FAQ
The Saga Forge — FAQ
What is The Saga Forge?
A solo campaign system for Viking Age wargaming. You create a jarl and companions, fight battles on your table, report results, and the system generates what happens next. Your dómr (reputation) grows, your warband scales, your enemies remember you. How does it work? You fill out a form to create your jarl and starting companions. The system generates a scenario. You fight it using the free rules. Report the outcome with the provided form. Next scenario reacts to what happened - victory or defeat both move the story forward.
Do I need an opponent?
No. This is built for solo play from the ground up. Co-op is always an option. You can always hand off one of your companions with their men to another player.
What rules do I use?
The Saga Forge has its own ruleset - free to download. It's a D10 skirmish system designed to work with the AI campaign engine. Battle Clock, Command Points, companion warbands, all integrated.
Can I use my own rules instead?
Not really. The system needs specific feedback from battles (Dómr changes, companion actions, victory conditions) that other rulesets don't track the same way. How much does it cost? The rules are free. The campaign system is a one-time purchase after you try the free start up and scenario. No subscription, own it forever.
How many miniatures do I need?
Start with about 20-25 Vikings. As your dómr grows and you gain more companions, battles scale up to 40-60+ models. You won't need them all at once and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have some undead or maybe a troll or 2 on hand.
What size table?
3x3 feet works for early battles. 4x4 is better once you're fielding larger warbands.
How long is a campaign?
However long you want. There's no end point. Your jarl fights until they die or you decide their saga is complete. If your jarl falls, a companion can rise to take their place and continue. You can even have multiple campaigns going at the same time.
What's dómr?
Old Norse for reputation/renown. It tracks your jarl's standing in the world. Higher dómr attracts better companions, bigger enemies, and larger battles. It grows through victories, bold choices, and memorable deeds.
How many companions can I have?
You start with 2. As your dómr increases, you can gain up to 4 total. Like the Jarl, each leads their own group of warriors.
What happens if I lose a battle? Your saga continues. Defeats have consequences - wounded companions, lost warriors, damaged reputation - but the campaign doesn't end. Sometimes losing creates better stories than winning.
What if my jarl dies?
A companion can take their place as the new jarl. The saga continues under new leadership with the surviving companions and whoever joins next. You will also be given an option to "clone" the dead Jarl (their brother/sister, cousin) and continue.
How does The Saga Forge generate scenarios?
It considers your past battles, current dómr, companion archetypes, victories and defeats, and injects wyrd (fate/chaos). You get raids, feuds, tests, unexpected threats - not just linear story beats. This is not a series of canned scenarios.. no 2 campaigns will be the same, no 2 scenarios will be the same.
Why not just use ChatGPT and existing rules?
ChatGPT doesn't remember your campaign or track progression. It gives generic prompts. The Saga Forge knows your jarl, your companions, your history, and scales appropriately. The rules feed meaningful data back into the campaign. Also, ChatGPT sucks.
Is this historically accurate?
It's saga-authentic, not academic. Think Iceland's family sagas - real people, dramatic conflicts, occasional supernatural elements (draugr exist). Not a history dissertation.
Can I replay with a different jarl?
Yes. Every playthrough is different based on the choices you make and how battles unfold.
Do I need to know Norse history?
No. The system gives you context and choices. You just pick what feels right for your jarl.
What if I don't like a scenario the AI generates?
That's wyrd. You're playing to see what your saga becomes, not control every outcome. If you want total control over your stories, this probably isn't for you. However, you can still fill out the 'submit results' as if you had played. Skipping through a couple of scenarios is perfectly acceptable.
What do I need to start?
An email address. Some Viking miniatures. A table. The free rules PDF. Dice.. tape measure. That's it.
When does it launch?
Tentative date is 2/1/26
Got more questions? Ask away.
I'm actively looking for feedback during beta, so nothing's off limits.