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PZiviani

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  1. I came into contact with Greg’s creations a long time before I ever met him. When I discovered Pendragon, still in high school, I was stunned by its innovative approach to roleplaying and the masterful way in which the game adapts the Arthurian legends into a game that is exciting and easy to play while still being epic in scope. Although I never really became a big Glorantha gamer, the RQ/BRP rules system in its many flavors has always been my favorite system, and I always enjoyed hearing the stories about Glorantha and other people’s RQ and HQ campaigns set in that wonderfully unique world. RuneQuest Vikings, by Greg and Sandy, was what inspired me to write Mythic Iceland. There would never be a Mythic Iceland, and I would never have gone into writing for the gaming industry, without Greg’s work. From the first time I met Greg at one of the Tentacles conventions in Germany, I was struck by how friendly and approachable he was, always very generous with his time and willing to list and talk to anyone. I met him many more times in convention over the years, a few Tentacles, then The Kraken and then GenCon. We spoke many times, about so many things, from games to dogs to food and so much more, and it was always a pleasure him to sit down with him and hear his thoughts on just about anything. Two years ago, Greg and his wife Suzanne visited Iceland and came to my house for lunch on the last day of their visit, and I drove them to the airport after. Always their warm and charming selves, Greg and Suzanne shared a few great stories over lunch and Greg was kind enough to sign a few books form my collection. I will always cherish the memory of that day. I last met Greg two months ago at GenCon. Even though the Chaosium booth was always super busy, Greg took time to talk to me, to tell me about how he was excited to hear about the work I have been doing for Chaosium recently, and he made me feel so welcome as part of the Chaosium family. His passing has struck me with tremendous sadness. My thoughts are with Suzanne and the family. Thank you, Greg, for being so nice and warm with me always, and for all you have created and so generously shared with all of us.
  2. The Mythic Iceland 2nd ed. manuscript has indeed been handed over to Chaosium and it’s now going through editing and art direction. It’s been wonderful to be given the chance to work on this new edition and to improve on the original book. I’m very excited about Mythic Iceland 2n ed. being standalone game, and about all the new content that I have used in my own games over the years and I am now able to share with everyone else. Below is a brief summary of what’s new. Complete rules included, based on new RuneQuest rules (with many changes). More character creation options, many examples included. Completely reworked god allegiance system - more options, more flavor, more cool powers, and easier to use. Rune Magic system has been streamlined while keeping all the flexibility from the previous edition. New Seiður Magic system that is simple yet deep, and based on how seiður (a form of shamanism) appears in the Icelandic Sagas. It's got a very distinct flavor from rune magic. New rules for ship handling and naval chases. New rules for repairing damaged weapons and damaged ships. New rules for running a Viking raid from begining to end, based on risk/reward balance, includes tables for loot, opposition, and town design. Two new adventures included - First adventure is heavy on the mythical and follows a scripted design. Second adventure is a murder mystery sandbox that plays like a tragic Viking Saga story featuring greed, love, and death. A set of ready-to-play characters so you can get gaming right away. Lots of rule tweaks and added setting details. No chapter was left untouched.
  3. I have been busy working on a Mythic Iceland Companion book that will contain three new adventures as well as new rules and new setting detail. It's hard to say when it's going to come out, but I'm trying to finish the manuscript this year, so it will probably get published by Chaosium some time in 2015. Another project I have been working on is a long campaign book for Mythic Iceland that will take the player characters to a few different countries in the Viking world. It's a tale of intrigue and tragedy in the style of the best of the old Icelandic Sagas, which should span at least a dozen game sessions. The campaign is completely fleshed out at this point, and I'm working now on turning my chaotic pile of notes into a coherent text.
  4. I just learned that my book Mythic Iceland has been nominated in the Best Setting category at this year's ENnie Awards! Voting begins next week. 2013 ENnie Awards Nominees | ENnie Awards
  5. What soltakss said is basically correct. The dreki was less well-suited to crossing the open ocean, so it would have been a rare sight in Iceland. Still, it was definitely capable of making the crossing between Iceland and the lands to the south, even if it meant a more difficult journey, and a penalty to the Pilot Boat skill roll. It was mainly aboard the knörr that Icelanders traveled back and forth to Scandinavia to seek fame and fortune, not only because of it being better suited for ocean travelling, but also because of its cargo capacity. Icelanders did a lot of trade at Scandinavian ports, taking with them vaðmal, dairy products, pelts, other animal products such as narwhal tusks (which were often sold as 'unicorn horns', thus reinforcing the idea of Iceland being a magical land), and more. So even when planning to go south to raid, it would have made sense for Icelanders to use a knörr so they could take with them as much cargo for trade as possible, and then they would seek to join a Viking expedition from Norway, Denmark or other Norse settlement. If in your scenario or campaign, however, it makes sense that the player characters just want get on with the raiding, and are not concerned with trade, it would be perfectly fine for them to travel from Iceland on a dreki. You could make their departure a special scene in the game, with people having traveled from afar to come catch the rare sight a departing warship, and the player character get complimented by some for their bravery, and warned by others to make sure they sacrifice to Thor before they set sail in such a perilous journey.
