Tag: RPG Review

Ring Side Report- RPG review of When the Wolf Comes: A Vikingverse Roleplaying Game

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Product– When the Wolf Comes: A Vikingverse Roleplaying Game

System- Shadow of the Demon Lord

Producer– Schwalb Entertianment

Price– $19.99 here   https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/443491?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR-Solid sci-fantasy Viking Shadows of the Demon Lord fun. 99% 

Basics– Where will you be when the wolf comes?!  When the Wolf Comes is a semi-post-apacalypic, semi-fantasy, semi-futuristic Viking version of Shadow of the Demon Lord.  This book covers everything from basic mechanics to how to run a full campaign.  Let’s break this down.

Mechanics or Crunch–  Do you like Shadow of the Demon Lord?  Do you like Vikings?  Do you like Space Vikings?  Then you will like this.  This is just Shadow of the Demon Lord extended to its next evolution as the game moves forward in a solid way.  My one minor issue that is more a personal view is that the end mythic paths are tied to race.  That’s not even bad, just my personal taste in the issue.  The mechanics work and the new stuff here is fantastic.  One of my complaints in TTRPGs in recent years is that character progression was too linear.  This version adds gifts which are akin to feats.  And I love it!  This version fixes my one issue with this system, so this is a solid improvement on an already excellent game.     5/5

Theme or Fluff– The opening of this book is from Schwalb himself praising the author.  This is a solid introduction to the world the author created and ancient Norse as a whole.  It’s a world like our own, but with a split a thousand years ago.  This also isn’t just a reskin of a Norse god textbook.  One of the races you expect, dwarves, is not here.  Now you have robots.  Robot servants, so if you want to explore the themes of slavery in your game, have at it!  The base classes are different, and the classes that build off it are all different as well.  This is not just a can of paint on an existing Shadows game, it’s a whole new world to play in.    5 /5

Execution– This is a solid book with one semi-unforgivable sin.  The layout is excellent.  The art is amazing.  And, the book reads well, fast, and fluidly.  I can find what I need as the hyperlinks guide me easily.  There is guidance for new GMs and how to play the COMPLETE system.  This is not just a fluff book, but honestly the whole Shadow of the BLANK system.  There is even an adventure in the back to play right away!  The one thing I want that is not here is four to six premade characters. I know Shadow characters are easy to make, but give me them so I can slam them down and have my friends play in exactly 10 minutes.  Aside from that one, minor issue, this is a fantastic book.  4.9/5

Summary– The most unkind thing I can say about this book is it’s simply a splat book for a different version of Shadow of the Demon Lord.  But that does not do this justice.  Any time there are robot dwarves that are not just brass spray painted dwarves with some gears stapled on by another name, but a real, honest to god servitor race with their own issues and even capitalism killing them so you the homeowner have to buy the newest model if you want your floors vacuumed like a roomba with a death sentence, I am hooked.  This takes the simple Shadows gameplay I love and builds it out to a completely new world with new themes and mechanics to explore.  I even get my feats!  It’s not a massive part of the world, but even that small change adds new things mechanically to the system.  I love how the book is put together.  The one thing I want Schwalb Entertainment to do is give me pregens and it will be a near perfect book.  If you even just like the Shadows system and you even just barely like Vikings or you just want to learn more about Norse mythology, then this is the book you need to pick up.  99%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Caverns of Thracia Legendary Adventure 5E+DCC preview

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Product– Caverns of Thracia Legendary Adventure 5E+DCC

System- DCC+5e, note I am only reviewing the DCC version

Producer– Goodman Games

Price– FREE here   https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/goodman-games/caverns-of-thracia-legendary-adventure-5e-dcc 

TL; DR-More of what I expect from Goodman Games!  97% 

Basics– Will you face the minotaur?  Caverns of Thracia is a republication of an older DnD module from 1979 by Jennell Jaquays.  Players enter the dreaded Caverns of Thracia to face the minotaur after multiple layers of adventure.

