Customer Reviews

Ultima Thule: Mythic Scandinavia (Ars Magica)

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I love Ars Magica. I have also been fascinated with vikings for quite some time. This supplement tries to bridge the knowledge gap concerning Scanadanavia and the Order of Odin for Ars Magica, but as is common with so many games along this line, the vikings seemd to last for hundreds of years after their prime.

Ars Magica is nominally set to begin in 1220 AD. By common scholarly acceptance, the last gasp of the viking era was the Battle of Stamford Bridge, 1066 AD (about 2 weeks before the Battle of Hastings). Most of the information given in this book would be more appropriate to the 9th or 10th centuries, rather than the 13th. With this proviso, let me say the information is wonderful.

The background information on Scandanavian culture is, as common with Ars Magica supplements, superlative. Social strata, mores, pasttimes, cratfs, and the Old Beliefs are handled in an intelligent and engaging manner. This is by far the best system I have ever seen for handling runic magic; while it may not be accurate (how do you judge such things in a game?), it gives a real viking FEEL to the power. In addition there is a fascinating section on Finnish Wind Wizards which, while brief, is intriguing and quite useful.

Overall this is a fine book, with the one caveat of being somewhat misplaced in time. Barring that, however, it is a wonderful addition to any Ars Magica library, especially if you favour early campaigns.

This book can stand as an introduction and review of the Northern tradition of the Vikings and Northern Celts. For game play it presents a wealth of material to incorporate into story lines and character back-stories.

This book is imho quite superficial. To my regret, it doesn't really cover the order of Odin (because, as the book says, the Order of Oding is only rumors). Another thing I really hate about the book is the front cover. It shows a man with a hornet helmet - no viking helmet with horns has ever been found... A bit too 'mythical' for me! Apart from that the book is quite boring.