This is a review for the 2012 edition of the Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok saga called FAFNIR’s TREASURE. This book is meant as a quick-start adventure for players that are new to the game system and world of FOTN:R. I’ll structure this review to mirror what is presented in the book. I’ll also add a quick summary at the very bottom should someone want a concise sound-bite of my review. It will be easy to stay objective in this review as this game system is so different than any other RPG out there, that comparisons will be difficult if not impossible. I will be reviewing the soft cover version I bought on amazon.com (PDF versions are available on other sites).
WHAT YOU GET
To start, the book is a beauty to behold! The cover is in a reddish-black-white color scheme that is consistent with the rest of the book (the interior is full color). The art is evocative of the ancient carvings left by the Vikings, which is very appropriate for the themes in the book. The back cover has a nice summary of what you get and clearly states that this is a stand-alone saga (adventure). The page count is 122 split between world introductions, the light version of the runic game system (RGS) and the adventure (saga). Each section is colour coded, which greatly helps in finding what you are looking for. At an MSRP of $30, the book is a pretty good value, as books of the same page count and price are usually black and white. The last section of the book has material that can be cut out and used as “props”. However you don’t need to mutilate your book, just go to the main FOTN website and download the free materials, all of which can be printed out and used for your game.
INTRODUCTION
The Introduction (19 pages) describes the Viking world The first pages are dedicated to explaining what Ragnarok is, what are the grievances that are leading to this epic Armageddon and who the main actors are. The intro concludes by talking about Midgard, the world of mankind, and describes Fimbulwinter in detail. The introduction leaves you with the feeling of dread. The world is cold and dark since the sun and moon have been devoured by two great wolves… Everyone in Midgard is in “survival mode”, so paranoia runs high and everyone is quick to violence. This feeling of desperation is carried throughout the book, and helps guide the adventure in part 3. The art is this section is breathtaking. You feel like you are reading a book of dark fairy tales and flipping to each new page definitely fills you with awe!
RULES
The rules span 22 pages and they give the reader a detailed overview of the RGS “Lite”. This is the really innovative section and it describes game mechanics that are so very different and revolutionary than any other role playing game. Instead of dice, FOTN:R uses Nordic runes to resolve all skill checks and conflicts. If you don’t have a rune set, you have 3 options: (1) print and cut out the set that they provide in the back of the book, (2) Buy a set on their website, (3) make your own set by painting the symbols on pennies or dominoes. Once you have the set, you can dive into a game system like no other.
This section is ripe with examples and diagrams making it very easy to understand each aspect of the game mechanics. You have a set of rules for determining out of combat challenges, and as well as in-combat mechanics. There is a lot of overlap between the two, making the flow between both pretty seamless and pleasant.
Each character is defined by their unique bag of runes. The 5 pre-gen characters already have runes assigned, and each maps to powers and skills. There is also a play-mat on which the runes are played to generate effects. The play-mat represents runes of powers, runes with wounds and runes that map to conditions. As the runes move around the play-mat a scene and story unfolds for the character. This is an extremely elegant mechanic that is both easy to understand and lends itself to a lot of options for the player. The mechanics are team friendly and keep players involved throughout the game. You rarely if ever find someone on the sidelines because it is someone else’s “turn”. The system rewards cooperation and team play and makes every effort to keep all players engaged at all times.
Combat is designed in a way that keeps it feeling very real. If you get attacked, you must actively participate in your own defense, otherwise you are taking damage. And damage isn’t just a number, damage is represented by a loss of capabilities and sometimes the application of a certain game state such as knocked down, disarmed, bleeding, etc... Each time you are the victim of a successful attack, you lose some runes as they are removed from your bag and travel over the play-mat. This makes every wound feel real and painful, as the runes in your bag are what you draw upon every combat round.
In summary, this chapter introduces a very fresh set of rules that are easy to learn and feel very intrinsic to a role-playing game.
SAGA
The third section of the book presents a harsh world that is in need of heroes. The players present themselves at a remote outpost named Evingard. It is a town that has been plagued by various curses and now faces the possibility of extinction. Evingard is populated with many very colorful and shady characters as well as some pretty notable locales. The players can very well spend hours upon hours exploring the town and its politics, but the story will eventually lead to the main quest(s). There are two competing agents, one working for the gods, the other for the giants. Both seek the legendary Fafnir’s treasure, and are ready to hire a group of competent adventurers.
The adventure is customizable, so even if the players read it, the GM can easily tweak the actors and story arc as they see fit. The story feels epic without being ultra-high fantasy, and gives the players a definite feel of accomplishment. The accomplishment not only comes from the story, but the discovery of the RGS system and its little nuances that provide several great “eureka” moments.
*spoiler alert*
The game has an interesting use of omens and portents to set some tension in the world. It gives the players a glimpse into the future and keeps them guessing as to when certain events will play out. As the GM can customize the saga and have the quest giver be two-faced, or the treasure be cursed, the players are left with a continuing sense of unease about the place, its inhabitants and the events that are to unfold.
*end spoiler*
The last pages contain a map, and other printable materials.
The 5 pre-generated characters are really unique. They fit into a Viking world seamlessly and provide a player some customization choices. Each of the 5 archetypes have 3 specializations, these are not pre-chosen and are left to the player to decide. A nice touch!
SUMMARY
5/5 Style
5/5 Substance
The self-contained adventure is a gem, and I highly recommend it to RPG newcomers and veterans alike.
