[nWoD] - Help me!

[Kaun]

Ok so my last game finished and i decided that as an experiment i would give my group of players the choice of what i ran next.

I told them that what ever idea was chosen i would run it for at least 5 session, i then had them put up their ideas on the forums we use and ran a poll to see which one they wanted.

Long story short the idea that got picked was this;


System: WOD

Setting: 14th century

Concept: Viking settlers from Scandinavia make landfall in northern Ireland or Scotland, only to find themselves in the middle of a battlefield between vampires and werewolves.

I got them to narrow "WoD" to nWoD but apart from that this is all the info i have to work from (which is both good and bad).

My experience with WoD is limited, i have played in a few oWoD games over the years but never for very long and i have no experience running it. My nWoD experience is even less then that because although i have thumbed through most of the books i have yet to see the game played.

As to the idea for the game itself i believe that the PCs are meant to be members of the "Viking settlers" which would most likely make them mortal.

Ok this leads me to my request of the playground, help me! In any way you can.

I will take any and all advice on board.

I would especially like to know any potential pot holes you can see and any suggestions for plot.

I am busy knuckling down getting my head around the rules and the setting ect but any help the playground can offer would be much appreciated! :smallsmile:

[Kesnit]

Mortals (without some supernatural template) are very squishy in nWoD.

I would ask them to narrow down which system within nWoD they want to play and go with that. Given that they want to be Vikings, making them vampires probably would not work because of the restrictions on daylight and the varying age. (There is a Ventrue bloodline in Bloodlines: the Chosen, Rotgrafen, who were Vikings, but saying all the PCs have to be one bloodline can be very restrictive.) Mage would work (especially if you had them all Awaken at game start), but it is a complex system. Werewolf would be my recommendation.

[LemuneSD]

Like Kesnit said, we'd really need to know more about what the players decide to make for characters. Then we could collectively give some great plot possibilities!

[Kaun]

Mortals (without some supernatural template) are very squishy in nWoD.

Yeah i had a feeling this was the case so i have been giving it some thought.

If i make the PC's strong and skilled veteran warriors ect.

Then i make the vampire and werewolf armies to be controlled/led by small groups of those creatures but have the rank and file made up of lesser, often mortal beings. That way hopefully the vikings don't get torn up by hords of supernatural beings right from the get go.

If i make this "war" to be something that has been going on for a fair time then i can say that resources would be an important factor for each side. Then working with that idea, seeing as how both sides armies consist of a large percentile of mortals anyway a group of battle hardened and practically neutral viking warriors showing up might be seen more as a resource to be exploited and coerced rather then ...er.. prey?

That is just some of my initial thoughts at the moment.


Like Kesnit said, we'd really need to know more about what the players decide to make for characters. Then we could collectively give some great plot possibilities!

I have already stated all the info i have, they have neither made characters nor made any specifications on what type of characters they wished to be able to make. Nor did they specify that they wanted to make their own characters. So in this respect i have some freedom i guess.

So for the time being assume that they will be playing 14th century mortal vikings but if you have suggestions that step away from that bracket knock your self out as nothing has really been locked in.

[Earthwalker]

I don't know nWoD but I would go with the PCs being Werewolf Viking invaders. Have the Viking force be mainly human or Kinfolk with a few choosen as Werewolfs.

Then crash them into the coast of scotland, and its Vampire run areas.

[comicshorse]

Yeah i had a feeling this was the case so i have been giving it some thought.

If i make the PC's strong and skilled veteran warriors ect.

Then i make the vampire and werewolf armies to be controlled/led by small groups of those creatures but have the rank and file made up of lesser, often mortal beings. That way hopefully the vikings don't get torn up by hords of supernatural beings right from the get go.

If i make this "war" to be something that has been going on for a fair time then i can say that resources would be an important factor for each side. Then working with that idea, seeing as how both sides armies consist of a large percentile of mortals anyway a group of battle hardened and practically neutral viking warriors showing up might be seen more as a resource to be exploited and coerced rather then ...er.. prey?