Mechanics or Crunch–  Like dungeon crawls and DCC?  Then you will like this.  This is the normal DCC mechanics.  It’s rules light, so it’s fast.  It’s got lot’s of novel things here with over 100 new monsters to throw at the players and all kinds of traps along the way.  It’s more of the same from Goodman Games.  If you liked their previous materials, you will like this.  5/5

Theme or Fluff– I like what’s here, but I need a bit more story. The preview is just the first level with no other story.  That’s a bit nondescript.  I am not sure why there are the things that are here.  The things are the Gonzo crazy off DCC’s appendix N fantasy, but the preview lacks all the context of the book. I’m interested, but I want to know a bit more as well.   4.5 /5

Execution– Like DCC’s layout?  Then you will like this.  This is the classic DCC layout you have either come to love or hate.  It reads fast and clean, but it has lots of black and white pages.  There is art and layout to help it read fast and easily, but it is minimal.  I enjoy it, but it’s also very old school. So, I can see why it might drive away some people.  5/5

Summary– I love DCC and Goodman Games.  I’ve backed all their kicksarters/backerkits and this will be no exception.  It’s a fun book with lots of fun crazy stuff.  I want to know more about the adventure, but when it releases I will get my chance.  Now, it’s a fun adventure that has all the pieces I expect from Goodman Games.  Check out the preview and see what you think!  97%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Castles & Crusades Reforged Player Guide

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Product– Castles & Crusades Reforged Player Guide

System- Castles & Crusades Reforged

Producer– Troll Lord Games

Price– FREE here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ckg/castles-and-crusades-reforged   

TL; DR– The C&C I love from before just better at it.  97% 

Basics– Are you ready to OSR?!  Castles and Crusades Reforged is the newest version of the C&C rpg.  Let’s break it down and get to our thoughts

Base mechanics- The basics are D20+ bonuses + ability modifier.  You know this, and like most of you, I love this too.

Siege System-Where this version of D20 separates itself from all others is the Siege system.  In this system, a character gets two to three primary abilities.  When a character tries to do something, you roll as above and add your level to the check in place of the bonus.  The interesting part is what DC the character is trying to hit.  If the check is something in the primary attribute’s area, then the DC is 12 plus a difficulty check from 0 to 10.  If the thing being done is not within a primary attribute for the character, then the check is 18 plus the difficulty from 0-10.  Easy and quick enough.

Actions- Combat is just like you’d expect.  Move, attack, don’t die. Character rounds are based on initiative.

Ok, that’s the basics, let’s discuss.

Mechanics or Crunch–  Do you like DnD 3.5 and and the OSR?  If yes, then you will love this.  It’s the same basics we got from the previous edition of the game, but with better explanation.  My one thing I really wanted but didn’t get is at-will powers so wizards and casters can do something magical when they don’t have phenomenal power at low levels.  Also, I miss feats.  This game is not rules heavy.  The rules exist, but it’s less crunch than 3.5 DnD was at the end, and I miss that amount of character customization in this game. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff– Do you like serious OSR?  Then you will like this.  This is not the gonzo fantasy of DCC.  This is more old school 70s/80s fantasy themes.  You have the standard fantasy stuff for a standard fantasy world.  And as someone who loved the C & C world before, I love what’s here.  5 /5

Execution– Honestly, this is the biggest glow up for the Reforged Kickstarter.  Honestly, how DnD got past the first edition with the strange layout of materials is beyond me.  The last version was fun, but the layout and explanation of the game was kind of messy.  Here it is much nicer and easier to understand.  Solid layout makes this book so much easier to read and use.  This book even levels all the way to 20! 5/5

Summary– So the simple question to ask yourself if you want this book is – Do you want serious DCC?  I love DCC.  Simple rules are fun and OSR is a fun game to play when you don’t want to spend 10 hours building a character and math that involves light calculus.  I love DCC, but it is NOT a serious game.  Fun yes, but gonzo fun.  This is more old school Lord of the Rings gaming with 3.5 base mechanics.  I would like a few more modern touches, but then again, if they do that then they may betray their core OSR design.  It’s not enough to keep me away, and for the price of free it’s worth it to check out for the Kickstarter!  97%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of DC20 Preview

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Product– DC20 Preview

System- DC20

Producer– The Dungeon Couch

Price– $FREE here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thedungeoncoach/dc20?ref=7s275s&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsaqzBhDdARIsAK2gqnc5Hg8g0LanCi5wZMQUViNcAlYb8RXGRme_aLk__R0LEqZN0HpldmQaAuo6EALw_wcB   

TL; DR– DnD5e, Pathfinder 2nd Ed, Final Fantasy, and OSR all in a blender.  90% 

Basics– Are you ready to RPG?!  DC 20 is The Dungeon Couch’s new RPG.  The kickstarter has a preview of the game with enough mechanics to run a level 1 to 2 character.  Let’s look at how it plays.

