Of all the reasons I might have imagined, “Old Norse is weird” certainly wasn’t one.
During the height of the Roman Empire or during the Viking Age? The absolutely dominated fucking everyone during the Viking Age. The conquered almost the entirety of England and half of Ireland, the Hebrides Archipelago in Scotland, and even sacked the great city of Paris. Twice. Not to mention raiding all along the Iberian and North African coasts.
They were so fierce and fearless that the Eastern Roman Empire, today known as the Byzantine Empire, hired them to form the Imperial Guard known as the Varangian Guard, one of the most elite and well known units, right up there with the Immortals of Persia, the Sacred Band of Thebes, the Macedonian Silver Shields, etc. They definitely weren’t underdogs.
This is not even talking about the provence of Normandy, established by France as a place for Viking settlers to live and flourish in exchange for protecting them from other Viking raiders. Duke William of Normandy, also known as Duke William the Bastard or William the Conquerer, went on to conquer England yet again, and established a dominance that would reign for about 300 years.
Oh, and also they built the city of Dublin from the ground up and made it the largest trade center in Ireland.
So they definitely weren’t underdogs lmao. Sorry to rant like this. 
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All true, but during the start of the Viking Age, kingdoms like Wessex, the Franks, Mercia, and the Byzantines existed. Massively influential, prestiguous, and centralized. Then, the upstart Vikings began appearing all over, stirring up the pot. And while they made considerable waves in England, Ireland, and Scotland in the conflicts there. They were still underdogs compared to the established powers. That’s all I’m saying. When comparing the might of kingdoms like Francia or Byzantium of the time, places Norway, Denmark, and conquered Northumbria would look like the underdogs.
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I see what you’re getting at. It’s true in that sense, as Vikings didn’t really have a desire to form a lasting legacy. They were kind of singular in that sense, only really living in the moment and the immediate future. I’ve always thought of Empires like Rome as the immovable object, and cultures like the Vikings as the unstoppable force. Rome would have had a hell of a time fighting against the Vikings, if only because Vikings were so unpredictable. They probably would have tried to recruit them as auxiliary soldiers to fight in their other wars.
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with all due respect author but this is one of the most complicated wips i have seen, it is obvious from the show stats that you intend for the players to control more characters other than the mc which can be annoying if someone constantly ensure the stats of other characters and their own mc, this is just my view of what i have seen but the moment i enter show stats i didn’t even bother playing this wip, i am not asking you to change your style of creating this wip all i just hope that it attracts people who are into playing up to six characters @Robd5822
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Hey there,
Thanks a bunch for checking out my game and for dropping me your thoughts. I totally get where you’re coming from with the whole stats screen thing but right now you can only experience the story from one POV character, the other characters don’t even appear in the story I have written so far. I only wrote the code that way in preparation to potentially having multiple POV characters but, as of now, it’s really all about sticking with one character’s journey. I have to admit I was pretty bummed out to hear you weren’t able to get past the code for my stats screen, but I do appreciate the feedback. Oops!
The heads-up you gave me really shines a light on something super important—I’ve gotta make things clearer from the get-go. I mean, the last thing I want is for folks to take one look at the stats screen and think, “Nope, too much work,” before even giving the story a chance. That’s on me, and I’m already noodling on how to streamline things so it’s less of a headache to dive in.
Honestly, hearing this from you is a bit of a wake-up call, and I’m super grateful for it. I’m all about making this game as awesome as possible, and getting real-talk feedback like yours is gold. I’m already sketching out some tweaks to make the intro to the game’s mechanics smoother and to make that stats screen friendlier for everyone.
I’d love to keep this convo going—if you’ve got more insights, or if there’s anything specific you reckon would make the game more your cup of tea, I’m all ears. And hey, if you’re up for it, giving the game another shot down the line would mean the world to me. I promise it’ll only get better from here, especially with helpful pals like you.
Cheers for the feedback, and here’s to making things better!
Catch you later,
Rob
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Ok author let me ask you this, just to clarify so me and other people won’t start misunderstanding this wip, are you trying to make the players use characters other than the mc for stat checks and if not then pls can you tell me why one of the pov characters have this, because if you are really leaning towards that direction for players to monitor other characters stats than the mc as i said before can be frustrating for some players and if you are not then is this pov character a female genderlocked mc or character that the mc will train and if this pov character is not a mc then can you pls just put the information for the pov character in a section of show stats other than personal information so that it won’t give players the wrong idea of a genderlocked mc and so we the players can view information on characters to get to know them along with their own stats
and also it will be a good idea to leave this section of show stats blank until we players name the mc, so we don’t get the wrong idea that Solfrid tomir is who we are playing as through the story but just a character we are using as a pov and one we will interact with when we play as the mc
Hey Elemental,
Sorry that this reply is rather late. I was out of town this weekend and wanted to be at my computer to reply to you. I intended the reader to play from characters other than the MC. The portion of the story that I had released in hopes of receiving feedback on the writing is meant to act as a prologue for the main storyline. I’ve reevaluated that, even though I love that part of the story. I believe I have outlined a compelling narrative that delivered some necessary exposition for my story. Still, it did not receive the outpouring of praises and accolades I had envisioned 
So, as they say, ‘I’m murdering those darlings’ and am likely scrapping the prologue altogether in favor of jumping straight into character creation. But, as the game post notes up at the top here, it is not a gender-locked game, so no worries there if that’s not your cup of tea. FYI, the stat screen that I had set up for the multiple POV characters is contextual and changes depending on which character you happened to be experiencing the story through at the time. Anyway, I hope that helps clear things up, and with the changes I make, you’ll come back and read the story. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me about the story.
