"What if the Vikings had never lost a single battle? Imagine a world where the Great Heathen Army swept over the whole of the British Isles, crushing Ælfred of Wessex before he ever earned the epithet Great or where the mighty Byzantine city of Constantinople – Miklagard – fell not to the Turks but to the Norse."
Ian Stuart Sharpe's epic role-playing game (RPG) takes place in an alternate universe where the Vikings have marched unbeaten across the lands of Europe and beyond to spread their influence throughout the globe.
To find out more, The Viking Herald speaks to the author about the magic of RPGs, the powerful symbolism of Viking lore, and why Tolkien and others have a lot to answer for.
Rewriting history
After growing up in Dereham, Norfolk, Ian Stuart Sharpe has also lived in New York and Vancouver and worked for the likes of Atari and EA Sports.
Today, he resides with his family in British Columbia, Canada. Ian is also the creator of the Vikingverse, an imaginative exploration of an alternative history that is the setting for his novels The All-Father Paradox, Loki's Wager, and the graphic novel The Jotunn War.
When asked about his inspiration for the Vikingverse, Ian informs us that a period of modern political turmoil – Brexit and the election of Donald Trump – got him thinking about other sliding doors moments in history.
Around the same time, he also happened upon The forfeited birthright of the abortive Scandinavian civilization, an obscure essay in counterfactual history from esteemed historian Arnold Toynbee that ponders what might have been if the Vikings had captured Constantinople in 860 or established stronger colonies in North America.
With a deep-seated curiosity about Viking culture, Ian Stuart Sharpe's creative endeavors often serve as a platform to delve into their world and bring their tales to life. Photo: Ian Stuart Sharpe
The Norse attraction
"I'd always been fascinated by Vikings," Ian admits. "I'd grown up in East Anglia, which had been under the Danelaw. There was a kind of rootedness and long history that I was attached to. And then, when I was here in Canada, I felt this pull of history."
"I was also interested in rewriting the rules and came up with the All-Father Paradox. It's like the Grandfather Paradox – where somebody travels back to a time before their grandfather had children and assassinates him, thus making their own birth impossible."
"Here, Odin does it: he goes back and rewrites history and the timelines. He creates a future where Christianity has been put to the Viking sword and the Norse rule the stars and the seas with their restless fleets."
"That's where the novels and the comics are all set – within that imagined parallel universe."
A new medium
The densely woven RPG When The Wolf Comes is the latest addition to the Vikingverse.
Ian tells us that a childhood passion for Dungeons and Dragons was reignited through the enthusiasm of his own children for the game, and Ian soon began his project.
The resulting book is the fruit of two years of hard labor and was written with the assistance of prestigious graphic artists and eminent Old Norse professors.
Robert J. Schwalb, a former game designer for Dungeons & Dragons and creator of the smash-hit role-playing game Shadows of the Demon Lord, also pitched in and eventually published the game through his company, Schwalb Entertainment.
Ian's game uses an adjusted version of the rules of Shadows of the Demon Lord.
Blending ancient lore and science fiction, When The Wolf Comes takes place in an alternative present that features space travel, computers, and modern weaponry.
Ian sought to create a fully immersive world that mixes sci-fi elements with authentic Norse myth and intricate linguistic details.
"I find exploring the influence that the Norse language has on us and our language, belief, and culture absolutely fascinating," he explains.
"I also wanted to deliver something that's reasonably plausible. Vikings didn't have guns – but what would a Norse gun look like?"
"They did have great craftsmanship and metal-working skills, so perhaps they would have been more ornate, or they might have named them."
"I think it's fascinating that 'gun' is a Viking word – there was a big catapult at Windsor named after Gunnhilda. Cannons later replaced catapults and became 'gonnes' in Old English."
"When the Wolf Comes" introduces a captivating world, engaging characters, and a blend of humor and clever wordplay that ensures its appeal to both newcomers and seasoned gamers. Source: Ian Stuart Sharpe
Authentic myths
Ian also emphasizes the importance of imagination to role-playing games.
"It's all about unleashing your inner Viking to get into the roles of a Berserker or a Varangian. To take those Norse archetypes and inhabit them and play these modern Norse sagas."
"We have all these centuries of fascination with Icelandic sagas that really do tell stories which are resonant today, and that have inspired writers from Asimov to Pratchett."
Ian notes that while J.R.R. Tolkien and other writers famously employed Norse mythology, it was a deeply sanitized version, with far too many pointy ears and horned helmets.
"The tapestry of Norse mythology starts as warrior-influenced, steeped in blood, very pagan. But it becomes ever more Christianized."
"In the Middle Ages, they took things like the Jötnar – these mythical, elemental beings, these oncoming storms and tidal forces – and turned them into trolls under the bridge that attacked goats. I tried to strip everything back to its Norse roots."
Let your imagination take hold
Ian Stuart Sharpe himself is incredibly knowledgeable about the world of the Vikings, something that shines through in the game itself.
At 397 pages, When the Wolf Comes may appear daunting initially. Yet the deep, rich world he has created, the engaging, fearsome characters, and the lashings of humor and ingenious wordplay make it wholly accessible to beginners and experts alike.
Viking enthusiasts will surely savor the chance to explore Norse myths and inhabit the characters of the age, and battle against the impending doom of Ragnarök.
To play, you need a group of at least four people, while we also highly recommend a large table, a few choice Viking snacks, and a long drinking horn full to the brim with your finest mead.
Once set up, simply strap yourself in for many hours of uproarious entertainment and rollicking adventure.
The PDF version of When the Wolf Comes is available online at DriveThruRPG. The print version will be available soon. Updates are available on the Vikingverse website.
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