As we dig deeper within our vaults, the tales of the moose become stranger and even more far-fetched. Today, we see the moose as fairly non-threatening creature, grazing in fields, hills, forests, and mountains. Unless provoked, a moose will most often not attack. Campers have had encounters involving moose invading their campsites, but they were merely searching for food. Since these are just the natural instincts of a hungry moose, it is presumed that they are not looking for a fight.

In some records dating back as early as the 1200s, moose were looked at in a completely different manner. They were feared as relentless killers, reaching mammoth-sized proportions. They were known to be notorious for destroying town after town through many mountainsides of what is now North Dakota. It is believed that these early ancestors to today's common moose met a slow yet steady extinction due to the acts of one man in the 1300s, whose life is of great importance to the North Dakota Moose Country.



Back in the 1300s, Man had thought "The Mighty North Dakota Moose" stood as tall as the treetops. Folklore had stated that these savage beasts were capable of wiping out entire villages, leaving few remains. These encounters were known as "moose attacks," or "moose stampedes" if they were traveling in a group.

Pictured Right : This is a young male moose, standing approximately 50 to 60 feet tall. Since moose were never seen up close in the 1300s, people assumed they were much larger than they actually were. Males were thought to be especially large, with their enormous torso and 30-40 point racks thought to reach heights of 200 feet.

According to legend, moose attacks would usually happen without any warning and last only a few minutes, but with a staggering aftermath. Not only were these moose known to trample a person, but also to eat people, often a few at a time. The attacks were thought to have been brought on by pure rage and the need for food, with the number of survivors slim to none.

Pictured Left : An illustration portraying the awesome destructive power of a moose attack.

So the question still remains - Did giant moose exist? And if so, were they capable of these horrible attacks? There have been no concrete findings to date of skeletal remains of giant moose, so, without certainty, many signs still point to yes. Therefore, giant moose did exist, most likely, but similar to the fate of dinosaurs they probably became extinct in the early 1800s. Luckily for mankind, the moose of today are only a fraction of the size of their early ancestors of legend.



Simply known as Trog "The Moose Slayer," tales of this nomad's many adventures date back to the early 1300s. The legend is told as follows: As a young boy, Trog was sent out by his parents to gather kindling wood deep within the forest. Upon his return, he discovered that his village was wiped out by a viscious moose stampede (Similar to the one depicted above). Although lucky to be alive, Trog was left with the loss of his family and friends which begat the strong hatred towards the beast who took their lives. From that day on, he knew he was left with only one choice- to kill every moose that crossed his path.

As Trog grew older, he had to learn how to survive on his own and fend for himself. The cold, harsh temperatures of what is now North Dakota forced Trog to move to a warmer climate and he found himself in South Dakota. It was here where Trog became a self-taught woodsman, living off the giant moose that he killed. Moose attacks occurred quite often, even in South Dakota, and it was believed that Trog, while mastering his hunting skills, was killed by moose and was not seen nor heard from again.



Thirty years passed until signs of Trog began to surface. Villagers of a town called Kregrel journeyed west in search of new farmland. To their disbelief, they uncovered an entire field with the remains of thousands of moose, some that were recently slain. In fear that these were the acts of Trog, the villagers returned home and never spoke of their findings, although they passed the legend of Trog on from generation to generation.


"Trog: The Moose Slayer" Video Game


As the most recent of all the myths in our Archives, this was one that was proved to be, in fact, true. In the early 80's, just before the words of Nils Christiansen Kosbok officially became a theory, there were claims that NDMC had plans to approach video game companies with the idea of a Moose Country game featuring Kosbok. According to our records dating back to this point, plans for a video game release based on Kosbok would coincide with the annoucement of Kosbok's Theory and make it well known to the masses, especially the younger generation. But since no concrete evidence of the game was known of to support these claims, Moose Country dismissed it as a simply rumor.

Several months ago, Adam Burdinger, webmaster www.mylifeisgamez.net contacted us with proof - a set of demo diskettes of the original "TROG, The Moose Slayer" video game, programmed for the Comma-door computer. Thought to be a copy of a copy, the contents on the disks do not lie; NDMC had gotten much futher than original thought, with a complete playable demo of the game.

As a bit of a surprise, the game featured Trog, instead of our beloved founding father, Nils Christiansen Kosbok. Since NDMC clearly appeared on the title screen of the game, our staff must have been aware of who the main character was going to be. Or maybe they didn't? Could this be the reason why this game was never meant to reach the public? As more and more questions are raised, NDMC staff put down the stool samples to find the answers.

Moose Country meets with Comma-door in 1982


During the high point of North Dakota Moose Country's popularity, the staff met with another company also on the rise in 1982: Comma-Door computers. NDMC knew that Comma-Door made great products because, at the time, they used their computers in the office and lab to record data. The Comma-Door 64, besides being a great home computer, also ran video game diskettes and cartridges which gave NDMC staff members a great idea: to create a video game based on Nils Christiansen Kosbok and his adventures in Moose Country, North Dakota. The programmers at Comma-Door liked the idea, but felt Kosbok's "Adventures" were not meant for video games. However, they felt the adventures of Trog could be a big hit in the video game market. Despite it not being the game NDMC had in mind, they reluctantly agreed to continue with a prototype featuring Trog as the lead character. Since the story of Trog was only a myth, NDMC felt it wouldn't do justice to the real Moose Country.

At the same time, NDMC realized the game could be used as a vehicle to spread the message of Moose Country if it were to become a hit. So, NDMC provided Comma-Door with information on Trog and his mythical accomplishments, and waited patiently to see the demo.


Screen shot: Trog can buy new weapons on his journey.