Kindest Regards,
Rob (Darling Murderer)
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I just played the story is pretty good but there is still one concern about the stats if we gonna use more characters for stat checks, say in a situation when solfrid and mc are having a argument against each other to prove a point how does that work when using stats for leadership/logic/charisma or is it like the characters just have opinions that aligne together despite differences that will have to be solved using stats or are you going make the characters into one of those kind of group that is united and only follows the mc lead while having reactions to the mc and each character choices @Robd5822
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Thanks so much for your question, and I’m thrilled you liked the story so far. If I understand correctly, you’re curious how individual stats like leadership, logic, and charisma affect arguments and interactions between characters, such as Solfrid and the MC. But, as I had envisioned, the contextual stats to work would be the following.
Say you are presented with a scene from Solfrid’s POV. She has individual stats (Body, Grace, Presence, and Mind). Her skills (hand-to-hand, acrobatics, guidance, etc.), relationships with characters, and personality are independent of any other character, including the MC. So if Solfrid happens to be having an argument with the MC, and let’s say she might need some threshold of skill and over 50 in her relationship with the MC to make a specific argument, or another choice could be she needs 30 in her relationship with the MC to make another argument. And that outcome of a particular choice might be that she wins that argument and convinces the MC to see her side of the conflict. Because she ‘won’ the argument and the MC conceded, that could increase her view towards the MC, perhaps changing her relationship by +5. Still, the MC could resent conceding the argument and changing their opinion of Solfrid by -10 or something.
Is that what you were getting at? If not, I apologize if what I just said differs from what you asked. I’m happy to clarify if I still need to answer your question. I am more than willing to talk about the story. It’s my favorite thing to do!
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author this story got great potential, but you have done something which might just have to change or destroy your vision for this wip, you created a character named Solfrid with in mind of more characters to come for future updates of the story while also making players to manage 16 stats for each character and mc who have not even appeared, and no matter how you point it out the characters interaction will not work out like this, for example solfrid winning a argument should not even occur unless we the players play as the mc and use the 16 stats you implemented to win the argument and in the case the player did not reach the requirement for the stat, personality or relationship to convince Solfrid, then the player will fail the stat requirement as the mc(Main Character) and Solfrid will win the argument along with what it was meant to achieve, FYI before you get the wrong info, Solfrid is nice character i enjoyed playing as her in the pov but 16 stats for more than one character is just begging for players to turn away
And the characters besides the mc should not have that many stats like how on earth can you expect players to stat manage 16 stats for characters besides the mc, personally i believe you should just leave the 16 stats only for the mc and give the other characters they own unique stat that is improved by the decisions in the story or when the mc trains them for the chance that they succeed in certain scenarios that would help them and if they are inefficient in certain stats then the mc own stats will come in hand to aid it
And also as for the relationship stat, the mc should be the only one that improves or worsen characters and people opinion of them
I am sorry author if i am messing with your view for the story but i needed to just let you know and show you what was missing from the story without shoving too much of my thoughts on your story
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I completely agree with you. The story will be presented primarily through the POV of the character created main character. While, there might be scenes, or a series of scenes where the reader controls the actions of a secondary character the stats and skill tracking will focus on the MC, and while the game may adjust secondary character’s stats during the course of the game depending on the actions they take in reaction to the actions the MC takes, I absolutely do not want to get bogged down in a multitude of stats. The story I want to tell, is primarily that. A story, with interactive and branching elements and in my mind nothing slows the story to a crawl more than having to open and close your stats screen to evaluate your best path to success. I want to structure the story and hopefully the majority of the choices in such a way that there isn’t a ‘wrong’ way to proceed. If you want to try going toe to toe with the trained Altim soldier, when you haven’t been training your hand to hand skill. Go right ahead, but know that there might be consequences, but I’m not trying to frustrate anybody and I’ll probably not make the soldier strike you dead if you tried something new. But, common sense dictates if you haven’t been training hand to hand because your character’s been firing hundreds of arrows instead, then maybe that will be more successful in dealing with the soldier.
Again, the story will deal primarily with the MC, so you shouldn’t have to juggle or track multiple character’s stats. Also, I’m happy to discuss the story, really it is my absolute favorite thing and I’m very happy that you are interested enough to have a dialogue with me about it. I just hope that when I release the character creation and first several scenes that you are still as excited to read more. I can assure you I am very excited to share the story. Thanks again!
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Hey everyone!
I’m here amidst the symphony of frantic keyboard clacking as I venture through the wilds of character creation and the first scenes of the story. But hey, I’ve got a little detour in mind and wanted your take on it.
