Many campaigns slowly die. Mostly, it’s due to scheduling conflicts. But often, it’s because people lose interest. They lose the connection to the magic that happened in the last session.

We are very excited to announce the release of Session stories. It’s our first step in supporting your group better and ensuring that campaigns stay alive and your players stay more engaged.

After each session, Quest Portal automatically creates a log of what happened in that session, who attended, and more.

You can see a walkthrough in the video below.

Each story includes images of the characters that were active in the session. Additionally, you can see the active scenes (even with those tiny little tokens and fog of war 🤯).

Below the images, you’ll find the actual log. It includes general campaign information, as well as information about when the session happened, how long it was, and who attended.

Then there’s the scene log, which contains information about what scenes were shown, how long you spent on them, and the key activities performed.

After the last person leaves a session, we start generating the story. It usually takes a few minutes to process everything.

But don’t worry; you don’t need to hold your breath and continuously refresh the page while you wait. When the story is ready, you and your group will get a notification in the web app and an email with most of the story information.

Yes! Game Masters can turn them off in campaign settings.

You can also keep them on, but drag the Session Story folder to your private notes section. That way, you can keep getting them but limit your players' access to them. This is perfect for dragons who want to hoard their treasure. 

Session stories can be a great way to keep your group more engaged. They will get notified when stories are created, but you can also share a link to the note when the next session is looming—just a gentle reminder of what happened last time.

There are several other ways to share parts of the stories.

There are a few options to share on social media, such as Facebook and Reddit. Sharing an entire Session story will allow others to view the entire content. They won’t get access to other notes, nor will they be able to view other campaign information.

You can easily copy or download the images of the characters or the scenes if you want to use them in social media posts. If you don't want to share the entire story, you can also share them directly on Facebook and Reddit.

Get started with Quest Portal for free and play your first session.

Unlock your Stories

In summary, Session stories offer an automated, engaging, and shareable recap of your gaming sessions. They keep your group involved, provide a record of your adventures, and can even be shared beyond your group for others to enjoy. It's a powerful tool to enhance your gaming experience and keep your campaigns alive and exciting.

If you have any feedback on Session stories, 

please join our Discord and share your thoughts

We are very excited to announce the release of Session stories. Our first step in better supporting your group and keeping your campaigns alive.

Share your campaign session stories

We are offering a 50% discount off your first month of Chaosium Core and 50% off your first month/year of Quest Portal Pro. Only available for Chaosium Con 2024 attendees.

Quest Portal Pro and Chaosium Core are two separate subscriptions. With Pro you unlock the AI Assistant, Avatar Generator and Library Link. With Chaosium Core you get access to all the core rule books for Call of Cthulhu 7e, RuneQuest, and Pendragon.

Here's how you can redeem your code for each subscription.

If you haven't already, start by signing up to Quest Portal.

Go to app.questportal.com/settings/subscription

Select if you want an annual or monthly subscription. We recommend the yearly since that's a $36 discount!

Go through the checkout process with our payment partner Stripe.

Enjoy a 7-day trial before your payment method is charged.

Please note that you can use the same code for both subscriptions. We highly recommend using both since the AI Assistant in Pro becomes way more powerful with more content in your Library.

Quest Portal Pro and Chaosium Core on offer for 50% of first month (or first year for Pro). Only available at Chaosium Con 2024.

Promotion for Chaosium Con 2024

We are on a mission to make tabletop role-playing games accessible for all. We want everyone to feel welcomed and safe in all Quest Portal spaces. We encourage everyone to foster a friendly and positive community where people can feel excited about sharing great content and inspiring stories. We have outlined the following community guidelines below. These apply to all users, user-generated content, and user activities on our platform.

We expect all users to adhere to all relevant local, national, and international laws while using Quest Portal. Any content or activity that features, encourages, offers, or solicits illegal behavior is prohibited.

At Quest Portal, we prioritize the privacy of others. Sharing private information without authorization or pretending to be someone else is strictly forbidden. This covers sharing personal data without permission and doing anything that goes against someone's reasonable expectation of privacy.

Promoting a Positive Experience of the Platform

Any behaviour that disrupts, harms, or violates the integrity of Quest Portal services is not allowed. This includes spamming, scams, spreading misinformation, or engaging in malicious conduct that hinders the user experience.

At Quest Portal, we firmly stand against the distribution of pornography, sexually explicit content, or any material endorsing sexual violence or exploitation. Users who are found sharing this type of content are immediately suspended.

We reserve the right to remove content that is deemed inappropriate or harmful and to suspend accounts at any time for such conduct.

Community guidelines for the Quest Portal platform. Learn about what is accepted and what is not in our community and within our products.

Community Guidelines

Creating a new world from scratch is a great outlet for creativity. But, sometimes, starting with a blank page can be daunting. In this guide, we explore tools available to you when building your world in Quest Portal and what you can do to avoid writer's block.

Here are the three main tools in Quest Portal that can help you start building your world.

Our Notes feature is very powerful. It is a text editor, specifically developed with creating for TTRPGs. We are constantly adding features to it, but already you can use it to start creating fantastical worlds for your game.

The Assistant is an AI designed to help Game Masters and worldbuilders get unstuck when writing. It is embedded in Notes and offers a variety of themes, such as character concepts, secrets, locations, and more, to help with prompting.

Behind the scenes, the themes have different prompts that will guide the GPT-powered AI towards your creative goal. The final piece is your own prompt, describing what you want to accomplish.

