Lo, 6 6

2+ Vikings DICE
you sons and daughters of Odin.
It has been many winters since
the gods crashed their sky-ships
upon our lands, blessing us
with the weapons and relics of
Asgard.
Monsters hunt our forests and
lurk beneath our seas.
Our wise-women have seen the
end-times.
It falls to you:
Raise a clan of mighty warriors.
Sell your lives dearly.
Prepare for

FRAGNAROK
A short-form RPG about Vikings encountering alien technology, surviving hardships, and dying gloriously.
By @ROLLINKUNZ
FRAGNAROK tells the stories of Vikings that have
found alien technology and must use it to protect
their clan and die in a heroic fashion.

One player will act as ODIN, the Game Master,

placing hardships in front of the clan, describing
the world and its inhabitants, and determining the
results of contests.

The other players each control a VIKING HERO

whose goal is to provide for their clan and die as
glorious a death as possible, that their name might
be sung in praise by their progeny!
 ANATOMY OF A VIKING:
All Vikings in the game share a CLAN.
Agree upon a name for it, or Odin will provide one.

Examples: Yngling, Af Munsö, Sturlungar, Sverker, Bear, Hatchet, Laser, Explosion, etc.

The Clan has a number of KIN to start equal to twice the number of players.

The Clan starts with 0 TREASURE.

Each Viking has a NAME, as well as a SURNAME made up of their previous

ANCESTOR's name plus “SON” or “DOTTIR.”
Each player makes up their first Ancestor's name.
Examples: Tree Leifson, Fragl Rokksdottir, Pollik Jakson, Dot Totsdottir, etc.

Each Ancestor died with a certain amount of GLORY.

Each player's first Ancestor died with 0.

Each player chooses an ARTIFACT, which is passed down to each of their Vikings.
Artifacts give a +1 bonus to all dice results for actions they are used.
They should be cool, alien, sci-fi things, and are subject to approval by Odin.
Examples: robot arm, sweet laser sword, explosive arrows, translation orb, extendo-arm,
secondary brain, electro boots, knife dispenser, floaty robot, robo-goat, laser nose, danger pants,
tractor beam, tummy furnace, time spear, pocket portal, food processor, etc.

Each player chooses a number of TRAITS for their Viking equal to their
Ancestor's Glory, and also takes one of their Ancestor's Traits for FREE.
Traits add 1 die to each action related to them.
Each player may choose any trait for their first Ancestor to have had.
Examples: strong, tough, nimble, tricky, stubborn, tall, squat, handsome, weathered,
knowledgeable, worldly, sensible, fiery, silver-tongued, impulsive, crotchety, etc.

Each Viking also has a JOB.

Jobs are free Traits that describe a Viking's place in society.
Examples: lore master, blacksmith, goatherd, raider, navigator,
barber-surgeon, etc.

2 Vikings start with all of their body parts intact.

 THAT WHICH DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU ANGRIER:

When a player wishes their Viking to take action:
1. The player describes the desired action, along
with any related Traits they might have.
2. Odin sets an appropriate DIFFICULTY for the task,
described as a number of SUCCESSES needed to execute it.
6. If the player rolls the required number of Successes,
the Viking's action SUCCEEDS! The player and Odin work
together to describe the action and its results.
7. If the player fails to roll the required number of
Successes, they may LOSE A LIMB to add an additional
die to the action and roll it. The result of the new die also
determines which Limb is lost:

ACTION DIFFICULTY: LIMB LOSS:

1 Success = An easy chore, but one that could still fail.
Examples: Tackling a wild goat. Climbing a tree. Kicking in a
door. Convincing a sleepy goblin. Winning a drinking contest. 1 Finger / Toe
(Vikings may lose any number
2 Successes = A modest effort. of these, somehow)
Examples: Killing a rival clan's warrior. Climbing a bare cliff.
Opening an odd techno-door. Catching an alien off-guard.
Ear
3 Successes = A difficult task.
Examples: Sneaking into an alerted camp. Lifting a petrified
(2 available) 2
troll. Translating magic runes. Steering a ship in a storm.

