Starship Troopers TRPG designer’s new game combines Vikings with cyberpunk

Update:This article previously stated that the creator of Shield Maidens was Matthew Sprange. This was inaccurate and has since been corrected to Alison Cybe.

The creator behind the Starship Troopers tabletop roleplaying game, Matthew Sprange, is publishing a new tabletop RPG that combines Vikings with cyberpunk elements.

Shield Maidens is an upcoming TPRG inspired by Viking history and Norse mythology, given a sci-fi twist. The RPG takes place in an alternative universe where the nine realms of the Norse gods feature advanced technology, such as hard light shields and weapons. The players take the role of shield maidens, daughters of the goddess Freya and warriors tasked with reclaiming the power of Ymir’s Blood from the various factions that fight over it. With the elves and Fenrir destroying entire worlds to extract the blood, the player characters must stop them from bringing about the beginning of Ragnarök.

As shield maidens, the player characters will have access to Midgardian – or Earth – technology imbued with Freya’s magic, creating Galdr weaponry containing divine powers that they can tap into. Wielding this power, the shield maidens fought against Fenrir to prevent the coming of Ragnarök, being branded as terrorists in the process. As the Fenrir empire spread, the supply of Ymir’s Blood began to dwindle, with the empire searching across the stars for the last of the precious resource. Their quest made them complacent to the threat of Ragnarök, with the shield maidens needing to rally the various peoples of the nine realms to once again protect their world.

In the tabletop RPG book for Shield Maidens, players and game masters will find descriptions of the nine realms of Yggdrasil – alongside various locations – as well as the many different people and creatures that reside therein. Players can create their shield maiden characters using the book, equipping them with various cyberpunk armour and weaponry. There is also a collection of adventure hooks and advice on how to be a good GM or player.

Apart from publishing The Shield Maidens RPG and Starship Troopers tabletop roleplaying game, Sprange is responsible for developing the newest version of The Traveller sci-fi RPG and for creating several miniatures games such as A Call to Arms: Babylon 5. The lead author behind Shield Maidens is Alison Cybe, who has previously written for tabletop RPGs such as Runequest and Blue Rose. Bella Mongoose also wrote for Shield Maidens, with graphic illustration by Cassie Gregory. Shield Maidens is set to be released by Mongoose Publishing, the studio behind the Sea of Thieves RPG and Paranoia.

The Kickstarter campaign for Shield Maidens is live until May 1st with a pledge of £15 ($19) getting backers a PDF copy of the RPG in October.