitting in front of rigged slot
  machines and dealers who don’t even bother to hide their
  cheating.
  The sanest of these gamblers play for Essence, or the jack-
  pot of a ticket to another Principality. Others play simply for
  enough Essence to keep playing. Most of those on a “winning
  streak” haven’t moved from their slot machines or tables in
  hundreds of years. These halls don’t feel the need to pamper
  their clients, as corporeal casinos might; many even demand
  an entrance fee. They know they’re the only affordable game
  in town.
  DENIZENS OF HADES
  Hades is inhabited by more than just demons in service to
  Asmodeus. All sorts make their homes there, as spies,
  ambassadors, workers in the Soul Yards, or simply to avoid
  enemies from their own organization – allowing Servitors of
  other Superiors to reside in his city makes it easier for
  Asmodeus to keep an eye on them. While it is relatively easy
  for a demon to gain access to Hades through a series of
  checkpoints, emerging from it again requires passports even
  for Gamesters. Any demon dwelling in the Gray City has
  tacitly ceded supremacy to the Game: there is no other way
  to survive in the streets than to Play. It is only to be expect-
  ed that the paranoia levels are as high as those of Cold War
  Berlin.
  Asmodeus’ damned souls are taxed for their Essence by
  the Prince’s bureaucracy. Most are frightened enough to pay
  regularly. Those who refuse often attempt to escape into one
  of the many gangs on the streets of Hades, but since the gang
  leaders pay protection to InfPol, Asmodeus gets the Essence
  nonetheless. Muggings and shakedowns are common, espe-
  cially for the new or friendless. However, souls who in life
  played the Game themselves can find employment and even
  limited power and respect in Hades; the soul of Cardinal
  Richelieu has been seen in the presence of Asmodeus him-
  self. (And though the human philosopher Wittgenstein is not
  recorded as being in Hell, his works are favored by many
  erudite Gamesters.) Corrupt police, lawyers, and psycholo-
  gists often wind up being caseworkers (p. 30).
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  18
  WORD-BOUND
  SERVITORS
  Demons of the Game are bound both to Words
  which refer specifically to aspects of lesser games
  (to protect them from too much Heavenly influ-
  ence), and to Words which support the general
  mentality of the Greater Game. Among the former
  group are the Demons of Chess, Mao, and Go
  (p. 21), as well as the Demons of Unusually Good
  Poker Hands, Hexagonal Grid Maps, Low Odds
  (founder of Aces and Eights, p. 35), and the Full-
  Court Press, whose Word originated in the game
  of basketball and has since expanded rapidly. In
  the latter group are Ben-Japheth, Habbalite
  Demon of Student Discipline (Infernal Player’s
  Guide, p. 43), Caveatal, Impudite Demon of
  Loopholes (Heaven and Hell, pp. 26-27); Staciel,
  Lilim Demon of Intrigue (p. 24); the Demons of
  Lawyers, Neurolinguistic Programming, Filing,
  Boardroom Meetings, and Lying in Wait, as well
  as the Demon of Passports, who gained her Word
  during the heights of Cold War tension.
  
  ASMODEUS’ TETHERS
  Tethers of the Game form wherever humans twist, bend,
  or fight over the rules that govern them – and the places
  where those rules are enforced. They tend to be courthouses,
  sites of political intrigue, government buildings, and casinos.
  Game Tethers can also be found in schoolrooms, post offices,
  bars, and theaters, as well as more unusual locales as long as
  someone has Played sufficiently well there. Asmodeus
  prefers to keep his most unusual Tether locations under
  wraps, often using them to spy upon other Princes. Some of
  Asmodeus’most famous Tethers are the Agora in Athens, the
  KGB building in Moscow, and the site of the Council of Trent
  (below). For others, see the Liber Castellorum, pp. 91-92.
  The Council of Trent
  The Council of Trent was convened by the Catholic
  Church in 1545 A.D. to authoritatively determine the doc-
  trines of the Church in response to the Protestant heresy. The
  council lasted for eighteen years, changed location twice, and
  was the site of some of the most febrile, fervent, and faction-
  alized arguments about theological laws in the history of
  Catholicism. Merely setting up the Council took nearly forty
  years of political infighting between the European monarchs
  and the agents of the Pope. When the Council finally began,
  its process of operation was equally rule-bound and
  Byzantine: a commission of consultants drew up a list of top-
  ics, which were then discussed in two separate preliminary
  sessions (one for theological concerns and one for legal con-
  cerns). Only then were they presented for general debate.
  Violent arguments concerning trivialities such as the order of
  topics to be discussed and what the official title of the Council
  should be occupied the delegates for months. Later, after
  political strife and infectious disease drove the Council from
  Trent to Bologna and back again, some decisions were
  reached as to the proper doctrines, but they failed to reunite
  the Church against the Protestants.
  The Tether to the Game associated with the Council of
  Trent formed at the site of its inauguration: the nave of the
  city’s cathedral. It was quickly stabilized by Asmodeus when
  a team of Gamesters observing the Council reported it –
  much to the consternation of Laurence, who had hoped to
  claim it for his own in the name of the Catholic Church. The
  Tether strengthened over the course of the Council, and
  Asmodeus kept it well defended. After the official close of
  the Council, Asmodeus appointed a Habbalite of the Game,
  Tephra, to be Seneschal. Several attempts to claim the Tether
  for Heaven, variously organized by Laurence and Dominic,
  were made in the next century, but did not succeed. Tephra
  still holds the position to this day, but the strength of the
  Tether she protects has diminished as the history of the
  Catholic Church recedes from prominence in everyday
  human affairs.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  19
  THE GAME
  WRIT SMALL
  This is a game of seven-card Hadean-
  standard Mao, Loyalist 
  variant. The object of the game is to get rid of
  all your cards. Play proceeds to the dealer’s
  left. There is no talking. You may refer to the
  dealer as “Lord Asmodeus” . . .
  More so than Go, poker, or even chess, many
  Gamesters consider the game of Mao to be a
  viable analogy to the Greater Game. Playing it
  well is both a source of pride and a mark of innate
  skill, making Mao exceptionally popular in
  Hades, as well as wherever Gamesters gather on
  the corporeal.
  Mao is played with one or more decks of stan-
  dard playing cards, and proceeds much like Uno
  or Crazy Eights: suit on suit and number on num-
  ber. However, Mao also operates by an arcane,
  complex, and actively confusing set of additional
  rules (which must never be written down) known
  by the dealer and only learned by the players dur-
  ing the course of the game – except when they
  aren’t. There are many, many variants of Mao,
  both on Earth and in Hell. Mistakes are rewarded
  by penalty cards, as distributed at the discretion
  of the dealer, who is (usually) the only participant
  permitted to speak. Catching him in a mistake of
  his own, however, is possible, and the ability to
  do so is the mark of a truly superior player.
  The parallels to the Greater Game are
  obvious.
  No one is more aware of these parallels than
  Jahathanna, Habbalite Marquis of the Game, the
  Demon of Mao. Along with the Demons of Chess
  and Go, Jahathanna controls training and assign-
  ments of the Game’s Servitors (p. 44), and has
  since before her Word had a name in English. She
  makes certain that all of them become exquisite-
  ly and painfully aware of the rules, the conse-
  quences of breaking them, and the skills required
  to maneuver around them. Demons who fail to
  meet her exacting (if often absurd) standards
  often end up in the worst of the jobs that Hades
  can offer.
  
  ASMODEANS,
  ASMODICANS, CANES
  ASMODEI, GAMESTERS
  It’s all about the Game (and how you play it)
  All about control (and if you can take it)
  All about the debt (and if you can pay it)
  It’s all about pain (and who’s gonna make it)
  – Motorhead, “The Game”
  A demon of the Game is the image of the corrupt police-
  man, lawyer, or judge. Half of the Hadean economy revolves
  around bribes, although Gamesters frequently renege on their
  promises when it suits their purposes. Sentences are arbitrary,
  often irrelevant to the crime, and usually designed to entertain
  or benefit everyone but the criminal. Gamesters are Hell’s
  Judgment, ubiquitous and universally disliked among other
  Words, but they are also so entrenched in Hell’s order of
  things that no one can oust or ignore them.
  Ademon of the Game is everything Machiavelli imagined
  – and worse. They thrive on intrigues and information, on
  triple-meanings and complex codes where everything is sig-
  nificant unless it’s a diversion. One of Asmodeus’ first
  Servitors was the main developer of Helltongue, with all its
  complexities of grammar and syntax; another originated
  Hadean-standard Mao (p. 21). It is no surprise that the
  Demon of Intrigue (p. 24) runs Asmodeus’ spies.
  A demon of the Game is, above all else, flexible. They
  work alone as often as in partnerships or teams. While they
  are not quite “jacks of all trades, masters of none,” they want
  to be able to handle as many situations as possible with ease
  – or possess enough power to ensure they will never be faced
  with trouble outside their particular specialty.
  The Game fosters the impression that its Servitors are
  more or less interchangeable. This makes it easier to infiltrate
  places like Shal-Mari, on the grounds that no one expects a
  Gamester in good standing to behave like an Andrealphan,
  Comedian, or Free Lilim. Within the Game itself, however,
  this assumption is proven wrong: there are many ways to play
  the Game, and nearly all of them are represented within
  Hades’ walls.
  SUITS OF THE GAME
  Most Gamesters find it easier to categorize their fellows
  by play-style rather than Band, as they believe play-style is a
  more accurate and reliable way of predicting their
  Wordmates. The currently preferred classification system is
  the Suits, named for the suits of a standard deck of cards.
  Gamesters are sorted based on their preferred methodology,
  their usual duties, and their perceptions of the Game.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  20
  PlaYerS and PAwnS
  THE NAME OF
  THE GAME
  Asmodeus has developed a wide range of titles
  over the millennia, including a few that are almost
  casual. A disfavored Gamester or a Servitor of
  another Word is expected to address Asmodeus as
  “Most Dread Prince of the Game” or an even
  more ornate title, while those who have been
  shown favor are not only permitted but expected
  to use the relatively informal “Grandmaster,” or
  other traditional mode of address for a master of a
  game. “Lord Player” or “my Lord Prince” is cus-
  tomary for those Servitors neither especially
  favored nor out-of-favor.
  Undercover Servitors encountering Asmodeus
  are expected to address him in a manner suitable
  to their cover, without sacrificing respect.
  Asmodeus rarely bothers to make this easy on his
  Servitors if it would inconvenience him: they are
  expected to think quickly.
  Common names for Asmodeus’ Servitors
  include Asmodeans, Gamesters, Players, or Gray
  Men; Spooks, Cops, and Dogs are also popular
  with less polite demons. Chess-piece titles are
  acceptable only within the ranks of the Game
  (p. 22); demons of other Words often use “Pawns”
  as an insult. The Suit-terminology (p. 20) is also
  acceptable within the Game, but rarely used accu-
  rately by other demons. Most traditionally, they
  are the Canes Asmodei: the Hounds of Asmodeus.
  (A term that twists the Dominican order’s
  “Domini canes” – hounds of God – and thus
  “Asmodican” is an appropriate variant.) While the
  Black Suits (p. 21) are most likely to call them-
  selves Hounds, and some finicky Gamesters pre-
  fer the more civilized Servitores Asmodei, “cave
  canem” is a catchphrase in Hell: “the Game’s
  afoot.”
  
