Feedback is a gift! Feel free to let me know what works for you and where you see room for improvement.
We know there are some niggles with page numbers and Old Norse characters, but didn't want to hold up getting this in your hands. We'll be fine-tuning as we complete the second half of the layouts.
The Backerkit will go out shortly. Make sure to keep an eye out for it so we can lock down add-ons and extras.
As well as editing, I'm heads down making sure there is a full campaign ready for launch. Here is a map to help set the stage, hot off the press. Or, should I say cold...
Enjoy your Turkey, the World Cup, or early Yule shopping! More from us soon!
Best,
ISS
Nobody Dies in Hjálpmakaar AND Last Chance to be a Saga Hero!
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, Oct 25, 2022 at 12:28:54 AM
Hello!
We are progressing nicely through our Kickstarter stretch goals. I just received some of the inks for the first adventure, Nobody Dies in Hjálpmakaar, that will be included with the rule book.
As citizens of Hjálpmakaar, the player characters will be drawn into some uniquely Norse drama involving Ísbjörn, holmgang and er...cliff jumping (who doesn't enjoy a nice Ættarstapi?). If they succeed, they will forge the bonds of friendship and honour they need to carry them on to even greater adventures (I've now finished six).
And if they fail? Well, let’s just say the title of the adventure is aspirational…
NOT ONLY BUT ALSO: before I sign off, it is my sworn duty as a loyal Thingman to remind you there are just 65 hours to support Althingi - Saga Heroes! Give the link a click and get ready for Blood Feuds!
Saga Heroes and Pre-Orders!
almost 2 years ago
– Wed, Sep 28, 2022 at 03:28:07 AM
Hello!
Lots of news today.
Firstly, a big thanks to everyone who visited us at Capital City Comic Con. We sold out of all our stock and had a blast doing it!
Thirdly, the Outland team and I have been proof-reading PDFs, so we can send you all more rules pages soon. Just today, I also received the first few inked pages of the new comic.
Fourthly, my partner-in-glœpaverk, Josh Gillingham (pictured, center, next to yours truly in the helmet) just launched his own Kickstarter for Althingi Saga Heroes:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshuagillingham/althingi-saga-heroes. It's an amazing expansion from an inspiring creator, so give it a click. Scroll down below the picture to read the whole press release.
And lastly, but not leastly, I'm also keeping a close eye on the work ofJason Duff, whose new universal RPG system is coming out soon. Jason backed this project to the hilt, and so helping him spread the word is the drengr thing to do. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroes-and-hardships/heroes-and-hardships-core-rulebook
Capital City Comic Con!
Vancouver Island board game designer and author Joshua Gillingham is ready to bring another thrilling Viking project to the board game table, this time the first official expansion to his debut release Althingi: One Will Rise (Outland Entertainment, 2021) which takes players back to life in Viking Age Iceland. The Althingi: Saga Heroes (2022) expansion introduces ten new characters drawn straight from the historical Norse sagas, as well as a new feuding mechanic for settling scores with rivals and kinship cards which provide players secret goals to achieve throughout the game for extra end-game points.
"I really enjoy the challenge of designing a game which takes place within a historical setting," Gillingham says, "Mechanically, it is restricting in some ways, but also provides such a rich cultural backdrop for players to engage with and immerse themselves in. The base game is light and approachable - this expansion really deepens the strategic experience."
Gillingham's board game debut was hailed by hosts of Saga Thing, a podcast series which The Northman director Robert Eggers credited as his first stop when drafting the summer blockbuster's script, as an essential game for anyone interested in experiencing Icelandic history. Other highlights have included his work being featured at the Jorvik Viking Museum in the UK, and taking part in IceCon 2021 in Reykjavík as a guest speaker alongside Icelandic authors and game designers.
