The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson

The Broken Sword
Written by Poul Anderson
$6.15 Amazon Kindle
208 pages


Let loose the red tide! Let the men be heaped like reaped golden wheat! Fall back in this telling in one book what would take modern authors a dozen times more pages!

Poul Anderson, one of the original quoted Appendix N authors in the original Dungeon Master's Guide, brings a tale of Norse revenge across generations.

If you are a fan of the show Vikings, if you're a fan of Elric of Melnibone, of cursed swords, of dire destinies, or cruel, uncaring gods, or things that never were but fit into the tales of old lore, then you should read The Broken Sword.

Poul Anderson weaves together some things that we say now are not true, such as the winged helmets of the Vikings, as well as land conquest as England suffers the raids of the Vikings. Of the rise of the One True God against those gods who used to rule. It showcases many different elements of mythology into one where there are still differences, but the mythological world is shared.

The gods of old Ireland are half gods, the elves here, not mere mortals with long hair who are good with bows. The trolls here are ancient and elderly powerful creatures that are not mere brutes that only know how to howl, but how to plan, how to set forth on ships warded against the wild seas, of using weapons of massive stone and bone because their strength allows them to do so.

The elves here are masters of magic, they control the weather, they can heal, they speak with the dead and are all things cruel and capricious. But they are few in number and even as they are timeless, they are not immortal. So when the opportunity arises to steal a man-child and add his mortal strength to their own, they take it.

Sadly they take this man child from a family that has wronged natives of England, and one woman who survives grows powerful in the dark arts of Witchery and sells all including her soul to darker powers to cast dark fate against the family that slew her own.

Into this mix comes the elves who when they capture the man-child, replace him with a troll born changeling. A heartless brute who has sisters and brothers and who will find his destiny leading the trolls against the elves and their kin.

Here the elves and trolls share a weakness to iron, they share magics even if the trolls are not as advanced as the elves, the two are both moral-less entities that are unseen by men as their battles are not fought in the mortal world. They both dislike the sunlight...

Poul Anderson crafts the tale and moves through the lives of these twins, the elf raised Skafloc, a champion more elf than man, more inhuman than human, and his pale troll kin shadow, Valgard.
Their lives intersect in unknown ways as the witch sets her sights on Valgard, a non-human raised among men whose brutish lusts for battle and his desire for the women who manipulate him through the whole of the story.

So much happens in The Broken Sword, that Poul only hints at some of it. When Skafloc must seek to mend the Broken Sword, this cursed weapon forged long ago, a weapon whose fate spirals down time with such doom, that mighty Thor himself shattered it, Skafloc seeks out the heroes of Ireland. He sails with the lord of the Sea to the lands of Jotun where the sword is forged anew but the travel there and back is merely hinted at.

Even at the start of the tale, when we are introduced to how much of the culture of elves flows through Skafloc, we are given a description of Imric, the ruler of the elves, the one who stole Skafloc, fighting against "with a troop of exiled gods, grown thin and shrunken and mad in their loneliness but still wielding fearsome powers."

That in and of itself sounds worthy of more pages! Who were these old mad things that were once gods?

Other gods, more familiar, are still about. The Dark Prince himself, claims to have known Odin in the guise of Loki and liked not the one-eyed Lord. Odin, the master manipulator, the one who pulls strings, who would be a good fit for Merlin from Excalibur, weaves a fate to the son of Skafloc that is again, only hinted at here. The final fate of the gods, or mankind, or the Broken Sword itself? Vague prophecy but no finality.

And for this book? It works perfectly. It casts the net of the tale against a background much larger than what we see here. We are visitors to the tragedy that besets violence and only for a limited time. We see how the effects of the coming of a new religion forces out the old, we see those ancient powers still mighty, still magnificent in their own realms, know that their time is limited even as they themselves are timeless.

Poul Anderson brings us no glowing heroes. There are none here who escape without the reader seeing their faults. The elves, proud and haughty, the witch consumed by vengeance, the old gods striving to survive, the trolls, equally proud and equally haughty, the old glory of Ireland, the sorrow of the fauns who survived the passing of the old Gods of Greece and Rome... it's a tale that set forth so much more than modern readers, especially those who say enjoy A Game of Thrones, might even be aware of.

