Vikings – they invoked fear in the monks of England and fascination in the Victorians from that same nation. Raiders and reivers, explorers and merchants, the men from the North left no part of Europe untouched, and reached beyond, to lands only imagined or wholly unknown. Their imprint on history is so strong, they have their own eponymous epoch in Europe. From Ireland to Iraq and from the shores of Africa to the Arctic, reaching North America long before any other European, the Vikings have become a staple of fiction and a paradigm of the barbarian. Who doesn’t want to cut through the waves in a dragon ship to challenge the unknown and bring glory to their name?
Kiss My Axe: Thirteen Warriors and an Angel of Death is a role-playing game of Viking adventure, interested more in the heroics of the sagas than the violence inflicted upon innocents. The Second Edition includes more recent scholarship in its history, and re-configures the character structure to better replicate how the Norse themselves saw their world.
This Ashcan Edition of the game is a proof of concept, and lacks editing, indexing, or original art. The funds raised through the Ashcan will be put toward improving the game in preparation for its final form.
Interested in a PDF? You can find it at my itchio store.
Looking for a print copy? You can find it at RPG Trader.