My Ragnarok

- I have with me a scroll, where the “Divination of the Velva” is written. It clearly states how everything should be ...
Much is no longer possible to change, but if Odin still clashes with Fenrir, and Thor arrives in time to fight the Irmugand, everything will go as it should.

Max Fry

I have long wanted to develop a board game based on some kind of legendary event, but what could be more epic and legendary than the " Death of the Gods " itself?

According to the prophecy , on the day of Ragnarok, the monstrous wolf Fenrir will free himself from his fetters and swallow the sun, plunging the world into darkness, and when the world serpent Jörmungand emerges from the depths, the sea will overflow the shores. They will be joined by the fiery giant Surt with a flaming sword that burns the earth, the mistress of the kingdom of the afterlife, Hel, and the cunning god of fire Loki, along with frogs and giants - grimmtursen and etuns. The ship of the dead Naglfar sails from Helheim. The army of the sons of Muspelheim will ride over the rainbow bridge of Bevröst, which will collapse.
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Taking the slightly modified design as a basis (I had to reduce the size of the figures so that the board could fit on the screen of the average monitor), allowing me not to memorize all the nuances of the rules, but to focus on the simplest icons, I moved on. My goal was to create new types of figures, whose behavior would resemble the famous characters of the epic.

In addition, I focused on the various game situations - the “worlds” into which the whole game is divided. The initial levels are a kind of textbook that introduces the player to the tactical features of the figures involved in the game. Each world is divided into three levels, in accordance with the complexity of the passage. There are also three main missions in the game (according to the number of main antagonists). In total, the game contains 15 variants (5 worlds, with 3 levels in each).

On the wings of the wind

Valhalla is the first world from which I began developing (but not according to the plot of the game). According to the German-Scandinavian mythology , this is the palace of warriors who died in battle. Immortal warrior maidens, the Valkyries, flying winged horses above the ground, are taken from the battlefield of warriors. In their abilities, they remind me of "flying ladies" in Russian or Turkish checkers - maximum mobility and the ability to take several figures in one move.


It can be noted that three forms are depicted here - switching occurs between the first two (thus, the valkyrie alternates diagonal and orthogonal movements), and the third one is universal. It combines the rules for moving the first two forms and can only be obtained by turning the figure. An empty triangle means moving in a straight line to an empty field, and a cross shows how enemy figures are removed (according to the checkers rules). You can not pay attention to the filled squares. In the world of Valhalla, they do not work (for the reasons I will discuss below).


The antagonists of the Valkyries are the ice giants - the Yeutons. This is, in fact, the complete opposite of them - unhurried figures, moving only one step (to the adjacent field), provided that it is empty (this is exactly what the filled “point” means). The captures are carried out according to the rules of Madagascar " Fanorona ":


On the 8x8 field, such a figure can take up to 6 opponents at a time (and then continue the fight). Moreover, the Yotuns in Valhalla are even stronger than the Fanorona checkers! In Fanorone, the player hits either those checkers to which he approaches, or those from which he retreats. Both are fighting in Valhalla! In spite of its strength, the eutons remain very slow. Maneuverability valkyries they can only oppose their number:


According to the plot of the game, the hordes of the Yotuns besiege Valhalla. Having reached the last line, the etuans turn into a “universal” form (only in this “world”, not in the main game). To win, it is enough to get four "transformed" Yotuns. Accordingly, Valkyries need to reduce the number of Yeutuns below this level (to three or less). The complexity of the game (a person plays for valkyries) is easily regulated by the number of besiegers.

No man is an island!

The next step was the addition of new types of junior figures (in addition to valkyries and etuns). In general, there are not so many younger figures in the game and each of them wanted to be made special by adding some unique ability. All junior pieces use compound moves (but each in its own way, not as Valkyrie or Etun do). The basis of any army, a warrior is the only figure capable of fighting both on the side of the “light” and for the “forces of evil” (and, due to a sense of solidarity, does not attack its hostile brethren):


The move encoded by the filled circle looks unremarkable - alternating alternation of the moves of the figures Ferz and Wazir . If the capabilities of a warrior were limited only by this, a very weak and sluggish figure would have been obtained. The filled point allows you to move a little further to beat the enemy figure in a normal move, after which the warrior can “jump” again. In this berserk mode, he is able to bypass the entire board:


In general, it turns out similar to the move of the chess " knight ", except that the warrior cannot "jump over" other figures and may not turn after performing the "jump". The task of bypassing the chessboard served as an excellent introductory - the first "world" of the game. A warrior is obliged to take all the figures in one composite move, because if at least one Yun remains on the board, he will easily win.


Alva and opposing them complete the list of junior figures. Here a new kind of move appears - “shot” (in the case of Tsvergs, this is more likely an ax strike). The figure can attack an enemy figure located on the field marked with an asterisk, “on the spot”. In addition, both figures can jump on a non-occupied field. Composite moves of the Alvs and Tsvergov are implemented in different ways. Alv, after taking an enemy figure, can make an extra shot, and the tsverg, after a jump, cuts the enemy with an ax.

We burned the last bridge

Bivrest - “shaking road”. Rainbow Bridge leading to Asgard . On the day of Ragnarok, the fiery giants will ride through it into the valley of Vigridr , hurrying to the final battle. The bridge will collapse. And there will be no rainbow in the world.



These are pretty mobile figures, but their ability to “burn” other figures is limited to four adjacent fields. The figure can walk to the remaining four near fields, performing a chess take. Long jumps can be performed only on empty fields (thus, the fiery giant can be blocked by taking the field to which he could jump). The leader of the fire giants, Surt - a more powerful, but less maneuverable figure. Surt can summon fire giants on the battlefield and give them orders.