If you want to see where the roots of modern fantasy come from if you want a rousing Viking tale of old gods and cursed blades, The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson is the perfect fit.

The Flame Bearer (Saxon Tales Book 10) by Bernard Cornwell

The Flame Bearer
Saxon Tales Book 10
Written by Bernard Cornwell
$13.99 at Amazon (Hardcover)
304 pages

The Saxon Tales, also known as The Last Kingdom Series,  reaches its conclusion in a fast paced tale that I finished in a few hours of morning reading.

As with many books by Bernard Cornwell, he captures the period regarding plausible events, characters, and overall mood through the description of the people and places that our main viewpoint character, Uthred.

In this novel, seeds were sown so long ago, bear fruit as the main thrust of the tale is Uthred and his final battle against his cousin, also named Uthred.

If you enjoy books in this era of Viking savagery upon English shores, this will be a quick read.

But what can you pull from it for your games?

Religion Matters: Uthred is a pagan. He worships the gods of the Vikings. Most of those in England? The Saxons who themselves were once pagans? They worship the 'Nailed God'. The clashes between forces are not merely over land and titles but over religious strength and culture.

Stories Matter: The title of the book, The Flame Bearer, originates with one of Uthred's ancestors who came from across the sea and took over the castle that Uthred would, hundreds of years later, grows up in. The parallels between what has happened and what will happen, are clear and meant to inspire Uthred's men even as it demoralizes his enemies.

Languages Matter: Uthred is a man with friends all over the world and knowing a few languages helps him avoid situations he might not be able to otherwise. While some fantasy settings overcome this with 'Common Tongue', there are often options that are inherent in the game that players don't necessarily take advantage of. In the Forgotten Realms, for example, the Common in Kara-Tur is different than the common in Al-Qadim is different than the Common in the more common part of the realms. Old editions used to give special languages like alignment tongue as well as thieves cant among others. Players should never underestimate the power of having a unique or near unique style of communication including sign language.

On the other hand, the GM shouldn't hesitate to have NPC's have their own methods of communication. Drow have their own 'common' tongue and others from different planes may have their own manner of communication. Star Trek the Next Generation did a fantastic episode where the geist of merely trying to communicate lasted the whole episode.

Factions Matter: Uthred has made more than his fair share of enemies and allies through the ten books in the series. This sometimes involves his enemies coming together against him. The good news? Sometimes there are foes outside of that original circle who attack each other. Having factions that don't necessarily make their presence known every game session and every encounter make the world larger and more dangerous, more random than it normally is. Sometimes these elements should work in the players' favor and sometimes against them. The enemy of the enemy is not always your friend after all.

Time Moves On: Uthred has been fortunate to live through numerous enemies and unfortunate enough to watch allies and even dearly loved ones pass on. His religious upbringing gives him pause when a foe is about to die, to ensure that if a warrior, he dies with a weapon in his hand.

As time moves on, though, the world changes. If your campaigns consist of more than dungeon crawls, how is time moving on effecting the world? Uthred has children, one deceased, one married to a former enemy now an ally, and one about to be married to the daughter of an enemy.

England itself, once almost entirely overcome by the Danes, has struggled back from the brink of being overcome to being almost entirely run by the Saxons and uniting under one 'England' banner.

The players can be the center point of the campaign, but the world itself will continue to move on in ways outside their direct control, outside their direct influence. And they should want to be a part of that.

The Flame Bearer has a lot going for it and it is a fitting end to Uthred's sage. Now if only Benard will continue that with Uthred's son also named Uthred...

V is For Viking

I've long collected the various series by Osprey Military that include the Warriors Series and the Men-At-Arm series. With the +HISTORY channel just finishing airing Vikings Season Three,  I decided to delve into my Warrior Series Volume 3, Viking Hersir 793-1066 AD: Weapons>Armor.Tactics. Note the cover below is not the current cover, but is is the one I have.

