Historical research comes to life in a new role-playing game about King Redbad

What was the world of King Redbad like? How did people travel along the North Sea coast? Which gods did they worship, which languages did they speak, and what did the landscape they lived in look like?

These questions are central to Mythwatch: The Age of Redbad, a new historical role-playing game being developed by the Mythemakers Foundation in Friesland in collaboration with scholars, archaeologists, and museums from the Netherlands and Germany. This is the first historical role-playing game to emerge directly from an international research project. Landscapes, characters, and storylines are based on current scientific research into the early medieval North Sea world.

The game is part of the Fries Museum’s international REDBAD project, in which nine Dutch and German partners are collaborating on new research into King Redbad and his era. In addition to a large-scale exhibition, the project includes a scholarly publication, a book for the general public, and educational programs in both countries.

Mythwatch: The Age of Redbad will be released on September 4, 2026, in a deluxe box set and will be available through the Mythemakers webshop, online retailers, and the Fries Museum gift shop. During the exhibition REDBAD: The Legendary King (September 5, 2026, through February 7, 2027), various game nights will be
organized at the museum and other locations. Pre-orders for the game are now open: for more information, visit www.mythwatch.nl or www.friesmuseum.nl/mythwatch. The game will initially be available in Dutch and English; a German version is currently in development.

Game world based on new research
 

In Mythwatch, players take on the role of storytellers in early medieval Frisia. What choices will you make as a merchant, warrior, or traveler in a world of trade, diplomacy, faith, and conflict? How will you navigate the tensions between ancient gods and new beliefs? The game world is directly based on ongoing scientific research. During development, Mythemakers worked closely with various researchers within the REDBAD project. For example, landscape archaeologist Mans Schepers’ (University of Groningen) research into the living environment of coastal dwellers around the year 700 forms the basis for the landscape through which players travel.

The expertise of Old Frisian scholar and historical anthropologist Han Nijdam (Fryske Akademy) was also extensively utilized. His research into the world of King Redbad, early medieval religious beliefs, language, and storytelling culture helped the game developers reconstruct the game’s cultural background. This knowledge was incorporated down to the smallest details, for example in the Old Frisian names for Odin’s ravens Huginn and Muninn: Hei and Minke. The characters are also inspired by archaeological finds. For example, players can choose a shepherd inspired by the Man of Bernuthsfeld. This is an exceptional bog body of a man from the Aurich area who lived around the year 700. His faithful dog, Oda, is based on a dog skeleton from the Fries Museum’s collection, which recent research has shed more light on.

The game also gives a face to the legendary King Redbad and his daughter Theudesinde. Although there is a 17th-century portrait of Redbad, Mythemakers—in collaboration with Diana Spiekhout (curator at the Fries Museum) and Frederique Nobel (visual artist)—has created a depiction of what he might have looked like when his kingdom was at its peak. Little is known about Redbad’s daughter, but by giving her a face as well, the game aims to showcase the female perspective in Redbad’s world.

With Mythwatch, the creators aim to introduce new audiences to history—not just by reading about or watching history, but by actively becoming part of it.
The game was co-developed with input from youth workers (Wytse Wierda of social work organization De Kear), and students from Firda and NHL Stenden are developing video content and visuals. Over the past year, there have been several test sessions for the game, including at the youth support organization Team050 in Groningen and at Observeum in Burgum. This allowed young people to contribute their ideas and provide feedback on the game’s development.

The game and individual game elements will be used at Firda next school year as part of the citizenship and general education courses. For young people who struggle to engage with traditional forms of education, such game-based approaches can be a valuable way to gain knowledge and build self-confidence.

International research shows that role-playing games encourage participants to collaborate, consider others’ perspectives, and work together to solve complex situations. Mythemakers’ own research with Team050 also supports this, with outreach workers concluding that the young people in their care learned to communicate better with strangers and became more outgoing.
“It’s incredibly cool that this is a historical game based on real scientific research,” says Diana Spiekhout, curator at the Fries Museum. “Scientists have tried to reconstruct the world of Redbad as accurately as possible. A huge number of researchers are involved in this project, and they’re pooling all their knowledge to paint as complete a picture as possible of that period.”

Crowdfunding Campaign

To enable the game’s further development, a crowdfunding campaign will soon launch on Gamefound. Through this campaign, the creators aim to produce additional illustrations, historical maps, new adventures, and supplementary expansions.