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Rethinking the Solar Approach

What follows are some thoughts on the Solar Approach, informed by my reading of the fifth edition and some fan-made rules. While the Immortals may call upon their Ka-elements to boost their mundane attributes and skills, they cannot do the same with Solar-Ka. (With the notable exception of the Ar-Kaim, who learn Solar Talents that exalt the potential of their bodies.) Meanwhile, the Initiates of certain Illuminati Conspiracies are able to invoke their Solar-Ka to boost various actions. Applications of the Solar Approach: Augmenting mundane actions . The Solar Approach may be invoked to boost a roll on any mundane action. In other words, replicating all of the Elemental Approaches! The most exceptional human beings, like famous athletes, pedagogues, and politicians, likely rely on a boost from their Solar-Ka to accomplish their feats. This is a key reason why The Sun Arcanum is so interesting in harnessing Solar-Ka. (This rule comes from a fan document by Hieldayn.) Resisting coercion ....
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A new edition isn’t coming

So I heard directly from a Chaosium rep that the recent rumors of a second edition are false. An individual not associated with Chaosium was making his own game rules as a spec script he pitched to the rep. However, the spec game was declined because it did not fit with where Chaosium wanted to take the game creatively. 
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New edition rumors debunked?

According to a moderator on the official Chaosium forums, they are not working on a new edition in any capacity. Whoever is claiming to be working on a new edition is not supported by Chaosium. I don't know what to believe at this point. I'm gonna default to believing the official statement, but the whole situation sound so fishy to me.
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A recap of the Ar-Kaïm rules from 3e

Ar-Kaïm were first teased in a first edition accessory as a rumor of “astrological Nephilim” and formally revealed in late second edition metaplot. In the adventure path Chroniques de l'Apocalypse (“Chronicles of the Apocalypse”), Akhenaton revealed their existence to the Nephilim leaders at the Grand Conclave in 1999. However, they were only named as “Ar-Kaïm” and given concrete rules in third edition, titled  Nephilim: Revelation . They were an option for PCs alongside Nephilim and Selenim, with the option for mixed or homogenous groups. Additional rules were provided in their respective splatbook,  Codex des Ar-Kaïm  (“Codex of the Ar-Kaïm”). No playable rules have since been provided in subsequent editions.  The name Ar-Kaïm is Enochian and was given to them by the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It means “the new Kaïm”. This refers to how, after the fall of Orichalka, only Ar-Kaïm were born from the magic fields. Although the Nephilim are seemingly numerous, t...
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Some ideas on a new system...

In the past, I have noted that the Basic Roleplaying rules were not a good fit for the Nephilim game and setting. The French version abandoned it after the second edition in the 1990s and every edition released since has used its own bespoke system. The third edition used a roll under d20 task resolution with attributes measured by 5 adverbs and skills by ~3 guild ranks, the fourth edition used a convoluted Pythagorean percentile task resolution that measured attributes from 1 to 25 with skills as one-note or guild ranks, and the fifth edition used a percentile task resolution that measured attributes and skills from 1 to 10. It is all pretty complicated and difficult to convert between. While researching, I discovered that a fan in the French fandom created his own system that cherrypicked aspects of the various editions. This marries the various measurement systems on the following table: Main Generic Table Numerical value ...
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Second edition rumors and my current thoughts

So there's some rumors and leaks going around regarding a second edition of Chaosium's Nephilim , the US version. I prefer to wait for an actual book release to peruse. From what I've heard, it's a mix of much needed rules revisions and some sweeping changes to the setting. I'm not a fan of the setting changes. I typically dislike lore in tabletop games because it's invariably irrelevant self-aggrandizing microfiction, even if I otherwise like the premise of the game (e.g. I love the premise of Dark•Matter , but dear gosh that history chapter! ). Nephilim holds an odd place in my heart because it's the only game to make its dense lore personally relevant to the PCs by making them reincarnating immortals and including past lives as modular options at character creation. So why change the lore if the lore isn't the problem? It just feels arbitrary to me, and it's especially unwelcome considering how the past decade has been full of old IPs being reviv...
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“The Great Pyramid of Egypt vs. the 7-11,” by Bill Whittle

(This piece excerpted from a longer article that was originally published here: https://scifiwright.com/2015/01/sanctuary-by-bill-whittle/ ) As an exercise in perspective, let's briefly compare our civilization to another. Let's compare our supposedly soulless, banal, hum-drum society to the splendors of ancient Egypt. And let's tie both hands behind our backs while we do so. Let's not compare the Great Pyramid to one of our skyscrapers, or airports, or hospitals, or even our shopping malls. Let's take a moment to compare the Great Pyramid of Cheops with the most common and drab and ordinary structure on the block: The Great Pyramid vs. the 7-11. Assume that we could transplant a corner 7-11 to the Egyptian desert, with all of the support systems that make it what it is. It is a tiny speck compared to the gleaming white marble sides of the pyramid. It looks small and poorly made. From afar. Pharaoh comes by barge and litter to inspect the competition, laughing at...
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