Andrew Valkauskas of Fate of the Norns: Ragnarök has a new RPG project running on Kickstarter and it’s offering everything you could want for a Viking based universe: An RPG, books, and graphic novels all in one campaign. I spoke with Andrew about the RPG, the books, and how he was able to get Ed Greenwood onboard for this project.
EGG EMBRY (EGG): Thanks for talking with me about this ambitious project. What is The Ultimate Viking Anthology?
ANDREW VALKAUSKAS (ANDREW): Since Pendelhaven has not been able to attend conventions for the last 18 months, we have had our heads down working on new projects. Pendelhaven’s flagship product line is the Fate of the Norns universe. This is a Viking-centric universe, developed over the last 29 years, deeply rooted in 10th century history and mythology. Over time more and more cultures are being added to the universe to create a truly diverse world.
We have four authors that have been working on three novels and two graphic novels that are set in the Fate of the Norns world. They span many genres, from high adventure to historical fantasy as well as comedy and horror. The two graphic novels also have very talented artists working on them, with very distinct styles.
On top of all of that awesome literature, we’re also offering a stand-alone RPG set in the Fate of the Norns universe. This is a collaboration between two game designers, an artist and a cartographer.
EGG: That is a remarkable amount. Let’s focus on the RPG first, Ath-Cliath RPG is by you and the legendary Ed Greenwood. Let’s unpack this in pieces, what should fans expect from this boxed set?
ANDREW: Think back to the days of old, when you cracked open a city boxed set in AD&D, such as City of Waterdeep or The City of Greyhawk. You wondered at the huge colour maps, the books on the people, places and adventures to be had. Your mind and imagination wondered to all of the limitless possibility of adventure within these city walls (and immediate surroundings).
Well we’re bringing that back with a city-centric RPG called Ath-Cliath. This is Dublin in 930 AD, a very interesting time in history when the Christian faith was overcoming the Celtic pagan beliefs, and a time when Viking invaders sat on the throne. Ath-Cliath is a worldly trading hub as well, so a true melting pot of cultures and adventures. That’s just the historical. There’s so much going on in the mythical. The Tuatha de Danann (Celtic gods) are re-awakening and crossing back from the Otherworld. The Viking gods have arrived as well. Oh and Ragnarök has begun, so it’s too late to stop the Twilight. The adventure space is very open, and many sandbox adventures are ready to be had here.
The box will contain a huge poster map, four books, sets of runes and several rune bags… and that’s before stretch goals. Two books are dedicated to the setting, the people, places, and adventures. The other two books are for character creation and gameplay rules… after all, this is a stand-alone RPG.
Now it can also be used with the two setting books as a city in any medieval RPG. We are fans of D&D 5e, Pathfinder, and Powered by the Apocalypse games, so we’re “statting” out the world content so it can easily be transcribed into those systems. Should we hit certain stretch goals, then we’ll release a system specific books as well (just to make it effortless and fully turn-key).
Oh and let’s not forget the glorious map that should we hit a certain stretch goal, will be a linen tapestry!
EGG: While the book can be used as a standalone sourcebook, it comes with RPG rules. What can you share about that system?
ANDREW: The system we have in the rulebook by default is the Runic Game System (RGS). It is what powers our line of Fate of the Norns: Ragnarök line of RPG books. The really nice thing with RGS is that it’s built with three levels of crunch. How many times do you buy an RPG because you like the world, but the system attached to it is either too crunchy or not crunchy enough? Or the players at the table all have a different threshold for cruch? Well with RGS, each player can play at the crunch level they enjoy, and the system ties it all together in real time ([Fate of the Norns: Ragnarök – How To Play]). This makes it an ideal starting point for someone wanting to learn an RPG. We have players that have never played an RPG in their life up and playing in five minutes. Then they learn the rest of the game as they play.
The other reason RGS is such a good fit for a city adventure is that your social interactions will outnumber your physical combats. RGS has a fully mature social combat system that can satisfy a player that usually waits for combats to break out in order to get their “game fix” for the session. This allows for satisfying play, with tense conflict scenes, randomized outcomes, without a necessity for bloodshed and death to achieve those goals.
The RGS system uses the Elder Futhark set of runes to resolve all game mechanics. This is why we include rune sets and rune bags with the boxed set.
EGG: As a sourcebook, what does this offer that other RPG sourcebooks don’t?
ANDREW: Ed’s an absolute genius when it comes to crafting worlds, and at crafting cities, I’m convinced there is no one that does it better. So the reader is in for a real treat, because everything in the city’s 96 blocks has been thought out. Nothing is random, there is a flow to the city, a story behind each building. One book is devoted to giving an overview of each and every one of those 96 city blocks, as well as the immediate surroundings, port and fortress.
The other book, which we call the Tour Guide book is a deep dive into certain establishments (with shopping lists and menus), people (full personalities and rumours) and adventure hooks that will cover probably 33% of the city. This allows the GM to have plays go pretty much anywhere without stressing about preparing for the session or certain eventualities. We do the heavy lifting for you.