Vikings are a popular. Part of this is the warrior heritage. They are individual who 'do' things. It's easier to involve characters into stories when they are active in that story.

They are also not restricted to their own time. Marvel Comics for some odd forty years has been getting good mileage out of reimagining the adventures of Thor, one of the gods of the Vikings. This has included numerous versions of Thor in both the past and far future, as well as individuals with the power of Thor, thanks to an enchantment placed on Thor's hammer.

Even DC, which has mainly stayed with the Olympian Pantheon via Wonder Woman, has gotten mileage out of names such as Wotan, a mystical super villain who battled Dr. Fate.

In terms of writing, there are numerous tales of the Vikings which come to us, often hundreds of years after the events take place such as the saga of Vinland that I recently blogged about.

But for more modern audiences, writers like Bernard Cornwell are getting their milage out of the era. Bernard currently has eight books in his Saxon Tales, the latest being the Empty Throne, a first person narration and while I'm behind one book in the series, it's another look at the vikings that I've enjoyed.

The viking presence is also felt in role playing games. While I don't have the specific issue of Dragon Magazine in front of me, Dungeons and Dragons has taken it's own look at some of the berserkers from Viking lore.

Later on, during the 2nd edition era of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, TSR started doing 'historical' books. The first one they did was HR 1 Vikings Campaign Sourcebook. This was a green faux leather cover book and while no longer available in print, DriveThruRPG is selling it in PDF format for $9.99.

This doesn't count other companies like I.C.E. who had their own historical line that brought different eras to Rolemaster. Their own book Vikings was another look at how to implement the mundane and fantastic mythological elements into MERP and Rolemaster. Makes perfect sense since at the time, I.C.E. was also doing Middle Earth Roleplaying, the aftermentioned MERP, and there are quite a few nods to the Norsemen in Middle Earth.

In short, Vikings were, and still are, a popular subject, especially to write about.

Part of this is their mythology. They have a full cycle. They know what is supposed to happen at the end of the world. They know that if they fight and die, they will go to join the king of the gods Odin.

Part of it is the unique elements they possess. For example, naming weapons and armor. Good weapons and armor will go down in history. Those who do legendary deeds, will do the same.

One thing that Viking Hersir pointed out that I did not know before, was that with the fragility of weapons versus time, especially over an era covering almost three hundred years, that if a sword broke, but it was a good quality sword, it would be reforged into a spearhead. The good metal too important to let sit rusting somewhere.

Other bits that Viking Hersir point out, that perhaps should be obvious, are that that scabbards do not survive. They often becomes melded through time into the weapons themselves. In fantasy campaigns, having a shealth that survived the tides of time would be a sure indicator that there was something not normal about sword and scabbard.

I admit one of the reasons I like the Warrior Series by Osprey, is the art. This volume is no exception. Gerry Embleton. He's a fantastic artist whose work can be found here. Gerry brings us twelve different full color plates.

As someone who also paints miniatures, one of the things I enjoyed was a full page of shields. While there are several 'normal' shields, there are also several patterned shields. While some cultures may have very elaborate and impossible to design by hand shields in 28mm, that's not true of the Vikings who often had one to three bright colors and simple designs.

Outside of Gerry's art, there are numerous photographs of actual items from the era ranging from swords and axe heads to helmets and scans of ancient art that has survived into the modern era. Makes for a great immersion even though the book is relatively short.

If you're a fan of the Vikings show and want to dip your toe into something that's going to provide a little more information and is written easily enough to follow with a ton of material referenced at the end, Viking Hersir is perfect.

B is for Beowulf

Beowulf is a popular tale in many role playing circles. It is one that has been retold many times and will continue to be translated anew as new students fall in love with the ancient poetry and turned again into movie as movie studios bankrupt of ideas decide to hit a classic.

Part of it's appeal to literature, is it's age. It's one of the oldest known surviving poems. Part of it is it's vikings, magic, dragons, and that doom laden feel that vikings were known for.

