This is the set-up for Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game in which the Player Characters are farmers and adventurers in medieval Iceland. They seek fame and fortune through adventure and also raiding during the season, but to protect their honour and their family too. It is published by Chaosium, Inc. and it is not the publisher’s first foray into the Viking Age and medieval Iceland, having previously published Mythic Iceland and been associated with Avalon Hill’s Vikings: Nordic Roleplaying for RuneQuest, published in 1985. Like those roleplaying games, it uses the mechanics of the Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine, but mechanically, it bears some similarity to RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha. Such that if you have played RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha, then mechanically, adjusting to Age of Vikings will not be an issue. That said, any experience with Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine will work too. Lastly, it should be pointed out that Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game straddles the line between the historical and the mythical. It draws heavily upon both the history of the period and on the Icelandic Sagas, but allows the Game Master and her players to decide to focus on the historical elements of the setting or the mythic elements of the setting or both. The default is the latter as it reflects the outlook of the Icelanders upon the world and the land around them.
A Player Character in Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game is defined by his name and nickname, his Passions and devotions, family history, characteristics and skills, plus Spirit Animal, Devotions, Family, and distinctive features. A Player Character’s Passions represent his values and emotional desires, and in play, they can drive him to act (and mechanically grant a bonus) and bring him into conflict with others. He starts with three: Honour, Loyalty (goði), and Love (Family), and he will have more, typically created during the process of roll for his Family History. The latter gives the Player Character his backstory from the time of his grandfather in 900 CE all the way up through his parents’ history to his own 977 CE. The characteristics are Strength, Constitution, Size, Dexterity, Intelligence, Power, and Charisma. These are rated between three and eighteen, although the minimum value for Size and Intelligence is eight. Skills are divided in seven categories—Agility, Communication, Knowledge, Manipulation, Mythic, Perception, and Stealth, plus Weapons. His Spirit Animal reflects a Player Character’s soul and will grant a bonus for certain categories, such as the Owl, Snow Fox, or Weasel, which means that the Player Character is cunning and gains a bonus to Perception and Stealth skills. A Player Character’s Devotions are made to the gods that he most values and can draw upon for inspiration, represented by points of Dedication that grant him a bonus when acting according to their ideals. For example, the ideals for Baldur are light, happiness, and peace, whilst those for Óðinn are magic, war, and wisdom. The worship of Loki and Hel is rare and frowned upon.
Creating a Player Character in Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game is a mixture of random rolls and making choices. Options are given to simplify the process, but the default does take time. The player chooses or rolls for his character’s name and nickname, his family background, and then selects his Homeland skill bonuses. If the character is to be a Runemaster or a Seiðkona, his player selects from the skills for those options. He selects the three gods for his Devotions and assigns the Dedication points to them. Lastly, he rolls for his family details, its wealth, and its farm, and thus the equipment he has access to, as well as the distinctive feature.
Name: Álfdís Hallisdóttir
Nickname: Coal-brow
Passions: Honour 90%, Loyalty (Goði) 60%, Love (Family) 60%, Loyalty (Sweden) 60%, Hate (English) 70%, Loyalty (Norway) 60%
Devotions: Óðinn (1), Freyr (1) Forseti (1)
Animal Spirit: Cat (Spiritual)
Distinctive Features: Alluring expression, Eyebrows grown together, Red hair
CHARACTERISTICS
Strength 09 Constitution 13 Size 11 Dexterity 15 Intelligence 16 Power 18 Charisma 14
ATTRIBUTES
Move 10 Magic Points 18
Hit Points 14
Head 5 Left/Right Arm 5/5 Chest 6 Abdomen 5 Left/Right leg 5/5
Healing Rate 3
Maximum Encumbrance 10
Reputation 13
Status 25%
SKILLS
Agility (+10%): Ride 30%
Communication (+10%): Sing 45%, Skaldic Poetry 30%
Knowledge (+10%): Area Lore (Iceland) 40%, Customs (Norse) 35%, Farm 50%, First Aid 45%, Law 30%, Myth Lore 45%, Survival 35%, Treat Poison 25%, Treat disease 25%
Manipulation (+15%):
Mythic (+10%): Go Under the Cloak 45% Prophecy 40% Second Sight 40% Seiður Magic 60% (Weave), Worship (Forseti) 30%, Worship (Freyr) 10%, Worship (Óðinn) 30%
Perception (+10%): Insight 55%, Spot Hidden 45%
Stealth (+15%):
Weapon Skills (+15%): Knife 55%
Her grandmother, Bergdís, journeyed to Iceland from Sweden where she travelled, but did not settle. She was at the Alþing as one of the thirty-six first Goðar to preside over the law courts. The following year she was aboard Gunnbjörn Ulfsson’s ship when it sailed to the west, but what she saw there, she swore never to reveal. When she returned, she dreamed of the Fire Canyon breathing once again and her warnings persuaded her family to leave their farm in time. She dreamed again of the invasion of kings and fought at the Battle of Wineheath as part of the Norse army and fled when they were defeated. She hated the English ever after. Late in life she travelled far, dying with glory in the Battle of Constantinople. Her son, Halli, did not agree with his mother’s dislike of the English at first, but when in England fought alongside Eiríkur Bloodaxe at the Battle of Stainmore in England and saw him betrayed by the English, barely escaping with his life, he found himself in the wrong. Fleeing England, he found favour at the Norwegian royal court, but left for Iceland to avoid converting to Christianity. Sadly, King Haakon the Good followed him and began converting the Icelanders, but Halli resisted this and helped throw up a temple to Óðinn. When the prophet Þórdís visited the farm in honour of Bergdís, she prophesied that love would take someone away. Halli’s oldest son, Gaukar, disappeared a year later, only being seen with someone who was suspected of being one of the Hidden Folk. Halli fought honourably at the Battle of Assembly Bay, but his wound did not keep him from being at the assembly later that year where he spoke in favour of dividing Iceland and his words were greatly received.