4 Successes = An unlikely feat, even for a skilled Viking. 3 Eye

Examples: Dodging heat-seeking missiles in an alien (2 available)
spaceship. Arm-wrestling a giant. Seducing a goddess.
5 Successes = An impossible challenge. Tongue or Privates
Examples: Landing an arrow in the eye of Odin while falling
(Choose one)
from a sky-ship. Hyper-jumping through a planetary shield.
(2 available) 4
Foot / Leg
3. Roll a die, plus 1 die per related Trait. Any 1s, 2s, or 5 (2 available)
3s rolled are Failures. Any 4s, 5s, or 6s are Successes.
Hand / Arm
(2 available)
6
4. If the Viking's Artifact was used for
the action, add +1 to EACH die's result.
No Limb Lost!
5. If a LIMB normally required for the action
7 (6 + Artifact bonus)

was previously missing, subtract -1 from

EACH die's result.
If the Viking must lose a Limb and cannot (for it is already
lost), the Viking DIES. The action may still Succeed.

Each additional die added for losing a Limb also

adds 1 Glory IF THE VIKING DIES ON THIS ACTION.

8. If the player fails to roll the required number of

Successes, the action FAILS.
Odin decides what happens, moving the story
forward. If it makes sense, they may make
the Vikings involved lose a Limb, a Treasure, 3
or even Kin, or they may introduce a
complication to the Vikings' situation.
 A GLORIOUS DEATH:
When a Viking DIES, all players lose one Kin
(listed under “Kin” on the character sheet).
The Viking's player creates a new Viking, using the dead
Viking as their Ancestor and counting up the Glory
earned during the dead Viking's final action.
This Glory is used to buy extra Traits for the new Viking.
Besides Limb loss, several other factors might add Glory
to an action. Of these, Odin can award 1 or 2 each death:
EXTRA GLORY:
(Choose up to 2)
+1: Killed an enemy
+2: Killed a group of enemies
+2: Killed a particularly big or powerful enemy
+3: Killed a horde of enemies
+3: Killed a “god”
+1: Protected their kin
+1: Died valiantly
+1: Died protecting one's honor
+1: Claimed vengeance
+1: Caused an explosion
+1: Left a mark upon the world
Odin may add to this list as they see fit.
WE FEAR NONE BUT TIME AND WINTER:
Between adventures, the Clan must hunker down
and survive a harsh WINTER.
Two special rolls are made, determining how the
Clan has fared:
FOOD:
1. Roll 1 die, plus 1 die for each Trait that any
Vikings have related to collecting or preserving
food. Limbs cannot be lost to add dice.
Appropriate Artifacts may be used.
2. Add the results together. If the total result is
higher than the number of Kin, the Clan gains 1
Treasure for each excess!
3. If the total result is lower than the number of Kin,
the players' Clan loses Kin to starvation until their
Kin equals the total result.
The players may spend Treasure to add to the total result, at
a rate of +1 per Treasure.
HEALTH:
to
1. Roll 1 die, plus 1 die for each Trait related
. Lim bs can not be
caretaking, doctoring, or survival
be used.
lost to add dice. Appropriate Artifacts may

s1
2. For each success, the players' Clan gain
Kin from births or positive hearsay.
S, their Clan
3. If there is a roll containing ONLY FAILURE
s again.
loses 1 Kin to disease or frostbite and roll
ce.
No Treasure will fool the specter of pestilen

If the players need to lose Kin, but have none left to lose,
THE CLAN IS DISBANDED.

Many a clan has been lost to the harsh winters and

terrible monsters of Midgard.
4 n y y

i
n n
Tnuy fint y
ui frit
ii

T u si lf it siyi
ii
ii
 FRAGNAROK
CHARACTER SHEET
Player: Clan:

NAME: KIn:
SURNAME:

TREASURE:

Ancestor’s glory:

Artifact:
(+1 on all results
for related rolls) 1 FINGERs / TOEs
(Nigh-endless,
somehow)
2 Ears
Job:
(Free trait)
Eyes
Traits: 3
(+1 dice for related rolls)
(Cost 1 glory each)

Tongue OR
4 Privates

STUFF: Feet / Legs

5

Hands / Arms
6
 WORDS FOR ODIN:
This game is about over-the-top heroic sacrifice and It can be fun to end a session with the group's victorious
grim, fatalistic humor. Death can be a lot of fun in return home and save the “Winter” rolls
FRAGNAROK! for the beginning of a new session.

Pay attention to where your players lead you. Follow It shows the passing of time and raises the stakes for
them! the new adventure.

