Songs of the Northlanders

The world around us has fallen. Ancient ruins, reminders of a past that no one remembers, dot the fractured landscape. Civilization clings to survival with shaking claws, as the chaotic wild encroaches upon it. Civilization creates a foothold, a light in the darkness. But every time the light is snuffed out and darkness crawls forth again from the depths and pushes back civilization. So it has been for as long as anyone can remember.

What is Songs of the Northlanders?

This game is a nod to games that came before it; the classics, the fantasy heartbreakers, the retro-clones, the indie revolution. This is all of that. Songs of the Northlanders is an OSR adjacent game compatible with monsters from B/X. It requires at least 3 players to play. It’s best with 5, maybe 6.  

Most of the players in this game take on the roles of characters who venture out on dangerous quests seeking gold and glory. It's about fighting monsters and getting loot. It's about trying to make it out alive. One of the players takes on the role of the Game Master (GM) who adjudicates the rules and is in charge of the overall pacing.

This is a roleplaying game. A game that will require imagination and thought. It requires that players invest in learning the rules, and interact with creative input.  It’s a hard game where the rules are meant to be used and taken advantage of. Darkness creeps up and with every invocation tries to snuff out the light that surrounds your characters. You’ll need to take your time and learn to master the system to fight back against that darkness.  

This is a game about exploration and strategy. It is a game of social graces and violent deadly combat. Gather your friends and light your torches.

Intentions

I want to share this game with the world. I've put more than a year's worth of work into it -albeit off and on again. And this thing is going to drive me crazy unless I start putting it into the hands of others. That's you!

This is a ALPHA of the current revision of the game. And it's not complete yet! It has several missing parts that I intend to add over the next few days, weeks, and months. Until it resembles complete. BUT it is ready for you to play! There's enough here for a level one campaign. 

What all is included?

This is an exploratory draft. The layout is minimal. The art is public domain or some licensed art I had laying around that didn't make it into a previous game. I hope this can be used to gauge people's interest in the game. I would LOVE to talk to you about this. I've set up a forum below. If you have questions, errata, or suggestions - let's talk.

So, what's included: 13 chapters featuring 65+ pages of content. 

• An Introduction and Character Creation
• Abilities, Measures & Saves
• Skills
• Traits
• Venturing Forth
• Exploration
• Combat
• Magic & Spells
• Ritual & Prayer
• Camp
• Advancement
• Inventory & Gear
• Sailing the Whale-Road

The play aides included are:

• Two-page physical Character Sheet for at-home printing
• A digital google sheets Character Sheet for online play. 

What is Missing?

Quite a lot really. Songs of the Northlanders is missing

• Seasons
• Town
• Conditions & Recovery
• and more...

What's the Price for?

The $3.99 tells me you're interested in becoming part of the playtest. You get all the chapters listed above and all additional chapters as they release over the next few weeks and months. 

You also get a PDF copy of the final game once it's released!

This early intro price is now only. The final PDF will NOT be $2. And as more chapters release the price will increase as well. 

 Format

Each chapter is uploaded as an individual file. This way if you wish to share the character creation file with your players you can. Or if one player is playing a magic-user you can share that file with them. Or if you're not playing with the magic-user, you don't have to worry about downloading or printing that chapter. 

Also, this will make it easier as I make corrections to update the individual chapters quicker, without having to wade through the entire game.

I can't wait to play and discuss this game with you. 

All art is public domain or by William McAusland, used with permission.