From published photographic observations the dispersion in the maximum magnitude versus rate of decline relation for novae in M31 is σ = 0.28 mag, from which the intrinsic dispersion is found to be σ0 < 0.14 mag. This is far smaller than the 1.5 mag range in distance moduli that corresponds to 50 < H < 100 km s-1Mpc-1. These results suggest that the mpg(max) versus rate of decline relationship for novae is potentially a powerful tool for the calibration of the extra-galactic distance scale. Observations of the nova T Sco in the metal-poor globular cluster M80 show that the maximum magnitude versus rate of decline relationship for novae is not very sensitive to metallicity. Two new techniques are suggested for using novae as distance indicators. Both of these involve the assumption that the relative frequency of novae with differing rates of decline is constant from galaxy to galaxy.