Don't shy away from slapstick comedy or bizarre, Don't be afraid to use “smash cuts” to instantly move
psychedilic science fiction. between scenes.

Likewise, don't be afraid to include quiet moments of FRAGNAROK is best when the action is fast and furious!
winter starvation.

Encourage your players to go out in a blaze of glory!

Then let them introduce their new Viking.

Vikings can look and identify however their players

choose!

Let your players find plenty of Treasure!

Treasure can be anything of value: weapons, alien
doodads, gold, iron, booze, drugs, magic, sheep, etc.
If it seems important, they can write it down
under Stuff.

When Vikings want to assist one another on a

single task, try running it as two actions:

First, the assisting player describes what their Viking is

doing to help, and rolls an action with an open-ended
difficulty. Reduce the difficulty for the player performing
the main action depending on how many Successes the
assisting player gets.

The best Artifacts are things that could be useful in

multiple ways: a laser axe is mostly handy for cutting,
while a rocket axe could be used as a short-range
transport or tied to a heavy object to move it.

Making the stakes of an action's failure clear is useful

if a player is unsure whether they should lose Limbs
for it.

6 Even alluding to how a situation could

get worse is often enough to help them
decide and keep the game moving.
 EXAMPLE OF PLAY:
ODIN: “You're high atop the crystal transmission-tower,
and your companions Hilde and Gorm have been snatched
up by the cloudworms swooping overhead. What do you
wanna do, Toki?”
TOKI'S PLAYER: “I curse the skies and pull the ripcord on
my rocket pants, launching me upwards onto the worm that
has Hilde!”
ODIN: “You just want to get up there? Okay. They're pretty
high up there, moving quickly. That sounds like a 3
difficulty to me.”
(Reads Toki's Job and Traits)
“Your 'Good Sense of Direction' will help!”
TOKI: “I'm 'Lanky,' too. I figure that might help me
reach out and grab the worm? And maybe help
me control myself in the air?”
ODIN: “Sure, that makes sense. So you
get one die for being a Viking, and two
for Traits. Roll three dice! “
TOKI: (Rolls) “Hmm… Only a 2, another
2, and a 3. Oh, but I'm using my Artifact,
so that's two 3s and a 4.”
ODIN: “One success! But you're gonna need two more to
succeed…”
TOKI: “Oo, okay. Hm, I'll actually just call that
a failure. Toki is happy with his current limb
situation.”
ODIN: “Very well. Toki mis-aims a bit and
launches himself into the cloudworm's face,
smacking it soundly. It actually dazes the beast,
and it, Toki, and Hilde are now all freefalling
towards the craggy valley below! Hilde?”
HILDE'S PLAYER: “Aaa! Yikes! Okay, uh, Hilde
draws her bow and nocks a “grapple arrow”
from her Interdimensional Quiver.
I'd like to try to hit Gorm's cloudworm with an
arrow that's attached to a sort of grappling hook,
and also grab onto Toki!”
ODIN: “Oh, wow. While speeding towards the ground!
Um, I'm gonna call that a 4 difficulty.”
HILDE: “Okay, I'm a Viking, my job is 'Hunter,' which helps
with the whole aiming thing, and… I'm 'Fearless?' Can I use
that here?”
ODIN: “Oh yeah, without it Hilde would be panicking,
probably!”
HILDE: “Okay, three dice, plus 1 bonus on each for the
Artifact…” (Rolls dice) “So then that's a 4, a 5, and a 6. Three
Successes!”
ODIN: “Nice! Still need one more. You gonna lose a Limb?”
HILDE: “Yeah, it's worth it.” (Rolls a die and moans) “A 1!
Oh, but with my Artifact it's a 2! Oh nooo, I lose one of my
ears!” (Marks it off on her character sheet) “I'm gonna try
again.” (Rolls another die) “Oo, a 6!”
ODIN: “That's the Success you need! And your Artifact
actually bumps it up to a 7, so you don't even need to lose a
Limb for it! What does this look like?”
HILDE: “Ah, so Hilde lets loose the grapple arrow, and
it catches the other cloudworm in its gut and just starts
zipping up- retracting and pulling Hilde with it. And she
reaches back and grabs Toki with a bro-grab sort of hand
clasp-”
TOKI: “Grab my hand!”
HILDE: “Yaaah! And they're launched upwards so quickly
that the pressure change physically pops one of Hilde's
eardrums!”
ODIN: “Yesss! Blood sprays all over Toki!”
TOKI: “He gets some in his mouth as he screams!”
(Everyone laughs)
7
 GLORY IS DUE:
FRAGNAROK’s art, design, and writing is by @ROLLINKUNZ
(Except, of course, on the guest artist pages or where otherwise
noted.)