  Playing Black
  Black Suits are dedicated to the Rules and the hunt for
  Rules-breakers more than any other aspect of the Game.
  Spades are Asmodeus’ hunters, assassins, and cleanup
  crew. One of the most feared is the Renegade-hunter Nergal,
  a Djinn (Infernal Player’s Guide, p. 31). They practice vio-
  lence with style and forethought, and typically consider every
  other play-style vastly inferior to their own.
  Clubs are torturers, interrogators, and security officers,
  favoring an uglier aspect of the Game. To some Gamesters,
  being accused of being a Club is almost as dire an insult as
  being accused of treason or poor playing; others wear the
  name with pride. The Halls of Loyalty and the Arenas are full
  of self-proclaimed Clubs.
  Playing Red
  Red Suits consider the Rules secondary to Playing with
  them. They freely make use of loopholes or even break rules,
  if they believe they can get away with it.
  Diamonds are the majority: as sharp and cold as their
  namesake, these demons are the manipulators and spies of the
  Game. The Countess of Intrigue is a well-known Diamond,
  and most of her Suit-mates pay homage to her Word on a reg-
  ular basis.
  Hearts, by contrast, freely enjoy their Play. They are gam-
  blers, socialites, and, of course, heartbreakers. They love the
  adrenaline rush of seeing how far they can bend the rules
  without quite breaking them, and live for improvisation and
  risktaking.
  Playing with Wildcards
  Some Gamesters really are jacks-of-all-trades, adapt-
  ing their play-style to suit the moment, with no particular
  preference other than mutability. Others embody their
  Band-stereotype so much that it wastes time calling them
  anything else. Yet others simply fail to fit any definition
  other than “miscellaneous.” Many Wildcards, for various
  reasons, find that a familiarity with the Suit-system is
  useful – either for pretending to be in an official Suit, or
  for identifying members thereof – and that their place
  “outside the classifications” makes it easier for them to
  learn the system and manipulate it. Others eschew the
  system entirely, deeming it far less useful than their other
  tools.
  BANDS
  While there are variations – and there are always varia-
  tions, exceptions, and loopholes within the Game –
  Asmodeus does have specific uses for his Hounds, whether
  by Suit or Band.
  Balseraphs
  Asmodeus’ Balseraphs favor Playing in law and poli-
  tics, and other realms where they can manipulate the defi-
  nitions of the Rules to suit their ends. (The Game’s chief
  prosecutor is the Liar Mastema (Infernal Player’s Guide,
  p. 23).) They love playing with words: the more literary-
  minded frequently compete in round-robins, Japanese
  renga verses, and other cooperative writings that let them
  subvert each others’ intentions, or even put their own into
  codes.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  21
  LEARNING
  TO PLAY:
  CHESS, GO, MAO
  Once a demonling (commonly known as
  “checkers” amongst more powerful Gamesters)
  fledges, it is often snapped up by an experienced
  Servitor to be properly indoctrinated into the
  Rules of the Game. The junior Gamester becomes
  the senior’s lackey and personal Pawn; in return,
  the senior is theoretically responsible for ensuring
  that the new fledge ends up a competent player.
  Senior partners are often held accountable for
  their Pawn’s mistakes, both during and after the
  partnership. Gamesters may be training multiple
  subordinates at any one time, and might even spe-
  cialize in doing so.
  The Demons of Chess, Go, and Mao, all
  Marquises of the Game, are officially responsible
  for assigning Canes Asmodei to Game-teams,
  including training partnerships; this is rarely done
  with much deliberation, especially for lesser
  pieces. The three Marquises (a Djinn, an
  Impudite, and a Habbalite, respectively) hold
  Words very close to the philosophical heart of the
  Game, though none of their personal Words is
  very expandable outside of it. A further check is
  the constant rivalry between the three: they spend
  as much time thwarting one another as they do
  improving their own positions.
  Sidestepping the political machinations of the
  three Marquises and simply acquiring a new-
  fledged demon as a Pawn is certainly possible for
  an ambitious or desperate Gamester, though they
  run the risk of being found in treasonous violation
  of the Rules. A safer and more prestigious method
  of claiming pieces of one’s own is to cause the
  Fall of an angel – a new-Fallen is almost always
  the responsibility of the piece that captured it.
  Naturally, attempting to subvert angels carries
  risks of its own.
  
  Djinn
  Stalkers of the Game are the most common hunters –
  especially since they can keep track of their partners as well
  as their target. The average Gamester Djinn has at least one
  personal obsession, channeled to serve the Game’s ends.
  They may obsess over their work (eliminating dissonant
  demons, preventing Renegades), an object they are fixated on
  (a favorite game, their hunting tools), or even their partners,
  opponents, or Prince. A Djinn without an obsession makes a
  poor Gamester: they just don’t care enough to play.
  Calabim
  While the Game has its share of mindless Destroyers,
  many merely feign a lack of intelligence in order to have the
  opportunity for destroying greater things. They are great
  players of Jenga and other games that involve careful, delib-
  erate destruction – though the pieces seldom survive removal.
  Calabim of the Game find frequent use as enforcers and
  executioners, regardless of their intelligence. Assuming that’s
  all they’re interested in is a mistake; many also find satisfac-
  tion in subtler destructions, specializing in breaking minds or
  spirits. Such Destroyers can be remarkably compatible with
  Habbalah and other Clubs (p. 21).
  Habbalah
  Habbalah of the Game are no less deluded than their fel-
  low “Choir”-members. They tend to believe, along with their
  Prince, that the Symphony was designed as a Game, and they
  use this belief to justify the selfishness of their so-called
  devotion to God. A great many are religious adherents of one
  kind or another – the commonest faith being the worship of
  God’s greatest creation, the Game itself. Regardless of their
  particular spiritual convictions, the Game’s Habbalah value
  skilled play as the clearest sign of worthiness and strength.
  Those who misplay are weaklings and deserve nothing but
  contempt – and the barbed end of a whip.
  Asmodean Habbalah are uniquely suited to interrogation
  work, and often found in the Halls of Loyalty or on roving
  investigatory teams. On Earth, their insistence that others fol-
  low the Rules, or be condemned for weakness and unsuitabil-
  ity, makes them excellent agents for supporting the Word
  within humanity.
  Lilim
  Though it is by no means unheard of, not all Lilim of the
  Game are collected through potential treason trials and
  geased arrangements. Nor are they entirely “made to order”
  with inclinations to Bind themselves at birth. The prospect
  of a free Role and a job with many opportunities to collect
  hooks appeals to some younger Free Lilim, and some of the
  older ones have gathered enough experience in infernal
  politics that they believe they can play the Game to their
  own ends. Asmodeus holds at least one Geas upon each of
  his Lilim, which does not count for points at character cre-
  ation. He is one of the Princes most likely to purchase some
  or most of a new-Bound’s remaining birth-Geases from
  Lilith.
  Lilim of the Game can make good spies, especially since
  many of them began Free. They also tend to be fond of desk
  jobs like secretary and bookkeeper, which often allow them
  to do little favors for their co-workers and superiors.
  Shedim
  Asmodeus’ Shedim are almost all spies. Their ability to
  lurk in the back of an unsuspecting mortal’s mind without
  needing to change his behavior makes them very good “pas-
  sive bugs,” and many of them have skills and Songs that
  enable them to pretend to be Shedim of other Words as
  necessary.
  A Perception-based resonance, such as a Lilim’s or most
  angels’, will give information on a Shedite, rather than its
  host. Many Gamester Shedim maintain Servants as regular
  hosts, and frequent extended periods of possession may gen-
  erate a Role for the Shedite as that Servant! While achieving
  a Role/6 would be extremely difficult, low-level Roles are
  possible, and may provide some defense against certain reso-
  nances – like that of the Mercurians. Of course, a Shedite
  with the Role of John Doe rarely wants to be resonated while
  possessing Jane Smith.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  22
  BISHOP, KNIGHT,
  ROOK, PAWN
  Among themselves, Gamesters use an elabo-
  rate ranking system that owes much to the game
  of chess. Most Servitors wear the symbol of a
  pawn marked with one to three eyes, overlaid on
  the sigil of the Game: the greater the number of
  eyes, the more favored the Servitor is. Higher-
  ranked Asmodeans wear other chess pieces, such
  as the Bishops (p. 6). Servitors who are current-
  ly out of favor are “fallen pieces”: their sigils lie
  on their sides.
  No Gamester wears the image of a king.
  Asmodeus himself has only been seen with an
  undecorated Game-sigil. Vocally speculating
  about the Prince’s unwillingness to mark himself
  as a piece rather than a player is unwise where the
  Game might be listening.
  The sigil system, like nearly all publicly visi-
  ble rules of the Game, is jettisoned when a
  Gamester finds it convenient or useful to do so.
  Impersonating a higher-ranked Servitor through
  use of the sigils is possible, but carries a severe
  penalty. Likewise, the out of favor wear their
  shame openly – when they fear being caught
  doing otherwise.
  
  The other option, which is somewhat easier, is Humanity,
  which Asmodeus sometimes grants to Shedim assigned to
  spy on angels. While it does ensure that angelic resonances
  get “human” results, it also complicates matters for the
  Shedite: the human mind is still lurking in the background
  and capable of taking over if it succeeds at a contest of Will
  rolls. Furthermore, the demon is nearly trapped in its host for
  the duration of the attunement. Thus, few Shedim use this tac-
  tic unless absolutely necessary. For more details, see
  Humanity In Action (p. 27).
  Impudites
  Asmodean Takers tend to be charmingly social web-
  weavers and networkers. They play vast games of chess with
  humanity as their favorite pawns – but pawns nonetheless.
  They do not see humans as capable of becoming anything
  more, and have no problem using them up and discarding
  them, as long as the humans don’t die in the process.
  Asmodeus sends Takers after specific targets almost as
  often as he sends Djinn: a given Impudite may be assigned to
  a piece in order to charm and subvert it, or to worm his way
  into its confidences and leech away financial, emotional,
  physical, and even moral strength in preparation for its
  removal.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  23
  WINNING FREE
  Asmodeus’ distaste for Lilith’s wildcard
  Daughters is notorious. He dislikes them specifi-
  cally because they are wildcards: their obedience
  can be bought and sold at whim, they can have
  any number of unpredictable capabilities or limi-
  tations, they have no Hearts and thus no means to
  trace them should they leave Hell, and their
  Mother’s Word makes it impossible for them to
  submit to captivity without a fight.
  However, Asmodeus considers Tempters a
  useful resource, and has demonstrated a willing-
  ness to let them win positions of power in the
  Game. While the contracts and rewards he offers
  Free Lilim are remarkably unpredictable, they are
  usually tailored to the Lilim in question.
  Despite Asmodeus’ interest in acquiring Lilim
  for his service, the average Free is still terrified of
  Hell’s police. Asmodeus prefers to save his efforts
  for acquiring older Frees, with the experience and
  resources to compensate him for his efforts rapid-
  ly. Gamesters believe that the Free Lilim’s give-
  and-take process of winning true Freedom is a
  form of playing the Game; convincing them to
  bind themselves appropriately is a matter of get-
  ting them to admit they Play – and rewriting their
  conditions for victory.
  BENEDICT CHESS:
  CHANGING
  SUPERIORS
  When other demons deal with the Game as
  InfSec (Infernal Security), sacrifice is the most
  common tactic – of a Geas, of a Servant, of an
  enemy, of an ally. The Game is known to encour-
  age such plays with mitigated sentences, when it
  serves the Game and does not endanger the
  Gamester.
  Asmodeus executes or “disappears” enough
  demons to encourage proper fear of the Game, but
  disapproves of a wanton waste of pieces.
  Certainly, some are flawed enough that the cost of
  making them useable is too high, but this is not
  true for many demons the Game seizes. Even a
  Free Lilim with no debts owed to her can be used
  to bind potential traitors to the Game’s purposes,
  and even a mindless demon of Fire can be used for
  muscle. The Halls of Loyalty (p. 17) contain tor-
  turers capable of brainwashing captured Servitors,
  though the loyalty of such altered pieces will
  always be dubious.
  Therefore, a percentage of Asmodeus’
  Servitors are formerly from other Words. Most of
  these transfers are the conscripts, who have
  entered the Game’s service to avoid being execut-
  ed for treason or sent to the Halls of Loyalty. A
  few were given to the Game by their Princes for
  some political consideration from Asmodeus – or
  in an attempt to get a spy in Hades. Some have
  voluntarily sought out service with the Game –
  usually to avoid their Superiors’wrath after failing
  some assignment.
  Asmodeus himself rarely bestows one of his
  own pieces on another Prince unless he considers
  that piece entirely worthless, or the play particu-
  larly worthwhile (see the adventure seeds, p. 39,
  for one gambit). Asmodeus never lets his
  Servitors transfer entirely and keep their Band
  Attunements or Distinctions, but has been known
  to leave Servitor Attunements intact. Demons
  who retain any Game abilities are expected to
  react appropriately should they discover a disso-
  nant demon. Typically, though, a Gamester only
  leaves Asmodeus’ service by ascension to
  Princehood, redemption, or death – and
  Asmodeans hold that even the former two do not
  remove a piece from the Game.
  
