Viking campaign

[Vagni]

I have just started a RQII Viking campaign with my group and I thought I'd just share a few things on it. One thing I was really keen to play on was a firm historical backdrop mixed with mythical themes linked through...with the players wondering which one was true at times.

I have chosen a semi-historical setting based around the 930's (ish :wink: ) in East Agdir in Norway and explained to the players that although their characters will believe in trolls, alfs and magic they, as players cannot assume everything is that simply defined.

The first scenario (adapted from the old Avalon Hill Vikings box set) showed them this when they travelled several miles in a snowstorm to confront a 'troll' that had attacked a stead up in the hills. I built up the suspense with witnesses who had seen the big hairy troll attack in the night and they found the bodies of maimed slaves in the snow near the partially collapsed stead.

They were really weary about attacking the creature lurking in the ruined longhall until they realised that there were two survivors inside, a woman and her young son trapped under the remains of a bed closet. The smell of hideous rotting flesh had them wondering if it was a draugr as well (as all the bodies of the slain were all frozen solid).

They eventually distracted the 'troll' by hurling rocks at one end of the stead from behind a wall while two of the characters hacked through a side wall and pulled out the survivors. They then fled as the creature burst out of the wall.

Only then did they realise the 'troll' was actually an injured polar bear driven insane by a slowly rotting head wound. A BIG polar bear as well who's insane state gave it the ability to ignore resilience rolls for anything less than a major wound :wink:

They retreated to a tree covered knoll and the party huskarl bravely stood to fight it as the other players peppered it with arrows, javelins and sling shot. After several rounds of fighting, a large dose of luck, a ruined shield for the huskarl and some clever combat manoeuvres they finally downed the creature....much to their relieved amazement.

They immediately realised the value of such a huge white bearskin and, after making the survivors comfortable, the craft rolls were quick to follow (A&E proved very useful here). :lol:

The players then took the survivors to a neighbours stead and spent an evening bragging about their heroism using singing and poetry skills in true Viking fashion. (I allowed them to make 4 rolls on their skill in a similar fashion to the craft rules in A&E and totalled up the successes to see how well they did... lets just say they didn't worry Egill Skalagrimsson just yet but then they didn't get kicked out in the snow again either!)

After a scrap with the local trouble maker and his friends on the way back to the coast (a few minor injuries but no deaths) the players were rewarded with arm-rings and fine clothes from the Jarl at a feast and were assigned as temporary guardians of the widow, her son and the remains of her stead.

I have to say the RQII Vikings supplement is absolutely superb and gives a great deal of background on these hardy northern souls as well as some excellent game mechanics to handle Viking magic and some of the unique creatures from Nose myth. The players really threw themselves into the roles and were really pleased to spend time using skills such as singing and poetry and have now rolled up their family backgrounds and defined their lands and possessions on the champaign map. This enthusiasm is due in no small part to the Vikings supplement that seems to have really inspired them as players and me as GM.

Next is a risky winter trip to Kaupang up the coast and then the spring assembly with a few lawsuits to answer. Then I can start to creep in a few more supernatural themes and get them all worried again. :lol:

So well done Mongoose, Vikings will be a very well used book in our game for a while to come.

 

[Dan True]

Nice work! Seems like you've really caught the right atmosphere.

If your players are into history, just a bit, then you might wanna try getting some maps of old danish viking cities - I know that there are maps availiable of Ribe and Hedeby in Jutland, among others. All build on excavations of course.

I'm just saying, because I got a real boon out of a pirate campaign where I used the historical data from Port Royal. I got maps, building locations and records of townspeople - so the players were using buildings that were places where they were, and meeting townspeople that have lived working the professions they actually did according to tax records... The players loved it.

Now, I know that no Viking town is as well documented as Port Royal is. However there are some stuff to find scattered around on the net and in publications.

- Dan

 

[Vagni]

Nice work! Seems like you've really caught the right atmosphere.

If your players are into history, just a bit, then you might wanna try getting some maps of old danish viking cities - I know that there are maps availiable of Ribe in Jutland, among others. All build on excavations of course.