  6. I'm proud to announce that Mythic Iceland won Diehard GameFAN’s 2012 Tabletop Gaming Award for Best Campaign Setting! Diehard GameFAN | Diehard GameFAN’s 2012 Tabletop Gaming Awards!
  7. The color map can be downloaded for free from Chaosium, even if you don't buy Mythic Iceland via their website.
  8. A Cold Death, a Mythic Iceland scenario by Mark Morrison (co-author of Chaosium's Horror on the Orient Express), is now out as a FREE download. You can grab it via the link below. A Cold Death Chaosium Inc.
  9. The content is basically the same on both the GenCon 2011 pre-publication edition and the current incarnation of Mythic Iceland, save for some layout changes and a few typos having been corrected. Also, the new edition has got a beautiful new cover, and a color fold-out map.
  10. Alex Lucard over at Diehard GameFan has written an in-depth (and positive!) review of Mythic Iceland: Diehard GameFAN | Tabletop Review: Mythic Iceland (Chaosium Basic Roleplaying/Cthulhu Dark Ages)
  11. The Mythic Iceland character sheet is now available as a free download from Basic Roleplaying Central: Mythic Iceland character sheet - Downloads - Basic Roleplaying Central
  12. 434 downloads

    Complete, 2-page, character sheet for BRP Mythic Iceland. (fillable and savable) UPDATE 12 Aug 2012: Fixed saving form data
  13. I will be there, and will be running a game of Mythic Iceland.
  14. Rune Magic is covered in great detail in Mythic Iceland, with a new and very flexible magic system based on how rune magic is described in the Sagas. Spá magic is covered in two ways; there are rules for player characters to introduce their own prophecies to the game, and there is also guidance on how the GM might make use of a völva (seeress) as a NPC who introduces important clues about the future. Seiðr is not covered.
  15. After "purchasing" the free pdf of the scenario on the Chaosium website, you need to go into your account page, by clicking on the "My Account" link at the top, and then click on "My Downloads" link at the bottom of your account page. You should then see a page that shows you all of your available downloads, of all the pdf products you have purchased in the past.
  16. Here is the table of contents from Mythic Iceland: Introduction - History of Mythic Iceland - Character Creation - Life in Saga-Age Iceland - Law and Government - Norse Religion - Magic in Mythic Iceland - A Traveler’s Guide to Mythic Iceland - Elves and the Hidden People - Álfheimur, The World of the Elves - The Lands to the West - The Wide World - Going Viking - Running a Game of Mythic Iceland - Creatures of Mythic Iceland - Sample Scenario: The Trouble with Neighbors - Cthulhu Dark Ages Iceland - Cthulhu Dark Ages Scenario - Bibliography - Fold-Out Map.
  17. There's also The Night of the Yule Cat, a holiday-themed scenario for Mythic Iceland, which is a free pdf download.
  18. Mythic Iceland is available now in pdf format. The printed book should be available next month, in January 2012. The creature in the cover is the King of Bears, from Icelandic fairy tales, and is one of around 30 new creatures described in the book. The myth goes that the King of Bears rules over a colony of intelligent polar bears located in the Central High Lands of Iceland. The horn of the creature is magical, and can light up so that the king can guide the other polar bears in the darkness of winter.
  19. Here is a review of the GenCon pre-publication edition of Mythic Iceland: http://www.wexogo.com/2011/08/mythic-iceland-review-brp/
  20. The bestiary chapter of Mythic Iceland contains 21 new creatures from Icelandic fairy-tales and Norse legend. There are also nine new creatures from Greenland and North America based on the native folklore, and a few new monsters for Cthulhu Dark Ages scenarios based in Viking Age Iceland.
  21. Mythic Iceland has been announced for August/September 2011! http://www.chaosium.com/article.php?story_id=490 When I submitted the text to Chaosium I didn't realise that the book was going to end up being this large - over 300 pages! I am very pleased with Chaosium's work on the layout and with the art they have selected for the book. Btw, this is not the final version of the cover image. I have requested that the artist make a few changes, like removing the horns from the helmet that the Viking man is wearing. I like this image a lot overall, it's supposed to be Raven-Floki, the first Norseman to deliberately sail to Iceland, at the very moment that the stories say he named the country, after climbing up a mountain and looking down a fjord and seeing so much ice and no people or farms.
  22. Mythic Iceland was submitted to Chaosium in June 2010. I have seen some of the art that Chaosium has chosen for the book, and I'm very happy with what I have seen so far. I don't have a publication date yet, but it's looking like there is a good chance that the book will be out some time in the second half of 2011.
  23. The Kraken was a great convention, and I really enjoyed having the extra number of days to enjoy all the games on offer and to be able to chat with all the attendees. My Mythic Iceland game session was really good fun, and I'd like to thank all the players for their enthusiastic participation!
  24. I had a meeting with Meghan from Chaosium last week to go over layout and art for the book. Mythic Iceland is going to be published as a BRP supplement, and not as a monograph. There is no set date for publication yet, as it has only started going through editing and layout, but I hope to see the book hit to printers some time in the first half of 2011.
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