  The Fallen
  Asmodeus takes a definite interest in Fallen angels, and is
  willing to go to considerable lengths to acquire them. A
  Gamester who was involved in an angel’s Fall may “mentor”
  that angel in his new career (p. 21). Gamesters make a point
  of investigating all Fallen, no matter where they now serve,
  despite any objection from the new demon’s superiors. The
  Prince of the Game sees ex-angels primarily as a source of
  information, but he is surprisingly lenient in allowing his own
  Fallen to gain status within the Game, if they are competent.
  The exceptions to this rule are “yo-yo” demons – those who
  have redeemed and then Fallen again. Such traitors are sub-
  ject to strictest interrogation and menial positions, if they are
  allowed to live at all.
  Humans
  The Game sees no reason not to use humans from all walks
  of life as pawns, from the expected corrupt lawyers to disillu-
  sioned artists and manual laborers. A common trait among
  them is the profound belief that the world is unfair, and a sub-
  sequent willingness to use any method to get ahead, regardless
  of its morality. (Those who are competent either have, or
  acquire, an interest in the legalities of those methods.)
  Asmodeus tends to use his human pieces subtly, since the
  Humanity attunement is required to fully duplicate some of
  their attributes. Soldiers of Hell and even sorcerers are often
  found Role-building, spying, and in other discreet positions,
  as well as aiding demonic Gamesters.
  PLAYING THE GAME:
  INSIDE INFSEC
  The Game is Hell’s internal security force, and its stated
  function is to prevent and punish treason. Most Gamesters
  spend their entire existence hunting down the treasonous
  through one means or another. A common modern term for
  Gamesters is “InfSec” – Infernal Security. Another, much
  older, is “those bloody bastards,” but seldom to their faces.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  24
  THE EMERALD
  COUNTESS OF
  INTRIGUE
  Staciel, the Demon of Intrigue (Heaven and
  Hell, p. 95), is the head of the Infernal Police,
  commonly called InfPol (p. 36), and the Game’s
  spymistress. Her control of InfPol ensures most
  denizens of Hell fear her attention, and if that’s not
  enough, she can find some snippet of information
  that, whispered in the right ear, will cause the
  effect she desires.
  Asmodeus does not trust anyone, and Staciel is
  a skilled, dangerous piece fully capable of having
  agendas of her own. However, the Prince finds her
  useful: he has kept her a Countess, excusing her
  from time-consuming inter-Ducal politics, and
  some of her insights have found their way into the
  plans of the Game. Despite this, there are demons
  who believe that Staciel is in fact working for
  some other Prince (perhaps Malphas or Alaemon,
  Prince of Secrets), or selling information for per-
  sonal gain. Wiser demons believe that if Staciel is
  a double agent, her Lord knows and permits it.
  Publicly available records contain no mention
  of a “Staciel,” either in or out of the Game, earli-
  er than 1555 AD, when she appears already Word-
  bound. This is hardly surprising, considering that
  Lilith never gives her Daughters names that end in
  -iel (“of God”). Whoever Staciel was before she
  became the Demon of Intrigue, she’s not telling,
  and Lilith’s fee for that data . . . Better not to ask.
  The choice of “Staciel,” from the Greek root stas,
  meaning “political strife,” is linguistically atro-
  cious, mixing Greek and Hebrew, but otherwise
  apt: a name that could be translated “the political
  strife of God” describes Intrigue’s activities quite
  well, and the Emerald Countess has precisely the
  sense of humor that would be amused at implicat-
  ing God in her work in Hell.
  Whatever her true name is, Staciel’s origins,
  and her ultimate motivations, remain unknown. Is
  she a proxy piece standing in for Lilith in a high-
  stakes contest between Freedom and the Game?
  Did she find that the best sponsor for the Word she
  desired was the Prince of the Game? Or did
  Asmodeus requisition a Lilim from Lilith –
  designed to his specifications?
  Staciel herself is silent on the matter – after all,
  the speculation can only feed her Word.
  
  Treason
  There are reams of rules that define treason: they contra-
  dict each other on multiple points. Gamesters have been
  known to use several contradictory rules in the same situation
  as necessary. However, a functional description of treason is
  “anything that impedes the Game that the Game can punish.”
  While Asmodeans’ ideas of what constitutes “impeding the
  Game” can vary, their Prince expects them to curtail both dis-
  sonance among demons, “good” Discords such as Merciful
  or Selfless (Infernal Player’s Guide, p. 105), and giving aid
  to Heaven. (Failure to give enough aid to Hell also counts as
  “giving aid to Heaven.”)
  Though no Gamester will ever admit it, the Game cannot
  always enforce its policies. The best Servitors know how ten-
  uous their authority can be. A lone Gamester who pushes a
  group of demons too far may find himself in Trauma for his
  pains: wiser ones will make sure the odds favor them before
  exerting their authority.
  Methodology and 
  Common Techniques
  There are two types of visits by the Game: those it wants
  you to know about and those it doesn’t. The first kind is
  always a display of power. Most often, it is an attempt to
  coerce perks from the visited demon, an effort to get him to
  implicate another, or an arrest. Sometimes, it is merely a
  reminder of the Game’s presence, or the Game-team exercis-
  ing their authority for their own satisfaction.
  The second type of visit is likely seeking signs of treason,
  knowledge that can be extracted, or, often, just reinforcing the
  Gamester’s “role” as the Servitor of another Superior. Their
  main aim will be to remain unobserved. Gamesters on assign-
  ment have no basic script to follow: they can and do
  improvise.
  Rewards and Punishments
  Gamesters who Play well can be rewarded with assign-
  ments that fit their particular skills, teammates who don’t stab
  them in the back, and artifacts tailored to their jobs.
  Asmodeus himself has been known to assign subordinates
  high-profile assignments, or something as innocuous as bet-
  ter housing in Hades, as well as more prosaic Songs, attune-
  ments, and Distinctions. However, talented players are equal-
  ly likely to be shunted into grunt work by nervous higher-ups
  who fear for their jobs. Striking a balance between “too good
  to be wasted” and “not good enough to threaten” is a difficult
  prospect.
  Minor mistakes often result in Discord, removal of privi-
  leges, inconvenient reassignments, and placement in posi-
  tions where they may be sacrificed for a better player’s cause.
  Gamesters who seriously misplay (deliberately or through
  ineptness) – by accumulating dissonance (especially unto
  Discord), aiding Renegades, or betraying the Game to other
  Superiors – are quickly and painfully punished. The Halls of
  Loyalty are open for all demons, including those serving the
  Word that operates them. Asmodeus has also been known to
  Force-strip his Servitors, and then use the shells that remain
  as gladiators in the Arenas.
  TOOLS OF THE TRADE
  An Asmodean should be able to requisition nearly any-
  thing from Hades’stores – as long as he remembers to fill out
  all the required paperwork completely, of course. In triplicate.
  Hadean artifacts often manifest as game pieces or more mun-
  dane objects: a pen, a pair of sunglasses, or something else
  unremarkable. Fiery Swords (Liber Reliquarum, p. 60) are
  considered useful only if one is pretending to be a servant of
  Gabriel, but no intelligent Gamester goes on the streets with-
  out at least a few aces up his sleeve.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  25
  GAMES GONE BY
  In the past, transportation on Earth was slower
  and had more dangers associated. In the past,
  there were fewer humans to conceal a Renegade
  amongst. In the past . . . it was easier to keep
  demons from running to a Tether by simple logis-
  tics. (Shedim of the Game were greatly prized as
  spies on other demons, since it only took a wan-
  dering servant or Soldier to carry one around in
  the night, and an entire village could be spied
  upon, slowly, by the Fleshless.)
  If a demon fled by road, he could be noticed by
  others, and caught by a team with one demon in a
  horse vessel, untiring and night-sighted. If he ran
  into the wilderness . . . Jordi’s angels were likely
  to find him eventually. Only those demons who
  wanted to get to a Tether that was very close had
  good chances of avoiding the Game while they
  did it. Also, with fewer humans, and fewer means
  of entering big cities, the Game could claim that
  they (and thus Hell) had “control” of a given
  location.
  With modern transportation what it is, fast and
  virtually anonymous, the Game’s ability to thwart
  Renegades is much more difficult. It is hardly
  public knowledge, and any given Asmodean may
  not be aware of it, but more Renegades are getting
  away, and for longer, than ever before.
  Partnerships with Judgment were never common,
  but they’re happening more often.
  And when the Game says they have the city of
  Los Angeles under total surveillance? It may well
  be only habit that ensures anyone believes that.
  
  GameCode
  Gamesters on-duty (and an off-duty Gamester is an aber-
  ration – or lying) keep track of the progression of moves in
  the Game via a number of methods limited only by their inge-
  nuity and code-making skill. However, a common code is in
  use throughout Hades: its adoption by InfPol, whose agents
  are trained in its use, has standardized it. GameCode is treat-
  ed as a Language skill; it is considered treason for non-
  Gamesters to learn it.
  Uniforms
  The standard celestial Game-uniform is a gray suit with
  the sigil of the Game in crimson on the breast pocket.
  Asmodeans without humanoid celestial forms favor gray
  leather harnesses with pockets to store useful tools in.
  However, anything from Judgment-style cloaks to formal
  gowns to casual vests to dramatic capes can be considered a
  “uniform” so long as it is in the Game colors (gray or red), or
  marked with Game insignia.
  Uniforms also traditionally include secret pockets or
  sheathes for storing weapons or notebooks; while one can
  requisition relatively standard clothing, most Gamesters will
  try to add a few extra hiding places.
  Game-uniforms are rarely artifacts, although certain
  accessories may be. Fallen pieces (p. 22) are often issued col-
  lars which act as Discord Bracelets (Liber Reliquarum,
  pp. 56-57), Will Shackles, or other useful leashes.
  Nooses
  The most commonly seen implement of the Game, these
  celestial artifacts appear as small gold-wire lassos. Usually at
  least one noose is issued per corporeal team of Gamesters.
  They must be gotten around part of the target celestial’s body
  in order to function – Asmodeans favor the neck, permitting
  the noose to double as a garrote – which requires a Small
  Weapons (Noose) roll, and may be avoided via a Contest with
  the target’s Dodge. Once the target is noosed, the holder can
  drag him into celestial form, and even to Hell! This is a two-
  stage process: the holder must spend Essence for both himself
  and his victim to assume celestial form, then ascend through
  a Tether or to his Heart; the holder rolls for each, and his suc-
  cess (or failure) applies to both himself and his captive. The
  victim may roll Will, penalized by twice the level of the arti-
  fact, to resist the “pull” of the noose in each stage.
  The Bound Discord both forces the victim to make a Will
  roll to resist the pull into celestial form, and adds its Discord
  level to the target number! (A Gamester with the Bound
  Discord is unlikely to be issued a noose; if he cannot
  achieve celestial form himself, let alone drag anyone to
  Hell, why bother?)
  Most nooses are enchanted to degrade quickly upon expo-
  sure to the Light of Heaven, and no Archangels have made it
  a priority to duplicate them.
  Cost: 4 points per level. The Fragility feature behaves as
  per Will Shackles (Liber Reliquarum, p. 82) when adjusting
  the price.
  Activation: Special (see text).
  Notebooks
  Notebooks not more than “relic/0” artifacts – just enough
  enchantment to have a celestial and a corporeal form, and to
  be traceable but not easily so (Liber Reliquarum, p. 12) – are
  standard issue and cost no character points to purchase. The
  celestial form is usually (but not always) more distinctive
  than the corporeal: the standard image of a Gamester’s “little
  black book” has an intimidating, black, leather-bound cover
  embossed with the demon’s sigil (p. 22), while a corporeal
  notebook can appear as anything from a clipboard to a three-
  ring binder full of paper. If a Gamester chooses to invest
  points in his notebook, popular effects are a variant Song of
  Corporeal Tongues (to make the text illegible to all save the
  Gamester), a talismanic bonus to Savoir-Faire or Fast-Talk,
  the ability to Summon it at will, a Visibility modifier, or a
  more durable notebook (Liber Reliquarum, pp. 22-23).
  Cost: 0 points, before any Feature costs.
  Will Shackles
  Many Gamesters make a point of obtaining their own pair
  of Shackles as quickly as possible. Those Gamesters who
  tend to lose or break their Shackles are often issued a cheap-
  er variant: a pair of unlinked bracelets, one set with some kind
  of gem, one capable of locking. The second bracelet behaves
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  26
  RULES FOR
  RULES’ SAKE
  Paperwork, to Gamesters, is as easily per-
  formed as moving a pawn. Angels, humans, and
  even most other demons have trouble with the
  excessive amounts of documentation required by
  the Game, but Asmodeus’ own Servitors find it
  second nature to navigate. A Gamester who can-
  not clear a desk covered with paperwork in under
  an hour will find his lack of skill mocked, pun-
  ished, and worst of all, remembered.
  This is not to de-emphasize the difficulties
  caused by Asmodeus’vision of bureaucratic regu-
  lations: the Prince of the Game finds red tape a
  valid aspect of his Word, and increases the amount
  of it wherever possible. Overly difficult legalese is
  a reminder to the victim thereof that he is playing
  by another’s rules in a game that does not care
  about him in the slightest. It is simply that
  Servitors of the Game are so accustomed to these
  rules that they hardly notice them anymore.
  