Pro tip: You can use @ mentions to tag other notes in your own prompt. This instructs the AI to use the content of that note when creating a reply.

When it creates its answers, the assistant will use the note's current content, the campaign description, the theme prompts, the prompt you use, and the contents of any note you tag.

Sometimes, you want to brainstorm new ideas, look up rules or lore, and get the creativity flowing. This is where the chat Assistant comes in handy. You can ask questions about the rules and lore of the game system you are playing. It will look up the sources you have available in your Library and use those sources to answer your questions.

This can be a huge time saver when planning campaign ideas.

The chat Assistant will cite its sources when available, so you can always double check their quality.

The Campaign chat Assistant is available in our mobile apps. Brainstorm ideas wherever you are from your phone.

Create on the go

The chat Assistant can be a fantastic resource if you want to explore ideas for your campaign and offers more flexible interface for back-and-forth communications.

Technically, two features, but they go hand in hand! In Quest Portal, games are organized into Campaigns. For each Campaign you get access to the Notes feature that you can use to start building out your world.

Notes can be organized into folders, private or shared, fully collaborative, and have multiple TTRPG-specific functionalities, such as roll buttons and the AI Assistant.

You can create links between different notes by @ mentioning them, making navigating between them so much easier.

Here's a quick guide on how to create locations for your world using Notes and the AI Assistant.

Here's a quick guide on how to create NPCs for your world using Notes and the AI Assistant.

Create fantastical worlds for your tabletop role-playing game with Quest Portal. A fully featured virtual tabletop for Game Masters and Worldbuilders.

A guide to worldbuilding in Quest Portal

Playing tabletop role-playing games can take a significant amount of free time from people. In addition to the weekly/bi-weekly sessions that can take 3-5 hours (or more!), Game Masters also need to prepare. 

The level of preparation needed depends on a few factors such as the Game Master's ability to improvise; if they are running premade modules, creating their own homebrew worlds; and more. 

In this article, we cover how Game Master's can use Quest Portal to speed up their preparation and get more time into their busy schedules.

For many Game Masters playing TTRPGs is all about meeting friends and having fun. They have spent much time getting to a point where running a game unprepared is no challenge. They can recall stat blocks, create characters on the spot, and easily describe locations.

For others running unprepared is more of a challenge. Here's a quick recipe for getting a game started unprepared.

[Write about creating a new campaign or claiming a premade adventure]

One of the main ways Quest Portal makes it easier for GM's to run games unprepared is our library of free premade scenes and maps. 

Scenes and maps come preloaded with music that's appropriate and you can simply drag the scenes you want to show your players onto your Scene deck.

3. Generate encounters, characters, and locations on the fly

Our AI Notes features allow Game Masters looking for a quick idea to spin up character concepts, create encounters, get lists of loot, random tables, and more.

The AI Notes and the AI Assistant can boost your game significantly by allowing you to focus on the story and keep the session flowing when you are unprepared.

Storytelling and worldbuilding are the two main drivers for many Game Masters. They use TTRPGs as an outlet for their creativity. Who here hasn't spent hours setting up world maps and writing about their world only to have a fraction of it come out in sessions?

Quest Portal can help worldbuilders set up and organize the information about their world within the context of their campaigns.

Notes can be accessed in campaigns. They allow Game Masters to start building their world, organizing the content into folders and sub-notes. Notes can easily be linked by @mentioning them.

Learn how you can use Quest Portal to run games with minimal preparation. Get started in minutes and start having fun without technical hurdles.

How to run games with minimal prep

For years, North America has been the dominant force in the pen-and-paper roleplaying games industry. The majority of publishers and writers have been based in America, with companies such as WoTC, Chaosium, Paizo and Kobold Press leading the way. However, this trend is starting to change. In recent years, Sweden has become a rising player in the industry, producing many interesting games. It remains to be seen if Sweden or any of the other Nordic countries will eventually take over the top spot.

North America has been the hub of roleplaying games since the inception of Dungeons & Dragons. Most major publishing houses and developers are based there. However, some indie games published by non-American publishers have gained popularity over the years, such as the Swedish RPG Kult or the German game The Dark Eye. Recently, Kult was re-published after a highly successful Kickstarter campaign.

For many years, I limited myself to American and English roleplaying games such as various D&D settings, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun, and other games. I had tunnel vision when it came to this genre. However, when I realized that there were many interesting games around the world, I started exploring them actively. I discovered exciting games like the German RPGs Degenesis: The Rebirth and The Dark Eye, the French RPG Shadows of Esteren, and the Swedish games Trudvang Chronicles and Tales from the Loop. These games are just as engaging and enjoyable as D&D and other American roleplaying games.

The Nordic countries have published roleplaying games for many years, and Sweden has the most active international RPG publishers, at least at the moment. Interestingly, many of these games were initially published in their native language before being translated into English, if at all. For example, Mutant (the predecessor to Mutant Year Zero) was initially released in Sweden in 1984 and the game was revamped in 2014 and published as “Mutant – Är Noll” in Sweden, later to be translated and released after a successful Kickstarter Campaign as Mutant Year Zero.

In recent years, the roleplaying industry has seen many successful publishers outside of the United States, for example, Cubicle 7 in the UK and Ulisses Spiele in Germany. There have also been interesting changes in the industry, such as CCP, the producer of the popular computer game Eve Online, acquiring White Wolf and later selling the World of Darkness brand to Paradox, a Swedish computer games publisher. Most people may know about TSR's history and WoTC's takeover, which had a significant impact on the D&D brand, resulting in discontinued settings and major system updates. More and more major publishers are turning to crowdfunding to finance their projects, and Chaosium is a great example of this. They have successfully used Kickstarter to fund their republishing of the module Horror on the Orient Express and funded the 7th edition of the Call of Cthulhu RPG, raising over $500,000!

