 Rulebook cover | |
| Designers | Pasi Janhunen |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Nelospelit |
| Publication | 1988 |
| Genres | Fantasy |
| Systems | Similar toDungeons & Dragons |
Adventurers of the North: Kalevala Heroes (ANKH) is a Finnishrole-playing game published by Nelospelit in 1988. It was highly derivative of other roleplaying games and despite its Finnish cultural details, was not a commercial success.
ANKH was written by Pasi Janhunen and illustrated by Janhunen and cartoonistPetri Hiltunen.[1]
The design and gameplay ofANKH is similar to the originalDungeons & Dragons game, with some elements borrowed fromRuneQuest. A review in the Finnish role-playing game magazineSininen Lohikäärme compared the game system to that ofTunnels & Trolls.[2] To provide a Finnish flavour, the game is set in the FinnishIron Age, and some of the characters and monsters are taken fromFinnish mythology and theKalevala, the national epic ofFinland. Possible character classes include hunter, blacksmith and sage.[1] The contents of the game box included three rulebooks and dice.
Designer Pasi Janhunen said he had "sunk incredible time and, when necessary, equity" into the game, and that he planned to create expansions and adventures forANKH as well as a separate board game. However, the game was not a commercial success, and no further material was published.[1]
In the 1994 bookRoolipeliopas (Role-playing Guide), Lauri Tudeer recalled thatANKH "was disappointing compared to the advertising campaign."[3]
In their 2007 bookRoolipelikirja (Role Playing Book), Jukka Särkijärvi and Kaj Sotala believed the game design's reliance on other role-playing games explained its lack of success, but thought it might have some value as a collectible: "ANKH may not contain very innovative game design, but it is an interesting curiosity for collectors."[4]
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