Story you say? I have some basic thoughts on that but I will not post to much about characters. I don't know if this is the right place for all this but it seemslike it is. I go with the belief that fun comes from struggles and not from simplicity. I do not know what kind of stories anyone else is into but I believe that something simplistic yet heavy would work well. Staying away from the usual fighting the forces of hell I think that something about the movment of large populations would make sense. A new culture and way of life spreads across the border into the realm. Not to big but there are some power struggles in the fragmented feudal government. This leads to some unrest and chaos.
I also heard there are to ways to compose a game. One is with interaction between characters focusing relationships, diolougue, and pretty much fun with slinging around through life for the fun of it. Communication can make you or break you. I could see the game taking place in a rural area, something large and foggy with many inlets, caves, and fjords. There are close knit groups which combine into one larger structure. Relationships with the higher classes would be important but because of the small numbers of people interpersonal relationships are vital and as such much of the game would be making friends and enemies. Going on that, rewards would be important for warrios, so a quest to find a source of mead created from the hands of a nymph would be a nice quest. Not to large or too small.
There should be great mysteries though, any tough guy could kill an ogre but to actually woo a girl or tell the truth all the time can be tough, that should be a part of it. Also there is always this mysterious aura floating around of better times and better lives whether it be far off lands or the realm of the gods. Having mysterious, weird creatures who inhabit nature, kind of like kami, like the elves in lotr who are one with nature, maybe they are patrons who collect taxes or work with clegry. But to much mysticism is just kooky.
On the other side of things there is the element of motion and reflexes. I have no idea what kind of combat everyone can agree on but with small communites large scale battles of armored knights would not be possible. Smaller clashes focusing on induvidual glory and prowess would be seen. There would be lower ranked fighters and elites. Say the lowers form a shield wall and throw javelins while the elite ride horses. Battle should be ritualized with certain rites said and where each person fights another fair and square. It is less about tactics, the fun of getting everyone to stay together and fight is enough, while slashes and stabs come from all directions. Simple tasks such as marching, camping, eating, arguing, could all be made to this standard of needing motion to complete.
Lastly I just want to say that the mythology of the Norse should have a great impact on the beliefs of the people in this game, including the idea that visitors are sacred. There should be some philosophy in it as well, perhaps a mystery cult where one advances in rank as they learn things, maybe you come across a gang of assasins, in the old traditions, who play freakish mind games with you. The rotaganists and antagonists could rerpresent the forces of certainty and uncertainty, light and dark, reality and peception, anything like that. After playing this game you could come to see reality as very complex and mysterious. Oh yeah and I heard you have a map, I would like to know more about your thoughts on that.
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