Not totally up on NuWoD but I'll give it a try
It seems then that each of the two factions will have three layers.
The most obvious and the ones the P.Cs will meet first will be the foot soldiers. This will be ordinary mortals and probably less skilled and armed than your P.Cs. These are the guys that are a test early on and by distinguishing themselves against them the P.C.s come to the attention of those in higher places......

These being the second layer, those working directly under the supernaturals. Kin folk for the Werewolves, Ghouls for the Vampires. Here the Vampires have an advantage as the Ghouls will have Disciplines ( possibly more than one dot if the war has been going on for a long time) and will have been the smartest and toughest anyway to get picked.
Kin Folk I don't know about. Is there a way in NuWoD for werewolves to improve their allies. Gift them a spirit or something ?
If these guys regard the P.Cs and their comrades as a pissibly deciding factor in the war then they are worthy of direct consideration by the bosses...

The final layer. The Werewolves and Vampire(s).
If the Vikings are a game changer and a horde of well armed and trained warriors would be then both sides are going to want them. They will offer money, land, women, whatever they need to make the deal. Whatever they need may very well mean nasty mind-controlling powers which is where you're mortal P.C.s are at a huge disadvantage.
Here the Vampires can also offer power and immortality through Ghouldom. Naturally they won't mention the Blood bond although smart P.C.s may have noticed the fawning devotion the other Ghould pay their maters. Again not sure what in the way of supernatural advanatages the Werewolves can offer

The big problem is the use of mental powers to suborn the P.C.s will. I'd suggest having the Vikings company include a Shaman, he can teach the P.C.s Hedge Magic with which they can protect their minds and emotions for being messed with and which gives them something to spend the XP they earned for working there way through the first two levels.

Other big problem is how do the vampires not die in the daylight. This can be solved by having them reside in a great castle that not even the werewolves can breach (no mirrors allowed) and which makes for a great location for a siege or more simply by the Vampires ( or one Elder) having learned Protean and being able to Earthmeld.

[Selrahc]

Setting: 14th century

Concept: Viking settlers from Scandinavia make landfall in northern Ireland or Scotland, only to find themselves in the middle of a battlefield between vampires and werewolves.

14th century is very late for Vikings. As in hundreds of years after they had stopped raiding Ireland, and around a hundred years after the Norman conquest. The Vikings themselves weren't really an entity at this point, having long since become Christian kingdoms. If they want to play Vikings, they need to kick things back around 300 years to the 11th century. Even that is somewhat late, but it is at least within reason.

If you do keep it in the fourteenth century, that was the time of the decline of the Earldom of Ulster. If the Gaelic Irish are backed by werewolves, and the Norman(Anglo-Irish) Earls of Ulster are backed by vampires, that could give you the reason for the decline of the Earldom and a reason for conflict.

[Kesnit]

These being the second layer, those working directly under the supernaturals. Kin folk for the Werewolves, Ghouls for the Vampires.

Just FYI, nWoD calls them "wolfblooded." And wolfblooded are not necessarily the family of wolves. They may be, but don't have to be. :smallsmile:


Kin Folk I don't know about. Is there a way in NuWoD for werewolves to improve their allies. Gift them a spirit or something ?

Wolfblooded can see and talk to spirits, but there is a huge risk. As my ST put it, "spirits like to eat wolfblooded." There is a huge risk that the werewolves would get their allies killed.


Whatever they need may very well mean nasty mind-controlling powers which is where you're mortal P.C.s are at a huge disadvantage.

Pretty much this. Resistance rolls include power stat, which mortals do not have.


The big problem is the use of mental powers to suborn the P.C.s will. I'd suggest having the Vikings company include a Shaman, he can teach the P.C.s Hedge Magic

This would make the PCs Mages, will all the complexity of that system.


more simply by the Vampires ( or one Elder) having learned Protean and being able to Earthmeld.

nWoD doesn't have Elders. :smallsmile: Some Kindred are older than others, but that does not make them more powerful. A 500 year old vampire who just awoke from torpor could be weaker than a 200 year old who has never torpored.

