Quote from: Omega on October 20, 2022, 11:52:44 PM
Yeah Drakar och Deomer is a pretty good game and is really just a Swedish version of Runequest with some changes as was common in Sweden at the time. You'll find a few others out there. Some from the same publisher I believe.

It used to be fairly popular and in the scandinavian contries. One of my customers over there said that it was a-lot better known than most other RPGs. It has gone through several iterations over the decades as someone up above noted..

True, it was very popular.
In Norway, I know for a fact that people used to (and many still) describe roleplaying games as "like Drager og Demoner" (the Norwegian version) since far more people had heard of it than D&D. In Sweden I have heard that it may have been considerably more popular (as a % of population) than D&D ever was in America. So there is considerable nostalgia for this game in Northern Europe.

What really struck me though, is how unique and interesting specifically the expansion Drakar och Demoner Expert was (+ the monster book).

Don't the most recent editions call it Trudvang now and even has 5e supplements now? I think it's cool. I like the focus on Scandinavian folklore and mythology, including monsters. It feels much more authentic and cohesive than the haphazard and questionably researched D&D takes on Scandinavian monsters.

I thought the way it turns "troll" into a catchall category that includes goblins fairly interesting too (basically it's the equivalent of D&D's humanoids). Scandinavian folklore has wildly different takes on trolls depending on your region, right? Like, there's giant trolls and trolls that are smaller than human beings! I thought Trudvang's pan-Scandinavian take was neat.

The giant dwarves are pretty original too. I know dwarves are popularly imagined as shorter than humans, but the Eddas never actually say they're short, right?

Quote from: BoxCrayonTales on October 21, 2022, 12:59:22 PM
Don't the most recent editions call it Trudvang now and even has 5e supplements now? I think it's cool. I like the focus on Scandinavian folklore and mythology, including monsters. It feels much more authentic and cohesive than the haphazard and questionably researched D&D takes on Scandinavian monsters.

I thought the way it turns "troll" into a catchall category that includes goblins fairly interesting too (basically it's the equivalent of D&D's humanoids). Scandinavian folklore has wildly different takes on trolls depending on your region, right? Like, there's giant trolls and trolls that are smaller than human beings! I thought Trudvang's pan-Scandinavian take was neat.

The giant dwarves are pretty original too. I know dwarves are popularly imagined as shorter than humans, but the Eddas never actually say they're short, right?

I like many aspects of Trudvang (the previous edition, not sure if still in print).
"Troll" in Scandinavian languages is pretty wide term, although most people think of a large supernatural monster, often resembling its surroundings like trees and stones (and frequently turning to stone in daylight). But "trolldom" means magic, and "trollmann" means magician.

By the way, there's another Norse monster mentioned in Drakar och Demoner: "rise" ("reesay"). In folklore, I suppose most people would think of a giant. The rules describe them as similar to orcs but larger and stupider. I guess "ogre" could be a fairly accurate translation. 

Here's the "Drakar" vision of the Norse being "vette" (Danish edition in this case)
This is one of the "peoples of the dark" which include orcs and trolls. Vetter are small, tunnel-dwelling, mining, and highly organized. A bit like dwarves, but more violent.

I had one of the older untranslated versions and as posts in this thread have shown, it had some pretty good art in it and an interesting take on monsters and magic. If I recall right it's magic system is very different from RuneQuests. Or at least from the AH version I have.

If you can find them, early issues of the Swedish RPG magazine Sinkadus had articles for Drakar och Demoner.

I have issue 2 from the same place as got the RPG and that has new monsters like the Tomtar and an article on metals for the system.

QuoteDragons & Demons can be played during many different eras. The most common however, it should be about that time when iron and steel began to become common or even maybe before this one time.

QuoteMETALS AND MAGIC
' Gold, silver and bronze are all useful in magic. Also aluminum could be used with magic. This would particularly apply to so-called 'virgin metals', i.e. virginal metals. These were metals and alloys which were produced by only ores. No old metals had to defile them. They didn't get rather be moved by living beings just skin.

Also short articles on foraging and wilderness travel

huh, issue 3 has an advert for what looks to be a horror RPG called Chok (Shock) wonder if that is their version of Chill?
More monsters like the Tarantellider(Spindelman), a uni-goat called an Enhornad Klippget, and an adventure featuring the ducks.

Next I have is issue 6. More Drakar articles and adventures and what reads to be an adventure with some asian elements.
And an adventure for Chok.If I am reading it right, looks like conversion notes for playing Chok in the 1930s Call of Cthulhu style. Either that or it is time travel related. I am not exactly sure. Typing this stuff out and running it through google would take forever for a game I dont have. Each issue also had articles for a post apoc RPG called Mutant.

Issue 9 has an advert for Drakar och Demoner: Samurai and Conan. Conan just turns out to be a book club thing to get the novels.

Wish I had more of these even if can only understand the barest fragments.

Thanks Omega! Would be great to see some images if you have time. What's tomtar like? In Norway a nisse (usually translated as gnome) is sometimes called tomtegubbe. So I suspect that Swedish tomtar are also similar to gnomes?

A rather slipshod transcription and translation. First pass it kept translating them as... Santas... why???
The art for it is a really long nosed humanoid with long long hair. No beard or such.
I had a friend in Sweden many a year ago help with translating some one of the pack in Mutant Chronicle board game info from a much later issue. Haven't heard from him in years but he played a-lot of Drakar. I got the impression that, much like Games Workshop with White Dwarf, over time they shifted attention away from RPGs and increasingly to the Mutant Chronicles wargame.

QuoteDescription
Elves are small intelligent creatures that are very strong in relation to their small size. They live in the forest and in old houses.
The elves usually help other creatures who happened to be in trouble. They are incredibly skilled the craftsman their great familiarity if nature's healing herbs explain their high chance in first aid.
Taxes
The elves don't go after riches. If they find something precious and beautiful can they possibly take it home and put it on the wall. A lone elf has 1T4 silver coins on you.
Player characters
The elf gains a Peaceless ability on two optional weapons (one of which may be small shield). Furthermore, he gains an ability to SKJ plus INT plus base chance on the skills above. The plot has a 2 point leather armor. (Ed: Peaceless is called Thief i New Dragons & Demons.)

Quote from: Omega on October 22, 2022, 03:55:51 AM
A rather slipshod transcription and translation. First pass it kept translating them as... Santas... why???
The art for it is a really long nosed humanoid with long long hair. No beard or such.
I had a friend in Sweden many a year ago help with translating some one of the pack in Mutant Chronicle board game info from a much later issue. Haven't heard from him in years but he played a-lot of Drakar. I got the impression that, much like Games Workshop with White Dwarf, over time they shifted attention away from RPGs and increasingly to the Mutant Chronicles wargame.

QuoteDescription
Elves are small intelligent creatures that are very strong in relation to their small size. They live in the forest and in old houses.
The elves usually help other creatures who happened to be in trouble. They are incredibly skilled the craftsman their great familiarity if nature's healing herbs explain their high chance in first aid.
Taxes
The elves don't go after riches. If they find something precious and beautiful can they possibly take it home and put it on the wall. A lone elf has 1T4 silver coins on you.
Player characters
The elf gains a Peaceless ability on two optional weapons (one of which may be small shield). Furthermore, he gains an ability to SKJ plus INT plus base chance on the skills above. The plot has a 2 point leather armor. (Ed: Peaceless is called Thief i New Dragons & Demons.)

I think I know why you got the "Santa" translation. In Norway at least, the word "nisse" (usually translated gnome) is also associated with Santa Claus; he is literally the magical "Christmas Gnome" 😄 I'm guessing it's similar in Sweden.