Fate of the Norns

Not to be confused with Fate of the Norns.

Fate of the Norns

Fate of the Norns 2e as published by Pendelhaven in 1996. Illustration by Arthur Rackham, 1993.
Designers	Andrew Valkauskas
Publishers	Pendelhaven
Publication	1996
Genres	Fantasy
Systems	Rune Tiles; 2d10 percentile

Fate of the Norns is a viking fantasy role-playing game first published in 1996 by Pendelhaven, created by Andrew Valkauskas. It was notable for its original experience point system and afterlife mechanics rooted deeply in Viking mythology. With every new version, it pushed the limits of what can be done in a table-top RPG.

History

Fate of the Norns- first edition

(1993-2000) FOTN achieved viral internet distribution in the late 90's via a free demo pdf. This pdf was a pruned down version of the full game. The game brought about a wide and colorful breath of magic and occupations- 6 types of distinct magic (independent systems), and over 35 occupations. The timing system in the game was also unique in the industry, assigning speed factors for every action, and staggering all actions based on those segment offsets.

Fate of the Norns- second edition

(2001-2004) FOTN implemented an evolution of the game engine incorporating RPG industry trends. With the advent of MMORPGs and combat evolving into more than a roll-to-hit and roll-for-damage model, the game engine incorporated a myriad of special maneuvers, allowing players a colorful repertoire of actions during combat. This eliminated the classic RPG combat grind. The character progression was changed from linear to distributed. Rather than using a linear skill tree, the character skills would evolve over several "chess boards" of skills and abilities.

Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok

(2005-present) FOTN:R was a completely new departure for both the setting and the mechanics. The game takes place during the final war between the gods and the giants, allowing players to play supernatural beings such as Einherjar and Valkyries. The game system is also unique in the industry, since it does away with dice and uses Norse runes as play mechanics.

Distribution

Fate of the Norns first edition was sold via the official web site, but all future editions are now distributed via online 3rd party vendors.

Reception

The first edition 290 page book was well received for its content and game mechanics, but presentation was rated as poor.

The second edition and the Ragnarok versions haven't had any mainstream reviews to date.

External links

• Pendelhaven official site