  as per normal Shackles, forcing the victim to obey the wear-
  er of the first bracelet – but anyone can wear the first. (A very
  unlucky Servitor might fear his target acquiring the control
  bracelet.)
  Cost: As per Liber Reliquarum, pp. 82-83. The bracelet
  variants cost 4 points per level before other modifiers.
  Chess With Death
  Despite the name, this enchantment may be wrapped into
  many different objects, from gameboards to dice to decks of
  cards. Naturally, any Word-bound Servitor of Asmodeus can
  be expected to have at least one “Chess With Death” set of an
  appropriate form, frequently adding the Summonable
  Feature. Another common Feature is the ability to remember
  and lay out the “state” of an interrupted game.
  When the owner of a Chess With Death set secures the
  agreement (grudging or otherwise) of an opponent, and
  spends 1 Essence, the enchantment activates. The first part
  ensures that the players will continue the game, no matter
  what; it requires a Will roll, minus twice the level of the relic,
  to stop. This roll may be modified by threats from the
  Gamester, or external emergencies such as earthquakes or
  burning buildings.
  The second part is the more dangerous one; the life of the
  players becomes linked to the game. If playing chess, each
  piece lost will take a proportional hit of damage from its play-
  er. If playing dice, each loss subtracts an appropriate hit. (If
  playing corporeally, Body hits; if playing in the Marches,
  Mind hits; if in Hell – or presumably, Heaven – Soul hits.)
  Despite the name, Chess With Death will not destroy the
  loser by default, though games on the celestial plane can strip
  all but the last Celestial Force. There are game sets which will
  deal physical or spiritual death, but most “merely” knock the
  loser unconscious for hours equal to the Chess With Death’s
  level. Considering that these game sets are typically owned
  by Asmodeans who are very good indeed with them, and that
  the loser is left insensible and helpless before the winner, this
  is not much consolation.
  (While some GMs and players might enjoy a tense game
  of poker in real life, with characters’ fates on the line, the
  mechanics can easily abstract to a Contest (In Nomine, p. 39,
  or p. B87) of the Gamester’s Knowledge skill for that game,
  and the opponent’s skill – or default. The check digits may
  also indicate how long a game takes to have a victor, and how
  many hits each player suffered before the game ended.)
  Cost: 3 points per level, +1 per game-state remembered.
  Activation: Special (see text)
  HUMANITY IN ACTION
  How well the Humanity attunement (p. 5) works
  depends what the GM decides Asmodeus’ understanding of
  the Symphony’s rules is. Guidelines for both default
  Humanity and ways to weaken it are below.
  Default Humanity
  The power of the attunement suggests that Lucifer him-
  self might have been involved in its creation, allowing
  demons of the Game to lie to the Symphony itself about
  what they are.
  Any Gamester will have at least “Role/0” paperwork,
  even if he is out of favor, his job is “short-term special mis-
  sions only,” or he visits the corporeal realm once in a centu-
  ry. Invoking Humanity grants the seeming of that Role for
  all attunements, Songs, and resonances. (Humanized
  Shedim get the “Role” of their hosts.) He appears to be a
  (selfish) 5-Force mortal. So long as he never “breaks char-
  acter” in his Role, his nature will not be betrayed.
  However, there are considerations that a good Gamester
  should be aware of, lest he have his bluff called.
  The Servitor has the seeming of a 5-Force human, with-
  out the potential for any other Forces! If he allows an
  attempt to attach a sixth Force to him, his Forces will unrav-
  el, just as they would for an equivalent human (Corporeal
  Player’s Guide, p. 28). Effective characteristics and Forces
  remain the same, but while target numbers are unchanged,
  the result should be no more than a mortal could achieve!
  (Otherwise, the character could not “pass” effectively.) This
  typically means interpreting or modifying the check digit to
  yield human results.
  Unconsciousness is based on what a very tough human
  would be knocked out by – (Corporeal Forces + Toughness)
  x Strength – while death is based on what would kill the
  celestial within. Stakes through the heart or beheading are
  useful in case of doubt. Another physical concern is ideally
  solved by vessels which lack the ability to bear or sire chil-
  dren; “accidents” are treated as if caused by the Celestial
  Song of Fruition (Liber Canticorum, p. 70). Diseases will
  fade quickly after the attunement lapses, as their own bio-
  logical momentum falters against the unnatural metabolism
  of vessels.
  If the demon dies while “human,” he is in a position like
  that of Hellsworn, who are drawn to Hell by the weight of
  their infernal Force. Canes Asmodei posing as ghosts or
  dreamshades are under the same restrictions as those souls;
  e.g., Gamester ghosts require an anchor in the corporeal
  realm to avoid Hell (Corporeal Player’s Guide, pp. 81-83).
  They will regain any lost Forces after the attunement laps-
  es, much as a ghost proceeding to the afterlife would (Liber
  Umbrarum, p. 18).
  Humanity, as an attunement, may be renewed at any
  point before it expires, resetting the 24-hour duration – but
  Essence may not be transferred to the Servitor, so eventual-
  ly a non-Impudite will run out. Many Gamesters time the
  activation so that it ends just before dusk Essence would
  arrive. This allows Essence-frugal Asmodeans to continue
  the masquerade indefinitely, since they receive 2 Essence at
  sunset, and may thus adjust their reactivations to allow them
  to get their dusk-Essence every other night.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  27
  
  Shedim under Humanity’s influence are able to use their
  resonance, but cannot take celestial form; they may only
  transfer between hosts by “oozing” (Infernal Player’s
  Guide, p. 57). The dreamscape of such a conjoined host
  and demon is likely to be very odd – but within the realm
  of human imagination.
  Finally, Kronos and Yves are wildcards, as always.
  Weakening Humanity
  This attunement is an expression of Asmodeus’ knowl-
  edge of the Symphony and the rules that its pieces go by.
  However, just as the Game’s conceptualization of the
  Symphony is not flawless, neither is Humanity.
  Humanity only approximates the Symphonic signature
  of a mortal on the corporeal plane: the “default state.”
  Humanity does not extend to imitating the changed states
  of human beings: damned, dreamshades, or ghosts.
  The soul is unchanged, and thus anything that directly
  examines the soul (or the Truth) will unmask the Servitor.
  Superiors easily notice, if they bother to look. A Kyriotate
  will require the demon’s number of Forces to possess the
  body. (Asmodeus may well remove Forces from his
  Servitors to make the numbers consistent.) Impudites of
  Technology can spot the amount of Essence that the demon
  truly holds. Seraphim, Destiny Servitors, and Shedim are
  all to be strictly avoided.
  House Rules
  Naturally, a GM may adjust assumptions as needed.
  Asmodeus may be able to grant higher-Force versions of
  Humanity (the resulting rulings about Songs, receiving
  non-Game attunements, Sorcery, or “becoming a Soldier”
  is for the GM to decide).
  Perhaps someone using Humanity can be revealed only
  by his thoughts and words: a Seraph hears truth, a dream-
  scape reveals images of Hell, a Shedite sees demonic mem-
  ories. Perhaps the demon becomes deaf to the Symphony
  for the duration. Perhaps Superiors see through the dis-
  guise, but any lesser being’s abilities will be fooled. Or, to
  make it more powerful, perhaps a “human” Hound is treat-
  ed like a Hellsworn, able to use Corporeal Songs by default
  and regaining Essence at noon . . . So long as the GM is not
  playing Humanity Mao with the actual players, modifica-
  tions are definitely within the rules.
  Getting Tricky
  Humanity has interesting possibilities, which good
  Gamesters should be aware of so that they may exploit the
  ability to the fullest. (These techniques can be used with
  both the default and weakened forms of the attunement.)
  Humanized Asmodeans can acquire access to places
  that a detectable demon would not be able to – such as
  angelic Tethers – without alerting Malakim or Mercurians
  via resonance or attunement. Furthermore, harming or
  killing a “human” Gamester will cause dissonance for,
  respectively, Mercurians or Impudites, which will not lapse
  when the attunement does. (For that matter, Mercurians
  and Impudites will become dissonant if they harm or kill
  themselves while under Rule of Law!)
  One use of Humanity involves a Gamester who has
  invoked Humanity being possessed by a Shedite, either
  knowingly or not. Though the risk of the Fleshless over-
  hearing the “human’s” thoughts is often considered prohib-
  itive, Gamesters have been known to trick Shedim of other
  Words into using them as hosts while under Humanity, giv-
  ing the Hounds a chance to overhear conversations that the
  Shedite may not want the Game to know about. While the
  same gambit can be used on Asmodean Fleshless,
  Gamesters also use this method cooperatively. The Shedite
  and its partner, appearing to be a single being, can enter
  into dangerous situations with an ally ready to hand. When
  necessary, the Shedite moves into a new host, and the other
  demon is free to reveal himself. (Or to pretend to be an
  innocent dupe of a demonic possession . . .) Should the
  Shedite also activate Humanity, the attunement works as if
  it has possessed a normal human.
  Gamesters who are concerned with their own disso-
  nance or Discord can also use Humanity to foil not just
  angels of Judgment or Lilim of Fate, but also their own
  Wordmates. (Unfortunately, they do become vulnerable to
  the powers of a Knight of Judgment (p. 5).)
  Rule of Law also serves to hide Balseraphs – and other
  Infernals – from perceptive Malakim. Even if the demon in
  question is not a Gamester himself in need of protection,
  some assignments require live capture of the target, and
  Canes Asmodei have been known to use Rule of Law to
  ensure their victim survives long enough to be returned to
  Hell.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  28
  Ashleigh Rodriguez
  Ashleigh Rodriguez is a Hispanic woman with
  a rather pronounced nose, apparently in her mid-
  thirties, of average weight and slightly below
  average height. She works as a financial analyst in
  the New York Stock Exchange, a known Trade
  Tether (Liber Castellorum, pp. 84-85). Her
  coworkers find her pleasant to be around, if a bit
  dry, and possessed of a cheerful sort of cynicism
  and schadenfreude. She is yet to come under
  direct angelic scrutiny, as her largest apparent vice
  is a weakness for reality television.
  The GM should note that Asmodeus himself
  has been known to make use of the Humanity
  attunement.
  
  JOBS
  “Everybody’s playing the game / but nobody’s rules are
  the same . . . “
  – Florence, “Nobody’s Side,” Chess.
  Celestial Jobs
  Many Gamesters are occupied in the celestial plane, since
  the vast majority of demons to investigate are in Hell.
  Throughout Hell, Asmodeans find work as border guards,
  squads of police, and both covert and “legitimate” investiga-
  tive teams. The bureaucratic system and quietly combative
  hierarchies which rule the Gray City ensure that there is
  always work for a Gamester in Hades itself, either processing
  the vast amounts of information generated by the spy net-
  works or extracting that information in the Halls of Loyalty.
  Minor demonlings and new fledges may also be jailors and
  flunkies for their elders.
  The Soul Yards (p. 17) are also full of young demons who
  have not yet demonstrated true ability to Play. Most of these
  are Habbalite Clubs, and may not even be Heart-bound to the
  Game, but all Bands and Suits are represented. They are also
  frequently recruited by more experienced demons, as expend-
  able muscle.
  Ethereal Jobs
  Asmodeans commonly refer to an assignment to the
  Marches as a game of “fairy chess,” both as basic wordplay
  and to describe the wider variety of pieces in it. Their main
  work on the ethereal plane is to investigate Servitors of
  Beleth, pursue fleeing Renegades, and spy on every notable
  piece present. Game-teams assigned here may find them-
  selves infiltrating suspicious Domains, taking custody of
  ethereals who have become more useful as captured pawns,
  or providing a police escort for Servitors of Nightmares –
  sometimes even on request.
  Corporeal Jobs
  The traditional task of Canes Asmodei on Earth is to hunt
  down Renegades, but this is by no means all they do.
  Renegade Hellsworn (also known as Gray Soldiers;
  Corporeal Player’s Guide, p. 67), rogue ethereals, and too-
  powerful sorcerers are other targets. Servitors also support
  the Word with Roles that range from religious officials to
  blackjack dealers in Las Vegas; they support the War against
  Heaven with Roles in most major human governmental agen-
  cies, law offices, armies, and police forces. As a side effect of
  this, if a demon needs Earthly paperwork speeded or imped-
  ed, there’s likely an agent of the Game who can be persuad-
  ed to help . . . if the demon in question is willing to let InfSec
  know exactly where he is and what he’s doing.
  The Game employs a surprising number of demonlings on
  the corporeal realm, to manufacture Roles for Asmodicans –
  or as “gifts” to Servitors of other Words.
  Unusual Jobs
  The most uncommon job is cooperation with Judgment.
  Other tasks that are classed as “unusual” are variations of the
  typical in atypical places, such as posing as Servitors of other
  Words for infiltration and spying purposes, causing diver-
  sionary riots, and manning casino tables in Shal-Mari. As
  with any Prince, there may be instructions to do entirely inex-
  plicable things. Protect a given human, ethereal, demon, or
  even angel for a set period of time. Go to a shop and purchase
  an item, then sell it elsewhere. Infiltrate and aid a divine
  Tether. The demons will likely never be told why.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  29
  STEALING
  INFORMATION:
  THEFT AND
  THE GAME
  Asmodeus, unlike his Heavenly counterpart,
  does not announce his investigations. Instead,
  they may be discovered by monitoring the hostil-
  ity of his relations to the rest of Hell. Despite
  Kobal’s frequent attempts to antagonize him, the
  Game has not yet treated Lucifer’s Jester to the
  same sort of scrutiny that he has the Prince of
  Theft. Kobal is merely an annoyance: Valefor is
  an unknown.
  Even with other potential targets available,
  Gamesters are expected to monitor the activities
  of Valeforians and make sure that they know what
  the Thieves have been doing, what their Prince
  has ordered them to do, and whether the two cor-
  respond as they should. The slightest hint of dis-
  obedience – to Valefor, to the Rules, and especial-
  ly to Hell – is met with sharp retaliation.
  Gamesters assigned to observe Thieves are given
  a long leash: they need no hard evidence but “sus-
  picious behavior” to bring a Theft Servitor in, no
  questions asked.
  Thieves brought in by Gamesters have every
  possible piece of information about their Prince
  wrung from them; hardly unusual, though the
  emphasis on Valefor himself is suggestive of
  Asmodeus’true goal. The Game does not passive-
  ly let pieces as significant as Princes keep secrets
  from it. Should Asmodeus find a reason to remove
  Valefor from the board, a forthright arrest would
  be the most innocuous, and the least likely,
  outcome.
  
