The point of this game is to generate interesting Viking Age Characters, and to build up their interlocking backstories. This means that when we are at re-enactment events in the future, we will be able to tell stories about our previous exploits! We’ll be exploring the world of the 870s, a tumultuous time.
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| Example character: Bécc mac Feradaig, Irish poet. Cunning 4, Attack 2, Defense 0. Illustration by Sam Somwaiya. |
Creating Your Character
First, come up with a name! There are links to lots of name lists at names wiki page
Then, have a think about what you would like your Character to be like, what you would find fun to play. But what sort of Character do you fancy? Swaggering and boastful? Filthy rich or a dirty farmer? Skilled in fabric-craft or smithing? A merciless killer? Strong reliable comrade? Cunning and deceitful? A religious leader or magic user?
To show what your character is good at, we break a Character’s skills into three main areas: Offence, Defence, and Cunning. Offence covers strength and your general attitude. Defence covers toughness and constitution. Cunning is anything to do with knowledge and ideas, plus also agility. Religion and magic fall under Cunning.
You have 6 points to split between Offence, Defence, and Cunning. Divide them however you like. You could have all in one, you could split it relatively equally.
Going On An Adventure
How it works is the GM will describe the situation your Characters are in, present you with choices and situations. Then you all decide what your Character will try to do. You do not have to go in a set order, but we will try to give everyone a chance to do things. I say if your Character succeeds or not in their action – easy things will just work, but for more complex matters I will ask you to make a Test or do a Contest to see if it works.
A Test is taken when a Character is trying to affect a non-person (e.g. kicking down a door). I will say which skill the action uses, and what number you are aiming for (e.g. to kick down a door, you might need 6 in Offence). You then roll a six-sided dice and add your skill. If you equal or beat the score required, your action succeeds; if not, it fails. A 1 always fails, and if you roll a 1 the GM may ask you to roll again; if you roll another 1 the failure is dramatic!
A Contest is when a Character is trying to affect another Character (e.g. bluffing their way past a door guard). I will say which skill the action uses, and each person then rolls a dice and adds the appropriate skill – whoever gets highest wins. If it is a draw, I will find a way you both fail. I may give a bonus to one side, in some situations.
Rolling Sixes
In any Test, Contest or Attack, if you roll all sixes then you can roll an extra dice. If you roll 6 on the extra dice, you can roll another extra dice, and so on!
This does not apply to movement or healing.
Fighting The Good Fight
In a fight, Characters are represented by playing pieces on a board. Some boards are covered with grids, like hnefatafl boards or chess boards – measure distances in squares. Other boards are detailed model landscapes, or just the ground – measure distances in inches.
First, I set the scene, and describe what everyone who is not a player’s Character is doing. Then you take it in turns for each player to have a turn using their Character. Once everyone has had a go, it all begins again: I do the turns of everyone who is not a player’s Character, then you take turns, etc. It carries on until there’s a clear winning side!
Each turn, a Character can do two things. They can do the same thing twice, or they can do two different things. The main options are Moving, Attacking, and Healing – but some situations might suggest other actions, like untying a prisoner or picking a lock. Feel free to suggest other actions you would like your Character to do! You can also talk, but a turn is a fairly short time period.
Move
A Character can move a distance equal to the roll of a dice plus their Cunning, with a minimum move of 2. They can do this in any direction, and may change direction during travel any number of times. They cannot move through other pieces (or squares with other pieces on). Some ground is particularly hard to cross – a river, or climbing a wall. This normally means that distances count twice, or it costs something to cross. Depending on the terrain, the roll may use Defence or Offence instead of Cunning, for example thick mud might require Defence, or running up a hill might use Offence.
You cannot move if you are next to an Enemy, or move past an Enemy (including diagonals).
Attack
Attacks can only be made against Characters you are next to (including diagonals).
In an attack, the two Characters involved each choose to try to either: all-out attack their opponent, using Offence; fight carefully, using Defence; or fight smart, using Cunning. We represent this by each person choosing Scissors (Offence), Rock (Defence), or Paper (Cunning). Defence helps stop the swords of Offence (Rock beats Scissors). Offence can cut through Cunning plans (Scissors beat Paper). A Cunning plan helps you get around someone's Defence (Paper beats Rock).
If one side beats the other in Rock-Paper-Scissors, the winner gets to roll two dice whilst the loser rolls one dice. If it is a draw, you both roll one dice.
To the result of your dice roll(s), you add your skill value. You also get +1 to your result for each of your allies next to the other Character – there is strength in numbers!
The GM may decide that a particular strategy doesn't make sense in a certain situation, and will declare in advance that an attack made in that way will automatically lose Rock-Paper-Scissors.