For those who don't know about Beowulf, he is a viking warrior who in his travels, comes across a monstrous entity known as Grendel. The two battle and Beowulf defeats the monster as told in the free version like so: "Then he advances towards Beowulf. A fierce and desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensues. No arms are used, both combatants trusting to strength and hand-grip. Beowulf tears Grendel’s shoulder from its socket, and the monster retreats to his den, howling and yelling with agony and fury. The wound is fatal."

Not satisfied there, Beowulf then goes after said Grendel's mother. He dispatches Grendel's mother with the sword of a giant that he finds in her lair. It already sounds like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign!

After many years of peace, Beowulf's land falls under dragon attack and Beowulf manages to claim victory in this battle as well, but in his advanced years, he is mortally wounded.

The last version of Beowulf I read, and it's been many years, was by Seamus Heaney.



But there is another one that seems to have gained some steam lately that I'm tempted to check out and that's by one of the founding fathers of modern day fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien.



If you wanted an idea of where Tolkien came up with some of the action for his riders of Rohan, look no further. If you wanted an idea of how Smaug was so mighty and powerful, look no further.

There was also  an GCI version that wasn't bad and took some liberties to bring it's own version of the story to modern audiences.

This version was a great visual feast. Some of the well known actors include Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie. The preview should be enough to give you an idea of what it's about:


If you're into Dungeons and Dragons, Rolemaster, or any of the fantasy era games, Beowulf should be on your radar.

The Vinland Sagas

I may have mentioned it in the past, but I try to read a little bit of this and that. I don't stick with just fantasy or space opera. When I was in college, I had a few classes on various bits of historical lore including some Shakespeare work. I find that it helps keep the mind engaged.

Recently I took the dive on The Vinland Saga because of the History Channel and it's Vikings series. I'm looking forward to season three hitting this February. There's also my enjoyment of Bernard Cornwell's series, Saxon Tales, the latest, the Empty Throne, having come out not long ago..

I made the mistake of reading the introduction and it's rammed with information. So much information. So much of it jumping from one point to the other with names and locations and weird things popping up that I thought I'd scribe a few down for those interested in names. Included at the end of the article. Also included some of the locations that are mentioned.

It's a feast of information but the context it comes in is relatively small. The bulk of the book isn't the story, it's about farms, it's about ships, it's about the historical research that went into the Vinland Sagas and trying to verify them.

It's almost hard to see how there's a manga called the Vinland Saga the cribs some names from this and then goes into some well illustrated highly unlikely bits. While I've heard some compare Vinland Saga to Berserk, there are no obvious supernatural elements in the volumes I've read. 

Have a list of names, locations, and weird bits!

People

Arnora, the daughter of Einar of Laugarbrekka, the son of Sigmund, son of Ketil Thistle who had claimed land in Thistilfjord. Aud the Deep-minded, daughter of Ketil Flat-nose, son of Bjorn Buna, wife of Oleif. Bjarni Herjolfsson

Eirik the Red

Freydis, daughter of Eirik the Red

Gudrid Thorbjarnardottri

King Olaf the peaceful of Norway

Leif Eiriksson the Lucky Oleif the White, son of King Ingjald, who was the son of Helgi, who was son of Olaf, who was son of Gudrod, who was son of Halfdan White-leg, king of the people of Oppland.

Rafarta, daughter of King Kjarval of Ireland

Snorri: Child born in America to Thorfinn Karlsefni and Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir

Svein Ulfsson, Danish King

Thorbjorg, a seeress who was called the 'Little Prophetess'. She was one of ten sisters, all of whom had the gift of prophecy, and was the only one of them still alive. Thorfinn Karlsefni

Thorstein

Thorvald

Locations

Brattahild

Breidafjord, customary way of describing people who are born in Iceland.

Dalir in the Breidafjord area

Drangar on Hornstrandir

Eiriksstadir in Haukadal, Iceland

Hebrides

Jaeren in Norway

Keel Point, a peninsula

Lysufjord in the western settlement of Greenland.