Despite the fact that in all the Nordic countries roleplaying games have been published since the advent of roleplaying game, Sweden has emerged as one of the most prominent and leader player in this field. But why? What makes Sweden so special?

The Swedish economy has emerged as one of the strongest in Europe following the financial crisis. With a high-tech local economy and a comprehensive system of welfare benefits, Sweden enjoys one of the highest standards of living in the world. Their economy is one of the most globalized and competitive, and their educational system is top-notch.

Sweden has been a significant source of art and creativity in recent years. The country has been exporting music and producing several famous authors who led the Scandinavian crime fiction movement that gained popularity across Europe. Notable among them is Stieg Larson. Swedish and Scandinavian movies and TV shows have also gained massive popularity, with many remakes of these productions happening in the US. One such example is "Broen" (The Bridge).

In Sweden, there has been a thriving RPG (roleplaying game) community for many years. Additionally, it is one of the first countries to publish non-English RPGs. One such game is called "Drakar och Demoner" (Dragons & Demons), which was first released in 1982 and is still available today. Fria Ligan got the IP from Riotminds a few years ago and rebranded DoD as Dragonbane, which was published after a successful Kickstarter campaign. However, the game has undergone significant changes since its initial release.

In early 2017, enworld.org released a list of the 10 most anticipated role-playing games (RPGs) for the year. Remarkably, four of the top games were published in Sweden, with the top three being Swedish. Many of these games gained popularity through social media and had successful Kickstarter campaigns.

Although the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons and a new version of Call of Cthulhu were widely accepted by most roleplayers, Sweden has emerged as a major player in the roleplaying industry with a range of interesting and original games.

The reasons behind this trend are not clear, but it could be that older publishers became set in their ways or that their games went stale. Alternatively, it may be that roleplayers are more receptive to non-American games now or that the internet has enabled non-American publishers to promote their games more effectively. It is possible that many Swedish publishers have leveraged Kickstarter to great effect, reaching audiences they could not have done otherwise, without spending tens of thousands of dollars.

Regardless of the reasons, Sweden's emergence in the roleplaying industry is undeniable.

A few great games from the Nordic Countries

As mentioned earlier, Sweden has been publishing roleplaying games since 1982. Even before the year 2000, the world started recognizing the many great games developed there, such as Kult. In recent times, there has been a surge of fantastic roleplaying games released in the Nordic Countries. Here are a few examples (and by no means a comprehensive list), listed in an alphabetical order.

The "Alien RPG" is a role-playing game that immerses players in the tense and grim universe of the "Alien" films. Developed by Fria Ligan, this game stands out for its focus on atmospheric horror and survival, capturing the essence of the iconic film series.

Players navigate a universe filled with danger and suspense, emphasizing the themes of corporate intrigue, existential fear, and survival against the odds. The game's mechanics, based on the Year Zero Engine, are designed to create a sense of impending dread and facilitate storytelling that mirrors the cinematic intensity of the "Alien" franchise.

I have played a couple of sessions, and what I find impressive every time is the stress mechanics that fit perfectly for this game. Similar to other Year Zero Engine games, you can push rolls, which means that if you fail a check, you can decide to roll again (push the roll). However, in Alien, if you push the roll, your stress level increases by one, and you add a Stress die to your pool.

If you enjoy the "Alien" films or games where your character is constantly stressed out or living on a razor's edge, this game is worth checking out.

Iceland may not be the first country you think of when it comes to roleplaying games, but the roleplaying scene has been thriving there since the last decade of the 20th century. With the release of D&D 5E, roleplaying is once again gaining momentum.

Askur Yggdrasils is a roleplaying game set in the nine worlds of Norse Mythology and is the only game ever published in Iceland. Two board games published later contained roleplaying elements (Fraeknir Ferdalangar and Adventure Island), but Askur Yggdrasils is still considered the only Icelandic roleplaying game. It was published in 1994 and designed by the brothers Runar Thor Thorarinsson and Jon Helgi Thorarinsson. Runar Thor also created and designed the two board games in collaboration with other designers. It is safe to assume that almost all Icelandic roleplayers have tried and played Askur Yggdrasils.

Askur Yggdrasils was based on a skill-based percentile system, much like Runequest and Call of Cthulhu. However, unlike Call of Cthulhu, instead of distributing skill points as you wished, every character in Askur Yggdrasils had a certain skill modifier. Each profession had a predetermined number of skills, and a size of die which you rolled and multiplied with the skill modifier to see how many points you started with in that skill. For example, if you had 4 as a skill modifier and had d6 in botany and d4 in poetry, you would multiply the results from those die rolls with 4 to see your starting skill points in these two skills.

Almost all actions needed skill rolls, e.g. if you wanted to cast a spell, you needed to pass a skill test. The system was often complex, and combats could get complicated, especially since there were many tables to consult.

Finally, the system included a subsystem for the gods’ grace. Since the Aesir, the Norse gods, were a living part of the setting, every character could get in the good books and receive certain boons. The gods’ grace also affected other things, such as spellcasting and skills.

Black Void is a tabletop roleplaying game with a dark fantasy setting. It revolves around the fall and later resurgence of humanity after cataclysmic events have separated them from Earth. The game is designed by Christoffer Sevaldsen from Denmark.

