TEXT: Skaldic tales are rife with tales of less-than-heroic pas-
  times. There is little historical evidence these pursuits 
  were ever commonplace, and their existence in tales is 
  often used as a form of metaphor or to make a hero seem 
  more down to earth. Still, that doesn’t stop Saxa fuelled 
  up with ale and mead from giving them a try.
  In the modern age these pursuits are most likely to be 
  found at fairs and moots as amusements rather than true 
  sporting events.
  Cutting the Braids
  According to skalds cutting the braids was used either 
  to test the fidelity of a woman suspected of cheating on 
  her husband or to test the skill of an axe thrower. Neither 
  is particularly plausible, and it seems more likely alcohol 
  had a part in its creation.
  The “target,” usually a woman with three long braids, 
  though a man with long hair can serve equally well, plac-
  es her head through a hole in a large wooden board. Her 
  three braids are then stretched out, one to the left, one 
  to the right, and one sticking straight up, and pinned to 
  the board with nails.
  The challenger then has three attempts to cut the 
  braids with a throwing axe (the only weapon allowed in 
  the game). The braids are not particularly thick and so 
  count as a Small target (-2 to Throwing rolls). A critical 
  failure or any result of a 1 or less due to penalties means 
  the target has been struck! Fortunately, there is no time 
  pressure involved, so aiming is a perfectly valid, and very 
  wise, tactic.
  greased Piglets
  Guaranteed to have children rolling about with laugh-
  ter and toothless grandparents chortling, trying to catch a 
  greased piglet in a pen filled with a mixture of muck and 
  dung is not a pastime for those who value their personal 
  appearance. Skalds sing of how brave heroes performed 
  this task to prove their wrestling skills, though in all hon-
  esty they are more likely to have wrestled other men.
  The principle is remarkably simple. A piglet is smeared 
  with grease and let loose in a pen. The challenger then 
  endeavors to grapple the piglet and hold it for a set pe-
  riod of time. Of course, just because something sounds 
  simple it doesn’t actually mean it is simple.
  Run the challenge using the combat rules. There’s 
  no need to deal action cards until the piglet has been 
  caught. Although there is plenty of movement involved, 
  it isn’t a race, and beside weaving and dodging there isn’t 
  anywhere the piglet can run except round in circles.
  The adventurer can only make grapple attacks against 
  the pig, whose Parry is considered to be 6 (due to its 
  Size and greasy coating). Due to the muck and mud, the 
  slippery floor counts as an Unstable Platform.
  A roll of 1 on the Fighting die, regardless of any Wild 
  Die, means the hero has slipped and fallen prone in the 
  filth. Typically Charisma drops one point (no matter how 
  many times the hero falls) until he gets a bath.
  Once the piglet is grappled the real fun begins. Wig-
  gling and squealing, the greased pig tries its hardest 
  to escape. Treat its Agility as d8 (again due to its Size, 
  propensity for wiggling frantically, and greasy coating). If 
  the hero can maintain his grip for a full 12 seconds (two 
  combat rounds), he is victorious. It is considered very 
  bad form to inflict damage to the piglet!
  If he’s really lucky, the hero gets to keep the piglet. 
  Otherwise all he earns is the temporary adoration of the 
  crowd. Clerics of the Unknowable One have been known 
  to offer sizeable rewards for a quick victory, especially if 
  they feel the challengers needs a lesson in humility.
  Oar running
  Practised only in coastal communities or those along 
  navigable rivers, oar running requires a crewed longship. 
  While the crew lean on the oars to keep them horizontal, 
  runners try to run along the poles from one end to the 
  other. Most often this is done in pairs as a race, with one 
  runner to each side of the ship.
  For simplicity use the Chase rules for this game. Lay 
  out 10 markers to represent the oars. The first runner 
  to reach the final marker hops into the prow and claims 
  victory.
  The oars, although held horizontal, count as an Un-
  stable Platform. As normal, failure indicates no change 
  in position; the runner is balancing on an oar. For each 
  successive round after the first in which he fails to move 
  from a specific marker the hero must make an Agility roll 
  with a cumulative -1 penalty (adding in the Unstable Plat-
  form penalty as well) or fall into the water. His tumble 
  might be caused by losing his balance, an oar breaking, 
  or the oarsmen wearying under the strain and lowering 
  the oar. Grabbing the keel for stability counts as cheat-
  ing, resulting in disqualification.
  A critical failure or any result of a 1 or less due to 
  penalties causes the runner to fall into the water.
  (c) Triple Ace Games, 2010
  saxa Fun
  a Mildly aMusing exPansiOn
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Triple Ace Games/Hellfrost/Free Downloads/Saxa Fun.pdf