Find me on Instagram, Twitter, or at ROLLINKUNZ.COM and say

hello!

Huge thanks to the guest artists that contributed pages of art

and lore:
@BODIEH, @DIREQUEST, @DARKWIZARD_BERZERKER, and
@SKULLFUNGUS.

Each is an incredible illustrator and creator in their own right, so

go follow them all on Instagram and elsewhere!

Thanks as well to Greg, Ian, Susan, Richard, James, Corey, Aria,

Glenn, Joe, Mark, Michael, Jenna, Jeffrey, Ed, Niels, and everyone
else who playtested or inspired me or gave feedback.
(I hope I listened to enough of it!)

The biggest thanks goes to Eliza, for proofreading, putting up

with late-night game ideas, and making sure my husk of a body
doesn’t perish while I endlessly doodle and click about.

FRAGNAROK was inspired by “The Spider King” comic by Josh

Vann and Simone D’Armini, Grant Howitt’s excellent “Goblin
Quest” RPG, and the “Norsemen” television series.
Look to those for an idea of intended tone.

Nothing in this game is historically accurate.

8
 THE NINE REALMS AWAIT:
On this page is a selection of tiny adventure maps.
Combine them with the STORY GENERATOR on the next page to jumpstart your inspiration!

4. Crashed obelisk.
3.
Rushing
water.
4. Derelict sky-ship.

3. Asteroid belt.

2.
Curling smoke.

1. Village.
2.
Seedy hideout.

1. Void hopper.
4.
World tree.

3.
Noisy
cave.

2.
Dark woods. 9
1. Campsite.
 STORY GENERATOR:
Roll or pick one from A, one from B, and one (or two!) from C and D:

THE plot: A B
1 An ancient alien intelligence 1 ...threatens your food supply
2 A rival Viking clan 2 ...is spreading a mysterious illness
3 A terrible sea-beast 3 ...wants help recovering an artifact
4 A neighboring kingdom 4 ...offers a shady deal
5 A council of forest creatures 5 ...is at war with [roll another “A”]
6 A starfaring alien race 6 ...has overtaken the region
THE TWIST: C D
1 Robots 1 Clones
2 An Asgardian god 2 A hundred-year winter
3 Time travel 3 Interplanar travel
4 Mind control 4 Prophetic warning
5 It's in space 5 A different mythology's god
6 The World Tree 6 The sun is also threatened

10
 CAST THE BONES:
A variety of random tables to consult when you need ideas in a pinch:

CHARACTERS:
Species: Look: DANGER:
1 Giant 1 Ragged 1 A massive beast
2 Dwarf 2 Punk 2 Natural disaster
3 Troll 3 Refined 3 Raiders
4 Elf 4 Extravagant 4 Ratatoskr cultists
5 Robot 5 Shamanistic 5 Magic gone wrong
6 Alien / God 6 Techno 6 Malfunctioning relics

Job: Secret:
1 Pirate 1 Knows of great treasure
2 Manhunter 2 Is a disguised god or ghost Relics:
3 Doomsayer 3 Plans to steal stuff
1 Sentient...
4 Merchant 4 Is an army's advance scout
2 Multidirectional...
5 Hermit 5 Prepares a dangerous ritual
3 Adaptive...
6 Chieftain 6 Understands the alien runes
4 Motion-sensing...
5 Invisible...
Mood: Foible: 6 Self-replicating...
1 Wants to return to sleep 1 Whistles constantly
2 Infatuated with a Viking 2 Carves little statues +
3 Overly friendly 3 Reeks
1 ...Laser...
4 Self-pitying 4 Speaks in a strange tongue
2 ...Noise...
5 Scared beyond words 5 Paranoid
3 ...Weather...
6 Blind rage 6 Slapdash robot exoskeleton
4 ...Neural...
5 ...Optical...
6 ...Gravity...

