Core Rules for the Edge of the Realm (2019)

Fantasy Roleplaying in the Kievan Rus during the Viking Age

From the introduction:

This is a Fantasy Roleplaying Game set to the era of Kievan Rus, towards the end of the first millennia. The Varangians (Vikings) control the routes from Baltic to the Black Sea and Constantinople. Europe is mostly Christian but on these Eastern Lands the old religions and sorcery are still widely practiced, witches and mystical beasts still terrorize the country.

Some historical facts and people are presented in the background, but some facts are also twisted a little to better suit the game setting. For example: even if some Greek missionaries entered the area already in 9th century, Christianity was more widely adopted only couple hundred years later. In this game the presence of Christianity is already strong.

Spirits and deities work actively in this game. Through their blessing the skills of characters are enhanced but they also reward characters in other manners if the characters show them proper respect. The people of the realm strongly believe in omnipotent powers of the divine, whether of Slavic, Christian or of other pantheon.

We assume that the trade-routes to the south predate the Viking-era; the characters will meet people of different ethnic backgrounds and also hear stories and legends even from Armenia and Persia. The setting gives you a good chance to investigate the myths less often used in fantasy games.