  In Service to the Game
  “It pays to be multicultural in today’s modern society.”
  – Zeth, Balseraph of the Media
  Not all of the spies who work for the Game are actual
  Servitors of the Game. Some are “unofficial Servitors” who
  have betrayed their own Prince to the Game. Most of these
  are double agents, blackmailed, or both. Gamesters who
  know the true attributes of these deceptive pieces treat them
  with understandable suspicion, but that doesn’t mean they
  won’t make use of them.
  Loyalties are hard to ascertain in Hell, and Asmodeus
  finds no reason to treat those spies who allege a “need” to
  Play any differently than the normal traitors. He seldom
  removes them from their current Superiors, since acquiring
  their Hearts is unlikely to sway their loyalties in either direc-
  tion if they have already betrayed their original Lord. They
  will Play anyway, as everyone does.
  PLAYING TOGETHER
  . . . who trusts who? Maybe I’ll trust you,
  But can you trust me? Wait and see!
  – “The Riddle,” The Scarlet Pimpernel
  Like their divine counterparts, Gamesters can be found
  singly, in pairs, and in groups. However, where Judgment has
  triads in order to ensure that a judgment is fair, Gamesters are
  grouped together for their own safety. While they will back-
  stab and betray each other as a matter of course, most Canes
  Asmodei also know that they have no true allies outside their
  Word.
  Typical teams are between two and five Canes Asmodei.
  The fewer the members, the more likely they’ll be assigned
  to work together long-term, or even indefinitely. The largest
  groups are likely to be assigned a one-time mission before
  being broken down into their component teams again. Of
  course, each type of group offers opportunities for Play –
  either against each other, such as attempting to frame or
  covertly murder a hated teammate, or through use of bribery
  and blackmail to keep a good co-worker from being reas-
  signed to some other area.
  Solitaire-Players
  Most solo Gamesters are spies. Roles make it simpler for
  a corporeal spy to masquerade as human, while Gamesters in
  the Marches or Hell feign serving another Word. Other lone
  Asmodeans are openly Game in order to accomplish a specif-
  ic goal. Of the latter type, some have hidden advantages to let
  them get away with that sort of bravado, and some operatives
  who believe themselves to be alone may have a hidden
  watcher.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  30
  CASEWORKERS
  Hi! How’s it going? I’m Zach, your casework-
  er! If there’s anything I can help you with, just let
  me know. PS: Don’t blame the mailman. He 
  didn’t want to tell us your address.
  – Postcard found outside a vacant apartment
  One of the departments of the HIA (p. 36) is
  “Target Information Correlation.” Information on
  targets passes from the Windows (Personnel
  Department) to the TIC, and they then collect
  information that might pertain to these beings. This
  compilation is analyzed by TIC, and an assigned
  “caseworker” makes suggestions for exploiting
  any perceived weaknesses in the target. While
  most of the attention is given to Renegades who
  have escaped more than one capture team, impor-
  tant mortals may be targeted for influence, and
  troublesome angels frequently have files with TIC.
  Since caseworkers are corporeally weak and
  ill-trained in combat, they rarely leave Hell. Most
  have flunkies – from demonlings to true field
  agents – to do their information-gathering for
  them; the least powerful must bribe and bargain for
  reports related to their subjects. Caseworkers
  abuse their power when they can, demanding irrel-
  evant information or betraying Gamesters to rival
  Hadean groups. They can sabotage a field team’s
  capture attempt by giving false information or
  spooking the target into a competing Hound’s
  grasp. On the other hand, a cooperative casework-
  er can be a boon to pursuit teams, giving them rel-
  evant information and tactics advice, or even con-
  tacting the “client” personally as a distraction for
  the hunters closing in. A bored caseworker may
  target angels for “care packages,” urging them to
  switch sides for a life of fun and Games.
  CORNER POLICE
  STATIONS
  Some Gamesters are assigned to a location
  openly, their contact information spread far and
  wide, solely so that other Words’ Servitors can
  find them and report treason or request aid.
  Reporting treachery is done whenever demons
  think that they can rid themselves of an enemy.
  Begging for aid is done only in dire need, and the
  price may be very high.
  In Hell, passport checkpoints and uniformed
  Gamesters serve this purpose, as well as their
  other duties.
  
  Partners
  While a full “team” of Gamesters may have only two
  demons assigned to it, Asmodeus has various reasons for
  placing a pair to work with each other. Often, one will be in
  a clear position of authority over the other, monitoring the
  other’s inexperience, incompetence, or suspected treason.
  Other times, the power will be more evenly distributed, as
  Asmodeus simply wants complementary skill-sets. This can
  lead to feuds between the partners, but as long as they are
  effective together, the Prince seldom sees a point to easing the
  tensions.
  Roving Teams
  Similar to Judgment’s roving triads (Superiors 1:War and
  Honor, p. 60), these teams of Gamesters do not disguise what
  they are in the slightest. To minimize disturbance, their Roles
  are often private investigators, Mafia thugs, or government
  authorities, and their job is to go to known demons’ locations
  and put the fear of the Game into them. Roving teams are
  called to a location to do what the Game needs to have open-
  ly accomplished without compromising any spies who may
  have found the trouble in the first place. They are commonly
  resented by other Gamesters for taking credit for all of the
  work, and many learn to leave town quickly for fear of retal-
  iation by those they’ve interrogated – or their own
  Wordmates.
  Retrieval Squads
  Retrieval squads are sent after the traitorous in order to kill
  them or bring them to the Halls of Loyalty. They are notori-
  ously inventive in their methodology and single-minded in
  their pursuit. While it is not unheard of, a roving team being
  used as a retrieval squad is unusual, since they can be easily
  recognized and therefore put at a disadvantage. Retrieval
  squads made up of specialists are considerably more discreet,
  and often sent after particularly difficult Renegades. The
  most common retrieval squad is simply a collection of what-
  ever Gamesters are in the area, who rarely bother to call
  themselves a “squad” at all.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  31
  Sample ServitorS
  WARRANE
  Calabite Knight of the Game
  Bishop of the Northern Soul Yards
  Corporeal Forces - 3
  Strength 6
  Agility 6
  Ethereal Forces - 4
  Intelligence 7
  Precision 9
  Celestial Forces - 5
  Will 12
  Perception 8
  Vessel: Vessel/2 (human male), Charisma +2 
  (friendly)
  Role: “Warren Ramirez,” Attorney/4, Status/4
  Skills:
  Artistry/1 
  (Woodcarving), 
  Computer
  Operations/1, 
  Dodge/1, 
  Driving/1, 
  Fast-Talk/1,
  Fighting/1, Emote/1, Escape/1, Knowledge (Area:
  Hell/4, the Game/3, Law/4, Psychology/3), Languages
  (English/3*, Latin/1, Spanish/2), Lying/1, Move
  Silently/1, 
  Savoir-Faire/1, 
  Seduction/1, 
  Small
  Weapons/2 (Noose), Ranged Weapons/2 (Guns)
  Songs: Charm (Ethereal/3, Celestial/3)
  Attunements: Calabite of the Game, Argument of
  Casuistry, Knight of Judgment, Bishop of the Game
  (Northern Soul Yards Bishopric)
  Discord: Angry/4
  Artifacts: Will Shackles/3 (Liber Reliquarum,
  pp. 81-82)
  Special Rites: Warrane is aware of the secret Rite of
  the Game, and has used both the 2 Essence and 3
  Essence forms.
  * This is his “free” language.
  Countinued on next page . . .
  
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  32
  Warrane, Calabite Knight of the Game,
  Bishop of the Northern Soul Yards
  1,021.5 points
  ST 14 [0]; DX 14 [0]; IQ 16 [20]; HT 18 [45].
  Speed 8; Move 8.
  Dodge 9.
  Advantages: Alertness +2 [10]; Artifact (Will
  Shackles) [45]; Band (Calabite) [28]; Band
  Attunement (Calabite of the Game) [10]; Basic
  Celestial Template [480]; Charisma +1 [5];
  Combat Reflexes [15]; Comfortable Wealth [10];
  Distinction (Bishop) [119]; Distinction (Knight of
  Judgment) [28]; Essence Control 12 [3]; Extra Hit
  Points (Mind) +3 [8]; Extra Hit Points (Soul) +9
  [36]; Manual Dexterity +2 [6]; Power Investiture
  (Ethereal) 4 [10]; Power Investiture (Celestial) 5
  [20]; Role 4 (Warren Ramirez, Attorney) [0*];
  Servitor Attunement (Argument of Casuistry)
  [24]; Servitor of the Game [21]; Strong Will +10
  [40]; Vessel (Attractive, Extra Hit Points +2) [45].
  Disadvantages: Bad Temper [-10]; Discord (Bad
  Temper) [-20].
  Quirks: Behaves more like an Impudite than a
  Calabite; Does woodcarving as a hobby; Holds
  grudges for as long as necessary to get revenge;
  Prefers Lilim minions; Presents the Game as fun to
  potential recruits. [-5]
  Skills: Acting-15 [1]; Area Knowledge (Hell)-18 [4];
  Brawling-13 [1/2]; Computer Operation/TL7-15
  [1/2]; Driving (Car)-12 [1/2]; Escape-11 [1/2];
  Fast-Talk-14 [1/2]; Guns (Pistol)/TL7-15 [1/2];
  Lasso-13 [1]; Law-16 [4]; Professional Skill
  (Gamester)-16 [2]; Psychology-15 [2]; Savoir-
  Faire-15 [1/2]; Sex Appeal-12 [1/2]; Stealth-12
  [1/2]; Woodworking-12 [1/2].
  Languages: English (native)-16 [0]; Helltongue
  (native)-16 [0]; Latin-14 [1/2]; Spanish-15 [1].
  Songs: Charm (Ethereal)-14 [4]; Charm (Celestial)-
  15 [4].
  * Warrane’s Role is paid for out of the Servitor of the
  Game advantage, which grants 20 points toward a
  Role.
  Warrane is, to all appearances, a minor piece in the
  Game. As one of several Soul Yards Bishops – and not
  even a Captain at that – he seems relegated to obscurity,
  too busy with negotiating carefully unfair distributions
  of souls among the various Princes to do anything that
  would let him rise in rank. He’s rather talented at seduc-
  ing Lilim into the Game, though: newly-contracted
  Frees assigned to the Soul Yards usually pass into his
  bishopric, and he’s good enough at portraying the more
  appealing side of the Game that few of those want to
  leave.
  Which is exactly the appearance he wants to project.
  Warrane was born a gremlin in Hades some centuries
  before. Despite being a gremlin, he appeared to be an
  imp – a deformed imp, but an imp nonetheless. Like
  most demonlings, he was abused by fledges, and he
  received at least as much abuse from other demonlings.
  After a while, Warrane became Angry.
  He fledged Calabite, but as “deformed” a Calabite as
  he was a gremlin, with large dark wings, small horns,
  and only a faint red tinge to his skin. From a distance in
  particularly bad lighting – or in vessel – Warrane could
  pass for an Impudite; being a Gamester, he began to take
  advantage of that. He ostensibly won his Knighthood
  through spywork, posing as a Taker of various other
  Words and filtering information back to the Game.
  Asmodeus granted him his bishopric shortly after that,
  and Warrane jumped at the opportunity to continue net-
  working. And to use his new status to get revenge on
  those who’d mocked him, of course. Strong will or no,
  Warrane is an Angry Calabite.
  He is found occasionally on Earth, where celestial
  appearance rarely matters. He usually leaves a partic-
  ularly skilled (or easily sacrificed) Lilim to handle
  affairs while he is away from his bishopric, geased
  against betraying him. Currently, his favorite Role is
  that of an attorney – and it amuses him to work pro
  bono cases as often as paying ones. He has occasion-
  ally come into conflict with servants of Judgment this
  way, but so far none have managed to successfully kill
  his vessel or his Role’s reputation. Of course, Warrane
  has incentive to avoid that: Trauma can be deadly for
  a demon’s career.
  Countinued on next page . . .
  Sample ServitorS
  (CONTINUED)
  