Saga Heroes builds on the success of two previous projects set in the Althingi universe, both the original board game and an anthology of fiction inspired by the base game characters titled Althingi: The Crescent & the Northern Star (Outland Entertainment, 2021). A brand new game from Gillingham set in the Althingi universe titled Shield Wall is slated for release through Outland Entertainment in Fall 2023; this two-player game is inspired by the iconic shield wall tactics used by Vikings both in battle and during raids. A concurrent novelization project centering around one of the characters from the base game is also in the final stages of development; written by Kaitlin Felix, author of The Seeing Trees, Ran's Daughters (Spring 2023) tells the tale of an all-female crew of Viking traders fighting to survive in world ruled by violent men and treacherous seas.
"Not everyone gets to see their Kickstarter funded or their game published. Seeing my game featured at GenCon in Indianapolis and attending SHUX in Vancouver this year were both bucket-list items for me. The anthology, Kaitlin's work on the novelization, and another brand new upcoming game are all things I could have never expected when I first set out to design a game set in Viking Age Iceland. I am continually blown away by the response to these projects and I'm so excited to see what other new adventures this all might lead to."
Althingi: Saga Heroes launches on Kickstarter on September 27th, 2022 and runs until October 18th. For media inquiries please contact Joshua at [email protected].
Tvímánuður already?!
about 2 years ago
– Wed, Sep 07, 2022 at 03:49:17 PM
Hello!
I hope everyone enjoyed the rest of their summer.
I hunkered down in a little known spot called Heimsslit, which is lovely except for wandering ísbjörn and the occasional draugr. Which is to say, I am nearing completion of the five adventures you helped Kickstart!
They are all drafted, and ready to a playtest in the coming weeks around my own gaming table.
Here are the provisional titles:
Nobody Dies in Hjálpmakaar
The Ghost Signal
Finnbogi's Wake
Horror of Fangstone Mine
Bloodbath at Roðrekr's Drift
More soon! Flight attendants, prepare gunwales for departure and cross check.
Sjáliðar, búið byrðinga fyrir siglingu ok gætit at.
Best,
ISS
Inconceivable! Óhugsandi!
about 2 years ago
– Fri, Aug 12, 2022 at 10:56:13 AM
Hello!
At the start of this campaign, I worried that quoting "there will seem too few when the wolf comes" would seem devastatingly ironic by the end. Turns out Óðinn has a fighting chance after all!
I am truly overwhelmed by the flood-tide that arrived over the course of the campaign, especially in the past few days. Not so overwhelmed that I am lost for words, mind you. This Kickstarter acceptance speech might go on a bit - feel free to strike up the lurs and drums to remind me to wind up.
There are an awful lot of people to thank, and hope I catch everyone!
Schoolboy chums, who backed this 35 years after I DMed our last game. Former colleagues who came out of Facebook retirement even after I dressed them up as a barbarian on live TV. Strangers from across the seas who spent time and effort helping hone this campaign out of sheer kindness. Social media followers who endured 30 days of advertising. Authors, gamers, journalists, streamers, podcasters and bloggers who provided vital validation, with a special mention for Paco @gmsmagazine who is a perpetual motion engine (you can stop now!) and Joshua Gillingham, the best merkismaðr in the business. The Shadow cultists who leapt to help with Discord. My publisher Jeremy and his Outland team for always being first in the shield wall. The team at Roll20 for supporting a game in its infancy. Darren Pearce, who has the eyes of Heimdallr and can hear grass grow. Ger and Paul, who have earned the comparisons with Kirby with their amazing interpretation of the Vikingverse. My own three Norns - my mother, who backs every campaign; my wife, who supports me in all things with her weaving; and my daughter, who epitomizes drive and determination. The 625 backers (!) - some new friends, some veterans of many campaigns, whose comments were the Mead of Poetry. And, of course, to Rob Schwalb, for his resilience and genius.
You are all stjǫrnudupt.
But top of the list is the gang of kids who rekindled my love of RPGs. Just about every week for 3 years, rain or shine, pandemic or plague, my son and his friends have delivered laughter, critical fails and feats of imagination worthy of the gods. Without their enthusiasm, energy, excitement and rules lawyering, When the Wolf Comes would simply not exist.
This one is dedicated to them.
I shall be in touch in the next few days with more details and answers to questions!