WHAT YOU GET
To start, the book is a beauty to behold! The cover is in a reddish-black-white color scheme that is consistent with the rest of the book (the interior is full color). The art is evocative of the ancient carvings left by the Vikings, which is very appropriate for the themes in the book. The back cover has a nice summary of what you get and clearly states that this is a stand-alone saga (adventure). The page count is 122 split between world introductions, the light version of the runic game system (RGS) and the adventure (saga). Each section is colour coded, which greatly helps in finding what you are looking for. At an MSRP of $30, the book is a pretty good value, as books of the same page count and price are usually black and white. The last section of the book has material that can be cut out and used as “props”. However you don’t need to mutilate your book, just go to the main FOTN website and download the free materials, all of which can be printed out and used for your game.
INTRODUCTION
The Introduction (19 pages) describes the Viking world The first pages are dedicated to explaining what Ragnarok is, what are the grievances that are leading to this epic Armageddon and who the main actors are. The intro concludes by talking about Midgard, the world of mankind, and describes Fimbulwinter in detail. The introduction leaves you with the feeling of dread. The world is cold and dark since the sun and moon have been devoured by two great wolves… Everyone in Midgard is in “survival mode”, so paranoia runs high and everyone is quick to violence. This feeling of desperation is carried throughout the book, and helps guide the adventure in part 3. The art is this section is breathtaking. You feel like you are reading a book of dark fairy tales and flipping to each new page definitely fills you with awe!
RULES
The rules span 22 pages and they give the reader a detailed overview of the RGS “Lite”. This is the really innovative section and it describes game mechanics that are so very different and revolutionary than any other role playing game. Instead of dice, FOTN:R uses Nordic runes to resolve all skill checks and conflicts. If you don’t have a rune set, you have 3 options: (1) print and cut out the set that they provide in the back of the book, (2) Buy a set on their website, (3) make your own set by painting the symbols on pennies or dominoes. Once you have the set, you can dive into a game system like no other.
This section is ripe with examples and diagrams making it very easy to understand each aspect of the game mechanics. You have a set of rules for determining out of combat challenges, and as well as in-combat mechanics. There is a lot of overlap between the two, making the flow between both pretty seamless and pleasant.
Each character is defined by their unique bag of runes. The 5 pre-gen characters already have runes assigned, and each maps to powers and skills. There is also a play-mat on which the runes are played to generate effects. The play-mat represents runes of powers, runes with wounds and runes that map to conditions. As the runes move around the play-mat a scene and story unfolds for the character. This is an extremely elegant mechanic that is both easy to understand and lends itself to a lot of options for the player. The mechanics are team friendly and keep players involved throughout the game. You rarely if ever find someone on the sidelines because it is someone else’s “turn”. The system rewards cooperation and team play and makes every effort to keep all players engaged at all times.
Combat is designed in a way that keeps it feeling very real. If you get attacked, you must actively participate in your own defense, otherwise you are taking damage. And damage isn’t just a number, damage is represented by a loss of capabilities and sometimes the application of a certain game state such as knocked down, disarmed, bleeding, etc... Each time you are the victim of a successful attack, you lose some runes as they are removed from your bag and travel over the play-mat. This makes every wound feel real and painful, as the runes in your bag are what you draw upon every combat round.
In summary, this chapter introduces a very fresh set of rules that are easy to learn and feel very intrinsic to a role-playing game.
SAGA
The third section of the book presents a harsh world that is in need of heroes. The players present themselves at a remote outpost named Evingard. It is a town that has been plagued by various curses and now faces the possibility of extinction. Evingard is populated with many very colorful and shady characters as well as some pretty notable locales. The players can very well spend hours upon hours exploring the town and its politics, but the story will eventually lead to the main quest(s). There are two competing agents, one working for the gods, the other for the giants. Both seek the legendary Fafnir’s treasure, and are ready to hire a group of competent adventurers.
The adventure is customizable, so even if the players read it, the GM can easily tweak the actors and story arc as they see fit. The story feels epic without being ultra-high fantasy, and gives the players a definite feel of accomplishment. The accomplishment not only comes from the story, but the discovery of the RGS system and its little nuances that provide several great “eureka” moments.
*spoiler alert*
The game has an interesting use of omens and portents to set some tension in the world. It gives the players a glimpse into the future and keeps them guessing as to when certain events will play out. As the GM can customize the saga and have the quest giver be two-faced, or the treasure be cursed, the players are left with a continuing sense of unease about the place, its inhabitants and the events that are to unfold.
*end spoiler*
The last pages contain a map, and other printable materials.
The 5 pre-generated characters are really unique. They fit into a Viking world seamlessly and provide a player some customization choices. Each of the 5 archetypes have 3 specializations, these are not pre-chosen and are left to the player to decide. A nice touch!
SUMMARY
5/5 Style
- Absolutely gorgeous book, with an art style that is perfect for Viking sagas
- Presentation of the RGS Lite rules is clear, with many diagrams and examples
- The font is large, making the book easy to read and with the color coded sections, it makes lookups super quick
5/5 Substance
- You get a great dose of myth, lore, rules, story and NPCs
- Pre-generated characters are unique and great fun
- The saga is a sandbox, allowing your one shot adventure an opportunity to grow into a much longer journey
The self-contained adventure is a gem, and I highly recommend it to RPG newcomers and veterans alike.