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  33
  As a Knight and Bishop of the Game, Warrane is an
  appropriate direct superior for starting characters, or
  Game-contact for characters from other Words, through
  his background as spy and negotiator. Starting characters
  may also find themselves caught up in one of his plots:
  either as his own pawns, or simply in his path as he tar-
  gets someone else. Unlucky characters may find them-
  selves pitted against him; Triel (p. 17) has thus-far not
  seen the older “Impudite-wannabe” Bishop as a threat,
  but this could change . . .
  Corporeal Forces - 2
  Strength 2
  Agility 6
  Ethereal Forces - 3
  Intelligence 8 Precision 4
  Celestial Forces - 4
  Will 9
  Perception 7
  Vessel: Vessel/2 (dark-haired Caucasian male),
  Charisma +1
  Role: “Elijah Rayne,” Preacher/5, Status/4
  Skills: Driving/2, Emote/5, Fast-Talk/4, Knowledge
  (the Game/1, Scripture/4), Lying/2, Savior-Faire/2
  Songs:
  Opening 
  (Ethereal/4), 
  Sensation
  (Corporeal/5)
  Attunements: Habbalite of the Game
  Sample ServitorS
  (CONTINUED)
  ELEALEH
  Habbalite of the Game
  ST 6 [-70]; DX 13 [-10]; IQ 18 [45]; HT 14 [0].
  Speed 6.75; Move 6.
  Dodge 6.
  Advantages:
  Band (Habbalite) [25]; Band
  Attunement (Habbalite of the Game) [10];
  Basic Celestial Template [480]; Extra Hit
  Points (Soul) +3 [12]; Power Investiture
  (Celestial) 4 [10]; Reputation +4 (Large Group:
  American Evangelical Christians, all the time)
  [10]; Role 5 (Elijah Rayne, Preacher) [5*];
  Servitor of the Game [21]; Strong Will +2 [8];
  Vessel (Voice) [30].
  Disadvantages: Power Investiture (Corporeal) 2 
  [-10]; Reduced Alertness -2 [-10]; Reduced Hit
  Points -1 (vessel) [-5]; Reduced Hit Points
  (Mind) -1 [-2]; Reduced Manual Dexterity -4 
  [-12].
  Quirks: Believes that God loves rules [-1].
  Skills: Acting-18 [1]; Bard-22 [6]; Driving (Car)
  -13 [1]; Fast-Talk-19 [4]; Literature (Biblical)
  -17/23 [4]; Professional Skill (Gamester)-16
  [1/2]; Savoir-Faire-20 [1].
  Languages: English (native)-18 [0]; Helltongue
  (native)-18 [0].
  Songs:
  Opening (Ethereal)-16 [8]; Sensation
  (Corporeal)-16 [12].
  * Elealeh’s Role is partly paid for by his Servitor
  advantage.
  Elealeh is a balanced starting In Nomine character,
  suitable for player use or as an NPC.
  As written, Elealeh is not a balanced starting
  GURPS character; he has 41.5 more points to spend.
  Therefore, raise his ST to 8 [20], his Driving to 14 [1],
  Professional Skill (Gamester) to 17 [1/2], and purchase
  an Unwilling Ally Group (p. CI20) of a small group (two
  to five of his best, most fanatical followers) of 100-point
  NPCs who are available quite often (on a roll of 12 or
  less) [20]. (While they believe they do favors for him
  willingly, they are under the influence of a demon, who
  can get away with working against their best interests
  and patch it up later with his Songs and resonance.)
  The Reverend Elijah Rayne is the pastor and preach-
  er for a small Pentecostal church in the southern United
  States. Charismatic and a skilled speaker, his fire-and-
  brimstone sermons draw crowds of believers, whom he
  exhorts toward godliness with threats of the power and
  majesty of Hell’s temptation. His church is known for the
  episodes of divine ecstasy that afflict the parishioners.
  The Reverend Rayne’s preaching instructs that God has
  rules, stringent rules, for mankind, and it is only by strict
  obedience that man might achieve any mercy for his fall-
  en and abject state of sin.
  Countinued on next page . . .
  Elealeh, Habbalite of the Game 583.5 points
  
  ACROSS THE BOARD:
  JUDGMENT AND
  THE GAME
  In Hell, Asmodeus’occasional cooperation with Judgment
  is considered one of the Game’s largest hypocrisies, since any
  other demons associating with angels are subject to rigorous
  interrogation. The Prince of the Game sees no reason to deny
  this double standard, or the fact that such collaborations
  occur. Many Gamesters even claim it’s common, to deter
  Renegades from sheltering with angels – but unauthorized
  attempts to ally with Dominicans usually end in violence;
  only a truly foolish or desperate triad would agree. This
  includes prior members of Game-cooperation triads
  (Superiors 1: War & Honor, p. 61).
  Playing with Judgment involves deceptions and attempts
  to take advantage of the other on both parts: some Gamesters
  consider this practice an appropriately corruptive influence
  regardless of whether it leads to a Judge’s Fall, while others
  think of it as honing an opponent’s skill. Occasionally, it leads
  to outright battles when a dangerous Renegade turns out to
  sincerely desire redemption, or a valuable Outcast Falls!
  “They can be anyone, anywhere.
  From the drunk on the corner, to
  that pigeon over there – even a
  weak-minded Seraph you’re trying
  to pry things out of. Bastards are
  spies, just like us. In fact . . . are you
  sure who you’re talking to right
  now?”
  – An ostensible Habbalite 
  of the Game, on 
  Kyriotates of Judgment
  The Prince of the Game believes himself to be at an
  advantage in these intrigue-filled coalitions. Having been a
  Judge, he can still deduce what a Judge will consider disso-
  nant behavior and use that knowledge to outplay the angels,
  since he and his minions are not bound to those standards.
  Dominic in turn makes a point of only permitting his canni-
  est and most loyal Servitors to participate in such collabora-
  tions (Superiors 1: War and Honor, p. 61), some of whom
  have been inventive and perceptive enough to thoroughly
  best the Gamesters they were theoretically working with.
  Judgment and the Game are each other’s ally of last resort.
  Neither accepts the other’s word blindly under any circum-
  stance, and there are always layers of hidden objectives and
  misleading statements to each grudging agreement.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  34
  Elijah Rayne is the latest in a series of similar Roles held
  by Elealeh, Habbalite of the Game. He specializes in the
  religious aspects of the Game on Earth – or as he would pre-
  fer to say, in Playing God’s Game with the cesspit that is the
  mortal masses. The fact that he serves a demonic master
  makes no difference to Elealeh; the weak angels in Heaven
  do not understand God’s true purpose, and disobey His
  strictures of order, repentance, and obedience. Elealeh,
  believing himself a free agent of the Lord, must serve the
  one who is closest to executing God’s true desires – obedi-
  ence to the Rules of the Game.
  In his Role as the Reverend Rayne, Elealeh inspires ter-
  ror and desperation in those whom he considers weaklings
  undeserving of God’s love (which is pretty much everyone,
  as usual). His skill at speaking is intensified by selective use
  of his resonance and Songs; he performs Ethereal Opening
  (Liber Canticorum, p. 43) to make his congregation sug-
  gestible, and Corporeal Sensation (Liber Canticorum,
  p. 51) to give them a taste of the hellfire that awaits them.
  As his task is not the traditional Gamester’s job of enforcer
  and policeman, but rather expansion of his Prince’s Word,
  Elealeh has great hopes for his current Role. The Reverend
  Rayne is beginning to attract attention from outside his
  small community, and the Habbalite believes that he may
  soon be in a more advantageous position on the board.
  ELEALEH (CONTINUED)
  
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  35
  Be careful. He can hear a trilogy if you say “um.”
  – Unknown Club, assigned to a Judgment team.
  There are unique challenges to working with
  Judgment, and dealing with the resonance of angels.
  Normally, the only experience a demon will have with
  angelic resonances are those of the Balseraphs of Fate,
  and prior associates of a Fallen. There aren’t so many
  Balseraphs of Fate that Asmodeus can borrow them to
  train all of his Servitors in the tricky ways of angels (and
  Kronos isn’t on such exquisitely good terms with
  Asmodeus to make that likely), and by now, most
  Gamesters are Hellborn.
  Contradicting the boasts and swagger – and occa-
  sional overconfident attempts to make their own partner-
  ships – only certain Canes Asmodei are selected and
  trained to work with angels. The Prince picks his
  Servitors according to his own methods: a promising
  Hellborn who has never left Hades has a chance, and so
  does a canny Diamond or exuberant Heart who’s got
  some angels convinced that they’ve found a redemption
  candidate if only they’re careful. (Using the Fallen on
  Judgment-Game operations has its own hazards, such as
  the Dominicans attempting to arrest their “partners.”)
  The course is not as exhaustive as it could be.
  Sometimes, for whatever reason, it’s skipped. But a
  properly trained Hound is presumed to know certain
  details regarding angels in general and those of
  Judgment in particular. Primarily, they focus on the
  extreme perceptiveness of these Seraphim, Cherubim
  who can attune and be violent, and the dangers of
  “fluffwings of Death” – the Mercurians who can shoot
  Hellsworn or Gamesters under Humanity without a
  qualm. The attunements of Ofanite, Malakite, and
  Elohite Judges get only brief mention, but the instructors
  emphasize the Dominican Kyriotate’s ability to spy,
  wreck vessels, and trash Hellsworn hosts.
  THE TROUBLE WITH JUDGES
  GAMES WITHIN
  GAMES
  “We should play a game,” said Gilt. “I have a rather nice
  board myself. I play the troll side, for preference.”
  “Ruthless, initially outnumbered, inevitably defeated in
  the hands of the careless player?” said Vetinari.
  “Indeed. Just as the dwarfs rely on guile,
  feint, and swift changes of position. A man
  can learn all of an opponent’s weakness-
  es on that board,” said Gilt.”
  “Really?” said Vetinari, raising his
  eyebrows. “Should he not be trying to
  learn his own?”
  – Terry Pratchett, Going Postal
  The organization of the Game has
  many sub-groups, each with their
  own responsibilities and opportuni-
  ties. Some are formal, reporting in the
  chain of command. Others, like the
  Chess Club, operate behind the scenes.
  Aces and Eights
  Founded by the Demon of Low Odds before the birth
  of Christ, the members of the organization currently known
  as Aces and Eights specializes in is taking the unlikely and
  making it more likely. This may involve sending an angelic
  Seneschal into Trauma, making certain that the lead in
  Nybbas’ next blockbuster is a particular Balseraph, or mov-
  ing a book in Fate’s archives two shelves to the left. The
  actions seem absurd, irrelevant, and irrational – but the odds
  of whatever eventual result Aces and Eights was contracted
  for are substantially higher.
  Membership in Aces and Eights is necessarily exclusive,
  as they require a wide variety of skills as well as an intuitive
  grasp of the Game. Most of them keep their affil-
  iation under wraps – it is expected that if you
  have capacity to buy the services of Aces
  and Eights, you will also know how to
  find them.
  The Chess Club
  In theory, the Chess Club is
  open to anyone with an interest
  in playing chess. In practice,
  very few demons are willing to
  even enter the premises without a
  Distinction of Baron or above. The
  Chess Club is the unofficial
  meeting-place for Dukes, Counts, and
  other ranking Gamesters to discuss
  things of note and arrange discreet transac-
  tions of materials, information, or even
  Servitors. (That they do so while playing chess goes with-
  out saying; they do, after all, have an interest.) Not all
  appropriately distinguished demons attend every meeting,
  but few have never gone. If nothing else, it disguises the
  deal-making going on behind the scenes.
  
  Infernal Police
  InfPol is the secret police of the Game, headed by
  Staciel, the Demon of Intrigue (p. 24). While the task of all
  Gamesters is to control and enforce the Rules of Hell, it is
  the job of InfPol to seek out sedition inside the Game.
  Handpicked for their abilities at interrogation, intimidation,
  and information acquisition, InfPol is to the standard
  Gamester as the SS were to the German police. Members
  of InfPol keep their identity secret, even from each other:
  only Asmodeus (and perhaps Staciel herself) knows all of
  their names.
  The Loyalists
  He was back in the Ministry of Love, with everything for-
  given, his soul white as snow. He was in the public dock, con-
  fessing everything, implicating everybody. He was walking
  down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in
  sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The long-hoped-for
  bullet was entering his brain.
  – George Orwell, 1984
  While the threat of being “handed over to the Loyalists”
  by the Game is a cliché among the denizens of Hell, it is not
  an idle threat. As Asmodeus’ interrogators, they are responsi-
  ble for extracting information, confessions, and repentance
  from captured traitors to Hell. Headquartered in the maze of
  tunnels beneath the Halls of Loyalty, each Loyalist is careful-
  ly trained in the arts of torture, both psychological and phys-
  ical. The punishments inflicted by the Loyalists are inventive
  and ruthless: they may last a brief hour in an interrogation
  room, or continue for hundreds of years. Demons who enter
  beneath the gleaming facade of the Halls rarely emerge
  unscarred, whether or not the scars are visible.
  In addition to being torturers, the Loyalists are one of the
  main sources InfPol uses to discover the identities of those
  who are planning to commit sedition. One of the only ways
  to escape the attentions of a Loyalist interrogator is to provide
  him with the name, location, and crime of a fellow traitor – it
  is marginally possible that giving up such information will
  commute the snitch’s sentence. A wise demon will betray his
  friends to the Game to save his own skin. A wiser demon
  would not get caught in the first place.
  DEALING WITH
  THE GAME, INSIDE
  AND OUT
  Only fools are unconcerned when the Hounds come sniff-
  ing about, for Gamester arrests are based more on their abili-
  ty to drag someone off in the night and less on actual guilt.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  36
  By necessity, the Game has a large bureaucratic ele-
  ment – there’s no other way to keep track of all the
  paperwork and authority structure. Some of the major
  departmental names are listed here for reference.
  The CIWC (The Tarot): The Committee for Inter-
  Word Cooperation is composed of the Game’s formal
  liaisons to Hell’s other Princes. Hadeans often refer to
  them as the Tarot, or the Tarot Pack. (Assigning Major
  Arcana to the various members of the Committee is a
  popular leisure activity.)
  The Draw:
  Formally the Requisitions and
  Equipment department, the Draw distributes relics and
  other useful objects.
  HIA: The Hadean Intelligence Agency: better known
  as “the bureaucrat’s version of InfPol,” the HIA is
  responsible for intelligence analysis.
  InfFiles: The file systems in Asmodeus’ Palace.
  Whether the abbreviation stands for Information & Files
  or Infernal Files is up for debate.
  InfPol: The Infernal Police, Intrigue’s spy force,
  designed to police the Game itself.
  InfSec:
  The 
  overarching 
  Infernal 
  Security
  organization.
  P&P: The Passports and Permits department, respon-
  sible for checkpoints, security clearances, and getting
  your documents stamped appropriately.
  SYB: The Soul Yard Bishopric, handling soul distri-
  bution matters; subsections of the Yards are referred to as
  SYB-1, SYB-2, et cetera.
  S-W: Quite recently, the Information and Propaganda
  department was renamed S-W in all official communica-
  tion. Explanatory theories point to its new head, the
  Balseraph Demon of Neurolinguistic Programming, and
  his affinity for the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (p. 39).
  The Windows: The Windows is the popular name
  for the Personnel Department, headed by the Three
  Marquises (p. 21).
  The Yard: The Soul Yards themselves.
  BUREAUCRATIC DEPARTMENTALIZATION
  
