Character Creation: Fate of the Norns Ragnorak

I actually have a stack of RPGs to read as possibilities for the next thing I'm running (since Night's Black Agents wound up the other day), and this isn't one of them, but I've been reading it, and well, it's a cool game. Here we go!

The Game: Fate of the Norns - Ragnorak
The Publisher: Pendelhaven
Degree of Familiarity: Some, but not a lot. I played it once at GenCon like 5 years ago, and it was a lot of fun
Books Required: Just the one, plus a bag o' runes.

This is one of those games that I can't run with any of my current groups, not because the system is complicated, but because it requires a level and type of engagement from the players that I'm not gonna get. This makes me sad sometime, but I own something like 650 different RPGs, so I definitely have enough stuff to run. Anydangway, let's make a dweller (PCs are "dwellers," NPCs are "denizens").

Step One is level; the GM (or "Norn", in this case) decides how many levels everyone starts with. "Level" in this context isn't like it is in D&D or similar games, in which every time you level up you get a bunch more stuff. Really, the number of levels is a chunk of points I get to split between Destiny and Essence, my two main traits. The example characters start with 20, while the sample adventure in the back has characters starting with 9. I'll go with 9, since if I ever run this game, I'm likely to use the adventure in the book.

As part of this step, I decide on my Essence and Destiny. The resolution system in this game is all about runes; you draw runes out of your bag and place them on a player mat depending on what you're doing and how. You draw runes equal to your Destiny when you Wyrd (that is, draw runes), but you know runes equal to your Essence. So if you want to have a lot of variety but not be terribly predictable, you prioritize Essence, but if you want to be strong and specific, you prioritize Destiny.

I think that I shall prioritize Essence, because I like variety. Destiny costs 2 levels per point, Essence is one-for-one. I'll go 5 Essence, 2 Destiny.

Step Two doesn't apply; it's for adding upgrades based on characters that have died and gone to Valhalla or Glassivellir.

Step Three is where things get interesting; I have to draw runes from a bag, which I have. I draw runes equal to my Essence, which is 5. Here's what I get:

It's hard to tell in that photo, but the dots below the runes are blue, green, blue, green, green. No red at all. Hrm.

There are random tables that dictate things like personality, motivation and ambition, social standing, social connections, and name. That's 5 tables, and I've got 5 runes, so fuck it, let's see if I get a good combination.

The Isaice rune (first on the left) translates to "Strategic" as personality. I can get behind that. The next one, Wunjo, is "addiction" for motivation and ambition. I dunno, I'm not crazy about that one. Eihwas (middle rune) gives me a motivation of "Independence," and that sounds better. The Wunjo applied to social standing gives me Emissary of a Demi-God holy shit yes. I work for a Son of Muspel (fuck the Aesir) and I get good gear and 800 skatt a month. Nice. I get a spectacular weapon of my choice; I need to look at what's available.

Next is social connections. The Raidho rune gives me an Angel of Death, who prepares the dead for their last journey, and given that I want to send the glorious dead to Glassivellir, that seems good. Her name is Asta.

My dweller's name is Ragna, using the Gebgift rune to find it, and that's fine by me.

Step Four is choosing an archetype. Hrmm. I like the Ulfhednar a lot, but they seem a little more physical than me. Ah, screw it. I'll do that, and I'll be an Eater of Eyes (eating the eyes of an enemy can help regain my Essence). That means my Void rune is Physical (good, that means that's my only one!), the associated Passive is Sadist (my first attack in a round can blind someone), my Active is Eye Rake (again, I go for the eyes), and my Skill is Feather Fingers (sleight of hand). Groovy!

OK, this next part is cool, but weird. There are three grids: Passive, Active, and Skills. I get to bind one of my five runes to each grid. Here's the first one:

So I start from the center, and I can choose adjacent powers. I can go, say, up (Power Attack) and then left (Precision Attack), but I can't start from Precision Attack because it's diagonal. Hang on, this'll take a minute.

Well, it's really hard for me not to take Blood-Wolf Form, since that turns me into a giant goddamn wolf. I'll go one right, too, and take Mauling. I really want Howl, Blood Fang, so I have to take Flanking Attack to get to it. Oh, and um, Cleansing Attack, yes goddamn please...oh, wait, can't take that, it's diagonal. Cleansing Block, then.

Cool! Now Passives, same drill. Oh, Tactician makes sense. I'll take Martial Prowess, so that I can fight even if I'm not a wolf. Oh, Cerebral Warrior, yes please. Also Spirit Warrior. Those let me use Spiritual and Mental runes to use certain weapons, and that's just smart. And I'll take Combat Awareness; I have 360 degree awareness in battle. Seems useful.

And now Skills! Perception, definitely. I'd normally take Athletics, but I don't have any physical runes so I'll let that go. I will take Sneak, though. Verbal Manipulation, sure, why not. Animal Empathy seems appropriate, all things considered. And, finally...Sense Motive. Seems good for a tactician.

Step Six is buying equipment. I've got a bunch of stuff, and I don't much care about shopping, but I do want to figure out my weapon. I'll take a battle axe, and add one to DF (damage factor).

And that's it, actually! I'll say that Ragna has been an Eater of Eyes for some time, and found a body of a dead warrior who had been claimed for the Sons of Muspel. He ate the fellow's eyes, and was immediately confronted by Asta, the Angel of Death, and a Son of Muspel. Ragna made a deal with the Sons of Muspel to serve them faithfully, and to share his bounty of eyes (knowledge and so on) with them, in exchange for his life and forgiving the sin of grave robbing. Ragna really wants to be free of that arrangement and live his own life, and so he approaches his life like he does his battles - tactically.

Ragna is slight of build, lean and hungry, but he's quite strong enough to use the momentum of his axe to his advantage. And, of course, if he really needs to get busy he can just turn into a damn wolf. Ragna's black hair has gotten a reddish sheen since he took up with the Son of Muspel, and his eyes have become yellow-green, life a wolf's.