Pohjola is a skirmish miniature wargame with a heavy emphasis on narrative campaigns set in the fantasy world of Pohjola. It is a frigid, northern realm, dominated by pine trees, steep hills and deep fjords. Its hardy people have long been sheltered from major conflicts, but now ruin has finally returned to the north. An ancient device of enormous power, the Divine Engine, has been unearthed and is being rebuilt. Now warbands from myriad factions are vying for its control in the devastated city of Hreithurholm, and the victor will decide the fate of all.Pohjola’s gameplay is designed for 2-4 players to be played on a 91cm x 91cm (or 3’’ x 3’’) table with 28mm scale miniatures and 6-sided dice. It is based on activation of units and contesting objectives in a fast paced game of combat. Movement, positioning and timing are keys to victory in a game of Pohjola. Players are able to choose from six different factions with multiple different units, and due to innovative campaign systems and character abilities that drastically change how a warband plays, all warbands are unique to the campaign they are played in.

Downloads

Eager to try out Pohjola for yourself? Then grab the rules below and jump right in. Be sure to join our Discord to give us feedback to make the game even better!

Base game rules

• Game rules (1.1MB)
• Hamlet Expedition appendix (0.2MB)

Factions

• Highland Clans faction rules (3MB)
• The Kinship faction rules (1.9MB)
• Eternal Consortium faction rules (1MB)
• The Returned faction rules (2.1MB)
• Lakefolk faction rules (1.7MB)

Highland Clans

The northernmost reaches of Pohjola are home to the Highland Clans, groups of humans and jötnar living a harsh life in the rugged outskirts of civilization.

Humans of Pohjola are often warlike and rowdy, quick to burst of anger and quick to drink and celebrate. The clan system of Pohjola is as unbreakable as it is ancient and the reverence of their own clan’s colors means any slight against the clan’s honor is quickly repaid. This has led to constant struggles between warring clans.Jötnars on the other hand are peaceful and calm and mostly concern themselves with farming,
livestock and taking care of the villages. Apart from mundane chores the jötnars observe the stars and their religion centers around the movements of celestial objects. Some have even speculated if the jötnars have some kind of connection to the cosmos.

The Eternal Consortium

Far to the south of Pohjola, beyond the sea Gymir is the kingdom of Qhanir. First established soon after the War of the Gods, it has been a rock of stability in the warlike lands of the south. Led by the Eternal King, a man who has been rumored to have ruled Qhanir since its conception, it’s trade ships sail all the seas of the world.Two things define Qhanir: the pursuits of wealth and immortality. For a citizen of Qhanir, wealth is the true mark of position, and birthrights have little bearing on this. But the true goal of everyone in Qhanir is to become like their King by gaining eternal life. So far no-one has truly succeeded in this quest, but this has not stopped the alchemists from trying ever stranger mixtures to achieve it.A testament to their quest for immortality, the eternals are perhaps its greatest achievement. Devoid of mortal wants, eternals crave only for the life-essence, anima, of other living beings to sustain themselves. But with each passing moment their hunger grows, until it can no longer be sustained and they join the ranks of other failures.

The Bestial Nomands

The colorful caravans from the east are a sight to behold in Pohjola. Yet still these wanderers instill more fear than awe in people, as the Eweneki themselves are strange and fearsome looking folk, for they are unlike any other. Bears who walk upright, people with horns, snouts, fur and hooves like goats and crows the size and shape of humans. Most decent folk stay far away from the Eweneki caravans.

During the Age of Wonders the Ewneki Empire ruled the lands east of Pohjola. But when the War of the Gods culminated in the destruction of the Divine Engine, the magical fallout shattered the once mighty realm. Its inhabitants transformed, mutated and fused with animals. Most went insane and berserk, and the ruins of the east are now inhabited by these monsters.Those few who kept their sanity banded together, trying to readjust to their new reality. Neither beast nor man they wander the lands, never allowed to settle. It is bitter existence for the heirs of an empire.

The Kinship

Below the freezing Icepeak Mountains there is unexpected life and warmth, for the endless caverns of Myrkheim are home to elves, dwarves and their draconic allies.The dwarves, unrivaled craftsmen and weavers of magical songs, are now merely a shadow of their previous selves after suffering bitterly from a curse of metal-induced madness. They live by the grace of the elves, earned through respect towards the ever petrifying Council of Stone.The elves of Myrkheim are a people close to nature. Their lives are filled with supporting their dwarven brethren, communing with nature and fostering dragons and their kin, who the elves have a mysterious closeness to.

The Returned

Ever since the end of the War of the Gods, the hilltops and valleys of Pohjola have had a reputation of dread. The mortal heroes who survived the war were set to slumber in burial mounds by the Death God Tuoni, ready to rise if the Divine Engine would ever return to the world.Years turned into centuries as they slept. The demigods and magic disappeared, the old names of the warriors were forgotten and they were given the name “Draugr”, the Dead. Clans rose and fell, and eventually the western sailors came and settled in Hreiturholm. All the while the bodies of the Draugr slowly decayed, and the spell binding them to this world began to fray, breaking their bodies and spirits.As the Divine Engine returned, so did the Draugr. They rose from their long slumber, and were horrified to realise their new disfigurement. Nevertheless, they are ready to take up arms once more, as they had sworn so long ago.

Lakefolk

The lands of the north are full of rivers and lakes. They are home to mysterious fae, who live around, in and under the waters. Beneath the surface of the lakes lie their realms, with reedwood palaces and strange architecture. It is rare for a mortal to visit their underwater world, and rarer still for them to return, as the price of their hospitality is often a decade of servitude. Such are the strange customs of the fae.Most creatures who live beneath the waters can't or won’t speak with surface dwellers. They keep their own council, conversing with the other fae. But the depths of the realms are deep, and the depths hold many creatures that even the lakefolk dare not disturb.

THE TEAM

Our team consists of three individuals, two designers and an artist, each with years of wargaming experience. Of our designers one has played wargames competitively for over a decade and the other works with game design on video games. Our artist is a trained industrial designer and is currently working on his own line of miniatures.