The ability of bridging thiophenolate groups (RS -) to transmit magnetic exchange interactions between paramagnetic Ni(II) ions has been examined. Specific attention was paid to complexes with large Ni-SR-Ni angles. For this purpose, dinuclear [Ni2Land trinuclear [Ni3L 2 (OAc)2][BPh4]2 (3), where H2L 1 and H2L 2 represent 24-membered macrocyclic amino-thiophenol ligands, were prepared and fully characterized by IR-and UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, static magnetization M measurements and high-field electron spin resonance (HF-ESR). The dinuclear complex 2 has a central N3Ni2(-S)2(-OAc)Ni2N3 core with a mean Ni-S-Ni angle of 92°. The macrocycle L 2 supports a trinuclear complex 3, with distorted octahedral N2O2S2 and N2O3S coordination environments for one central and two terminal Ni(II) ions, respectively. The Ni-S-Ni angles are at 132.8° and 133.5°. We find that the variation of the bond angles has a very strong impact on the magnetic properties of the Ni complexes. In the case of the Ni2-complex, temperature T and magnetic field B dependencies of M reveal a ferromagnetic coupling J = -29 cm -1 between two Ni(II) ions (H = JS1S2). HF-ESR measurements yield a negative axial magnetic anisotropy (D < 0) which implies a bistable (easy axis) magnetic ground state. In contrast, for the Ni3-complex we find an appreciable antiferromagnetic coupling J' = 97 cm -1 between the Ni(II) ions and a positive axial magnetic anisotropy (D > 0) which implies an easy plane situation.