Base mechanics- It’s D20.  You know this.  Roll d20, add numbers, did it beat a different number?  The numbers you add are interesting though.  Each character has a prime attribute.  This doesn’t have to match what you think it should for the class.  The classic idea they give in the book is a barbarian who is a charismatic man who would use his charisma for his attacks because thats his best attribute.

Beating the DC by 5- This system often has you roll dice and compare to a DC.  Many of the things you do like attack and spells have you check to see if you beat the DC by 5 or multiples of 5.  Every 5 you beat often have you gain more effects, save, or even flat out damage.

Advantage and disadvantage- This takes more of a Call of Cthulhu approach with multiple advantage or disadvantage dice.  You roll all the advantage or disadvantage dice you have and you take either the better, advantage, or worse, disadvantage, die.

Actions- At the start of combat and end of each turn, you gain action points.  You can spend as many as you want to do actions.  Move uses an action point.  Attack uses an action point.  Making an opponent have disadvantage is an action.  Spells might use multiple action points.  At the end of a round you get action points back and you can use those for reactions, but you will then have less in the next round.

Leveling up- As you advance you gain powers, talents, and class features.  It’s very much like some OSR RPGs where you will not gain tons of hit points.  You gain additional mastery of skills and bonuses to attacks with some classes being able to exceed the normal maximum.

Abilities- Spells and techniques all have a bit of additional resources as well.  Some techniques can use stamina points to pull them off.  Magic uses magic points that spell casters can spend to cast spells.  So you can cast any spell you have, but bigger spells use more MP.

Combat- Won’t be fantasy without killing things!  Combat is initiative with everyone rolling, but the highest on a side determines which side goes first.  Then it’s back and forth between the players and monsters.

Ok, that’s the basics, let’s discuss

Mechanics or Crunch–  This game feels like all the things I love.  The base dice is DnD.  The base action mechanics are Pathfinder 2nd Ed.  The base leveling layout looks like OSR.  Spell casting feels like Final Fantasy.  I love all those things, so that’s fun!  I know this system, but because I’ve played all the things that made it multiple times over.  And, that’s not a bad thing!   5/5

Theme or Fluff– Not really a story as this is more to show off the rules, but what’s here feels right.  The classes feel like classes, and the included things feel like they should.  The kickstarter art is nice, but the book itself doesn’t have any.  I’d like a bit more of the creators’ world to help me understand what the story will be.  4.5 /5

Execution– This is a solid enough preview, but it’s missing a few things.  The book has lots of stuff and is decently laid out.  It’s easy to read with good directions.  It’s even hyperlinked, so I’m happy there.  The bad is there are no pictures in the book, nor in the monster book.  The kickstarter also doesn’t have an adventure.  Give me an adventure and four to six pregens to play with!  I think I like the layout, but if you have done all this, give me a simple “kill the goblins save the village lady” quest to kick the tires on the system.  In addition, some classes can exceed the maximum skill bonus. Why not just include the maximum skill bonus on that table instead of making me infer them?  Those are small issues but will help me better understand your system.  4/5

Summary-I’m interested.  This will be a big kickstarter.  The things I love are the basics that combine all the fun things from all the other fun things I enjoy.  I need more of the world and adventure.  Show me how you want this played.  Is this pure murder on the players or a cake walk?  I don’t know, so show me!  That said, I’ve backed it, and for free, I definitely think it’s worth a look for you too.  90%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Starfinder Society Scenario #7-02: Zo! vs. Zo

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Product– Starfinder Society Scenario #7-02: Zo! vs. Zo

System- Starfinder

Producer– Paizo

Price– $8.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02eza?Starfinder-Society-Scenario-702-Zo-vs-Zo  

TL; DR– Fun, logic be damned!  87% 

Basics– What’s ya name!?  In Zo! Vs. Zo, the Starfinders are asked to help Zo! Defend his semi-good honor as his name is threatened by a city called Zo.  How will your group of Starfinders fare as lawyers and in combat?

