This is not a playtest review.
This review contains major spoilers.
Last Hero In Scandinavia is an adventure for 2nd-level characters from Atlas Games. It is designed as a crossover product under the Coriolis line for use with both d20 (3.0) and Atlas' Rune RPG.
Last Hero In Scandinavia is a 112-page mono softcover product costing $19.95. Though margins and font are average and there are no chunks of white space, the layout of the adventure and the spaces between paragraphs leads to a very airy feel, along with the side graphical margins around sidebars. Illustrations are sparse but of good quality and appropriate to the text. The cover shows an archetypal Viking surrounded by a Nordic runic design. Writing style is engaging and fun, sometimes humorous, and editing seems good with occasional minor errors.
I'd heard of but not played Rune before, though I had downloaded the free Jump-Start kit from the Atlas Games website when it was released. From this, I had gathered the game was set in a mythical Scandinavia with archetypal (if historically inaccurate) Vikings, and was based on the CRPG of the same name. I also learned the game was competitive, both against other players and against the GM, using a points system awarded for killing monsters and other mayhem. And that players took turns in being the GM. That's about all I took in at the time, but it seemed like fun. Pity it wasn't a d20 game, I thought to myself at the time. So it was with renewed interest that I delved into Last Hero In Scandinavia, hoping to see some of these aspects recreated for d20.
The product itself starts with an overview of the adventure and some advice about bringing d20 PCs into the adventure.
The first chapter provides d20 rules for running a Rune-style adventure. We start off with a quick run-down of the background of the war between Loki, Hel and the rest of the Norse deities. Little time is spent on this, and rightly so, for Rune is a game of action rather than thought. Rune plots are linear, anachronistic, and event-driven, and the product thumbs its (bloody) nose to higher ideals. Rune adventures are broken down into their separate events and each event has a template to describe it. 'Narration' is the equivalent of a read-aloud box, 'Closer Inspection' details answers to questions the players might have about the details of the scene, 'Background' is GM-only info, 'Traps And Gains' are really obstacles and advantages (only some of the 'traps' are actually traps in the d20 sense, whilst 'gains' sometimes include treasure), 'Combat Tactics' discusses possible enemy tactics, and 'Terrain' details any unusual terrain features and their effects. The maps in the adventure use hexes rather than squares for a grid, but does keep to the 5-foot d20 standard. Hex grids make it easier to flank opponents and fewer creatures can surround their victim, but don't impinge much more than that. Example maps are given to show how area effects work.
And then there are rules for partially recreating the competitive aspect of Rune for d20. Each character gets an experience chit (pebble, coin, or other item) each time they successfully make a skill check (no taking 10 or 20) or saving throw, and a number of chits equal to the CR of the enemy monster for the PC that deals the killing blow to the monster. This leads to PCs competing to make that final killing blow. To balance this somewhat, PCs can also earn a limited number of chits for using the 'aid another' combat action or aiding a colleague's skill check. Chits are lost if another PC is attacked. A final way to get chits is to make a wager with the other players that your character will achieve something, either alone or in a contest. This leads to archetypal Viking boasting. Chits can be spent on giving bonuses to die rolls (up to +10) after the roll is made but are best saved if you want to win the game or progress. The chits are finally counted up at the end of a session and the player with the most wins and are also traded in for XP.
There is a short section discussing the use of 'Flags'. Flags are essentially game bonuses that are provided to PCs in a later scenario having experienced a certain event in a previous scenario. For example, a rousing speech from a leader in an earlier event can help motivate the PCs in the climactic battle at the end, giving them a once-off bonus to an attack roll.
The chapter also provides a detailed account of the Horde template. This template provides a neat mechanic for fighting groups of about 6-12 low-CR monsters as if a single, higher-CR monster. The Horde moves as a contiguous group, has a fixed initiative, one massive attack (rather than lots of minor ones), and PCs' attacks can kill multiple individuals in the horde with a single attack. Further explanation is given on how ranged and spellcasting attacks work, as well as the cleave feat. Example maps are give showing how contiguous movement and combat works.
The chapter ends with some simplified rules for keeping track of allies' movement and combat actions, especially when fighting Hordes.
The second (8-page) chapter provides mass combat rules for Rune and gives advice on creating boss monsters (high-level monsters).
The remainder of the book is dedicated to the adventure itself, which surrounds a dastardly plot to bring about not only the destruction of a local Scandinavian village, but possibly the whole of Viking society as well. The PCs have to fight goblin Hordes, deal with the suspicious happenings in the village, avoid a rather nasty romantic crush, sneak through a goblin-infested cave system to find information to help them discover evidence to prove their suspicions true, and travel through a realm of the undead to try and save a great meeting of Vikings from betrayal and grisly death.
Some interesting new stuff is scattered through the book such as new magic items (e.g. Bad Pennies, Dwarven Flame Thrower, Medallion of Hel), new creatures (e.g. Sark Amen or Spawn of Loki, bone trees), and a new spell (clamor, which causes a deafening noise that can be heard at distance), as well as some rather nasty traps.
The book ends with a table showing a summary of possible experience points to be gained throughout the adventure related to CRs and ELs.
High Points:
I found the adventure to be a lot more complex and interesting than the hack-and-slay fest I imagined it was going to be. The additional rules for unusual terrain, flags, hordes of low-CR creatures and the interesting new creatures, traps and items all added to the flavour of Viking goodness, but could equally be used in other settings (conversions for Slaine also sprang to mind). The competitive play aspect could be quite fun - its benign aspects mean it won't tear a party apart, but should encourage some great roleplaying.
Low Points:
Apart from the section and sidebars dealing with the Rune rules interfering with pure d20 enjoyment ;-) the main aspect that takes a bit of getting used to is the Rune event layout, which seems to waste space with its multiple paragraph set-up. This layout needs thorough familiarisation before running the adventure since, despite its claim to railroad, the choices presented actually give the GM and the players multiple options. The disadvantage of this (and the product states it deliberately does this), is that these possible options are not discussed in any detail - "if your players are imaginative enough to derail the plot, we're sure that you're imaginative enough to adapt the adventure to their actions".
Conclusion:
Probably the best Coriolis product released so far by Atlas, the adventure is fun, the Rune 'conversion' brings some good things to d20 in rules terms, and the text is well written, engaging, and humorous. Despite its facetious claim to railroad and be completely combat-orientated, I actually found the plot and events to be relatively complex and thoughtful, far more than some of the repetitive dungeon crawls that are billed otherwise. There are even roleplaying opportunities! Still, the thrust of the thing is blood and guts and fighting hordes of monsters for glory and honour (and laughing when your comrade gets caught in a trap), and the tongue-in-cheek style rings true throughout the adventure. Smashing stuff.