Skagafjord, Iceland

Random Bits

Find a beached whale: That's pretty damn random and I thought it worth cribbing down. Just goes to show that you never know what life is going to throw at you. The Vikings quickly make food out of it, cooking it right on the beach.

Rescue some people who have been shipwrecked. (Considered a lucky act): This is part of the culture. If you see people on a sinking ship, save them! Mind you depending on what type of raider viking you are, you might be enslaving them but better you than the sharks eh?

Skraelings: I've seen the name used before and honestly didn't remember that's what the vikings called the natives of the lands they encountered, including those in North America.

The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell has been writing the Warrior Chronicles, also called the Saxon stories since 2004. Seems every two years he comes out with another one. I was inspired this time around to purchase the book well ahead of the trades which I usually get, in Kindle format, due to the History Chanel's showing of Vikings. Love that show and with the recent season two end, I wanted something more.

And The Pagan Lord delivers. Bernard Cornwell tells a first person account very well. It makes this book an easy page turner and a book I finished in less than a day.  The story chronicles the account of Uthred, a noble raised by Danes who worships the old gods, Thor and Odin among others, but finds himself fighting for the Christians who often turn against him as soon as they're able. The constant struggle for a place of his own in a land where Thor and Christianity have little tolerance for one another is well told.

Uthred, despite his advancing age, despite his military mind, despite his own previous experiences, still finds himself in trouble with the Church of England. Still finds himself with treachery on all sides. Still finds himself tried and tested at every opportunity. And he does not emerge from these contests whole and undamaged. He does not win every engagement.

It's these tests, these throws of the dice, these moments of doubt, that make Uthred such a great character. Sure, he has a solid cast about him. Certainly he has worthy friends and a growing family. But it's his own intrinsic character that isn't always right, that brings the book into a higher place than just an action historical tale.

Bernard has a great command of language. When Uthred sails for examples, you can feel the freedom that Uthred feels. You can see the joy he takes in the voyage itself. When he speaks of his foes and their fighting prowess, even when he's weary of them, you still get that feel of distinct confidence that Uthred tends to radiate.

If you, like me, have enjoyed Vikings and want a little more, start off with The Last Kingdom which runs for $9.27 in trade paperback format or $8.81 in Kindle format.

Below I'll be discussing several bits from The Pagan Lord that might be useful for role playing games. Some of this will probably hit themes and tones I've mentioned before because Bernard Cornwell does reinforce themes and mood with repetition throughout the novels. It creates a sense of returning home after not reading one of the novels for a while.

1. Family: Uthred has two sons. One of them, the eldest, decides to become a priest. Due to Uthred's hatred of Christianity, he disowns his son, calling him instead 'Judas'. At the end of the book, Judas comes along to help Uthred in a battle that helps set the tone of England from that day forward. His younger son however, displays more traits similar to Uthred including a thirst for battle and extraordinary skills in combat. Family is more than just characters to be taken prisoner or killed off to encourage a mood or theme. They should be used as their own characters that have their own motives and goals.

2. Action-Reaction: In Uthred's disgust at his eldest son's priesthood, in the scuffle against the priests there, he kills one of them. This leads to the villagers destroying Uthred's property and being an outcast. For every action, there is a reaction.

3. Misinformation: One of the things I appreciate about Bernard Cornwell's writing, is that he does an excellent job of showcasing how slowly information moves. By providing misinformation in several areas, enemies can become powerful. By countering that with his own misinformation and sleight of hand, Uthred is able to sow confusion and disorder against his foes. This is a bigger problem in high-fantasy games where the essence of them is taken mainly from modern day eras in terms of near instant communication or ability to discover facts quickly. Use misinformation where possible and don't automatically counter the player's attempts at doing so.

4. The Glory of Rome: Britain is saturated with old stone and marble ruins from the time of Rome. The natives generally don't like them, melting the marble down to make lime and using the stone to build other types of fortifications when possible. Uthred sees the glory of these ancient statues and bridges and wonders what the hell happened. How did the world descend so far from that glory? While I'm actually pretty tired of ancient empires having greater technology, magic, and well, everything than their modern counter parts, it is refreshing to see how the people living in those times might react to those remnants when they're not discussing super powered magic swords and magic.

