Vikings & Valkyries: The Hapless Adventuring Party You Didn't Know You Needed
Dive into Ian Stuart Sharpe's alternate Norse universe in this actual play podcast
What if Christianity had failed to gain a foothold in Viking Age Scandinavia? And what if, instead of failing, the Vikings had managed to not only sack the great cities of the West, but hold them? These are some of the questions Ian Stuart Sharp, author of The Vikingverse, explores in his books and, now, in his role-playing game titled When the Wolf Comes. And I was lucky enough to be invited to play on his actual play podcast: Vikings & Valkyries.
The year is 1974. The place: Hjálpmakaar, a desolate town on the coast of a fictional albeit brutally cold island named Heimsslit, or World’s Edge. In this alternate universe, the Norse gods won out over all the others, and Norsemen have set out into space and discovered nine new worlds to conquer and inhabit. Blending science fiction with Norse mythology, and not to mention the Norse language, Sharpe’s vision is a masterpiece of creativity that lends exceptionally well to a role-playing game.
Having played Dungeons and Dragons, I jumped at the opportunity to have some fun. I arrived in the third episode as Grjotgarð the Magnificent (his friends call him Gigi) on a quest to recover a dverg (or droid) whose value to him remains a secret he’s unwilling to share (hint: think Star Wars episode IV meets A Clockwork Orange).
Through fumble after fumble, the three ‘main’ characters traverse Sharpe’s unforgiving world in an attempt to stop Ragnarok, picking up allies and helpers along the way. But this is the Vikingverse, where the codes of honor and brutality of the Viking Age’s warrior class prevail. Guests on the show rarely lasted longer than an episode before their characters met a violent (and often humorous) end. One guest, playing a hot-headed berserker, lasted half an hour! He got an award…
Friends, Vikings, and Hirdmenn include:
Bill Hopkins, a GM-for-hire on StartPlaying (using the stage name MagicLudi). He also has channels on Facebook, Twitch, and Youtube so you can get a taste of his GM style before signing up.
Steve Madill, a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy, with over a dozen books across three series.
C.J. Adrien, an award-winning author of Viking historical fiction novels and co-host of the Vikingology podcast.
Special Guest Stars include:
Joseph Aleo, the creator of the epic Vikings vs Samurai comic series.
Kaitlin Felix, author of Ran’s Daughters and creator of catastrophe
Fjörn the Skald, Norse-minded medievalist and historian, with a channel full of Vikings
Sam Flegal, Fateful Signs creator and Norse illustrator.
Matt Forbeck, New York Times bestselling author behind the Marvel Multiverse RPG.
Mike Foucher, the man behind the app-integrated power browser, Shift.
Rowdy Geirsson, translator of The Impudent Edda, author of The Scandinavian Aggressors
Joshua Gillingham, the author, game designer, and editor behind the fantasy trilogy The Saga of Torin Ten-Trees and the Althingi game.
Jeremy Hall, DM at Old Men Rolling Dice.
Terry Harvey-Chadwick, Viking re-enactor, aka the Science Viking.
Josh Heath, COO of High Level Games. He is also known as the Heathen Philosopher, a US Army veteran who helped convince the Department of Defense to add several religious preferences to their official list, including Heathen.
Rebecca Hill, a proud Norse Nutter, book blogger, and YouTuber with Valhalla Conversations.
Thilde Kold Holdt, author of the Hanged God trilogy and sailor on the Sea Stallion
Annina Kaski, actor, writer, producer and star of Bardic Quest. Find more of her work at the Awkward Actress.
Jay and his bandmates in Oba have just released their first single Could Have. Listen here on YouTube and Spotify.
Taylor Moe, filmmaker, blacksmith and Dungeon Master at Silver Fire Films
Dr. John Sexton and Dr. Andy Pfrenger of the Saga Thing podcast
From professional actors to artists, writers, and even some high-profile academics, the show features a diverse cast of characters who brought a certain unpredictability that kept it original, witty, and engaging. We recorded our last episode two weeks ago, and I was sad to see it end. But it did end with a proverbial ‘bang’.
If you’ve been looking for your next podcast, check out Vikings & Valkyries.