In the Great Winter of Famine, the family survived by foraging and hunting and when the seas settled and the priests of Christ came to Iceland once again, Bergis mocked them in song to the pleasure of many. When the Goði’s hall was set alight, she rode a horse dedicated to Freyr and was rightly scolded even though she caught the culprit. More recently, she has been involved in the feud between the family of the renowned warrior poet Egill Skallagrímsson and Önundur Ánason over cattle grazing rights. She helped protect Egill Skallagrímsson against those who would kill him. Last year, she came across a spooked and bloodstained horse. In its saddle bag was a healing stone.
Mechanically, as a Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine roleplaying game, Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game is a percentile system. All a player has to do is roll percentile dice and get a result equal to, or lower than the value of the characteristic roll or the skill, and his character succeeds. A characteristic roll is typically a characteristic multiplied by three, but can be higher or lower depending on difficulty. Any result of ninety-six and above is always a failure and can be a fumble, whilst a roll of one fifth of the success or less is a Special success and one twentieth a Critical success. These will give enhanced outcomes, such as increased damage. Rerolls may be possible, but impose a penalty each time. Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game does make use of the Resistance Table to make determining the outcome of opposed rolls, such as withstanding the effects of poison or overcoming the mind of another, easier and faster. It is possible to have skills above 100%, but not at the start of play. If a roll is failed and the situation is absolutely dire, a player can choose to spend his character’s Wyrd. This turns a failed roll into a successful roll, but at the permanent cost of a point of Power. Do this too often and a Player Character’s Wyrd or fate has played out.
Rolls can also be augmented prior to a characteristic or skill roll. This can be done with another skill as well as a Passion. A failed augmentation roll will actually levy a penalty on the roll being augmented, whilst a successful augmentation roll will apply a bonus, which will be better with a Special or Critical success. Passions lie at the heart of a Player Character for they reflect his emotions and values, but they are more than a means to augment a skill or characteristic roll, to explain why he is acting the way he is. They can also be used to compel a Player Character to act according to them. This can be with a roll or if high enough he can be forced to.
Combat uses the same core mechanic. Initiative is determined according to Dexterity values, and once in physical combat, each combatant can either make a physical attack and defend or make a magical attack and defend. Defending is either dodging or parrying, and the outcome of both is determined by comparing the quality of the success for both the attack roll and either the parry or dodge rolls. This requires reference to their own tables often from blow to blow and the need to consult both tables does slow the flow of combat, if only slightly. (It is where the Age of Vikings: Gamemaster Screen Pack will undoubtedly prove to be useful.) If an attack is a Special success, it will do roughly double damage, whilst a Critical success indicates that any protection or armour has been bypassed and maximum damage inflicted. Of course, it is possible to roll a Fumble for an attack or parry, and there is a table of results for that. Rune magic can be used in combat, but Seiður magic cannot as it takes too long.
Armour protects, but not all locations and the best armour—either helmets, chain, or scale—is expensive. Shields will also stop damage, but can be damaged too. Damage is done by location, but if the Hit Points in a particular location are reduced to zero, a limb becomes useless, the combatant is left bleeding to death, or knocked unconscious and dying. Damage done to locations is also applied to general Hit Points and reducing those will knock a combatant unconscious. First aid and healing magic are available, but natural healing takes weeks.
What Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game makes clear is that combat is deadly and should be avoided if possible. If it cannot, it suggests that the Player Characters should prepare beforehand, casting weapon-enhancing magic and defensive spells, if possible, ambush and attack first, use missile weapons, and wear even minimum armour. And lastly, be prepared to flee if necessary.