I'm just saying, because I got a real boon out of a pirate campaign where I used the historical data from Port Royal. I got maps, building locations and records of townspeople - so the players were using buildings that were places where they were, and meeting townspeople that have lived working the professions they actually did according to tax records... The players loved it.

Now, I know that no Viking town is as well documented as Port Royal is. However there are some stuff to find scattered around on the net and in publications.

- Dan

That's a great idea that adds to the historical atmosphere. I agree completely.

I've got tons of books with some great interpretations of Viking towns in so I've started along these lines already. There are a couple of very small settlements (very small hamlets really) called Litil Voll and Mikil Voll I've invented based on this for the campaign and one of the players has chosen his family house already. Another poor player has a shack on the beach where he fishes from as well as his prize possession, a small skiff the Jarl gifted him with. The huskarl player is the youngest son of a big family so I think he's hoping to be assigned the ruined stead by the Jarl.

Google maps has been great for it as well. I've printed off an area of several square miles of East Agdir, researched a few names and marked up a number of steads and features. The PC's have their own copy that is marked up with things like Alfshaugr (Elf barrow) and Trollslund (troll woods) and they avoid them like the plague!! :lol:

As the interaction of the local society is going to be important for the game I have also drawn up notes on each family, notable members and alliances and enemies. Just a couple of lines for each NPC is enough and a simple venn diagram style drawing to help me remember at a glance which family is allied with who etc.

The effort has been well worth it as we have only had 3 sessions so far and the players are already quoting local NPC's names and seeing them as valuable resources or worrying about them as enemies. They are even worried about lawsuits at the next Thing over the wounds they caused to the local thugs who waylaid them (there akin to the Mitchell family in Eastenders :lol: ).

...now pirates, thats another story to add to my list of to-dos. :lol:

 

[Mongoose Pete]

The players really threw themselves into the roles and were really pleased to spend time using skills such as singing and poetry and have now rolled up their family backgrounds and defined their lands and possessions on the champaign map. This enthusiasm is due in no small part to the Vikings supplement that seems to have really inspired them as players and me as GM.

Hearing about the pleasure people experience using Loz's and my books makes the long hours researching and writing feel all the more worthwhile. Thanks for writing that Vagni. Such stories in turn, inspire me to go a little further with newer projects.

 

[Vagni]

The players really threw themselves into the roles and were really pleased to spend time using skills such as singing and poetry and have now rolled up their family backgrounds and defined their lands and possessions on the champaign map. This enthusiasm is due in no small part to the Vikings supplement that seems to have really inspired them as players and me as GM.

Hearing about the pleasure people experience using Loz's and my books makes the long hours researching and writing feel all the more worthwhile. Thanks for writing that Vagni. Such stories in turn, inspire me to go a little further with newer projects.

Your very welcome.

I wanted to share it to show our thanks for the time and effort you guys put into these projects. Vikings is a an absolute masterpiece and RQII is a fantastic game.

Well done and thank you.

 

[SnowDog]

Nice story! I have wanted to run a Viking campaign ever since I read the first Northlander comic (which are excellent fodder for inspiration, btw).

I like that you keep your players on their toes (not everything is as it seems).

This doesn't matter in a game (much) especially if you have mythical creatures also in your campaign but I suppose you are aware that there are no polar bears (natively) in Norway Still, someone might have taken one as a puppy and ditched it to the forest as the beast grew too big...

 

[Mongoose Pete]

I suppose you are aware that there are no polar bears (natively) in Norway Still, someone might have taken one as a puppy and ditched it to the forest as the beast grew too big...

They also occasionally drift down from Svalbard on ice flows, so they can crop up naturally even though they are not native to mainland Norway.

 

[SnowDog]

Really? I have not heard of that. Interesting...

 

[Vagni]

I suppose you are aware that there are no polar bears (natively) in Norway Still, someone might have taken one as a puppy and ditched it to the forest as the beast grew too big...

They also occasionally drift down from Svalbard on ice flows, so they can crop up naturally even though they are not native to mainland Norway.