5. Historical Accuracy: Despite the skill and knowledge base that Bernard Cornwell has in terms of the Vikings and their era, he isn't afraid to change historical events in order to tell a better story. Unless you are playing some weird game where outside agencies are enforcing documented events, don't be afraid to let the players influence what happens and how things move around the world. The History Channel's show Vikings for example, is full of things that are historically wrong but it's a fine piece of entertainment.

6. Failure: Uthred's initial plan is to conquer his homeland, a mighty fortress with stealth and surprise. That fails. He does manage to capture his nephew and said nephew's mother mind you and they come in handy at other junctures, but the initial raid itself is a failure and it is not the only failure that Uthred suffers. Having a "what if" mentality in terms of designing your scenarios can help you quickly keep the game moving. Don't let the game stall when the characters fail but rather have something else for them to quickly move to.

The Pagan Lord is well told and provides a lot of inspiration for those who want to take their reading a Viking. The Pagan Lord is currently $7.99 in Kindle format and a little under $22 in hardcover.

Vikings: The Complete First Season

I haven't had cable television in years. It's one of the reasons I'm always behind on television series. I heard good things about Vikings. I was a little surprised to learn that it was a History Chanel program, but I've since learned that their programming is winning all sorts of awards.  and when it first came out, for some reason Best Buy of all places, was selling the bluray version for something like $19.95. So I picked it up.

And time passed.

And finally I managed to watch the nine episodes that comprise season one.

If you're looking from a grim and gritty take on the start of the viking invasion of England, this is right up your alley. The costumes, soundtracks, and landscapes, ranging from mountains and hills and rolling fields, to the ever present sea, provide a possible look at what life would have been like all those long years ago.

Make no mistake, while there are protagonists and antagonists, this is a time of savagery and barbarism. Having said that, it interested me enough that when season two hits blu ray, I'll be looking forward to picking that up as well.

I haven't dug into the special features yet as my LG bluray player for the computer has decided at the last minute that hey, why would I want to work and allow you to actually enjoy your purchase? Go watch that on the tv and leave the computer alone.

Below I'll be discussing some of the things I enjoyed and how they may or may not fit your own role playing games.

1. Family. Strangely enough, Ragnar, who claims to be a son of Odin, the all father of the Nose deities, is a family man with a shield maiden wife and two children and a farm. These lands bond him to his Earl and insure that he has servants and animals of his own. His relationship with his family is one that the authors of the show use multiple times in order to draw him into conflict with others. Not only does he have this family, but he also has an ambitious brother Rollo.

Rollo is a great character to have in this show and would be tricky to do in a role playing game. For you see, Rollo is all about his own interests and rise. When he first joins with his brother Ragnar, they are supposed to do so as equals but Ragnar, perhaps due to his vision of wanting to raid the west in the first place, or having an ally capable enough to make a ship to survive the voyage, is the one hailed and whose renown grows. This sits ill with Rollo.

So Rollo is always being tempted to be against his brother. Initially this is 'merely' being a witness against Ragnar during a trial but when Ragnar's wife, Lagertha also stands to be killed, Rollo decides against it. His loyalty is tested later on as well and we'll see how that plays out in season two! The good thing though about Rollo, is you never quite know if he's actually against Ragnar.

And that's the problem for a role playing prospective. How often would you let someone seemingly betray you before you distanced yourself from them either by not travelling with them anymore or by attempting to kill them?

Family can have many functions in a campaign. They can be a place to rest when returning from adventure. In Lagertha's case, they can be direct assistance to the characters when they are low on resources because of her shield maid skills for example. They can also act as complications as when Ragnar is cheating on his wife and his son is infuriated with him over it.

2. Exploration. While the raids and the desire for new wealth is a huge part of why the vikings sail to the west, Ragnar at least, is seen as an explorer. He wants to visit new lands and learn new things. The desire to see what's over the next horizon fits perfectly in most role playing games where the state of roads and technology in general are low at best.