- If a Character using Offence gets equal to or greater than their opponent, their opponent suffers two Wounds.
- If a Character using Defence gets equal to or greater than their opponent, their opponent suffers a Wound.
- If a Character using Cunning gets equal to or greater than their opponent, their opponent suffers a Wound, and the Character can choose to take a free Move action.
In the case of a tie, both Characters are wounded as per the strategy of their opponent.
Each Wound on a Character gives them -1 to the result of any rolls. The 4th wound makes the Character fall unconscious.
Heal
A Character can attempt to heal themselves, or a Wounded Character they are next to. The Healer rolls a dice:
- To heal yourself, add your Defence
- To heal another Wounded Character, add your Cunning
I roll a dice and add the number of wounds the person has suffered. If the Healer equals my score, they remove a Wound; if they beat my score, they remove all the wounds.
Ranged weapons (archery, slings, etc.)
Ranged weapons can be used for two different purposes: distraction or damage. To distract an enemy, one needs to win a cunning check (both attacker and opponent rolls 1 dice and adds their cunning). If successful, the target is distracted for their next turn, having -1 on any roll they make. If not, then nothing happens. It is always possible to use a ranged weapon for distraction rather than damage (miss on purpose), and use it such even at melee range.
In order to deal damage, there are two ways to use ranged weapons. Both come with the limitations of having to be outside of melee range (not on touching squares) with the target, and not using Defence for the roll.
If the attacker has other opponents in melee range (but not their target) they can attack, but are distracted.
If somebody tries to use their Defence while attacking with a ranged weapon, they are assumed to have lost the Rock/Paper/Scissors stage automatically, and get to roll 1 dice while their target rolls 2 and uses their stat of choice. However, it is possible to use Defence against an incoming attack without penalty.
1. Regular combat:
This works similar to fighting with melee weapons. Two actions per turn, R/P/S followed by dice roll for each attack.
- If the attacker wins, they deal 1 wound to their target.
- If there is a tie, no wounds are dealt, but the target is distracted.
- If the attacker loses, nothing happens. Note that the target has no chance of dealing damage back to the attacker (unlike in melee).
2. Sniper's nest:
It is possible to enhance ranged attacks with extra preparation. The attacker gets into position and takes careful aim for better damage, but this costs more time.
First, the attacker must spend a full turn setting up their position. They may take Move actions, but not attack in this turn. In subsequent turns they may take the Snipe action, which uses up both of their actions for that turn. They play the usual R/P/S and dice roll.
- If the attacker wins, the target takes 2 wounds.
- If there is a tie, the target takes 1 wound.
- If the attacker loses, the target is distracted, but not wounded (and cannot deal wounds to the attacker).
The Snipe action is not possible to take while distracted, or if the attacker has taken any wounds that turn, or if they have moved since their most recent set up turn. However, it is possible to use regular attacks instead, same as detailed in the above section.
Note that using Cunning for the dice roll of an attack entitles the Character to Move (same in all melee and ranged attacks), but if taken, the Character must go through the set up turn again if they wish to use the Snipe action again.
An Example Of Play
Hauk tries to steal Cuthwin’s helmet, whilst Cuthwin is not watching. No one else is around. This is a Contest of Cunning. Hauk rolls a 2 and adds his 3 Cunning; Cuthwin rolls a 4 and adds his 1 Cunning. It’s a draw, so everyone loses – Hauk gets the helmet but Cuthwin notices!
Cuthwin is cross about this attempted theft, so we move to a Fight. Cuthwin launchs an Attack. It begins with Rock-Paper-Scissors to show what skill they are using – Cuthwin goes for Offence (Scissors), Hauk goes for Cunning (Paper). Scissors beat Paper, so Cuthwin gets to roll two dice whilst Hauk gets one dice. Cuthwin gets a 3 and a 4, and adds his Offence of 4 – a total of 11! Hauk rolls a 5 and adds his Cunning of 3 – a total of 8. Cuthwin wounds Hauk twice. If Hauk wasn’t a player’s Character, he’d be out.
Cuthwin still has another action in his turn, so attacks again. Hauk could switch to Defence, and hope that friends would turn up to help… But Hauk really wants to run away. Both sides stick with their original skills. Cuthwin rolls two dice, gets a 2 and a 5, and adds his offence of 4 for a total of 11. Hauk manages to roll a 6, so rolls a second dice, and gets a 5. Once Hauk adds his Cunning of 3, he has 14, so even after his two wounds he has 12, and manages to beat Cuthwin – he stabs Cuthwin, doing a single Wound, and then gets a free move to Run Away!