I based the story on that happening. It was carrying an infected head wound and so had probably just got lost and hungry as well.

There is also a short saga (know as a þáttr) called, from memory, Aud and the Bear where a trader buys a polar bear and travels across Scandinavia with it as a gift for the King of Denmark (I might have the details a bit wrong there..)

It was also SIZ 40 and insane with pain (it ignored any resilience tests for anything less than a major wound) as I didn't want the players to wade through it like it was a Koala Bear! :lol:

One thing that wasn't used much (if at all) in the Viking era was the term 'troll', as is rightly pointed out in the Vikings supplement. I decided to stick with this as all the players had recently watched Beowulf and Grendal on DVD where the term was used a lot so I knew they would have a better understanding of what they were facing...wrongly as it turned out. :lol:

 

[Dan True]

...now pirates, thats another story to add to my list of to-dos. :lol:

Send me a PM when you decide to do it. I have some very nice stuff lying around - historical prices, info on port royal and the caribberan in general etc.

- Dan

 

[soltakss]

Sounds like a good campaign to me.

If you would like to post the campaign online then we'd love to hear all about it at the RQ Alternate Earth yahoo group http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/alternateearthrq/

 

[Jujitsudave]

Wow. sounds like the kind of game I'd play! I would sacrifice my wife to Odin to play that over Skype.

 

[Vagni]

...now pirates, thats another story to add to my list of to-dos. :lol:

Send me a PM when you decide to do it. I have some very nice stuff lying around - historical prices, info on port royal and the caribberan in general etc.

- Dan

Thanks for that Dan.

I'll try and upload something on the Viking campaign as well when I get a chance.

 

[Vagni]

I thought a few of you might be interested in an update on what my players have been up to:

After basking in the glory of killing the polar bear the PC's were invited over to Grimshof a few miles down the coast, home of Grimr the Gothi, the Jarls youngest brother to celebrate the start of the month of Goi with a sacrifice.

They wasted no time in capitalising on the good will they had accumulated in the area by asking the normally taciturn Grimr for advice. This was about the lawsuit they expect to find themselves embroiled in over the attack by Ari the Black and his henchmen after they were returning with the bear skin to the Jarls stead.

Grimr assured them that, despite the injuries they caused to several of Ari's men, there was really no case to answer as he had attacked them first and done so with greater numbers of men as well. He did warn them that Ari was likely to get his berserker friend, Killer-Gestr, to challenge one of them to a duel if the case went against him. Grimr assured them that he and the Jarl would put pressure on Ari to drop the case and keep Killer-Gestr at bay...but he also warned them that Ari never forgets a grudge... a major concern for Egill, the huskarl PC, who was put in charge of repairing the Sorenson stead which lies only a few miles from Ari's stead.

The PC's were then asked to lead a risky winter raid on a group of Svear traders who had stolen some cargo from the Jarl in the summer. Word had reached the Jarl that the Svear, led by Yngvar the Easterner, were awaiting the spring thaw at a little fishing settlement some 60 miles up the coast, just a few miles from Kaupang.

The party were loaned a small longship, a crew of bondi's and karl's and several boats to sail up the coast, they then used the boats to cross through the dangerous pack ice to the island where the settlement was. Despite a couple of bumps with the pack ice they managed to get to the island with all 24 men unscathed. They quickly divided their forces into 10 archers who were to go over the island to the ridge above the settlement, and the remaining 14 men were to sneak up on the settlement from behind the ridge along the shingle beach.

They arrived without being spotted and surrounded a couple of the larger buildings and demanded that Ynvar came out with his men. Egill threatened to burn the buildings down, a largely hollow threat given the amount of snow and ice about.

After trading excuses and insults for a few minutes Yngvar burst out of one of the buildings with four of his men and a further five came out of the other building, blowing a horn to warn their colleagues in some more buildings a few metres down the beach. The archers fired on Yngvar and his men causing a few minor wounds, one being a minor injury to Yngvars chest that was to prove very unfortunate for him a moment later.