Eight months later, NDMC met with Comma-Door in early April of 1983 to discuss "Trog: The Moose Slayer." The video game was already pretty hyped up by several of the programmers working on the game. The gist of the game was to "rack" up points by slaying as many moose as possible before the brutal winter season. In terms of action and game play, it was one of the best prototypes of its time and would be categorized as a role-playing game by today's standard, something rarely seen in 1983. Although everyone who had seen it felt the game would to be a great success, NDMC was not impressed. In fact, some members were outraged at the direction the game was taking. Ron Hinkle of NDMC’s samples division said, "We felt that this could have been a game chock full of knowledge and could have educated young minds. Instead, the game is fun and action packed." In the end, NDMC passed on the whole deal, feeling the game was far too violent and didn't represent NDMC accurately. Amazingly, plots and characters from "Trog: The Moose Slayer" were later changed and eventually released in the game "Final Fantasy," which became a huge international success, with countless sequels, a movie, and a toy line of collectible figures.

Years later, the original demo of "Trog: The Moose Slayer" video game is still floating around amongst serious gamers and collectors. Adam Burdinger, webmaster www.mylifeisgamez.net has had a copy of Trog: The Moose Slayer" for years and gives his take on the game in this exclusive interview.

NDMC: Good afternoon, Adam. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today about this lost piece in Moose Country history. How are you today?

Adam: A bit tired, actually....I was up all night playing "The Revenge at Tower Grimstone 4". Such a great game.

NDMC: Well, Adam, a fresh cup of coffee will fix that. Let's discuss the game at hand.

Adam: Okay, go ahead. What's your first question.

NDMC: How did you acquire "Trog: The Moose Slayer?"

Adam: I originally obtained it from my brother's collection. It was an unmarked 5-diskette set that he said I could use for blanks, but I found the game program on there. Eventually, I figured out the order of how they were intended to be played.

NDMC: Wow, copies of this game are extremely hard to come by. Do you know how he got one?

Adam: No, he never told me. He was a programmer himself, so i figured maybe he, or one of programmer friends, designed it. After playing it a bit, I knew it was more complex than the games I've seen from them. I just figured he traded for the game, but again, I don't know.

NDMC: What were your first thoughts when you played the game?

Adam: It was kind of hard, but I did like it. One of the first thing I noticed was the year it was made, which made me think about the graphics and game play. It was probably the earliest version of a true role-playing game that I've seen, plus it looked great. I also did wonder why I had never heard of it before.

NDMC: NDMC and Comma-Door couldn't see eye to eye on the project and the idea was scrapped.

Adam: That's a shame. It really could have been a great game, especially in 1983.

NDMC: How long have you been playing the game?

Adam: I got the game five years ago, but I really started playing it a year later. It was extremely addictive once you built up your hit points. For a while, I couldn't get very far because I kept running into 200 ft. moose that I'd try to battle. That was a mistake! Until you have 1,000 HP, you have to stick to 100 ft. moose. After that, it gets to be pretty interesting.

NDMC: It sounds like you know the game quite well at this point.

Adam: Yeah, it really is a decent game. For a long while I was playing it exclusively. I didn't beat it, but my opinion is that you really can't "win." I survived the past 14 brutal winters and I just don't see an end.

NDMC: So what's the basic idea of the game? Personally, I've never played it.

Adam: Your character is Trog, and you have to prepare for the brutal winter months by killing giant moose and stocking up on meat and fur. There are stores where you can buy new weapons and armor to help you on your journey.

NDMC: Ok, so that basically follows the myths of Trog. Why do you think NDMC chose to pass on the idea?

Adam: Well, I did notice that it is quite bloody. Considering the use of blood in video games wasn't something that was really accepted until Mortal Kombat, roughly 10 years later, I would consider that a reason.

NDMC: My understanding is that it wasn't very educational. Do you agree?

Adam: Yes. It's a great game and very fun to play, but I didn't learn anything about North Dakota or moose while playing Trog. I did see NDMC on the title screen, but I never thought to learn more about it after starting the game.

NDMC: If this game were released, how do you think it would have done?

Adam: Wow, that's tough to say. Looking back on when it was supposed to be released, I think it could've went either way. It could've been a classic or a game that completely tanked because people didn't understand it. If it did poorly at first, I could see it being one of those that gets appreciated more and more over time. But like I said, since it's merely a demo and there's no way to actually win, that could frustrate a lot of gamers.

NDMC: What if the main character was Nils Christiansen Kosbok?

Adam: Who's he?

NDMC: He’s the founder of North Dakota Moose Country.

Adam: Ok. Well, what did he do?

NDMC: He spent his entire life studying the behavioral traits of moose.

Adam: That doesn't sound very fun. Did he kill moose like Trog?

NDMC: No, he watched them, for hours on end.

Adam: If that were a video game, I definitely wouldn't play it.

NDMC: Do you think it would be more educational?

Adam: Than The Moose Slayer game!? I guess, but for $35 a game you have to be pretty selective. There's no way that anyone would play or buy something like that..Watching moose? Are you serious?

NDMC: Well, not simply watching, rather ‘studying’ moose behavior.

Adam: I'm sorry. No, that's horrible.

NDMC: Okay, Adam, but keep in mind: Kosbok's Theory is officially made public at the same time as the game is released. Does that put a new spin on things?

Adam: I think we are done here.

NDMC: Adam, on behalf of NDMC I thank you for this exclusive interview.

Adam: Yeah, okay, bye.

www.mylifeisgamez.net webmaster, Adam Burdinger gives his thoughts on this lost classic in gaming. If only things went a bit differently years ago, NDMC could have been a video game icon and a household name. Instead, we still sit here in front of those same Comma-Door computers(with countless upgrades and many, many more flppy drives), entering the results of hair and stool samples as we did back in 1983.