Mechanics or Crunch–  This is a fairly simple adventure with some combat, some social, but no exploration.  It’s all set in cities as the Starfinders have to prove they can do the fighting, then attempt to set up a legal defense, and finally a real defense in legal combat. It’s a bit on the rails, but still good.  The mechanics are well done and felt fair and fun. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  The story is a bit off here.  The basics are to prove you can fight, do legal skill checks, do more legal skill checks, and then fight no matter what.  The legal stuff felt off.  I would like the option to just not do the second fight if the characters succeed enough or for them to just push for combat.  That’s how I would run this for a home group, but for Society, the flow makes the adventure feel strained.  It works, but the logic is a bit off. 3.5/5

Execution– Yeah, we all know this was gonna be a 5/5.  It’s a Paizo book.  I keep saying this exact sentence when I write about Paizo.  They know layout, text, and art.  It’s an easy to read adventure.  Maybe the one thing that would help is having separate art from the other legal combatants, but that’s extremely nitpicky.  This is well done.  5/5

Summary-This is a fun adventure, but maybe not the most logical adventure.  Any group of guys and gals will enjoy the adventure, but it’s a bit linear and a bit nonsensical.  That said, it’s an adventure to a world that most Starfinders have not been to and some courtroom drama that almost no players outside of those brave profession (barrister) players do.  You will have fun, but maybe don’t think too hard about why things are happening.   87%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Pathfinder Monster Core

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Product– Pathfinder Monster Core

System- Pathfinder 2nd Ed 

Producer– Paizo

Price– $59.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02ej4 

TL; DR-Another Solid Addition to the Core line. 97% 

Basics– We’re all gonna die!  Monster Core is the last of the three main books needed to play Pathfinder, providing the foes that the heroes will face in their journeys.

Mechanics or Crunch–  Paizo knows their math.  These monsters are the ones we know, mostly, and love.  The Paizo staff designed good monsters and this just gives them the 2.5 glow up new coat of paint the system needed to get them fully ORC compliant.  It’s well done. 5/5

Theme or Fluff–  The story of the monsters takes a tiny bit of a dip.  As we move from 3.5/SRD base to ORC/Paizo’s own world, we lose a few things.  A major example is alignment.  We have Demons, Daemon, and Devils.  We have three different groups that are basically out to destroy everything but all just end up with the bad guy banner.  There is a story, but it’s that part of the story supported by differences in alignment and motivations that really separate these different D-based bad guys (that and centuries of European occult history).  The same goes with different dragon types.  I want to reiterate that what’s here is good, but the theme of these different monsters does miss alignment. 4.5/5

Execution– Yeah, we all know this was gonna be a 5/5.  It’s a Paizo book.  It reads fast, well, and is pretty.  Monsters get art for me to show players.  I get a good layout and hyperlinks.  Heck, there are even a few player things like a few rituals to sell your soul or talk to god!  5/5

Summary-This is a good book.  My view might be tainted by the changes from 3.5 to ORC.  I love the ORC, but we do lose some things along the way due to the legalese.  Those are things you will have to bring with your own stories to the table now.  This book will easily give you the foes to make those stories full of conflict and victory.  97 %

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Starfinder Society Intro: Year of Era’s End

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Product– Starfinder Society Intro: Year of Era’s End

System- Starfinder 

Producer– Paizo

Price– $8.99 here https://paizo.com/products/btq02ez9?Starfinder-Society-Intro-Year-of-Eras-End 

TL; DR-The start to the end! 93% 

Basics– New boss, new random magic thing, new place, who dis?  Year of Era’s End sets out to establish the next and final meta plot for Starfinder Society 1st edition.  The Starfinders have made new friends with the Anacites on their barren homeworld.  Will the Society understand how the latest found magic item works before evil robots try to kill us all?

