Tuesday, April 10, 2007

PROJECT: MURLYND - Day 5

Vikings.

My game world wants vikings.

It does not want real-world vikings; oh no. It wants fantasy vikings. It begs for horn-helmeted, axe-waving, braid-bearded troll-hunting giant-sea-lion-fighting polar-bear-riding badass turbo vikings, like that girl in that ad for that booze whose name evades me but which I have printed out at home.

Those vikings.

Thor. Valkyries. Giant sun-swallowing wolves and the crazy hermits that worship them. Longboats. Giants. Those three-headed witches that Jeff Rients was talking about. Hairy trolls on icy mountaintops. These things and more are to be found in Frodesland, the frost-bitten savage land north of The Realm! Here, hearty, bearded men and inexplicably under-dressed women brave the everlasting winter with axe and courage, taming the frozen wilderness and ruling a kingdom of ice and blood!

And...stuff.

This idea is only kind of half-formed, but it's definitely exciting and evocative. It's a little over-the-top, but I think it's cool. And that's one of my key notions: if it's cool, in it goes.

Last night we watched The Brothers Grimm with Heath Ledger and Matt Damon. I won't spoil anything for ye who've not seen it but suffice to say that there's a cool magical axe in it, and it, combined with the spontaneous viking-esque chick I drew this morning, are spurring me on. Plus, I've been looking for a place to drop in that polar-bear-riding lass from the aforementioned hooch advert, and now's as good a time as any.

Now that I think of it, I have some loose notes about a sorceress named Invirana, The Ice-Queen. They include FUDGE stats, so conversion will be a snap.

BY THE WAY, WHAT RULES AM I WRITING FOR?
I'm not. My primary choices for fantasy gaming are HERO 5th, D6 and Tunnels & Trolls, but in my heart (where it's damp and icky) I favor D6, it being the halfway point in terms of simplicity and spontaneity-readiness. At the moment, though, I'm not creating anything with any rules in mind, on purpose.

Here's a little something for my cuate The Evil DM:


Happy Tuesday. I'm calling her Gunnhild Madsdottir. TO THE FRAY!