The Fury of the Norsemen

The Fury of the Norsemen is a historical game simulating Viking raids on Western Europe during the 9th and 10th Centuries.[1] The map shows a generic English or Irish coastal village, with farms and a manor house. One player controls Viking raiders, while the other player defends the town with soldiers and villagers.[2]

The game comes boxed with a 16-page rulebook, 126 thin cardstock counters, a 14" x 12" three-color map and one six-sided die.[2]

In the April 1981 edition of The Space Gamer (Issue No. 38), Paul Manz recommended the game, saying, "The Fury of the Norsemen is a quick playing, easy game. If you have courageous and barbaric spirit [...] then this game is for you." [1]

In the June 1981 edition of Dragon (Issue 50) Tony Watson described the game as "fast, furious and fluid" but said there were a number of problems with it. Lack of a proper set-up for the villagers prevented a balanced game. Watson also did not like a "divine wrath" rule, where the local priest can literally call down God's vengeance, resulting in the destruction of a Viking unit. "This sort of rule really has no place in a game that purports to be historical. This heavenly artillery seems to be something of a balancer against the power of the Viking military, but surely some less fantastic method could have been found to even things out." However, overall Watson believed that this game "catches much of the excitement of the lightning-fast and brutal operations of the Vikings."[2]