In Black Void, players assume the role of descendants of the few survivors who were scattered among the stars after the veil between Void and Reality tore due to catastrophic events in the age of Babylon. The game's setting portrays the truth of humanity's small place in the universe and its struggle for survival.

The game's world is a unique and fascinating combination of elements from Arabian Nights, Lovecraft's Dreamlands, Planescape, and Stargate. It's an exciting and immersive game that promises a thrilling experience for players.

The game uses a Set Difficulty mechanic, where the main die is a d12. I have to admit, I'm not a fan of using the d12 as a main die, but it works well in The One Ring RPG. In Black Void, player characters roll a d12 and add related traits, skills, and power bonuses. Rolling a 12 is usually an exceptional success (if the DC is 11 or lower) or incurs a second roll (The Rule of Twelve), while rolling a 1 is a failure (The Rule of One). Keep in mind that the chances of rolling a failure are higher than in d20 DC-based systems. The DCs range from 4 to +25. In combat, you need to roll equal to or higher than your opponent's defense value, and initiative is determined by a d12 roll plus all bonuses, with the highest roll going first.

"Black Void" is an excellent game for fans of fantasy. I have personally played through the published modules and found them to be of great quality. If you're interested in a unique blend of esoteric fantasy with elements of Arabian Nights, Lovecraft, and Planescape, then this game is definitely worth checking out.

Blade Runner, a science-fiction cult film released in 1982, has gained a massive fan base over the years. Harrison Ford, Sean Young, and Rutger Hauer starred in this great film, which takes place in a dystopian version of Los Angeles, where synthetic humans, known as replicants, work on space colonies. A part of the police force is assigned the task of tracking rogue replicants and retiring them. The replicants are bio-engineered by the powerful Tyrell Corporation. The sequel, Blade Runner 2049, was released in 2017 and received a great response. The plot of the films is extensive, but it is safe to say that both are more than a decent watch, and the setting is phenomenal. Those interested in digging deeper into the continuity of Blade Runner and Prometheus will find it quite intriguing.

In the Blade Runner RPG, players take on the roles of Blade Runners, officers in the LAPD rep-detect unit assigned to hunting down replicas, flying spinners, and using Voight-Kampff machines. Even if you aren't an avid science-fiction fan, the film-noir setting is enough to pull you in and make the game fun.

Blade Runner RPG uses the Year Zero Engine system, like many other games from the Free League. Each character has four attributes, thirteen skills (one more than normally), and many specialties. As in other Year Zero Engine games, you have certain tools to flesh out your character, and you can access them in-game. In Blade Runner, you have a key memory, a key relationship, and a signature item. During character creation, you can choose your archetype and whether you are human or a replicant.

Coriolis is a science fiction role playing game set in a remote cluster of star systems called The Third Horizon, published by Fria Ligan. It is a place ravaged by conflicts and war but also home to proud civilizations, both new and old. Here, the so-called First Come colonists of old worship the Icons, while the newly arrived Zenithians pursue an aggressive imperialistic agenda through trade and military power.

Coriolis is based on the same core system as Mutant: Year Zero, that was awarded with a Silver ENnie for Best Rules at Gencon 2015.

Draug is a role-playing game that originated in Norway and is published by Spartacus. The game uses the FUDGE system, which has been modified to fit the 19th-century Norwegian setting. In Draug, players take on the roles of ordinary people who have to deal with and find ways to combat various Norwegian fairy tale monsters, such as trolls and nisser (fairies and gnomes). Although Draug does involve fighting these creatures, the game mainly focuses on encouraging cooperation and problem-solving among players.

I have played Forbidden Lands way more than can be considered healthy for an old roleplayer. I fell in love with the game because of its unique look, feel, and atmosphere that made it stand out as a fantasy game. The game is all about survival, adventure, and exploration in a fantastical world where players are encouraged to create their own stories and interact with a world that reacts to their choices. The game is set in a world that is still recovering from a near-cataclysmic event, and people are just getting used to being able to travel from one village to another. Only the bravest or the most foolish are willing to risk their lives doing so.

Forbidden Lands uses the Year Zero Engine by Fria Ligan, just like Tales from the Loop. However, unlike Tales from the Loop, this game is quite dangerous and can lead to your character's death, running out of provisions, or getting lost in the wilderness.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves fantasy games that emphasize exploration, stronghold building, and trekking through the wilderness, rather than just fighting monsters from different monster manuals.

Fusion is a Danish role-playing game written by Malik Hyltoft and Palle Schmidt, and published by Høst og Søn. It is set in a big city in Denmark around the year 2012, characterized by privatization, open borders, occultism, social distress, and crime. The players take on the roles of a group of private detectives who investigate mysteries in this chaotic world of conflicting interests. They must choose whether to be weak guardians in a society where independence and capitalism are crucial, or to accumulate wealth and prestige. It is a struggle just to survive in Europe, which is full of hardened criminals, murderous junkies, shady streamers, rival detective agencies, capitalist companies, unscrupulous terrorists, street gangs, insane people, and ordinary folks.

Fusion uses a d6 system, which is similar to the Storytelling system used in World of Darkness. Players collect their dice pool based on their Abilities, Skills, and Specialities, and they need to roll 6's to achieve success.