3. Tactics: Bernard Cornwell describes the shield wall in several of his viking and Arthurian sagas. The writers of Vikings do not shy away from it. I suppose my point is that as well loved as 'Tucker's Kobolds' are, don't punish the players when they use superior tactics and outflank the enemy or should be outflanking the enemy. Not every encounter should be one with enemies who fight just as intelligently as the players, especially if the foes the characters face are arrogant and cocksure of themselves. Who expects a night raid after all? Who expects extra traps to be set? Who expects a force to keep fighting when its members are wounded?

4. The Gods One of the things about The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett is that it played off of Middle East assumptions that it's better to die against the enemy than grow old. Vikings had similar attitudes and did not wish to die old women. This is showcased as one elder viking swears allegiance to Ragnar and wishes to raid and fight and die in combat so that he may enter the halls of valhalla. The willingness to die, the preference to die in such a cause, stands against that of those they face who'd rather live to fight another day.

5.Mind altering substances: In his first raid, Ragnar captures a priest who was wide traveled and can speak Ragnar's native tongue. Learning about the people who have made him a slave occurs gradually over the course of time, but also happens in ceremonies where in one instance, special leaves are burned that enhance the story telling about ragnarok and later on, mushrooms devoured and perceptions altered of events at a religious gathering. With the leaves burned, it shows that directly putting some mind altering substances don't have to be something that characters have to be 'hit' by or drunk down.

5. Distinctive Features: I've mentioned distinctive features as being useful tools to distinguish one character from another before. Ragnar's hair style and the tattoos on the side of his head for example, are very much distinctive from others. Scars, large body wide scars, are often visible on those who fight alongside Ragnar. Rollo, during one of his times of loyalty to Ragnar, or simply because he didn't actually know, is scared across both sides of his face by the Earl. Taking this to an extreme level, there is the Seer who serves the northmen. This seer is almost an albino and whose face is like melted wax with blackened lips. Truly distinctive!

Vikings has a lot going for it. Season one is available to stream for free from Amazon Prime right now, and on blu ray it runs $39.98.

Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell

Sword Song is the 4th book in the Saxon Tales written by Bernard Cornwell. I don't know how, but originally when reading, I skipped past book three, Lords of the North and read this one. It didn't effect my enjoyment of it. I simply thought that the author had decided to move forward due to times of peace and went back and read book three latter.

In terms of pacing, action, characters, etc..., Bernard Cornwell continues the pace set by previous books in the series. Even as Uthred grows in age and as a character, his core remains the same. This is both good and bad and provides the readers with a hero is doesn't act heroic and often has his own best interest at heart but is bound by the vows and rules woven into the Danish society.

Much of the things that were brought to mind by previous books continue to do so in this book.

Player Motivation: Uthred is fairly selfish. While he often tries to do the right thing, he is often doing so because that's what he wants to do in the first place. There are several times though, when he could follow his heart in terms of leaving Alfred's service, but in the opportunity provided here, he would have to watch Father Pyrlig killed. And friendship is a huge motivation for Uthred. Players should insure that their characters have some bonds between each other and that betrayal is low on the list.

Atmosphere: Something that can be influenced regardless of the game system, a setting's atmosphere can relay a lot about how the players are supposed to have their character's act. In the times that Bernard Cornwell is writing about, slavery is just another harsh reality that the people have to deal with. Warriors are consumed with making reputation for themselves. Buildings are made of thatch and wood with those being of stone often older relics of the bygone Roman era. A cloud of doom hangs intent over most people because of the constant state of warfare.

Continuity: As the series progresses, things start to change. In order to defend his homeland, Alfred has fortresses build and employees levies of men to hold off the invaders until the professional armies can be summoned. This isn't something that springs up overnight, but is the logical result of having to deal with raiders for years and years and years.

Community: Many things make people come together. Sometimes it's religion, sometimes its simply proximity. But when communities flourish, then specialist can start to flourish. When people don't have to worry about fighting daily for mere survival, then bard and poets can start to flourish. Another example is an island called two-tree island, but there's only one tree there! Apparently that other tree died off some time ago but they're not going to rename the whole island right?