How would you feel about a sneak peek into the creative cauldron of Iseir? I’m talking early-stage, might-change-tomorrow concept art, quirky insights into our burgeoning cast (no spoilers, pinky promise!), and a glimpse at the flora and fauna that might want help or kill our hero in a gruesome and bloody manner. Plus, a dash of world-building lore to spice things up.
Now, I get it if you’re the type who likes to let your imagination run wild, unfettered by my humble attempts at artistry. So, if you’d rather stick with your own mental sketches, that’s cool too. But if you’re curious, I’m excited to share and hear what you think—could be fun, right?
So, are you in for a little behind-the-scenes magic, or should I zip it and get back to the narrative grind? Your call!
Looking forward to your thoughts – and as always, ready to be buoyed or booed based on your feedback. Just kidding (or am I?).
Write on,
Rob
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Updated Demo +5K Words
Hey everyone!
I just updated the demo with the start of the main storyline, including the initial physical attribute character creation scene. I’d love to hear what you think. Am I missing something? Is there an attribute that you’d like to see included that isn’t? Let me know. Also, I have kept the portion of the prologue that I wrote and left the narrative fight system in the game in case you would like to try your hand at it. Again, I would be profoundly grateful if you could give me feedback.
I plan to continue working on the main storyline. Many early scenes will round out the character creation process, including a naming ceremony, relationship-building with family and friends, some very early RO introductions, and hell, maybe a baby fight and a bout of explosive diarrhea. Sound like fun?
Stay cool,
Rob
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This all sounds very cute. I like it when games take their time and let us enjoy being a child for a while and getting to know everyone. I really enjoyed the update! Keep up the good work Rob!
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I must admit that ‘cute’ wasn’t exactly the tone I was trying to set; maybe parts were meant to be cute. But I’ll take it! Thanks for the feedback, Harley. I sincerely appreciate it, and I’m stoked you enjoyed the short update. Is there anything more you would’ve liked to see to customize your character’s appearance further? Did the scenes make sense? Did the scenes transition and flow logically? Was there too much writing or too little? In your opinion, Is there anything I can do to improve on the writing or character development, setting descriptions, etc? Sorry to bombard you with questions. I’m just a feedback-starved artist, and you fell into my clutches by leaving your thoughtful and much-appreciated comment. Muhahaha 
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Game looked ok ,also liked the concept u get to edit the baby apperance , when I reached the part where it seems mc mother dies I was hella angry at the author then saw the next part she survived I was happy lol, also are there gonna be any cheat mode or something later on ,
Also when’s the next updates gonna be ?waiting for it 
Also hope there gonna be more interaction as baby mc with his families rather than time skip
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Mission accomplished! If I’m making you angry because of the awful things I’m doing to the characters and not because you hate the story, then I’m happy! Cheat mode? Hmm, that might be a cool thing to look into later. I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Thank you! I hope to have another update posted by the end of the weekend. I’ll introduce a few more characters in the next couple of scenes and would like to flesh out their profiles a bit more before I write them.
Yes! There will definitely be more interactions as baby MC, where you will name your MC, lay the groundwork for familial and friend/enemy relationships, get introduced to a few potential ROs, and start developing your character personality. It should be fun. Stay tuned!
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Don’t mind me giving out suggestions that I felt
-first would be like would be good if you added save and load slots
-i also would recommend adding more eye colour, something like red or black cause I kinda like my mc to have intimidating or scary kinda looks
-also hope would be more interaction as baby mc with his families not direct time skip nojustu 
-just my recommendation for fun if you Add mc pissing on his siblings or parents something, would be better if we option to do that ignerd guy
-cheat mode in future updates fr battles and all,and i thnk there’s gonna be plenty of battle 
-also in customisation when becomes adult or teen I hope you add height option where mc can be the tallest like towering even above him families and enemies ,and muscular kinda body option LIKE JUGGERNAUT BOIII:laughing:, while playing games i usually go for tall and muscular custom just smash everything 
That’s all igotta sayfr now, waiting fr next update keep up the good work man 
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Great suggestions! Thank you. I
'll for sure be adding a save/load system. It’ll be a long story and fraught with peril but I don’t want to frustrate anyone. But, I’ll likely not implement it until we’re a little further into the narrative. I’m not entirely sure how well save system works when a story is under development. As frustrating as it can be to have to replay scenes if you died or something it can be equally frustrating when the game updates and breaks your save.
I tried to provide a good mix of natural human eye colors to the character creation, these I pulled from charts on the subject.
Absolutely! Stay tuned I think I’ve got some fun scenes planned.
It wouldn’t be much fun to get to play as a baby if you couldn’t pee on someone that ticked you off.
There’ll be plenty of fighting, for sure. When the MC grows up and becomes more involved in the rebellion they will grow in responsibility for commanding troops and such. Also, there will be one- on- one combat and once I get back into working on the fight system, potentially one on many fights. Have you tried the fight system yet? There’s an option to jump straight into it when you open the game. I’d love to hear what you think.
Yep! That’ll be there.