Only certain vampires can meld with earth. It required Protean, which only Gangrel and certain other bloodlines get. (It can be taught, but it is rare to find a teacher, and the price would be high.)

[Kaun]

The big problem is the use of mental powers to suborn the P.C.s will. I'd suggest having the Vikings company include a Shaman, he can teach the P.C.s Hedge Magic with which they can protect their minds and emotions for being messed with and which gives them something to spend the XP they earned for working there way through the first two levels.

Hmm, i defiantly warrants consideration. I had been thinking something along these lines although not for these reasons. I had all so considered making one of the pc's gifted with some sort of magic but i am as yet not 100% sure what i can give him with out making him far more powerful then the other pcs.


14th century is very late for Vikings. As in hundreds of years after they had stopped raiding Ireland, and around a hundred years after the Norman conquest. The Vikings themselves weren't really an entity at this point, having long since become Christian kingdoms. If they want to play Vikings, they need to kick things back around 300 years to the 11th century. Even that is somewhat late, but it is at least within reason.


Yeah i had yet to check on the historical merits of the idea yet but i had a feeling the timeline was a bit off. I will probably just shift the time period back some what to a more viking appropriate time.


I don't know nWoD but I would go with the PCs being Werewolf Viking invaders. Have the Viking force be mainly human or Kinfolk with a few choosen as Werewolfs.

Then crash them into the coast of scotland, and its Vampire run areas.

Yeah something similar to this had crossed my mind.

[comicshorse]

Just FYI, nWoD calls them "wolfblooded." And wolfblooded are not necessarily the family of wolves. They may be, but don't have to be. :smallsmile:



Wolfblooded can see and talk to spirits, but there is a huge risk. As my ST put it, "spirits like to eat wolfblooded." There is a huge risk that the werewolves would get their allies killed.


Ta, I really must get around to buying the Werewolf book :smalleek:


This would make the PCs Mages, will all the complexity of that system.


I meant more creating a minor magic path that proved the necessary protection than making them full on Mage's. So keeping the mortals vs Monsters theme but not making them a complete push-over



nWoD doesn't have Elders. Some Kindred are older than others, but that does not make them more powerful. A 500 year old vampire who just awoke from torpor could be weaker than a 200 year old who has never torpored.

Only certain vampires can meld with earth. It required Protean, which only Gangrel and certain other bloodlines get. (It can be taught, but it is rare to find a teacher, and the price would be high.)

If he's been around for several hundred years and has high Blood Potency he's an Elder surely ? ( And I mentioned it required Protean )

[The Glyphstone]

If he's been around for several hundred years and has high Blood Potency he's an Elder surely ? ( And I mentioned it required Protean )

The trick is getting that old while keeping your Blood Potency high. As your BP grows, the need to drop into torpor increases, and once you do, your BP drops like a rock.

[comicshorse]

The trick is getting that old while keeping your Blood Potency high. As your BP grows, the need to drop into torpor increases, and once you do, your BP drops like a rock.

Nothing like a long war with a Werewolf Caern to keep your attention :smallsmile:

[The Glyphstone]

Nothing like a long war with a Werewolf Caern to keep your attention :smallsmile:

Still, after 350 years or so, you've got to start preying on other Vampires just to wake up each night. That means blood bonds, which are bigger threats to you than the werewolves in the long term.

[Selrahc]

NWoD does have elders. They're just super rare. 1 or 2 per city is about the maximum, and the whole local scene will revolve around them. Most vampires don't make it anywhere close to 100, let alone 200, let alone older. You're not going to be meeting any vampires who have memories of ancient Rome or the time before Christianity came to Ireland.



These being the second layer, those working directly under the supernaturals. Kin folk for the Werewolves, Ghouls for the Vampires. Here the Vampires have an advantage as the Ghouls will have Disciplines ( possibly more than one dot if the war has been going on for a long time) and will have been the smartest and toughest anyway to get picked.