Spies: In an era where communication can be difficult, knowing what the other person is doing, especially in times of war, is vital. When dealing with this branch of historical fiction, it's not that bad. It's not like they're trying to sneak in the old devil whitey into darkest Africa as a spy. A similar benefit was had in WWI and WWII in that most of those Europeans look the same. But in a fantasy campaign where elves and orcs and halflings abound next to dragonborn and tielfling and goliaths? Magic and other forces might be called for.

Hostages: Not even talking about player's characters here, but rather, those that the character's value either due to bonds of friendship of mere utility. How will players react when their loved ones are held hostage? Will they pay and hope for the best? Arrange some type of stealth crew for a rescue mission?

Sword Song has a lot going on and does it in a quick pace. Those looking for Viking action could do far worse then read up on The Saxon Tales.



Bernard Cornwell The Pale Horseman

I've been enjoying Bernard Cornwell's tale of Wessex here and the second book in the series is well written, entertaining, and would make a great summer movie if they decided to go the high action route or an solid HBO series to take the place of Rome or Spartacus.

I'll be discussing some of the material from the book through quotes so if you'd like to avoid spoilers, read no further.

"In the winter, while I was mewed up in Werham as one of the hostages given to Guthrum, a new law had been passed in Wessex, a law which decreed that no man other than the royal bodyguards was to draw a weapon in the presence of the king."

The hero of the tale, Uhtred, is a Saxon who is more Dane than Saxon. His loyalties are often tested. He has friends on both sides of the conflict. His king, Alfred the Great, doesn't like him, but needs him. Alfred is able to play him like a fiddle though, thanks to things like the above, where Uthred breaks a law or falls into a law based trap. These things limit Uthred's options and make him more likely to do what Alfred wants.

In looking at motivations for characters in the game, if the GM and players discuss what their motivations will be ahead of time and that the 'theme' if you will, is that their patron is often well intentioned but a hard man, then they should be prepared to deal with those consequences. The GM needs to play it consistently though and allow that relationship to grow. Its okay to have a patron that doesn't necessarily appreciate everything that you do,  but one that blatantly ignores it or lies about it will not be served long.


""I hate him," he went on, "and now you owe me a favour, Uthred."

Just as Alfred plays Uthred like an instrument, there are those who don't like Alfred the Great who seek to ally themselves with Uthred just because of that. Actions have reactions no matter what the time period or setting. The social rules that are inherent to people generally push certain behaviors and if someone sees a person they don't like lording it over someone else, they tend to have sympathy or at least, see an opportunity to ally or use that person who also suffers under their shared nemesis.


"The tall man beside Odda the Younger was named Steapa. Steapa Snotor, men caleld him, or Steapa the Clever... he's dumb as an ox.'"

Here we have two names. The first has the Younger attached to it to distinguish family members. The second has an 'earned' name if you will. Its one of those ironic names like John the Big when talking about a short man. Nick names and descriptors can help flesh out characters and provide some clues as to their talents, or lack of talents.


"And they say more Danish ships arrive every day. They're in Lundene, they're in the Humber, they're in the Gewaesc." He scowled. "More ships, more men and Alfred's building churches!"

Priorities vary from person to person. In the series, Alfred is often described as being fill of piety almost to the point of ignoring the reality of the situations that surround him. But, and this is an important but, belief is a powerful factor in the human make up. Even today, in the year 2011, people who worship the same god will kill each other over the smaller differences their own brand of that religion follows. This isn't something limited to Muslim killing Muslim as Christians have proven throughout history and again recently. Belief is something men find worth dying for and worth killing for.

And the other but here? In a fantasy game, that might very well be a worth while pursuit. In many fantasy settings, like the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, despite the 'lack' of the deities direct interference in the world, almost everyone knows that they are real and indeed, in certain time lines of the Forgotten Realms, not worshipping a deity is a damning process. Faith and piety go a long way in a setting where the gods are real.