KVAD sets sail to the world!

In 2021, KVAD was released in Norwegian. It is a focused roleplaying game built on Norse storytelling, poetry, and the idea that ordinary people can choose a life that becomes worth remembering. This autumn marked another important milestone for the game, as KVAD has now taken its first steps onto the international stage!

Filming at Midgard Viking Center

As part of preparing for the campaign, we spent a full day recording the launch video at Midgard Viking Center. Filming in a place so closely tied to Viking history helped anchor the project in its cultural roots and gave the video an authentic feel.

The recording day brought together collaborators, friends, and volunteers who wanted to be part of the project. Everyone involved contributed time and energy to present KVAD with care and enthusiasm. I am deeply thankful to the film team, Game Publishing, all the volunteers, and the team at Midgard for their professionalism and for helping create such a cool final result.

KVAD at Essen Spiel

As part of the marketing work, KVAD was presented at Essen Spiel in 2025. Essen is one of the largest tabletop game conventions in the world and an important meeting place for creators, players, and publishers. Bringing KVAD there was a valuable step in learning how to present the game to a broader audience and how to highlight different parts of the experience during the campaign.

Each day I ran four hour drop-in demo slots, about 20 minutes each demo, and the table was full almost the entire time! The response was genuinely encouraging. Conversations with players showed real interest in a roleplaying game with a clear identity. And writing poetry seemed to be the killer app!

A refined visual foundation

For the English campaign, KVAD also received a visual upgrade. The character sheet and Skald sheet were redesigned to improve clarity and long term usability. These were illustrated by Yuri Perkowski Domingos. I think his illustrations both bring life to the game and support play at the table. Amazing work!

A sweet campaign result

The BackerKit campaign reached its funding goal within the first 24 hours. When the campaign closed on December 5, it had surpassed the results of the original Norwegian release. For us, this was an important confirmation. It showed that KVAD resonates with an international audience and that there is room for indie games as well!

What comes next

KVAD was supported by a dedicated team of translators, editors, artists, musicians, and production partners. With the campaign complete, the project has moved into production. Printing and manufacturing are soon underway, and fulfillment planning is progressing as planned. Check out the campaign page here:

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/game-forlag/kvad-english

The saga continues, carried forward by everyone who chose to be part of it.

Thank you!

All the best,

Karl