Itras By is a Norwegian role-playing game published by Vagrant Workshop. Set in a city similar to Europe in the 1920s, the game has a surreal atmosphere. The game's system is card-based and emphasizes freeform and improvisation. The city of Itras By is European, but with a twist. The reality is relatively stable only in the city center, and the further you go, the more it deteriorates, mutates, and becomes dream-like.

In a narrow sense, the rule system is simple and takes only a few pages. Itras By was the first game to use Matthiijs Holter's resolution cards (also featured in Archipelago III). Additionally, it features a Chance Card system. The resolution cards have texts like "Yes, but...", "No, and...", "Yes, and..." and so on. The players interpret the results, making the game very cooperative in nature.

Kult: Divinity Lost by Helmgast is a contemporary horror role-playing game that has gained high acclaim since its original release in 1991. The game was reprinted after a highly successful Kickstarter campaign. Helmgast, who have also produced Eon and Neotech, have given the game a reboot. In this game, players use a skill system where they roll 2d10 + X (skill modifier). To succeed, the player must score above 15. If they score between 10-14, it's a success with a complication, and any number below 10 is a failure.

In Kult, players assume the roles of Kultists, who discover that the world around us is a lie, that we are sleepwalking through life, and that mankind is trapped in illusion. By slowly discovering the truth about our prison, our captors, and our hidden pasts, we can finally awaken from our induced sleep and take control of our destiny.

I remember playing this game back in the 90’s. It was so awesome. I picked up the reprint a few years ago, and though I have yet to find the time to run a Kult game, this game still sends shivers down my spine. I mean, what if this was all just an illusion?

LexOccultum is a game that was initially published by Riotminds, but the IP is now owned by CMON. The game is all about exploring a world filled with filth, danger, and mystery. It includes elements like flintlock pistols, lanterns, werewolves, wine, secret societies, conspiracies, and more. You'll also encounter raging seas, the truth about the Templars, holy bloodlines, and a quiet war between men and beast.

LexOccultum is a skill-based BRP-clone, which means it uses the same system as Trudvang Chronicles. The game offers a variety of archetypes, including Occultist, Highwayman, Vagabond, Soldier, and more. Additionally, there is a set of Character Traits that you can use to customize your character, such as Health, Charisma, Perception, Intelligence, and more.

M-Space is a science fiction role-playing game from Sweden, published by Frostbyte Books. The game mechanics are based on Mythras Imperative, which uses a system of percentage values to determine the outcome of dice rolls. Unlike many RPGs, M-Space does not provide a specific game world or setting; instead, it provides a toolkit for creating and playing sci-fi adventures with characters from diverse cultures and careers.

Mutant: Year Zero is a Swedish roleplaying game developed by Fria Ligan, who also publish other games such as Tales from the Loop and Coriolis: The Third Horizon. The game has been around for 30 years and is set in a post-apocalyptic world. In this game, you play as a heavily mutated human living in The Ark, a small and isolated settlement in a chaotic world. You have no knowledge of your origin or the outside world and must survive in a gritty, survivalist environment.

Mutant: Year Zero uses a dice pool system, similar to the game Fusion. Players build their dice pool by using attributes and skills where rolling a 6 counts as a success. Characters can also have diverse mutations and talents. If you have played Tales from the Loop or Coriolis: The Third Horizon, you will know what to expect from Fria Ligan. Mutant: Year Zero is a great addition to their portfolio of games.

Mythic Iceland, a popular Viking Era RPG game, was not published by a Nordic publisher, but by Chaosium. It was, however, written by Pedro Ziviani, a Brazilian living in Iceland. The game is heavily inspired by Icelandic Sagas and folk tales. It uses Chaosium's BRP system and is a great choice for those who love Viking RPGs. You can find some amazing modules for this game on Chaosium's homepage.

To be honest, what initially caught my attention about the Swedish roleplaying game Mörk Borg was its incredible rulebook. The book is designed like a black metal album, with every page meticulously crafted. The game itself is also reminiscent of a black metal album, as players may end up creating multiple characters per session.

Mörk Borg's narrative is heavily influenced by themes of doom, despair, and the inevitability of the end. This makes it a great choice for players who prefer a role-playing game with a darker tone and a unique, immersive experience.

The game's artistic style is a blend of gothic and punk elements, which sets it apart from other roleplaying games. The mechanics of the game are streamlined, with a focus on creating an intense, bleak atmosphere where players face grim challenges in a world on the brink of destruction.

Drakar och Demoner, one of the most popular roleplaying games in Sweden, was first published in the 80s, and Riotminds has recently updated the ruleset and re-designed the game. The good news is that it is now available in English via their Kickstarter campaign.

Ruin Masters is a game that pays homage to the first and second generation of roleplaying games. It is a tactical dungeon crawl and map with hexes instead of 5 feet squares. The game is all about survival and earning enough gold for the next adventure. If you miss the old days or are willing to try a new game, you should check this one out.

Ruin Masters is a beautiful game, with breathtaking art by Johan Egerkrans and Alvaro Tapia that is very inspiring. The art has a lot of flavor and depth, and if you have read Egerkrans' books, The Undead or Norse Mythology, or browsed through other RPG books by Riotminds, you will feel familiar with it.

The game is set in Caldarox, a large continent that is full of ruins and dangerous places to explore. The ruins dotting the countryside hold untold riches for those brave and clever enough to explore them.

Ruin Masters uses 2 ten-sided dice, mostly as a percentile system, similar to BRP or Call of Cthulhu. However, in some cases, you might need to roll a d5. The game offers two different types of gaming: one where you follow a narrative set out by the game master, called Ruin Master, or where you explore Caldarox through hex-crawl, where dice, luck, and skill determine what happens in each hex.