The task of the “Fire Riders” (the player plays for them) is to reach Surt to the bottom edge of the board or destroy all opposing pieces. On the other side are the bright Alves . This is partly consistent with Norse mythology, but the main reason is pragmatic. Effectively resist the "fiery" figures can only figures "shooting" - beating at a distance, without changing its position. They do not have to destroy enemy figures, it is enough to drive them onto the already destroyed part of the board from which they cannot get out.

Virgo and her dog

Hel is the mistress of the underworld. Blue-white giantess, daughter of Loki and Angrboda . On the day of Ragnarok, shoulder to shoulder with Loki and Surt, she will rise up in battle with the hated aces and lead her dead to the assault on Asgard!


Perhaps this is the most interesting figure of "Ragnarok". She is rather slow-moving, but compensates for this with a unique passive ability. Hel can freeze younger figures (warriors, Alvas, tsvergov and even Valkyries). The figures that fall under the action of "freezing" turn into extras. They can be moved from the danger zone by order of the senior figure, but by themselves, they cannot take any action.


Hel's abilities are not limited to this. Ice giants, Eutuns, can be called upon “frozen” fields (naturally, the effect of “freezing” does not apply to them), and frozen figures themselves can be turned to the side of Hel (except for fearless valkyries). But that's not all! Hel can dramatically increase the "mobility" of its freezing, calling on the battlefield faithful dog - Garm .


The task of Garm is the prompt delivery of the “freeze” to any point of the playing space. This figure can not beat enemies in the distance, but is able to get to them as quickly as possible in order to “freeze”. Frozen figures can be "converted" Hel (no matter how far from it they are). In addition, Garm can “jump over” nearby figures.

To demonstrate the joint abilities of Hel and Garm, I developed the "world" Helheim . According to the plot of the game, a detachment of living warriors invades the kingdom of Hel. The player, controlling Hel and Garm, repels the attack, partly destroying the soldiers, partly turning them to their side.

last fight

But here, the hour of the last battle has struck. Fenrir was freed from the shackles and swallowed the sun. Jörmungand crawled onto the shore and the sea overflowed the shores. Surt brought down the rainbow bridge. Monstrous Naglfar brought his dead. The Ases and all Einherias , led by Odin, went to battle in the valley of Vigridr . It's time to get to know them.


One is the father of gods and people. Sage and warrior. The leader of the army of aces. Not the strongest figure in the game. He can give orders to all his warriors, but he cannot call them. It can hit two fields and jump over the figures, but not in the north-west direction (Odin's left eye was given in exchange for wisdom). He can that which all the others cannot.




Loki is Odin's main antagonist. God of cunning and deception. Father of monsters. Madness incarnate itself. Like Odin, this is not a very strong figure, capable of performing actions inaccessible to the other figures. For example, Loki is the only figure that can change the location of the opponent’s pieces (changing their positions with their own pieces). Loki can capture the runes thrown away by Odin (though not all, but only reversible) and use them for their own purposes. Loki can summon monsters.


Jörmungand and Fenrir are chthonic monsters. Figures moving in a straight line, at any distance, passing through other figures (their own or the enemy - it does not matter) and destroying them. Only the rune, the mountain or the border of the playing field can stop their movement. Since Fenrir is zigzagging (diagonally, switching directions after each turn), he can get stuck in the corner of the board. If this happens, he has the right to perform a “move in place”, having spent the player's turn to turn.


Slaipnir - the third generation of Loki, is not so unequivocal. This is an eight-legged horse that can quickly move around the field. His name itself is translated as "sliding" or "smart." The alternation of the moves of the chess " Rook " and " Elephant " is quite a suitable metaphor for this figure. Slaipnir lacks the ability to penetrate, but he can carry Loki or Odin on himself.


Saddle Sleipnira, Loki gets a new quality. He still knows how to summon monsters and grab runes, but he becomes much more mobile. His moves become more symmetrical and he acquires an additional ability to “strike” on the spot (similar to the ability of tsvergov). He becomes less vulnerable. Shots on this figure “kill” Sleypnir, leaving Loki on foot on the board. However, Loki can "dismount" and independently. To do this, it is enough to perform the "Jump", possibly killing the opponent's figure.


There is another opportunity to “hurry” Loki. One may attack the rider. In this case, Odin and Loki switch places. One is on the horse, and Loki remains on foot. In the event that Odin decides to get off his horse, Sleipnir will continue the struggle already on the side of the "forces of Light." In any case, until Loki again captures him.


There are still two "deities of support" - Tyr , who lost his hand in the process of capturing Fenrir (the very chain of the sound of feline footsteps, the roots of mountains and everything else that is no longer in this world) and Thor , with its legendary hammer. These are the summoners of the younger figures - warriors, Alvas, and Valkyries. The type of figure invoked is determined randomly. Thor, in addition to this, has the ability to strike "on the squares" (3x3 square, not containing friendly figures) and moving over long distances. He is the strongest of aces.

Finally, it is worth mentioning another unique feature of the game - the very black squares that I mentioned in the Valkyrie story. These are shields that protect other pieces from a series of attacks, such as “chess taking” or “shots”. Their action is similar to the " Algiz " rune). Unfortunately, they are useless in the “world of Valhalla”. Just because they do not protect against the specific attacks of the Yeutuns.

That's all I wanted to tell you about the game. As a postscript, I want to share with you a fragment of the remarkable poem of the great American writer - Howard Phillips Lovecraft .


Happy New Year, everyone!