Werewolves don't rely on wolfblooded to do their dirty work. Wolfblooded are their families and breeding stock. Not their minions and soldiers. So while some wolfblooded will be working for the wolves, the fact that Lunacy makes all but the most capable run screaming whenever the werewolves wolf out kind of makes them bad lackies.

Werewolves for the most part do their own dirty work. But to help them out they can turn to an array of allies from the spirit world, bound or bribed into service. This is particularly true of the Pure.

Ghouls are going to be almost useless in fighting wolves for the same reason as Wolfblooded make bad minions. Lunacy. Any Ghoul confronted by a werewolf in a form other than Wolf or Human will be automatically overcome by mind numbing terror. A wolf attacking a vampires castle would be able to walk right through his defences as his gate guards run screaming.

The other big thing wolves have going for them is the ability to use the shadow. Vampires have almost no defence to this. If a wolf needs a place to hang low, they just pop into the shadow for a few days. If a wolf needs to infiltrate a fortress, he crosses over to the shadow then crosses back over when he gets inside. Powerful wolves don't even need locuses, and can just rend right through to the spirit world at will. Most supernaturals have some means to combat this, but vampires really don't. In a war between vampires and wolves, the Wolves have by far the better abilities.

If the PCs are mortals, they *need* something to protect them from Lunacy. High willpower will do the trick, but it needs to be in the realm of 8 dots to guarantee that the PCs won't run screaming at the sight of a werewolf(and forget what they saw later). Giving them some manner of blessing of bravery would work though.

EDIT: Although this is assuming you're using the default rules for werewolves and vampires. You might not be.

[comicshorse]

Still, after 350 years or so, you've got to start preying on other Vampires just to wake up each night. That means blood bonds, which are bigger threats to you than the werewolves in the long term.

Fair point

The easiest way would be to have there be a coterie of lower level Vampires oppossing the Werewolves. But I just like the idea of one old Vampire against a pack of young Werewolves. Ancient against young, learned knowledge against youthful fury, guile aganst valour. Its just seems appropriate to me.

Obviously the P.C.s could turn up while he's in the 300-349 range but that's a bit of a coincedence.
Or you could the 'Underworld' route and have a pair of old Vampires, whenever one reaches the upper limits of what their BP could be and not lose too much, they wake their friend and go into Torpor themselves

OR You could have an Elder keeping a small coterie of younger vampires as minions and food. This could be his achilles heel that the P.C.s could turn on him to help turn the tide against him


Ghouls are going to be almost useless in fighting wolves for the same reason as Wolfblooded make bad minions. Lunacy. Any Ghoul confronted by a werewolf in a form other than Wolf or Human will be automatically overcome by mind numbing terror. A wolf attacking a vampires castle would be able to walk right through his defences as his gate guards run screaming.

Ghouls are immune to Lunacy, though I envisioned them more as the generals and diplomats of their Vampire masters not going toe-to-toe with Werewolves

[Kaun]

hmmmm,

I guess the advantage i have is my players aren't overly system knowledgeable. That puts me in a nice grey area and gives me a running start when it comes to the story/plot standing up to a crunch bombardment.

I guess im going to have to build fluff reasons as to why werewolves haven't used the obvious battle wining tactics. Then if the situation arises where my players spot the weak points and exploit them they can get the satisfaction of "discovering super plan!" and the game shouldn't suffer to much as its only meant to run for 5 or so sessions.

[Selrahc]

I guess the advantage i have is my players aren't overly system knowledgeable. That puts me in a nice grey area and gives me a running start when it comes to the story/plot standing up to a crunch bombardment.


Well, also bear in mind that the spirit world can be a very dangerous place. It depends on how well the wolves have a handle on their domain. If the reason that the wolves are fighting the vampires is due to the spiritual carnage they are wreaking, that can also make the spirit world an unreliable tool. "Wounds" are areas of spiritual decay that can arise. In them, spirits are dark and unwieldy, and the entire area is deadly as anything. Clearing out a wound might take an experienced pack years. If the Vampires are causing a wound due to their activities, that would be reason for the opposition of wolves, and a reason why spirit side assaults might not be so effective.