SCENES: +
Setting: Event: 1 ...Bomb
1 Rowdy tavern 2 ...Nullifier
1 A voice calls from shadows
2 Longboat at sea 3 ...Generator
2 You witness a fight
3 Quiet clearing in the woods 4 ...Shield
3 A caravan passes by
4 Snowy mountain pass 5 ...Net
4 Animals stampede past
5 Cave-riddled canyon 6 ...Cannon
5 The ground cracks open
6 Crumbling mechanical ruins 6 A star falls

11
Next: GUEST PAGES! >>
 GUEST PAGES!
Some of my favorite RPG illustrators
have added to the lore of FRAGNAROK
in the following pages.

Enjoy, and check out their other

re!
work on Instagram and elsewhe

U RVI C
Relic Runescriber

After a long life as the trusty axe of a great

hero, Urvic was blessed with the gift of life.

This now-mobile magic axe lives a simple life

in a secluded cabin, spending days carving
rune-stone charms to give passers-by.

CL AS MO D Urvic will never turn away a curious visitor,

always ready with a pot of tea and a lifetime
Fungifolk Fortuneteller
of epic tales to tell.
Clasmod is found staring with a haunting
intensity at unusual stains and scrapes in
only the darkest and soggiest of places.

They believe that all markings left behind tell

stories of what is to come.

CHARACTERS BY @BODIEH
 CHARACTERS BY @BODIEH

GR’N AWW
Windwalker Wizard

As Watcher of the Winds, it is Gr'naww's life-

task to travel from place to place and assess
the breezes, making sure they are behaving as
they should.

Many know Gr'naww and value her visits,

though the sailors and fishermen are most
relieved to see her, showering her with food,
wine, and other gifts of appreciation for
keeping the winds in line.
 BESTIARY BY @DIREQUEST

LEK
The result of many alien experiments, Lek are a common (and
unfortunate) occurrence when adventuring.

With razor-sharp teeth and cat-like agility, the Lek are formidable
beasts, but not very intelligent ones.

V E NTHRO K Previously a gentle wolf spirit that offered

protection to forest-bound travelers, alien
experimentation has turned the docile
guardian into a visceral nightmare.

Tales of a remedy for the wolf's

extraterrestrial rage can be heard
at campfires, but only after
several tales of carnage inflicted
by the beast are given to dissuade
listeners from seeking it out.

D R AUG
Reminders that death is not necessarily the end of
one's journey, Draug wander the land in search of a
true end to their stories.

Infused with alien biology, the Draug frequently form

strange limb-like appendages to wield their former
equipment.

Generally moving in small groups during the day, large

hordes have been seen limping their way across valleys
in the dead of night.
 FROC K E
The alien product of goblin-focused torture, these beasts
are nimble, angry, and quite clever.

What remains of their

goblin intellect is generally
reserved for attacking
alien life, though they've
been known to spread
their ire to most anyone
within eyesight.

WE R N
Wern offers guidance to those who offer a
substantial blood sacrifice, preferably in the
form of a freshly-retrieved face.

Whispers of wisdom seep out of the

many faces Wern has claimed.
Though these whispers are in a language
few, if any, understand, many foolhardy
patrons make the daunting pilgrimage to
Wern's keep.

XORTVOK I R
Delighting in the misfortune of mortals,
Xortvokir wields words with divine precision to
sow doubt in the most confident and dismay in
the most jovial.

Those unfamiliar with the serpent are met

with a crooked-yet-charming grin and
the promise of grand secrets unheard by
mortal ears.

Those aware of the serpent's tricks are

still not always safe from its cutting
vocabulary, nor its lightning-fast, bone-
crunching bite.
Artifact Armory BY @DARKWIZARD_BERZERKER
Crashed Sky-ship BY @SKULLFUNGUS
Warning
m. A. Totems

n. Downed
B. Satellite
K.
Garbage
C. Chute
H.
Possessed
L. D. Interface
G. Breached
E. Zoo-Pod
I.
Feral
F. Waste Cycler
J.
Ordinance
G. Storage

Stubborn
H. Computron
d. e.
f. Howler Den
I. (Occupied)
c.
Spineworm
J. Incubator

Biomod
K. Surgery

Lower
L. Hypershaft

Upper
M. Hypershaft
B.
Imprisoned
a. N. Norse God