Symbaroum is a dark fantasy setting, published by Järnringen and later acquired by Fria Ligan. The game's narrative is set in and around the vast forest belt Davokar, which has a dark past and an even darker heart. In Symbaroum, players take on the roles of explorers and adventurers who must participate in scenarios and adventures in the Davokar Forest, searching for treasures, lost wisdom, and fame among the Ambrian people.

Symbaroum is a skill-based system that uses a d20 roll mechanic. Players must score under the set difficulty number, which is determined by the character's attribute and any complications added by the game master. What makes this system unique is that the game master never rolls any dice, putting a great focus on the narrative and creating an interesting setting.

As someone who has played a few sessions, I really enjoyed the idea that the game master never rolls any dice. Also, the setting is intriguing. A few years ago, Fria Ligan adapted Symbaroum for 5E, using the same developers that created the 5E adaptation of The One Ring, Adventures in Middle-Earth. The adaptation was widely celebrated as a great conversion of an already great game.

Tales from the Loop/Things from the Flood

If you enjoyed watching Stranger Things or the movie ET, you might want to try playing the game, Tales from the Loop, published by Fria Ligan. In this game, set in the late Eighties, you play as teenagers who solve mysteries connected to the Loop. You get to choose a character type such as the Bookworm, Troublemaker, Popular Kid, or Weirdo. The game is designed to reflect everyday life as a teenager which includes nagging parents, endless homework, and bullying classmates.

Tales from the Loop is based on Simon Stålenhag’s art and is a fantastic game. It is especially enjoyable for those who grew up in the 80s (yes, I am an old geyser, I admit it!) as it focuses heavily on narrative rather than combat. The Year Zero Engine is used in the game, which is the same game system used in most of Fria Ligan's games. You build dice pools using d6’s, and every roll of 6 is a success. Character creation is quick and straightforward, and here's something that will make you smile - the characters can't die because they are just kids.

Fria Ligan released a continuation of the setting a couple of years after the release of Tales from the Loop. In Things from the Flood, the kids have grown older and become teenagers. The game is set in the 90s and has a Lovecraftian feel to it. It is also more dangerous than Tales from the Loop, as the player characters can get scarred, and if they get too many scars, they might die.

Both Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood have received great reviews online and have been widely well-received.

Trudvang Chronicles is a popular fantasy roleplaying game that was voted as the most anticipated RPG of 2017 by Enworld.org. The game is based on the Nordic and Celtic sagas and myths and was first published in 1982 as Drakar och Demoner RPG. It was only after a successful Kickstarter campaign that an English version of the game was made available. Riotminds is the publisher of the game, which was initially slated to release in May 2017, however, the date was pushed back.

Trudvang Chronicles is set in an enchanted world of forests, trolls, dragons, and spirits of nature, amongst other things. The game is both epic and melancholic, with a tone of an ancient age when magic was wild and strong, and nature was a living creature. The system of the game may be a bit convoluted and simulationist, as it uses a d20 and a roll under mechanics, but the setting more than makes up for it. The breathtaking art by John Bauer and Paul Bonner is also worth mentioning, as it was a significant factor in the game's success, much like how Brom was credited for Dark Sun's success in the 90s.

Riotminds, the publisher of Trudvang Chronicles, released a few sourcebooks and campaigns for the game and even adapted it for the 5th edition as Trudvang Adventures. However, after the release of the Trudvang board game, Riotminds sold the intellectual property (IP) to CMON in late 2021.

Vaesen is a game set in the Mythic North - the northernmost part of Europe during the 19th century. The game's setting is different from what we know today, as it features mythological creatures and real myths. The game is a blend of industrialization and the untamed wilderness, where new civilization is emerging in the cities while the countryside still clings to its old ways. The people living in this world know to fear the dark, which is all too real for them.

The Year Zero engine is a gaming system that uses a dice pool of D6. The dice pool can be influenced by your attributes, skills, equipment, and other circumstantial bonuses. In order to succeed, you must roll at least one 6 on a single die. This is similar to other dice pool games, such as the Storyteller system. Compared to games like D&D, the Year Zero engine is relatively rules light and easy to learn.

Personally, I enjoy playing Vaesen by Fria Ligan when roleplaying and investigation are emphasized. Dice pool games fit in perfectly with these types of games since they tend to be less combat-heavy and fast-paced, especially fantasy games. Veterans will find building the dice pools relatively quick, but beginners still learning the ropes and reading the character sheet might take a bit longer.

In Vaesen, you play as an investigator who has the Sight and is a member of the Society. People with the Sight can see vaesen, the mythical creatures of the North (trolls, ghosts, lindwurms, etc.), even when they are trying to remain hidden. The Society is a group of people who have the Sight and are committed to protecting humanity from vaesen. The game is set in the Swedish city of Upsala, where the Society was abandoned a decade before the player characters arrive. The players have access to a safe house that they can explore and modify as the game progresses, and their task is to solve mysteries that involve the vaesen.

Tabletop roleplaying games from the Nordic countries have been gaining attention in recent years. Here is a list of a few great games from the Nordics.

Great TTRPGs from the Nordics

As a teacher you’re constantly seeking new methods to grab your students’ attention. And in the fast moving world of smartphones, streaming and high-speed internet that is a constant struggle. Using roleplaying games can be both fun and informative, not to mention a great way to empower students.