  However, Gamesters are reined in by the threat of political
  repercussions, they seek evidence of crimes in case the vic-
  tim’s Prince takes offense. Sloppy Hadeans have been
  destroyed for making arrests with flimsy charges, themselves
  charged with “defaming the reputation of the Game.”
  Gaming the System
  Ignorance of the Game’s rules is no defense against accu-
  sation or conviction; however, descriptions of the legal pro-
  cedures are almost as arcane as the procedures themselves.
  The courts of the Game are arranged into several different
  hierarchies, theoretically by type of case. In practice, techni-
  calities ensure that any defendant can wind up in almost any
  variety of court. Most Gamester teams don’t care where their
  captive winds up, once they’ve handed him over to the Halls
  of Loyalty. Typically, a senior jailor does the paperwork that
  decides the prisoner’s disposition.
  The rules of each court are not consistent with each other,
  or even necessarily itself. Some verdicts are decided by
  juries, others by a judge or tests of skill: commonly combat
  or games such as Chess With Death (p. 27). Sometimes the
  defendants may defend themselves, sometimes they may not.
  Some judges have kept the Roman practice of accusatio,
  where the accuser will suffer the punishment for the crime if
  the accused is found innocent. Others do not. Some are
  exceedingly bribable, and others consider the very offer to be
  an insult and a crime, no matter who tries it.
  Prisoners brought to a court of the Game are not warned
  in advance of what kind of process they will be going
  through. They only have an advocate if some Hound wants
  the practice or can be bought, but research and careful bribes
  may uncover a given court’s reputation.
  Dec. 3, 1627
  It is by my order and for the good
  of the state that the bearer of this
  has done what he has done.
  Richelieu
  – Alexandre Dumas,
  The Three Musketeers
  On Earth, matters become even more complex. The
  Game’s mandate to capture or kill Renegades is complicated
  by the fact that Gamesters seeking to remove anyone, rival or
  traitor, have to come up with the paperwork to justify an
  arrest, as well as the power to make the arrest. Paperwork is
  often done ex post facto, though some Canes Asmodei carry
  undated documentation. (Some supervisors require more
  bribery than others to backdate papers or issue them early, but
  too much balking can be construed as a crime of knowingly
  aiding a Renegade – especially if there was actual treason
  involved.)
  More than one junior Gamester fantasizes about having
  the power to “disappear” other demons on a grand scale.
  However, they would require the physical power and influ-
  ence to do so, and ensure that such a thing would not spoil
  any of their Prince’s hidden plans.
  The Arrest
  Oh, you know where you’re going, all right. Good thing
  you don’t have a tongue any more to scream about it.
  There are no Game-wide standard phrases or traditional
  accusations. One Hound may tsk and cluck, “That’s treason,
  that is,” as he snaps the Will Shackles onto a restrained 
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  37
  ANATOMY
  OF A HUNT
  Ideally, the perfect capture of a target is a
  smooth and elegant play. First, someone discovers
  a traitor, either personally or via another’s report.
  The Gamester or team assigned to the case is usu-
  ally whoever discovered the subject’s malfea-
  sance. The team evaluates the target’s strength and
  resources, plots a moment to strike, requests back-
  up if necessary, and moves in to make the arrest.
  (An experienced, specialized team is assigned to
  delicate operations, such as Renegades who must
  be captured alive.) Intimidation, Will Shackles,
  and nooses (p. 26) are all ways to subdue a cap-
  tive, but combat is never out of the question.
  Naturally, this does not always work.
  Overconfident Gamesters may confront a subject
  who is unexpectedly potent and unmanageable.
  Backup may be incompetent. Targets may get
  spooked by entirely different demons (or angels),
  and flee before their assigned arrest date. A Heart-
  broken subject may even be killed and wind up in
  Limbo, to potentially emerge at some future date.
  The Game keeps careful records of any
  Renegade or suspected Renegade who ever
  slipped their grasp. Memos are issued to senior
  Gamesters, and “wanted” pamphlets are left in
  front offices so that Hounds can flip through them
  while waiting to see higher-ups. More competent
  Canes Asmodei are assigned to the case.
  (Hopefully, the three Marquises do not each
  assign their personal favorites, and if they do,
  hopefully bother to tell them there are other teams
  on the job as well.) Renegades who evade capture
  multiple times may be assigned a caseworker
  (p. 30).
  
  captive’s wrist. Another might press a dagger against her vic-
  tim’s back and purr, “Hi. I’m the Game. We can go to a
  Tether, or I can collect you in Trauma, sweetie.” Most
  Gamesters are fond of a surprise noosing and swift descent to
  their guarded Hearts; it saves them from having to identify
  themselves, threaten, make accusations, and chase down a
  fleeing target.
  In the Prison Block
  A true arrest allows confiscation of anything the team
  feels like taking, though a subsequent legal defense may
  demand those items back. Confiscating lands and other
  immobile properties requires mundane paperwork; some
  Hounds don’t find the prize worth the effort. Any remaining
  personal possessions are often claimed by jailors and guards
  in the Halls of Loyalty.
  Captives of the Game may be sent to a court quickly, lan-
  guish within cells until ransomed, be tortured for information
  on possible traitors (or just for practice), or be chained and
  used as pets by higher-ranking demons. The amount of casu-
  al abuse depends on what the captive can offer, and what
  friends and influence he convinces people he has.
  Guilty Until Acquitted
  Jailors do not like to release their prisoners, but sufficient
  bribes (or threats) may convince them the paperwork is too
  tedious; this will require external aid, and not mere Essence
  or sordid favors. Relics and other tradable goods are appreci-
  ated. A Superior’s intervention – usually in the form of a
  Baron or Word-bound – will recover most prisoners from the
  cells, and often much of what was confiscated. Occasionally
  Asmodeus himself ordered a capture, and such matters will
  require direct Princely diplomacy.
  Few escape Hades unscathed; destruction is the most
  common punishment meted out for treason, with public tor-
  ture, Force-stripping, and enslavement coming next.
  Sometimes the Game merely confiscates artifacts or corpore-
  al resources (including Servants and assigned Hellsworn) –
  especially for crimes such as possessing dissonance or
  Discord. Occasionally, whether due to friends in high places,
  bribery, or selling out everyone he knows, a prisoner will
  walk free entirely, unharmed.
  Dealing with InfPol
  Gamesters themselves are not immune to accusations, but
  these are typically handled by InfPol, which has its own des-
  ignated cellblocks, its own jailors, and its own courts. The
  delicate web of bribes and intimidation is much the same as
  for outsiders, but actual value as a piece is taken into account
  during trials. Trumped-up charges may rebound upon the
  accuser, for wasting InfPol’s time. Acquittals for the guilty
  may be granted, with Geases to the Countess Intrigue to
  ensure wavering loyalties remain strong.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  38
  CRIMES
  AGAINST HELL
  Yes, this is my Heart. Yes, we’re being let out of
  the room. No, you’re going with the guards, not
  with me. Welcome to the Halls of Loyalty, traitor.
  Essentially, anything a Gamester can call “dis-
  loyalty to Hell” can put a demon into a Hadean
  prison, and getting out again is a chancy matter
  that depends on one’s support network and favor
  with one’s Prince – even if one is innocent of the
  exact charges. Many Gamesters simply mention
  what they could accuse the demon of: a pointed
  hint that they are willing to be convinced
  otherwise.
  The Game claims that any Discord at all is
  potentially a sign of betraying a Prince’s Word,
  and thus disloyalty to Lucifer’s chosen royalty. In
  practice, there are too many Calabim and Lilim
  around to bother with this accusation, except in
  the case of “good” Discord, such as Merciful (In
  Nomine, p. 88) and Selfless (Infernal Player’s
  Guide, p. 105). That Princes may impose Discord
  personally is another deterrent.
  Dissonance, on the other hand, is rarely
  imposed by Superior fiat, and indicates that the
  Servitor was doing something undemonic. If the
  Hound is bored or needs to win favor by making
  an arrest, it might be worth pursuing. Demons
  with truly impressive amounts of dissonance and
  Discord may be brought to the Halls of Loyalty
  simply to show off their plight.
  Consorting with angels is always risky when
  Canes Asmodei are around. Even the most reason-
  able of them may kindly explain, with the noose
  around the unlucky demon’s throat, that angels
  can be tricky and have more unwholesome influ-
  ence upon a loyal minion of Lucifer than said
  minion thought. (Andrealphus’ practice of award-
  ing a Knighthood for angel-sex produces tensions
  when Lust, the Game, and divine Servitors are in
  the same area.) Likewise, they can accuse some-
  one of “disloyal over-fascination with Heaven”
  for possessing angel-made artifacts or even the
  sort of “angel-defaming” material found in Shal-
  Mari magazines.
  Being a Renegade is treason, pure and simple,
  but Hadeans find it a waste of time to pursue ex-
  Renegades from one Prince’s service if they are
  Heart-whole and now serving another. Heart-
  shattered Renegades who seek out the Game, hop-
  ing to join, are amusing and might be assigned as
  apprentices to those who bring them in.
  
  Gaming with the Game:
  Adventure SeedS
  Just as no chess player will ever live long enough to
  exhaust all the combinations of possible moves for the thirty-
  two pieces on the chessboard, so we know (given the fact that
  our minds are chessboards with hundreds of billions of
  pieces) that not even in a lifetime lasting as long as the uni-
  verse would one ever be able to make all possible plays. But
  we also know that all these are implicit in the overall code of
  mental plays, according to the rules by which each of us . . .
  formulates his thoughts . . .
  – Italo Calvino, “Cybernetics and Ghosts”
  The seeds here are designed specifically for Gamester
  PCs. However, the Hounds of Asmodeus may easily be
  worked into almost any adventure seed, even those of other
  Words: investigating the actions of NPCs going through the
  adventure, investigating the aftermath of the adventure,
  working in parallel or opposition to another group of PCs, or
  seeded within the PC group as spies.
  AN OTHERWISE
  UNCONVINCING
  NARRATIVE
  There are some jobs which are given, not to the best of the
  Canes Asmodei, but to those Hounds who are deemed
  expendable because of bad luck or true incompetence. If for-
  tune smiles upon these Servitors during their suicide mission,
  they may live and regain favor in the ranks of the Game. If
  not, it’s not much of a loss.
  This particular mission is simple: pretend to be a
  Renegade (from whatever Superior) and infiltrate the organi-
  zation of another Word. Any Prince is a potential target, and
  the “friendly” ones may be harder to fool than the openly
  hostile.
  To lend plausibility, Asmodeus will shatter the Servitors’
  Hearts and grant a two hour head start – after which, he will
  call in another team to hunt down these newly Heartless and
  Discordant traitors to the Game.
  The hapless “Renegades” and the unwitting pursuit team
  are both possible PC choices, especially in a one-shot game.
  Alternatively, an NPC sacrifice may seek shelter with non-
  Gamester PCs! If he was a prior enemy, this may be to ensure
  he isn’t taken down alone, instead of convincing them to help
  him join their Prince’s organization.
  THE FIRST RULE
  OF LARP CLUB
  This adventure seed may not be appropriate for all cam-
  paigns. Still, much as the Game dislikes Dark Humor, both
  make their homes in Hell . . .
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  39
  Human beings do not live in the objective world
  alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordi-
  narily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the
  particular language which has become the medium of
  expression for their society.
  – The Status Of Linguistics As A Science, Edward
  Sapir
  Anthropologist and linguist Edward Sapir, along with
  his student, Benjamin Whorf, built upon prior research
  to – in short – conclude that language affected how peo-
  ple thought and acted. They even hypothesized that, in
  some cases, the particulars of a language determined
  actions and thoughts.
  After the Fall, demons took the speech of angels,
  which had no room for lies, and built an entirely new,
  infernal language out of it. Therefore, the Sapir-Whorf
  hypothesis is highly respected among educated demons.
  There are frequent attempts to use this and similar theo-
  ries to manipulate Helltongue to control Hell itself – or
  at least influence it. The Demon of Neurolinguistic
  Programming, Balseraph of the Game and head of the
  department formerly known as Information and
  Propaganda (now simply S-W), has staked his entire
  existence upon it. Lucifer and Asmodeus apparently
  believe that it was worthwhile to grant his desired Word.
  THE SAPIR-WHORF HYPOTHESIS
  