Or maybe these wolves are just a little dim, and haven't been taking much advantage of their spirit powers.

You're the ST. I'm sure you can manufacture rationale to keep the sides in stalemate. I would just say that in a general conflict, Werewolves should have an advantage.

[Kaun]

Ok so what i am getting from all this is as follows;

1st my werewolves should be young and few in number. So fluff wise if i make them members of one small and close knit family who for one reason or another wish to keep their "gift" within the family.

Secondly my vampire group should have one member with a decent age advantage who is protected by a medium size group of young vampires. The vampires should be located in well defended position. This defended position should be located on a "spirit wound" to balance the playing field some what.
(note to self, research spirit wound.)

Thirdly i need to give the PC's a leg up dealing with suggestion and fear otherwise they wont even be in the game.

[erikun]

What books do you have available?

My first thought is to have the vampires using ghouls and the werewolves using some stuff from Changing Breeds (http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13545.phtml) as their respective "front line" fighters, or at least their agents in the place where the PCs are landing. Both are mostly-human but with a few vampiric/lycanthrope abilities, making them more reasonable for encounters with mortals. You can have a few actual vampires and werewolves "leading" things from each group, but you wouldn't want them to be the first things the PCs meet.

Note that Changing Breeds references Werewolf for magic, so you couldn't do completely without the latter book. Also, different breeds have different levels of strength - elephants and rhinos are much stronger than the spiders or rats.

I'd probably make the PCs a bit more advanced than beginning characters. I would assume they're supposed to be somewhat seasoned, if they're travelling to another country for a raid. If you don't mind another book, there is Hunter for group coordination abilities... although that may just confuse everyone at the table.

Note that you could always just tone down the opponents. Just because it is "werewolves" and "vampires" doesn't mean you have to use said creatures in the campaigns. Keeping it at the Changing Breeds vs Ghouls level (and allowing ghouls to bite and suck blood) would keep things from getting too overpowering against the mortal PCs.



The spirit world is something like D&D's shadow realm, if you are familiar with D&D. It's basically an ethereal place that roughly syncs with the real world, and that has a bunch of ghosts in it. You can go further "into" the spirit world, getting further away from the mortal world and towards stronger and stronger spirit entities.

[Kaun]

-snip-

Theoretically i have all the books available in one form or another.

I will look through changing breeds and i had already considered looking through hunter for some options but i defiantly will now.

I had a vague idea what the spirit world was, i think some once told me it had similarities to the shadow world or what ever they call it from the Nightwatch novels.

[erikun]

Geist: The Sin-Eaters gives you a really good idea of what the spirit world is. I'm sure one of the core WoD books does too, but don't know which it is right off hand. [Edit] Apparently wrong about that. Sorry!


Also, you might want to tone down your enemy's level a bit unless you are expecting the PCs to go werewolf or vampire at some point. A standard mortal is capped at 5 to any one stat or ability, but most supernaturals have powers that can add to that. Even the lowest-level vampire or werewolf could have 3 in a stat and 3 in a power, which just add together to more than what mortals can reach. Mid-range power for a vampire, for example, could easily end up with a 7 stat and 7 power... far more than what your PCs will have.

That said, I haven't played WoD as much as I'd like. I'm not sure how much the many-on-one disadvantage can swing that in favor of the PCs. I'd still be very cautious at throwing something with a potential 20+ attack dice pool around too lightly.

[The Glyphstone]

Geist describes the Underworld, which is completely different from the Shadow if I remember right. I'm not sure if Sin-Eaters can even touch the Twilight.

[erikun]

Oh, then I just have no clue what I'm talking about then. Ignore that part!

[Selrahc]

I had a vague idea what the spirit world was, i think some once told me it had similarities to the shadow world or what ever they call it from the Nightwatch novels.