I have been playing tabletop role-playing games for quite a while now. Although I like to believe that I do it to hang out with my friends, my wife thinks otherwise. She thinks that I do it to relive my teenage years. I don't argue with her because she's right about most things. But the truth is that role-playing is a way for me to escape reality. Some people play video games, some read books, I role-play. I love the idea of being a hero, a knight in shining armor, rescuing Wookie slaves while traveling through space in a light freighter. Or maybe I'm an expert in the occult, investigating strange cults that worship Cthulhu. All of this helps me relax and makes me happy.

I have been working as a teacher for several years, teaching Icelandic language and literature to teenagers. My job requires me to focus on grammar, spelling and literary works such as Icelandic Sagas and modern novels. To be honest, teaching grammar and spelling to teenagers can be quite monotonous, but I always try to find creative ways to engage them. For instance, I keep a few Scrabble board games handy. However, teaching literature is always enjoyable, and encouraging students to participate is much easier when they find the novels interesting.

The Icelandic Sagas are not always easy to understand. The language used is old, and Icelandic teenagers often find them difficult to follow. The cast of characters is usually extensive, and the third-person narrator is impartial, leaving the reader to interpret events. Despite the fact that the sagas revolve around Vikings, murders, and revenge, they are not very appealing to most teenagers, especially if they are expected to read them independently and answer basic questions about them.

In the contemporary educational landscape, the ubiquity of smartphones and iPads among teenagers presents a significant challenge to engaging them in academic pursuits. The allure of these gadgets often supersedes the interest in classroom activities, as students' attention is frequently diverted by notifications and the pervasive fear of missing out (FOMO). This digital distraction is compounded by an instinctive reflex to check their devices at the slightest indication of a new alert, such as a vibration, which further exacerbates the challenge of maintaining their focus on educational content. These technological distractions, along with various social changes, have added layers of complexity to teaching, demanding innovative strategies to captivate and sustain student engagement. Teachers are now tasked with finding creative methods to draw students' attention away from their screens and towards the curriculum, a feat that requires adapting to the digital habits and preferences of the modern student.

Bringing The Stories To Life Using A Roleplaying Game

One of my favorite sagas is the story of Gisli Sursson. It's a murder mystery, or a whodunit, but with Vikings armed with axes, bounty hunters, and evil sorcerers. The main character, Gisli Sursson, is a simple farmer who lives happily with his wife on his land alongside his brother, who lives in a separate farmhouse. One day, Gisli's blood brother, Vesteinn, comes to visit, but he is murdered while staying there. Gisli later avenges Vesteinn by killing his brother-in-law, which leads to chaos. Gisli becomes a hunted man, is sentenced to exile, and can be killed with impunity. He manages to evade and elude his body hunters for years until they finally catch him, but he puts up a real fight, and though his attackers manage to bring him down, it is at a great cost. Overall, this saga has every potential to be a great read for most people.

Although I enjoy the Saga, the conventional way of teaching it, along with most other Sagas, was to have the students read and answer questions from each chapter. After doing this for years, I found it to be boring and tedious. Moreover, I couldn't see any enthusiasm aroused in the students, nor did they find reading the story enjoyable or fulfilling.

I decided to make a change in the way I taught my students. First, I started reading the whole story with them, explaining in detail what was happening. Then I created a plan where each student could choose an assignment based on their interests and how they wanted to experience the story. They were free to draw comics, calculate the size of a Viking farmhouse, or set up a court like the one in the Saga era. This approach allowed them to engage with the narrative and experience it instead of just reading a text they found difficult.

In one of the assignments, the students were asked to create roleplaying characters based on the main characters of the Saga. They were given the option to use D&D, BRP or an Icelandic roleplaying game called Askur Yggdrasils. I provided them with the necessary character sheets and rulebooks. After creating the characters, I gave them an opportunity to play them in a short session that I game mastered. The session was based on a scene from the Saga.

I believe that this was one of the most successful assignments for Gisli’s Saga. Many students decided to do it and for many this was their first roleplaying experience. Some of them are still playing.

In Iceland, high school students are required to choose several extracurricular subjects each semester. These subjects can range from photography and carpentry to cooking and more. One year, I approached the department head and asked if I could offer the students an opportunity to learn through roleplaying games. However, I was questioned about what skills the students would acquire by playing a game where they pretend to be heroes in imaginary realms fighting dragons and evil undead monsters.

It's a valid question, especially coming from the head of an educational institution. It's their responsibility to ensure that every subject, even those that are not a part of the curriculum, have a clear objective. This objective should either help students learn new skills or increase their knowledge of the world.

Roleplaying games can be very informative and you can learn a lot by playing them. The fact that roleplaying is a social activity is proof of this. When you assume the role of someone else, it can be crucial for some people. I have seen extremely shy people open up and actively participate in a roleplaying group. Roleplaying games can help people who feel awkward in social situations practice their behaviour. The game provides a secure and safe space where they can feel comfortable enough to let themselves go.

After some consideration, the head of the department approved the inclusion of Roleplaying Games as a subject, but with certain conditions. The selection of students for the class was done with care, with the objective of improving their social status and allowing them to develop their social skills. Assignments would be given, and students needed to be graded based on their performance. Although I accepted the conditions, I was unsure about how to grade roleplaying.

I set out some objectives before starting to evaluate social skills, which is always subjective and challenging to measure. After careful consideration, I designed a sheet with various social skills to assess after each class. I also created several assignments, such as character creation, writing and game-mastering a one-shot, and participating in a small convention.