The last thing I would add here is that after the Kickstarter will end, Ed and I are starting a Patreon to keep this city alive with new content every month. So not only do you get a city, but a city that keeps growing and evolving and adding more detail.
EGG: What inspired you to write about 10th century Dublin? Why examine that city with this level of detail?
ANDREW: The Fate of the Norns universe now has five big RPG books, three big lore books, five novels, and four adventure books… it’s a big universe, but was missing a major city supplement. We had fans asking for more city based adventures, with a higher focus on the historical without fully phasing out the mythical. We had quite a few cities we could have chosen for the boxed set, but with our recent expansion into the Celtic kingdoms with the release of the Celtic Cyclopedia, Children of Eriu and the upcoming Green Man’s Crown, we figured a city on the border between the Viking, Celtic and Christian (we call Criostai) kingdoms would be most interesting. In this region there will be a battle that decides the fate of these cultures called the battle of Brunanburh – which we tie into Ragnarok.
The detail? Well if you’ve ever been a GM running a city adventure and your players take you off the planned path, unless you’re a god when it comes to making stuff up on the fly, you need a lot of help. Ath-Cliath is here for that. So even if you run your own medieval city and need help, these books can help you when you’re in a pinch in your own setting.
EGG: This is the definition of ambitious: an RPG, three novels, two graphic novels, and stretch goals. Why put all of this into one campaign instead of separate options?
ANDREW: Hahaha We have five more Kickstarters waiting to be launched: a boardgame, a horror RPG, a trading card game, a social Viking drinking game, and one more I can’t talk about right now. With the pandemic, we had a ton of talent churning out amazing stuff, and it all goes well together. Two characters from the novels and graphic novels appear in the city. Probably most by the time we’re done with Ath-Cliath. The novel Ed wrote, The One Eyed King is set in Ath-Claith, so it gives you a great idea of what kind of adventures you’ll have. The others are in the same universe if not the same region of the universe, so they also help establish the tone of the setting.
Back in the day when I was played AD&D, I was a die hard Greyhawk player. I had so much material that when Forgotten Realms came around I was like “why would I buy all of this new stuff, Greyhawk is all I need”. But after I read a bunch of Forgotten Realms novels, I was converted to FR. I see the value they bring to the RPG table, and that’s why Pendelhaven encourages authors who write in our Fate of the Norns universe.
EGG: How did you get Ed Greenwood on board for the RPG and a novel?
ANDREW: We’ve been friends since we met at Fan Expo con back in 2013 or 2014. We were on a couple of gaming related panels together and quickly found that we had a very similar sense of humour. We’ve talked a lot about gaming and he loved my translation of the prose and poetic eddas (the Illuminated Edda) enough to endorse the book with a generous quote for the back cover. I have been a fan of his work since my earliest days of gaming, and I’ve always told myself that if I ever create a city boxed set, I would ask Ed before anyone else; he’s the best there is!
He’s been a joy to work with and he’s an outstanding human being!
EGG: What do the three novels encompass?
ANDREW: Two of them are part of trilogies. The one Michelle [Franklin] is writing is a comedy that will have you giggling on every page. Myndil the missionary traveling the dangerous world of 10th century Midgard, what could go wrong? The novel series by Stephen [Pearl] is a roller-coaster ride of an adventure. The best way I describe it is as a Viking heist – Oceans 11 meets Lord of the Rings! The last is Ed’s novel and it’s classic Ed, a tale told from the perspective of several visitors to Ath Cliath who come with their own agendas, but are all wound together by fate by the end of the novel.
EGG: What can fans expect of the graphic novels?
ANDREW: The Saga of Vargeisa the Fire Wolf follows one of the main Fate of the Norns characters through a chapter of her life. She is to Fate of the Norns what Drizzt is to Forgotten Realms. Her quest may take some readers by surprise as she seeks to free Loki from his imprisonment. Vincent [Pompetti], the artist, has such a unique and mythic art style that this one is a feast for the senses.
The other is called Eyrbyggja Saga and this one is a Cohen Brothers style Icelandic Saga. We are taking the original manuscript and we’re transcribing it into a medium that will be easy for the masses to enjoy. The academic translation can be a bit daunting, so a comic book version is perfect. Also Jonathan [Burrello]’s art style is perfect to capture the copious amount of humour in this saga.
EGG: Beyond The Ultimate Viking Anthology, what else are you working on?
ANDREW: The Green Man’s Crown which is a big book Celtic RPG and a followup to the Children of Eriu. A Viking big-box 5x boardgame, a Viking horror RPG using tarot cards, a Viking trading card game (CCG), a social Viking drinking game, and one more I can’t talk about right now.
EGG: Thanks for talking with me about this. Where can fans follow you online?
ANDREW: Patreon, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Twitch, [and our website]. Discord and Instagram, as well.
The Ultimate Viking Anthology from Pendelhaven
End Date: Tue, December 14 2021 10:59 AM EST.
“The ultimate Viking anthology of table-top role-playing games (RPG), novels, and graphic novels.”
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.
Latest posts by Egg Embry (see all)
- New Gamemaster Month 2023 - January 20, 2023