Thorsteinn, the poor fisherman player rumoured to have alf blood in his family, chanced throwing a javelin at Yngvar before he charged with his men, and surprised us all when he hit him square in the chest and did enough damage to pierce his lamellar armour and knock him out cold.

Egill led his men to fight the spearmen on one side of the buildings and the other player, the farmer Vesteinn, led the other men to attack those who had emerged with Yngvar. The archers on the ridge managed to tie down a larger group of men who emerged from the buildings further down the beach, as Egill and Vesteinn's forces made short work of the Svear.

In the mean time the remaining Svear had started trying to get one of their boats in to the icy water to escape as the archers traded arrows with a few of their counterparts hiding behind a low wall. The last action of the session was when Vesteinn fired a couple of arrows at the men hauling the boat, despite good rolls one arrow hit the boat and the other bounced off a helmeted Svear.

We'll see what happens next week and if the Svear manage their dangerous escape, I still have a sting inn the tail in store for the PC's as well...the little boat trip back to their ship might just prove to be a little harder... :twisted:

 

[SnowDog]

Nice writeup. I hope you will follow this with another post when you have played some more.

How did you handle the NPC archers actions?

 

[Vagni]

Nice writeup. I hope you will follow this with another post when you have played some more.

How did you handle the NPC archers actions?

Thank you, I will try and keep it up to date and will download the maps and background write-ups as well when I can.

The archers all fired before the PC's entered melee so I got the players to roll their attacks, after that another group of Svear started shooting back at them so I simply told the players the two groups were firing at each other and left it at that.

I didn't roll all the NPC's attacks in the melee, I just concentrated on those near the PC's and told how the fight was going as a whole based on their success - I find that that keeps the story going and the players get more involved in the fight. The players are quite happy with it that way.

Whilst the PC's were fighting, a couple of rounds of archers firing at each other took place away from where they were, I will roll the results of that up before the next session.

The fight is pretty biased to be in the PC's favour at the moment, although I was hoping the villain Yngvar would have lasted longer than 2 combat actions!! :roll: :lol:
I've done it this way to avoid too many wounds on the PC's as there is a lack of healing magic in the campaign. Once they have a few Hero Points under their belt I will test them a bit more with some tougher opposition later in the campaign.

The real test in this scenario will be how the PC's get all the cargo back home, what they do with the ship they have acquired (remembering the pack ice problems as well) and how they handle the surviving Svear and the locals.

Then there's also the nasty surprise waiting for them in the icy waters when they cross over to the mainland in their boats. :twisted:

 

[SnowDog]

This sounds like a great way to handle the archers. I guess that I will use a similar technique when I have to handle skirmish scale NPC combat.

The villagers might be a bit problematic but cargo and Svear should not be all that hard. Svear will be slaves and cargo will be divided between the boats. The travel will be hazardous, sure (if you say it will be ) but your group should have enough transportation and even crew the get the job done, unless they slaughter the Svear.

Obviously, this is just my take on it. It will be insteresting to see how it goes with your group.

 

[Vagni]

It will be interesting to see what they do with everything, especially the Svear captives. If they can get the knorr into the water and through the ice safely then I may consider the Jarl gifting them with the vessel later.

I tend to start and end each scenario with a feast somewhere so that the players get to know the locals and get the chance to use poetry, singing and oratory to brag about their deeds. I always reward them with an extra Improvement Point to use on one of their social skills if they do well.

Another way to handle large groups of archers is to use the percentage game, all of the archers were at 40% skill in the scenario so you could just say 4 out of 10 hit and then roll location and damage for them.

 

[SnowDog]

Ah, yes. I had forgotten the percentage game.

I would probably find having a feast so often (in every session) a bit much but having these happen regularly is definitely a good thing. I have to keep this in mind.

 

[Vagni]

Well we played the final part of the winter raid last week and it was great fun. Here's a potted summary for those who would like to follow the saga.