During the first meeting with the students, we discussed roleplaying games, and I introduced them to different rulebooks and accessories. At the next meeting, we used Dungeons & Dragons to create characters. Their task was to write a backstory and select a suitable image for their character.

After the first session, the students got up and started talking with each other. They were discussing the game and how they could improve their gameplay. I watched as the scene unfolded before my eyes and realized that I had been planning the subject poorly. The students were actually learning from each other and empowering each other's in-game actions. I decided to throw away the sheet with the social skills and after that first session, we sat a bit longer and discussed their characters' actions and behavior.

Even today, I'm not sure if these students know how important those moments they spent talking and discussing what had happened in-game really were. They had learned a lot by evaluating and thinking about the actions, reactions, and inactions of their characters. In the following sessions, I tried to offer as many chances as possible for the player characters to socialize with each other and other non-playing characters..

Roughly two decades ago, roleplaying games (RPGs) were largely considered a niche hobby, often stereotypically associated with a specific subculture. However, the landscape of roleplaying, particularly games like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), has undergone a dramatic transformation. Roleplaying has transcended its niche status to become a mainstream activity, embraced by a wide and diverse audience that spans from celebrities to inmates, reflecting its universal appeal. In Iceland, this shift is evident as teenagers have the opportunity to engage in roleplaying games at community centers, indicating a significant cultural shift. The stereotype of roleplayers as socially awkward and solitary individuals is rapidly fading, replaced by a more inclusive and varied image of what it means to be a roleplayer. This evolution reflects broader changes in societal attitudes towards gaming and entertainment, illustrating how roleplaying games have become a respected and enjoyed pastime across different segments of society.

I still offer roleplaying games as an extracurricular subject every semester, and in the last decade or so, their popularity has exploded. Almost every day, I organize a roleplaying session where students come and play for about two hours. The heads of my department see a lot of potential in roleplaying games, and we have had roleplaying game classes specifically designed for autistic students and students who have a hard time coping with school. Currently, there is more demand for roleplaying games than I alone can meet.

Students need to learn social skills now more than ever. In a world where much of their communication relies on smartphones and the internet, they need to be able to sit down at a table and have a great time together, whether it is slaying a dragon with a group of other adventurers or discussing solutions to drought in Africa and everything there between. Most companies today who are seeking people, at least here in Iceland, are looking for people who have great social skills, are able to work in groups and to be part of a team. What better way to teach this than by roleplaying!?

After all, isn’t this what roleplaying is all about?

Using Tabletop Roleplaying Games grab students attention, are fun and informative, and a great way to empower students at school.

TTRPGs at School

Sandy Petersen, Lynn Willis, Mike Mason, Paul Fricker


The ship is sinking, and the crew hurries you toward one of the many small rowboats acting as the ship’s lifeboats. As they load you in, they tell you your best bet is to aim for Beacon Island—they doubt you’ll make the mainland as a storm is brewing.
You should have just enough time to reach the island before the storm hits.

What do you do?

The Starter Set of Call of Cthulhu is a great start since it includes not only a short version of the ruleset but also has excellent modules, one for a group and one for solo playing, where you can learn the game's rules. 

, both available for free on Quest Portal.

Call of Cthulhu uses a modified version of the BRP system, developed by Chaosium, and is a Set Difficulty system. It uses a d100, and players must roll under their skill number to succeed on a check.

For a great digital experience, go with the 

 from Chaosium's website and print them for your table. 

Chaosium and Quest Portal have partnered on a great 

digital experience for the core Call of Cthulhu rulebooks

. With the Chaosium Core subscription, you can access all the rules and lore you need to play with your group for years. 

Call of Cthulhu is deeply rooted in the themes and entities of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction. This includes a pantheon of ancient, incomprehensibly powerful cosmic entities such as Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Azathoth. These beings exist beyond human understanding and are indifferent or hostile to humanity.

The classic setting for Call of Cthulhu is the 1920s, often called the "Roaring Twenties." This era's mix of post-World War I optimism, burgeoning technology, and social change provides a rich backdrop for tales of horror and mystery. However, the game can be adapted to other time periods as well.

The game's adventures can span the globe, taking players from the bustling streets of New York City to the remote corners of the Egyptian deserts, or they can be localized in small, claustrophobic settings like a secluded New England town.

A key element of Call of Cthulhu is the psychological impact of encountering the otherworldly and the unknown. Characters are at risk of physical harm and losing their sanity upon encountering eldritch horrors or forbidden knowledge.

The game often revolves around investigation, with players taking on the roles of detectives, scholars, journalists, and other archetypes who are drawn into mysterious and supernatural occurrences. Uncovering clues, deciphering ancient texts, and solving puzzles are common elements.

Characters in Call of Cthulhu are typically ordinary humans who are far more vulnerable than typical heroes of fantasy RPGs. The emphasis is on their fragility in the face of the incomprehensible and unknown, making survival and sanity preservation key aspects of gameplay.

The game is supported by an extensive lore based on Lovecraft's stories and expanded by subsequent authors. This includes detailed descriptions of ancient gods, alien races, forbidden books, and mysterious cults.

Call of Cthulhu emphasizes atmosphere, mood, and storytelling. The horror is often psychological and creeping, built through suspense, foreboding, and the gradual revelation of the horrific.

Quest Portal VTT is the easiest platform to pick up for new GMs. Create your campaign in minutes and send invites to your party.

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A brief overview of Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. The BRP system, the 1920s setting, and the eldritch horrors.

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