In keeping with the setting, the rules for Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game cover alcohol and drinking contests, ships and seafaring, the latter giving stats for the classic longship, as well as cogs, biremes, and triremes, plus combat and other dangers. Alongside the guide to Viking life, including the gods (and that does include a section on Christianity in the Iceland of the period), and there are rules too for running a raid, on anywhere from an isolated farm or monastery all the way up to a metropolis with their associated Risk and Reward Ratings. Once any immediate opposition has been dealt with, the Player Characters can search the location, what they find being primarily determined by the Loot Table. Depending upon the nature of the campaign, both the seafaring and raid rules will be consulted again and again when the Player Characters decide each year that it is the time to be ‘going Viking’. Similarly, the rules for Icelandic legal system will probably be consulted again and again as a means to resolve conflicts without resorting to combat—though it is likely too as going before the courts is a measure of last resort when everything has failed. The process takes the participants through the legal battle in four phases consisting of travel to the court, presentation of cases, giving testimony, and final arguments, in between which both sides—but primarily the Player Characters—can conduct manoeuvres, such as intimidating a witness, researching the law, and even offering a favourable marriage to a judge to persuade him to one side or another, in order to gain Legal Advantage Points. Acquire seven Legal Advantage Points and the case is won, but then the winning side has to enforce it. Depending on how underhanded the Player Characters want to be, there is plenty of scope for roleplaying a Viking legal drama.
Magic in Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game takes two forms. Rune magic has specific rules, but essentially involves him choosing and carving three Runes or more closely associated with the desired effect and dying them with the caster’s blood. He also needs to create a Galdur, a script that he intones upon casting them. The more runes carved, the greater the number of effects and the greater the number of Magic Points that need to be expended. In the form of the twenty-four Elder Fúþark, the Runes offer incredible flexibility. For example, Vend means bliss and has the purview of happiness, relationship, hope, and kinship, and it can be used to give a bonus to the Charm and Insight skills as well as increase Charisma. Vikings: The Roleplaying Game does not just detail the twenty-four Elder Fúþark, but gives multiple combinations, their effects, and Galdur in each case. As with any magic system in any roleplaying game, there is a lot to learn, but player and Game Master alike are encouraged to create and prepare scripts, lest play get bogged down as they try to put a script together.
Where Rune magic can be cast all but immediately and only has a short effect, Seiður magic requires a long ritual and once completed, has a much longer-lasting effect. The Seiður practitioner, or Seiðmaður, is only really limited by the number of Magic Points that his player wants to expend in determining the duration, distance, and dimension of the spell, and whether or not the effect falls within the preferred Realm. There are four of these—Mind, Body, Spirit, and Weave (fate)—and the Seiðmaður favours one over the other three. This means that he is at a penalty when working within the realm of the others. In this way, Seiður magic is even more freeform than Rune magic, only limited by the player’s imagination. There are no formulaic spells for Seiður magic, but there are examples given drawn from the sagas for each of the four realms.
Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game gives a history of Iceland, from the Mythic times all the way up to the start of the game, as well as a Traveller’s Guide to the land itself. The guide is threaded with numerous adventure seeds. There are details too, on the lands beyond Iceland, but they are very much not the focus of the roleplaying game. It also reveals the secrets of the Hidden People and gives a detailed bestiary, which lists a variety of mortals, from berserkers, foreign raiders, and goði to thralls, traders, and warriors. The Mythic Folk include the Hidden People, Jötunn, Merfolk, and Trolls. There are descriptions of beasts too, but also Draugur, Fallen Ravens, and Seal Mothers, plus horrors like Wicked Whales and Kraken.
Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game supports the long term with rules for experience and downtime activities, such as worshipping, the progress of the farm and family, which again though mechanical, can spur opportunities for roleplay and stories. In the short term, it provides a single scenario, ‘The Alþing’. This is the annual meeting of the community, at which there are opportunities to arrange for the collection of goods, conduct courtships, settle disputes, recruit for raids in the coming season, and so on. ‘The Alþing’ gives plenty of opportunity for the players to roleplay and learn more about the community and the scenario itself sets up a potential dispute between the Player Characters and some NPCs as well as having both players and their characters participate in the rules for the court. Certainly, its general set-up really does show off the social aspect of the setting and its mundane rather than mythical nature means that it is suitable for historical as well as mythical play. However, it is not necessarily the best adventure for the group that wants more of a directed adventure or one that deals with more of the mythical elements. The Game Master may want to work with her players to develop some motivations as what their characters want from attending and build those into the scenario. Yet is still a good adventure, its format being one that the Player Characters can return to again and again, with unused elements being saved for the next one and the Game Master adding new ones, perhaps more tightly tailored around the drives and activities of the Player Characters.
Physically, Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game is very presented. The book is well written, the artwork is excellent, and there are plenty of examples of play throughout, as well as a set of six ready-to-play pre-generated Player Characters. It needs a slight edit in places.
Given that Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game employs the Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine, there is a complexity to the core rules, especially in combat, and whilst it can be argued that Rune magic and Seiður magic are both complex, that is more conceptual than mechanical. In comparison, the rules for Viking legal battles and for raiding do not add complexity, but rather add depth to the setting and help develop situations and opportunities for roleplaying. This is balanced by the richness of the medieval Icelandic setting and its historicity versus fantasy, leaning towards the former than the latter in portraying a people (and thus Player Characters) and their outlook rather than the clichés of Viking raiders. It places the Player Characters as farmers first, part of a wider community whose disputes and stories that they can become a part of as well as creating their own. Age of Vikings: The Roleplaying Game is a low fantasy, deeply historical game that is designed to help tell stories of home, hearth, and honour, myth and magic, and bring new sagas to life, and in that it succeeds admirably.
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