I had to drop by and leave this idea, it's been swimming in my head for a while and I had the urge to share it:
I wish there were a game that simulated the Norse settlement of North America (Vinland, Markland, Helluland, Greenland). It would be set in the late 900's-early 1000's, you would assume the role of a Viking lord/merchant/ship captain/raider and make your way from Iceland to the new world with supplies and a small troop of settlers. You'd land in either the harsh, barren lands of Greenland or
Helluland (Baffin Island), the great forests of
Markland (Labrador Canada), or the relatively warm pasture lands of
Vinland.
Your main character would act as the lord of your outpost/village/estate and would order construction, manage trade, diplomacy with the natives (called skraeling by the norse), etc. Your people would assume professions typical of dark age norsemen and you'd hack out an existence in the unforgiving lands of the new world, forging for whatever resources you can find, fending off inuits, and trading away precious goods (from lumber to narwhal tusks). The game would keep track of all the citizens' ancestry and their looks (something like DF, with genetics) and could last for decades until the settlement is abandoned or destroyed. I think it would be interesting to have genetics play a role, say your settlement is overtaken by natives who intermix with your population only to be discovered years later by future explorers or reclaim parties. Religion would also play a role, from feuds between family members to all out civil war over Paganism vs. Christianity.
I guess what I'm saying is that I want a totally realistic/historically accurate Viking DF
I would code it myself or even mod DF, save for my lack of skills. Maybe some day....