Egill got his archers on the ridge, commanded by Hrani from the last scenario, to move along in two groups of five and pin down the Svear behind the walls, in the mean time the remaining Svear had almost got their boat into the water. A couple of Hrani's archers had been killed at this point, with a few injuries as well, but the Svear were very much tied up behind the wall and had lost a couple of men as well as carrying many injuries.

Thorsteinn guarded the Svear captives, most of whom were injured.

Egill formed up his men in a shield wall and advanced on the other building under sporadic fire from the Svear archers. As it was a defensive shield wall I allowed the locations of left arm, chest and abdomen to be automatically covered by the shield as they advanced - had it occurred I would have probably allowed a parry to stop head shots too, but legs were fair game in a moving shield wall and one man did get taken down with a lucky shot.

As the shield wall advanced Vestarr fired a few shots from the flanks and advanced slowly with the shield wall. The Svear now panicked and all ran to the boat, desperately trying to get it into the water as Egill lead the charge to stop them with an impressive shield bash that knocked one of the Svear off his feet and against the side of the boat. Vestarr led a few men around the other side of the boat and the remaining Svear, some 10 in number, quickly surrendered.

The PC's wasted no time in securing the remaining Svear and treating the wounded from both sides. They had lost a couple of their archers, and several were carrying injuries as well. Egill and Vestarr calmed down the locals and found that the Svear had descended on their settlement as uninvited guests and had forced them all to co-operate. A strange little man with Lapp features tried to hide amoungst the villagers, but he was pointed out by them as having arrived with the Svear, although he was never treated well by them. They claimed to have heard the Svear say he could control the weather.

The players decided to leave half of the Svear with the villagers to help repair any damage to the settlement and work for them until spring. They were then to be released to make their way to Kaupang just a few miles up the coast. The remaining Svear were made to prepare their knorr for a sea voyge and to load it with their trade goods from the barns, mostly furs, cloth, glassware and some fine mead.

It was decided that the risky return to the mainland where the longship was hauled up would be made with two of the boats full of men. Thorstein was then to return with Solvi the shipwright as he was by far the best at shiphandling, so that the knorr could be rowed through the broken ice to clearer waters. One of the boats hit a large piece of ice, wounding one man with shards of ice and four men fell overboard. Two were able to scramble back into the boat, but another two quickly succumbed to the icy water and drowned.

Once Thorstein returned with Solvi, preparations were made and the ship was ready, Egill gifted the locals with some furs and mead from the cargo to compensate them for their losses from the Svear and they cautiously started to cross the treacherous sound.

At this point the Lapp they had discovered was on board the knorr and he fell to the deck in some kind of fit before lying still. The players were a little baffled by this but concentrated on getting the ship through the ice instead.

At this point something big in the water started ramming the knorr, it took a few rounds for the players to realise it was an enormous walrus. They started to panic a bit as the ship started to take some damage and Egill leant out over the side, with Vestarr holding him to strike at the creature as it attacked. Despite being lucky enough to land a few blows, it was not enough to wound the walrus enough to stop it and the ship was attacked several times before they finally made it to the mainland. The knorr was damaged, but still seaworthy and they decided to stay the night and make repairs before returning home. The players found that the Lapp had recovered his senses at this point and simply let him go, failing to notice he was carry a few minor injuries that had suddenly appeared...

Once morning arrived they organised the two ships for the return journey, Sovli was to captain the knorr and Egill, the only PC with any aptitude with shiphandling, was to captain the longship.

The journey home took 3 days, mainly due to Egills appalling luck with his shiphandling, and the ships even got separated at one point. But Solvi was able to find the knorr again and they finally made it home.

The Jarl was highly impressed with the tale and the capture of all the cargo, several Svear and a knorr. Later that day he called them to the high seat and rewarded them with a good share of the cargo and he gifted Egill with the lamellar armour from Ingvar. They drank to the fallen and the Jarl extended his hospitality to all the crew that evening.

Egill was particularly impressed with his sudden wealth and as we started the next scenario at the spring assembly he presented me with a shopping list of silver jewellery and fine wargear he wished to purchase
totalling around 25 marks and earning him the nickname of Egill the Peacock.