Trolltendsaga: Norse Fantasy (anti-racist)
Dungeon Crawl Classics | Campaign
About the adventure
Shall you visit a flame-wreathed isle at the twilight of the waking world and stir a barrow-wight to steal his famed, cursed sword from the fiery jaws of the Underworld? Shall your dragon-ship ply the whale-ways, then slip the curling grasp of the Kraken only to crash on an ancient shore where all knowledge comes at the dearest of prices? Shall you seek the Hall of the Mountain King to recover the Jarl's child stolen by night, only to find the child gifted new powers and unwilling to go back? Tolkien, Bengtsson, even Eggers are pretty good ways of interacting with the Norse sagas without getting gross about it. They really drive home the universal experience of those stories, how they have something to say about the human condition. If you read "Hervarar saga og Heiðreks", even, you can even get the impression that Hervǫr's actions show how gender is a performance, and that masculinity is not the sole domain of men. All describing a person that lived a thousand, perhaps even fifteen hundred years ago, depending on who you ask. She is one of the big influences on Eowyn's character in LOTR. I'm gonna work on an English translation to make that story more widely-known, because it should be! Anyway, I want to explore this genre of story with some folks interested in exploring those themes in a loosely historical/mythical setting. I'll do this old school, so the world is pretty open-ended and allows your character to accomplish what they want. Think Mount and Blade Viking Conquest in terms of your ability to influence politics and the wider world. Please feel free to do your own research, because I love to incorporate someone else's expertise, old school games like DCC RPG are really great at doing that. So grab your Ulfberht sword, don your spangenhelm and cinch your belt pouch of silver Arab dirhams and see what the wider world has in store!
Lvl 0 or 1 Am willing to convert your 5e character to this rule system (no shenanigans)
5.0
(6)
3 years on StartPlaying
Highly rated for: Inclusive, Knows the Rules, Creativity
Game Master Reviews (6)
Proficiencies
Players say this GM is great at:
Inclusive
Knows the Rules
Creativity
M
Very welcoming and able to answer questions as they come up. Willing to joke and make light with players in a way that feels accepting but doesn't ruin the mood.
Andrew
I had a really great time playing with Garraque! This GM knows how to run an engaging and all-around fun game with lots of laughs. Our game had a mix of players who were more serious and players who just wanted a fun time, and Garraque did a great job accommodating both. As a relatively inexperienced player, I really appreciated that he made things very accessible and didn't let the technicalities break the immersion of the gameplay, while still answering all of our questions!
Splendid
Worked with each new player to ensure they understood the game comfortably before starting and had a character whose build matched the concept they had in mind for maximum fun during play.
Selena
John is a GM who knows how to expect the unexpected, who has such a cool and never judgmental grip on his campaigns that now I can’t imagine playing with anyone else. Perfect for beginners and veterans alike!
Caspian
Very friendly to both new and experienced players, knowledgeable about the rules of D&D 5E, good at maintaining a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Patrick
It is always wonderful to have somebody who not only knows the game and mechanisms inside and out, but who also knows the level of the audience. I thought this was a great DM/GM for either beginning or advanced players, and good DMs like this one have been pivotal in getting me more interested in tabletop gaming. Garraque LIVES for this, from what I can tell. This is "his thing;" this is when he shines and is absolutely in his element. This GM is great at world-building. I am a super-auditory person, and my visual memory and conceptual skills are trash. I was worried about the world-building, layouts, and visual details, but it ended up being a breeze, even with dimensions of settings and spells/attacks in forests, castles, buildings, etc. A lot of times, people feel discouraged or like they are lost or will not contribute when they start a new game for the first time, but Garraque is like the art teacher who gets you to relax and pick up the paintbrush without having a panic attack, because you really can do it and have a blast. The only thing that's stopping you are your friends flaking out. 10/10 would recommend and commission again, especially for multilingual players, newcomers, and anybody who feels like they do not have a safe space yet.
Additional details
How to prepare
Honestly, just a Discord and a good mic. Owlbear Rodeo VTT uses a pretty pared-down system, meaning it will run seamlessly on your phone browser if you need it to (something I have wanted Roll20 to do for years). Definitely check out the quickstart rules here: https://goodman-games.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DCC_QSR_Free.pdf.
What I provide
So we have an overworld map and another player group that I run for has already named their village and will be doing their doings in the world, alongside any other groups I run in this world! You may encounter their actions! You are but a small part of a much wider world.... The big part of old school is that it is less about rules, and more about rulings. The more wargaming aspects of old school roleplaying games means that the rules are more hands-off to allow you to simulate more situations. That way, you can immerse yourself in the experience and let your imagination dictate what you want your character to do. If you have a smart solution to a problem, I want you to implement it so your real world knowledge has an application in our imagined one. I'll definitely be doing something with runes, which means puzzles will probably be rune-based. If you were the kind of kid like me back in middle school who wrote
Gameplay details
I've been judging games for a bunch of different organized play groups such that I have a facility for steering players away from interpersonal conflict and towards an affirming gameplay experience - if you come to my table, I take it as a matter of ethics to make sure you feel you have a place here and will be heard. Old School games like DCC RPG emphasize player agency more than modern games, I think, which definitely helps to make sure you have the experience at the table that you want. At the IRL bar/game venue I usually play at, we keep an open table and regularly accomodate a wide range of people.
Content warnings
• Alcohol Use
• Character Death
• Classism
• Cults
• Deep or Large Bodies of Water
• Devils / Demons / Fiends
• Hostages
• Illness
• Medical Issues
• Misogyny
• Violence
Safety tools used
• Session 0
• X, N, and O Cards
How will character creation work
DCC RPG is really easy to make characters for. You have many fewer options in creating a character, but that helps you develop the skill of playing character concepts you might not have chosen, which makes you a much more capable player. If you're not familiar with the rules, that's perfectly fine, check them out here: https://goodman-games.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DCC_QSR_Free.pdf. Do note that rules can be explained at the table, and prior knowledge of the rules is not necessary to enjoy the game.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
High
Roleplay
High
Puzzles
Medium
Experience level
Beginner
Platforms used
• Discord
• Owlbear Rodeo
$25.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Monday - 11:00 PM UTC
3-4 Hour duration
0 / 6 Seats filled
Requirements
Experience required: Beginner
Age: 18+