of 'Battle-Troll': Man-to-Man combat as depicted in the Icelandic Sagas
by Howard Whitehouse and Roderick Robertson
Let's strike with a sword-flash
To shatter the shield:
To batter the blade
Till the enemy bleeds…
- Egil's Saga
Personal combat in the Norse sagas is notable for its combination of grim humor, gymnastic violence, and a graphic interest in the details of wounds, especially those with fatal consequences. Battle-Troll is a card-based system that uses what amounts to "Rock, Paper, Scissors – plus gratuitous insults!" This is a game where wounds are frequent and death an accepted hazard. You may build a great warrior reputation by deeds of valor and mighty blows – or lose it for acts of ignoble memory, like jumping back from a taunt, or falling in manure, or excessive flatulence on the field of honor.
Battle-Troll is about all that: It's a fast, bloodthirsty game, simple enough to play after several horns of mead. Stolen mead. From a looted monastery.
First published back in the dawn of history (the 1990s), this new, much expanded and improved version of a classic man-to-man game will have you laughing as you hack and slay, or lose a leg, whichever applies...
PDF: Rules $18 USD, cards $4 USD, bundle $20 USD
Softcover: Rules $24 USD, cards $8 USD (we'll let you have the PDF free if you buy the book!)
You do need both the rules and the cards to play the game.