Spirit world is basically animism. Every action in the material world has a spiritual shadow. Actions in the spirit world will similarly resonate on the mortal side. If a werewolf pack makes sure their spirit territory is in good order, it will make the mortal side of their territory feel nice in a vaguely indefinable way. If the spirit world is out of order, left to unruly and dark spirits, then the mortal world will be darker and crueller. This is before even considering the spirits direct attempts to transgress into the mortal plane. Spirits feed when actions are conducted in the mortal world which align with their purview, so a death spirit may gain essence when a mouse dies, while a mouse spirit gains a steady stream by following the mouse around in shadow. Spirits may also cannibalize each other, although doing so risks changing their nature. Most powerful spirits have diversified heavily from their starting position, becoming more generalized ideas. The Wood King may be a tree spirit who has absorbed other nature spirits to become a powerful spirit tied to most activity going on within a particular forest. A spirit can be literally everything, apart from a human or werewolf. A spirit of longing or fire, a spirit of a specific bed or tree. More powerful spirits are basically gods, and werewolves have as their patrons some very powerful ones. All objects, things and creatures have spirits, although most spirits are sleeping. There are no human spirits, and werewolves are themselves spirits.

Activity in the spirit world hubs around Locuses. Spots of spiritual resonance where free essence gathers, and where the Gauntlet between the spirit and the normal can be crossed more easily. Werewolves claim these areas with particular alacrity, and they will often be the centre of a packs claim. Spirits are often bribed by allowing them to feed at locuses, although other bribes are common too.

Spirits can do almost anything. They can influence their purview in a variety of ways (anything from Mice to Love to Walls). They also have numina, which work like the ghost powers from the WoD corebook, although with a much greater variety. Spirits often attempt to cross the gauntlet and urge or possess humans into committing deeds that please them. Spirits can even permanently reside on this side by merging totally with a human, giving them a variety of powers.

Wounds are basically the worst part of the spirit world. They don't come about easily, it takes truly vile activities to make the necessary rancour for a wound to form. The spirit world is full of dark and hostile spirits, often attracted from a wide area to feed on the dark essences generated. The feeling pours back across the gauntlet into the mortal world, leading to a feeling of inescapable doom on both sides of the gauntlet, encouraging further atrocities. Most wounds occur from human or supernatural activities, but some occur naturally without any discernible outside influence on the spirit world.

[Tiki Snakes]

Just a thought -
nWoD mortals are indeed squishy, normal humans and far outmatched by Vampires and Werewolves.

But that's okay too. Who's to say the Vikings need to be the vital tactical ingredient in the situation? They don't need to be capable of or expected to fight either of the other sides. You could very easily run this as almost a survival horror.

So, we have the last Viking Raid ever to take place. The crew is made up of aging veterans and young unblooded warriors, eager to live up to the fading glory of their Village/etc's proud warrior heritage and general vikingness. But they pick the wrong place to make landfall. It all seems normal enough at first, attacking the target town under cover of night pillaging and burning and generally fending off disorganised resistence from the locals. But just as they make ready to return to the ship/s, they notice something is wrong.

The Ships are on fire, too. They are stranded. Undaunted, their fearless veteran leader rallies them and is about to try and come up with a plan when the Town's real defences emerge. Strangely potent fighters, fearless and organised (Probably Ghouls) and a single, terrifyingly fast and powerful nobleman/warrior (a vampire neonate in service to the Vampire Lord).

In the confusion, their most powerful veterans and leaders are killed, leaving the main party of PC's plus a couple of terrified younger vikings. Perhaps for added chaos, the Werewolves take advantage of the chaos to attack also, hoping to take out the young Vampire whilst he is away from his Sire's protection.

The stranded party of Norsemen are in way over their head, in hostile territory and with both locals, Werewolf and Vampire factions unfriendly to them. Either they try and find a way home, attempt to throw their stuff in with one of the factions and end the conflict (Unlikely to succeed, admittedly) or they find a way to survive and possibly even end up settling in the region. Depending on how you prefer to run it, the 5 session campaign could take place almost entirely over the course of 1 or 2 days, Resident-Evil style, or it could span weeks, months and years.

