Viking

Viking is a setting or subgenre placed directly or inspired by the seafaring Scandinavian people of the Viking Age, from about 800-1050 in the Middle Ages. The Norse people during this time sailed to, raided, pirated, traded with, and settled among people all throughout Europe, and even as far as North Africa and North America! It might also refer to media that prominently features Norse and Icelandic mythology. The focus, appropriately enough, is usually on the Viking raiders, the class of warriors and sailors who attacked, robbed, and pillaged what ships and settlements they could during this era. In tabletop roleplaying games, seafaring travel (often colored with a fantastical lens of gods and monsters), warfare and raiding is an exciting topic for a game, so it's no surprise that quite a few games pick up a Viking theme. Norse mythology and its gods like Odin, Thor, Loki, and Hel are also quite popular, and they or gods based on them often appear in Viking RPGs. These games cast players as the hardened raiders facing the brutal storms and seas, the wrath of the gods, monsters of ancient lore, and the warriors who stand against their raids and conquest.