Age of Vikings: Core Rulebook is a full-fledged, standalone role-playing game, rooted in the rich Norse and Icelandic saga tradition, and built on Chaosium’s venerable Basic Roleplaying (BRP) system.
I am an avid fan of the Icelandic Sagas and gladly admit that every time I hear someone mention a game based on this medieval literature, I get instantly excited. The same applied when I learned that Chaosium planned to make a new edition of the Mythic Iceland RPG, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the game.
This is a role-playing game that transports you to medieval Iceland — “a vibrant land on the edge of the known world,” according to the publisher — where players become saga-heroes, vying for honour, reputation, and legacy. Pedro Ziviani (also the author of Mythic Iceland) remains deeply invested in both the historical and mythic aspects of this milieu in this edition, where the hidden mythical creatures, like the hidden people, are just as much a part of the setting as your player character.
If you are, like me, a fan of Viking RPGs, this is a game you should check out. Want to know why? Then keep reading.
Setting & Theme
One of the greatest strengths of Age of Vikings is its evocative and immersive portrayal of Iceland during the Viking Age. The text doesn’t rely solely on generic “Viking fantasy” tropes; instead, it emphasizes the interplay between saga-style honour culture, seafaring life, legal assemblies (the Alþing), wild nature, and the borderland of myth. From the product description:
This combination of the real and the fantastic is, in my opinion, one of the things that elevates the book. Historical Icelandic issues are given mechanical life; at the same time, the mystical elements (like runes, seiðr, the Hidden People) are woven in, so the setting starts to feel like a saga coming alive, where your character might even meet Egill Skallagrimsson or Njall Bergthorsson, whilst tackling problems caused by intermingling with the hidden people.
For a group wanting to evoke sagas, this book nails the tone. The sections on ships and raiding, in particular, are nice and make the game feel more authentic to the source material. Of course, you could also find similar rules in the older edition, but these have been updated nicely in accordance with the current BRP system. Also, having rules fore naval combats makes it all the more useful, should you wish to stay as true as possible to the sagas.
On the flip side: if your group expects high-fantasy magic with grand spells and dragons, or if you want a Vikings slash fantasy romp full of wizards and dragons, this might not fully satisfy; the focus stays firmly grounded in saga-mode. That’s not a flaw per se, but it’s worth knowing your tone. You can certainly have powerful rune masters or users of Seiðr, but neither are as grand in their magic use as your average D&D spellcaster.
Mechanics & Rules System
Age of Vikings uses the Basic Roleplaying engine, which many will recognize from other Chaosium titles. This means it’s a percentile-based system with conflict resolution via rolling under a target number. For players and GMs already familiar with BRP, this is a huge strength, since you can jump in quickly. Also, this is a system that has decades of refinement behind it of some of the world’s leading game developers.
Hero Creation & Passions
The hero creation rules in Age of Vikings is neatly designed and so much fun. The book includes Passions (motivations, emotional stakes), family history, Icelandic nicknames, in fact, everything that emphasize social and narrative identity, not just choose-a-class, choose-your-gear. For a saga-style game this is crucial: the hero’s place in the family, their name and reputation, their network of relations all matter and can come into play.
Conflict, Skills, and Combat
Because BRP is a tried-and-tested system, you get familiar features: skills, conflict resolution, combat rules. The question is how well they’re adapted to the context and something that I tend to dread. Sometimes settings are shoe horned into fitting a game engine and often these feel forced, in other words, all systems do no fit all settings.
This is not so in Age of Vikings. Ziviani has done a great job tailoring BRP for this game, choosing the mechanics that suit the game and leaving out what is not needed. This makes Age of Vikings feel like its own game, instead of being a subsidiary of BRP.
One potential caveat: BRP is generic, and some groups may feel it lacks the crunch or “character differentiation” of more modern systems with class/archetype/feat systems, or in plain RPG-speak, you might not find it as easy to create builds or powerplay. Age of Vikings embraces the BRP’s strengths (simplicity, narrative flow) while adding flavor for the setting. If you prefer levels and using builds, you might want to focus on other systems.
Magic & Mythic Elements
The inclusion of rune-magic and seiðr is a big plus: it gives mythic flavor that complements the saga feel rather than turning it into full-tilt fantasy. The book contains a guide to magic, with rules for combining runes, etc. The challenge with such systems is always to strike a balance: magic must feel special and evocative, not overpowered or unaligned with the setting.
I love how this is done in Age of Vikings, and after playing many game, this really is in line with how I read and understand the Sagas. I’ve had players that used the magic sparsely and with utmost care, but also player who spent all their magic points on a single super-powerful spell, rendering them helpless for the remainder of the scene.
Production Values & Layout
Chaosium’s reputation for good production shows here. The cover art is by Ossi Hiekkala and the interior art credits list a variety of talented illustrators. The book is over 300 pages long but is easy to browse and read. The presence of downloadable extras (map of Iceland, blank character sheets, pregens) rounds out the package, not to mention a free downloadable module.
Visually and physically the book makes a statement: this is a premium product. That said, premium often comes with a premium price (the core book lists around $59.99 for the hardcover). That may be a consideration for smaller budgets (you can, of course, buy the PDF at a lower price). However, for the value you receive; full setting, rules, bestiary, introductory adventure; it seems justified.
Why I like Age of Vikings
In the landscape of Viking-era and saga-inspired RPGs, Age of Vikings stands out significantly. It takes the essence of Icelandic saga culture and gives it a fully-realized game system, rich setting detail, and solid production values. It is, in my view, among the strongest offerings for groups seeking serious saga-play rather than light-fantasy.
For whom is this best suited?
Groups who love the Norse sagas, Icelandic history/mythology, and an atmosphere of fate, honor, journeying and hidden worlds.
GMs who are willing to embrace a richer setting, integrate family dynamics, reputation and social conflict as well as the external threats of monsters, magic and sea-voyage.
Players who want to play characters with meaningful identities (nicknames, family history, passions) rather than “class + gear” build.
Anyone who wants a ready-to-go standalone system with full rules, rather than a supplement to another game.
Final Thoughts
Age of Vikings is a robust and evocative entry into the realm of historical-mythic role-playing. The combination of solid mechanics, rich setting, high production values and a clear vision of the Norse saga world makes it a standout and favorite of mine. It honors the sagas rather than simply borrowing their aesthetic, its not your average Viking-show where the Vikings wear horned helmes, but a serious and true to the source game. It invites players to live (and tell) their own sieges, voyages, feuds and journeys at the edge of myth and wilderness.
If you and your group have even a passing interest in exploring the “Viking” archetype with depth, then this book is very likely worth your time. It is, quite simply, one of the more compelling saga-RPGs available in recent years.
This is a game I would rate at 4.5/5 and recommend to all fans of the Viking era.