Just a suggestion or two, really. Could be a very interesting campaign.

[Need_A_Life]

Well, ask them for what they want. They're dropped into a Vampire vs. Werewolf conflict. Lots of room for ideas.

Werewolves have already been covered nicely.

Vampires? Well, vamps gotta have some new recruits and those Vikings sure look handy with those nice, big axes, don't they?

Mages? Between being able to use Nordic mythology, Indian superstitions, Judeo-Christian traditions and the "standard" Mage groups, you have a lot of options for what traditions they could join.

Sin-Eaters? Oops, you got killed by a rampaging vampire/werewolf/fluffy bunny. Voice in your head tells you if you want to restart the level.

Hunters? Well... that seems obvious.

Bodysnatchers? It does manifest in times of great stress that talent.

[Kaun]

Wounds are basically the worst part of the spirit world. They don't come about easily, it takes truly vile activities to make the necessary rancour for a wound to form. The spirit world is full of dark and hostile spirits, often attracted from a wide area to feed on the dark essences generated. The feeling pours back across the gauntlet into the mortal world, leading to a feeling of inescapable doom on both sides of the gauntlet,

Hmm so maybe the vamp hq isn't situated on a full blown wound but more of a mine field of dark spirits attracted to the area by the vamps acts.



-snip-


Yeah this is a similar to what i have been thinking, i don't get much of a chance to run survival games in my longer campaigns so it would be a nice change.


Well, ask them for what they want.

Hehe i did and the op has what they gave me as a response, i told them to elaborate on it as much or as little as the wanted and that was the idea they chose in its entirety.

In their defense i think they know they can be vague and i will turn it into something fun, they are lazy like that.

Now i get to hang them with the rope they gave me :smalltongue:.

[The Glyphstone]

Mages? Between being able to use Nordic mythology, Indian superstitions, Judeo-Christian traditions and the "standard" Mage groups, you have a lot of options for what traditions they could join.


By traditions you mean Orders, right?

[Dimers]

I would expect Changing Breeds among the Vikings -- them with their bear-shirt warriors, ber-sarkers. And if not that, I can easily see Changelings fitting in. Just change the fluff, and the powers are fine.

I always recommend changing the fluff for WoD anyway. Use the mechanics, ignore the "our gloomy world is screwed over by everyone and nothing is right" attitude.

The Rome book for Vampire suggested some changes to nWoD base rules. A lot of it had to do with tactical speechmaking 'combat' or Rome-specific bloodlines, but here are a couple relevant changes:

replace Academics and Computer skills with Religion and Warfare
replace Firearms and Drive with Archery and Ride
new Merits for fighting styles (maybe you could homebrew a berserker style?) and 'stunt riding'
lots of social info to help you consider how your setting differs from modern-day egalitarian civilization

[LemuneSD]

It's a simple thing to place werewolves with Vikings. In oWoD, the Get of Fenris WERE nordic werewolves (as far as ancestry is concerned), so in nWoD wouldn't be a far stretch.

Ellsmere Island, Skraeling Island and Ruin Island (and the areas that far north) have strange daylight hours, and even when it technically "IS" daylight, the sun may not be visible, which can account for vampire activity is abundance to cause a caern of werewolves years of conflict. That can be played whichever direction the group wants to go. Also, Vikings did have heavy activity throughout that area, as well as Inuit.

And Tiki, I really enjoyed reading your scenario. Thanks for sharing that! =D

[Fouredged Sword]

A lot could be done to make the mortals a lot less squishy. First, give them all wolfblooded 5 for free. This will make them heal faster, and fits the viking lore. Tell them they are a bloodline of proud warriors.

Second, make them hunters and teach them how to use group tactics. Lots of those are very useful, especially one that allows resisting mental powers.