  The first time a young Gamester (an Impudite Heart, as it
  happens) walked into a SF convention after a Renegade
  Vapulan, she nearly laughed herself sick. A game, which has
  a celestial, pretending to be a human, pretending to be a
  supernatural creature, pretending to be a human to keep “the
  mundanes” from finding out? How droll! And when she was
  able to claim she was “just playing the game” as she dragged
  the Ethereal Attraction-afflicted Renegade to her room?
  It started a fad. It’s a small one, popular only with a sub-
  set of the youngest Gamesters and sneered at by older Canes
  Asmodei as insufficiently respectful, insufficiently dignified,
  and insufficiently terrifying to the Renegades. But it exists,
  and the networking and politicking that happens within the
  Hades LARP Club are only different from those in the Chess
  Club (p. 35) in that the participants are younger and have less
  power.
  The commonly agreed-upon goal of the Hades LARP
  Club is to make Live Action RolePlaying “mainstream,” like
  poker or chess. This will both make another game part of life
  (and fuel the Word), and make it easier for them to excuse
  odd behavior in pursuit of a celestial as “being in character.”
  The most optimistic Hadean LARPers dream of a day when
  the entire War will be open and overt – and no humans will
  notice.
  This would be nothing but a passing fancy, to survive or
  be abandoned as with any other organization in Hell, except
  that a group of Michaelites – only slightly older than the
  Asmodeans in question – have come into conflict with the
  LARPers. You see, the War-angels (several of them 8-Force
  relievers) are into war-games . . .
  Now, a perfectly mundane gaming store is the center of
  strife between the LARPers and War-gamers, and it’s begin-
  ning to turn violent. After three promising Roles have been
  co-opted by Michaelines, their prior holders in Trauma, more
  senior Canes Asmodei have been sent in. Their goal is to find
  out how much damage to Role security has been done, if
  older Warriors have arrived, whether this is actually an incur-
  sion authorized by the Archangel of War, if War-faction
  demons are getting involved, and if there’s going to be a way
  to cool things down without resorting to the temptation of
  shooting every Hadean LARPer in the city.
  Player characters could be young Gamesters, protecting
  their nascent “turf” and organization or trying to clean
  everything up before their elders ruin it all; elder Hounds try-
  ing to untangle loyal stupidity; demons in the city who are
  caught in the middle; or anyone who’d like to take advantage
  of the situation. Kobalites would be especially pleased to dis-
  cover such a petty matter turning deadly serious.
  GO FISH
  The good news is that the Prince himself told them to do
  it. As with most personal orders from Asmodeus, this is also
  the bad news. The PCs have been given vessels of various
  kinds of sea life (of levels equal to their Corporeal Forces)
  and told to establish themselves in a coastal reef. Their goal
  is to severely inconvenience the resident Jordians, without
  resort to legal measures that might make the Archangel call in
  reinforcements from his Heavenly allies. Sabotage via human
  Roles or demonic contacts is permitted, but the presence of
  their new vessels is a very strong suggestion. They are
  expected to compensate for their inability to communicate
  with the animals, lack of support from the environment, and
  other inconveniences.
  Sabotage via their bipedal identities (such as capsizing an
  oil tanker) will result in interest from a Soldier and a
  Kyriotate of Animals, while the reef itself holds several
  Seraphim, an Ofanite, and a visiting Malakite of Creation.
  Investigating why they’ve been given responsibility for this
  clear feint will result in the discovery of significant wrongdo-
  ing in their own records – wrongdoings they have not actual-
  ly performed. Following that up while continuing to perform
  their task – whether the culprit is their immediate superior, a
  rival, or simple misfiling – should be enough to keep them
  occupied for some time.
  STRATEGIES
  Feuds over the same Word tend to be bloodier in Hell than
  Heaven. This has led Anani, Shedite Captain of the Game and
  prospective Demon of Strategy, to begin playing a game of
  war with Lysimachus, Djinn Captain of the War and also
  prospective Demon of Strategy. Their conflict has been in
  various realms through several years and several different
  assignments by their Superiors.
  Anani, recently assigned across the country, has seen no
  reason not to continue its feud with Lysimachus at a distance,
  and has co-opted the PCs to help it with this. The Captain of
  the War has been given command of several small outposts in
  the PCs’ area: Anani has politely requested that the PCs
  inconvenience one of them. Severely. Should they attempt to
  decline, they will find their own immediate superior to have
  been thoroughly bribed to look the other way, and other
  routes of escape neatly cut off.
  Finding a scapegoat (aside from themselves) will be a pri-
  ority: unfortunately, the resident angelic population is mainly
  Stone, Flowers, and Trade. Should the PCs need support or
  ideas, Anani is available, but the Shedite will be reluctant to
  stray from its new position.
  And, of course, should the Michaeline Angel of Strategy
  intrude, the Asmodeans and Baalites will promptly be expect-
  ed to join forces and deal with matters appropriately.
  TALKING IS
  PROHIBITED
  Send a spy to catch a spy. The Countess Intrigue has sum-
  moned the PCs to her offices in the Halls of Loyalty and
  assigned them to locate and retrieve an Impudite named
  Saheen. Staciel will inform the PCs that there is no reason to
  believe Saheen has left Hades.
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  40
  
  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  41
  In the interest of spreading the Word of the Game,
  here is information about some of the most important
  influences on the Canes Asmodei. (Naturally, there are
  others, drawn out of other games and gambling activities
  from “tag” to horse racing. These are merely some of the
  most interesting or wide-spread.)
  In checkers, two players jump each other’s pieces to
  take them, seeking to get to the back ranks and “king”
  their tokens (and allow them to move backward). It is rel-
  atively simple, though not easy, and thus deemed the
  game of demonlings by fledged Hounds. Demonlings are
  also frequently referred to as “checkers,” and their fledg-
  ing compared to a kinged checker-piece.
  Chess is an ancient two-player game that has changed
  greatly through the centuries. It is considered the premier
  intellectual game of the West; mastery of chess has often
  gone hand in hand with madness. In modern times, the
  weakest pieces are the pawns, which can – if they survive
  – become queens, the most powerful pieces. The winning
  condition is to place the slow-moving king in checkmate,
  where he will be taken on the next turn. “Benedict Chess”
  or “Crazyhouse Chess” allows a captured piece to be
  placed on the board and used by its taker. “Fairy chess” is
  a term for versions that allow the combination of pieces
  with different moves (such as a queen who can jump like
  a knight), or invent entirely new pieces. (For more chess
  variations, see Knightmare Chess, Proteus, or Tile
  Chess.) For historical information, the online Wikipedia
  entry is a good place to start.
  The Royal Game of Ur is one of the oldest known
  games, dating back to 3000 B.C. The modern rules are
  conjecture more than translation; two players roll four
  marked stones (shaped like 4-sided dice) to determine
  how many spaces their counters move on the board track.
  Some squares are “safe,” but most allow a piece to be
  knocked back to start if the opponent’s stone lands on it.
  The goal is to be the first to get all one’s own pieces from
  start to finish. There are online sites with variant rules and
  information on both the Royal Game and an Egyptian
  variation known as Twenty Squares. It is certain that old
  Gamesters possess Royal Game boards enchanted with
  Chess with Death (p.  27).
  Go is the premier intellectual game of the East, begin-
  ning its existence as the game for the upper class. (Other
  names include the Chinese Weiqi or Yi and Korean
  Baduk.) The earliest written reference to the game is
  dated to 548 B.C., but it may be as much as 1,800 years
  older than that. Two players place stones on the intersec-
  tions of a 19x19 grid, to try to enclose and thus “capture”
  each other’s pieces. The goal is to hold the most territory
  upon the grid, capturing any opposing stone played with-
  in that area. It is said – and is quite plausible – that no one
  Go game has been played twice. To find rules, look at the
  Wikipedia entry, the British Go Association’s pages, or
  the Online Guide to Traditional Games.
  Jenga is a Hasbro game, first published in 1987; the
  name is derived from a Swahili word that means “to
  build.” Players take turns removing rectangular wooden
  “bricks” from the lower layers in order to build upper lay-
  ers. The winner is the last person to stack a block before
  the tower tumbles over. Jenga has an official website.
  Countinued on next page . . .
  REAL LIFE GAMES
  (THAT GAMESTERS PLAY)
  Staciel is quite right: Saheen, a former member-in-good-
  standing of InfPol, has not left Hades. She’s merely defected
  from one political faction to another – and now the PCs are
  embroiled in negotiating their way through the longstanding
  feud between the Demon of Intrigue and the Demon of Mao,
  Saheen’s new boss. The Impudite is just the latest of
  Jahathanna’s thefts from Staciel, as Mao tries to wrest away
  Intrigue’s political power in Hades.
  This is a good opportunity for the GM to make use of
  Hades as a setting: it is full of paranoiacs, schemers, and lots
  of architecture to visit. Saheen has gone to ground some-
  where within the city, and the PCs will have to engage in a
  fair bit of diplomacy to get wind of her whereabouts.
  Searching too obviously will alert Jahathanna, which may
  cause the appearance of violence-minded Gamesters eager to
  interfere, while methods more appropriate to Servitors work-
  ing for Intrigue run the risk of bringing down the entire force
  of Hadean politics on the PCs’heads, including Mao’s precar-
  ious alliance with Chess and Go, Intrigue’s connections with
  Lilith (if any), enterprising members of Aces and Eights, or
  anything else the GM cares to inflict. After all, blatant unrest
  in the upper nobility of the Game means everyone stands a
  chance to gain points.
  
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  SUPERIORS: ASMODEUS
  42
  Playing cards have both modern and historical char-
  acteristics, with the fortune-telling Tarot’s cups, wands,
  pentacles, and swords becoming the modern suits of
  hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. The games that can
  be played are innumerable! Poker is a common one.
  (Many variations, such as Texas Hold’em, involve desig-
  nating one to three cards as “window cards” or “commu-
  nity cards” which each player can use to complete his
  hand. This is where the Windows (p. 30) get their current
  name.) An online history, with many samples, is at the
  World of Playing Cards.
  Mao is described on p. 19 (The Game Writ Small).
  The named game of Mao has been around since at least
  1975, though there is a reference to “Mao Games” in an
  1899 Arthur Machen short story. The Mao Game is also
  a 1999 movie, based on a book by Joshua Miller.
  Jahathanna, the Demon of Mao, probably has a hold on
  various demons in the Media. The best place to seek
  information – though doing so is definitely breaking the
  Rules – is the Wikipedia entry.
  Uno, currently published by Mattel, was developed in
  1971. It is a card-game much like “Crazy Eights,” requir-
  ing players to play the cards in their hand, matching card
  number or color. There are several special cards that
  cause players to be skipped, direction of play to be
  reversed, extra cards to be drawn, or the color changed.
  The winner is the first one out of cards. The full rules are
  available as an online PDF.
  Ulama is an Aztec ball game which is still preserved
  and played in Mexico. Archeologists have found hun-
  dreds of ball courts, as well as rubber balls dating back to
  1500 B.C. Ulama-player figurines have been dated back
  to around 400 A.D. The modern version believed to be
  closest to the Aztec form is hip ulama, in which the
  heavy, rubber ball must only be touched with the hip after
  being served. It has a complicated scoring process as well
  as numerous local rules variations. It has an online article
  in the April 2006 Smithsonian magazine, a Wikipedia
  entry, and a homepage.
  Video and computer games are relative newcomers
  to the scene, and many Gamesters have been slow to inte-
  grate them into their worldviews, play-styles, and slang.
  Others are quite familiar with everything from Pong to
  the latest Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs.
  Asmodeus has demons on both sides fueling the debate
  over violence and video games, but whether there is a
  correlation is largely irrelevant to the Prince, though he
  would not object if there were.
  REAL LIFE GAMES
  (THAT GAMESTERS PLAY) (CONTINUED)
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/In Nomine/Superiors/SJG37-3313 In Nomine Superiors - Asmodeus.pdf