Mechanics or Crunch–  This adventure is fairly simple and similar to the usual first adventures of a season.  You have a few fights, a few social encounters, and a few skill challenges as you explore.  It’s not crazy, but it all works well. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  Much like the mechanics, this adventures is pretty standard for the first adventure of a season.  You will meet the new boss, meet some new friends/middle managers of the Starfinder Society, and a new adversary group.  The adventure is split in two, with two different goals in each as you try to understand the newly found device.  It’s standard, but decently well done.  4.5/5

Execution– Paizo knows adventure production.  Layout is good, text is easy to read, and organization is good.  The maps are all available, and the monsters and NPCs all have pictures that I don’t have to crop myself.  I’ve even adjusted to the increase in cost as nine bucks is about the price of a movie and this will take about three to four hours to play.  Solid work.  5/5

Summary-It’s the end of the world, and I feel fine!  Starfinder Society First Edition is going away, and this honestly is a decent start to that.  It’s some simple mini adventures that get a metaplot started, introduce new characters in the lore, and allow for some fun encounters along the way.  If all the final adventures work like this, it will be a good send off.  93 %

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Cryptid Creeks

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Product– Cryptid Creeks

System- Cryptid Creeks

Producer– HatchlingDM

Price– Pay what you want here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/480826/cryptid-creeks?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR-Girl Scouts Call of Needful Things! 93% 

Basics– Time to fight the peddler!  Cryptid Creeks is a cartoon monster of the week RPG where players are all members of River Scouts.  Ghosts and an enigmaticWatcher (think Zordon from the Power Rangers) guide the new scouts as an evil thing called The Peddler gives gifts to people of Clawfoot and bestows curses on them, making them more evil every day.  Will you have the day?  That’s the hook, and let’s dig into how we play.

Base mechanics- This is apocalypse engine basically with additional parts built in.  You want to do a thing?  You roll 2d6+modifier.  You score 6 or less, bad. 7-9 good with a but. 10-11 good!  12+ CRITICAL and you get some awesome stuff to happen.

Advantage and Disadvantage– If something is good, you have advantage and if something is bad, you have disadvantage.  In either case you roll 3d6.  For advantage you take the best two and for disadvantage you take the worst two.

Bad things- As you do things, you get misfortune.  These are the bad things that happen and give you those disadvantages.

Investigations- The bulk of the game is spent trying to remove curses given to townspeople from the Peddler.  To get rid of the curse, the scouts have to investigate.  This mostly is the players running around and gathering clues via investigating with their abilities and checks.  When the players think they have enough they make a check like above but use the clues they gathered as a bonus and the difficulty of the curse’s investigation as a negative.  Know enough and you know how to end the curse.

Sashes and abilities-Players have tools in their arsenal to fight the evil.  Players start with one of three classes that give the a watcher’s gift and a playbook move.  Both of these give you places where you can throw advantage at a situation.  You also have sashes from the past dead members of the River Scouts.  You can remove one to gain a bonus to a situation.  And lastly you recover clubhouse collections of random things that you can take with you to fight evil.

Ok, let’s review!

Mechanics or Crunch–  What’s here is good, but there is not enough to fully help me.  I don’t have much experience with the apocalypse engine for RPGs, though it’s easy to run a 2d6+mod as a system.  But, the rules discuss moves.  I don’t think that term is ever fully discussed.  Also, there are examples of how to do all these things, but not enough to fully run through how to do it.  That said, I think I understand it.  Again, the math is 2d6+mod to see how you do.  And furthermore, the game is not designed to be a smash mouth, grind the PC to a paste dungeon crawler.  It’s a collaborative story where the GM and the players both have equally active roles in playing and running the game.  It just needs more description of how to do this to really make me more comfortable running. 4/5

Theme or Fluff–  I love Gravity Falls, and as a child of the 80s, I love Saturday morning cartoons.  This is an episode of Scooby Doo that I get to play.  If there was a talking dog class, it couldn’t get more on the nose.  It’s got a lot of soul in its delivery and world building.  5/5

Execution– While I might be playing by ear for figuring out exactly how to play, there is a lot here.  The basics are well covered with hyperlinks, pictures, layout, and two full adventures in the book.  What’s more, there are player handouts, black and white maps of the town, character specific character sheets, and even handouts from the get go.  This was three bucks for me, and worth every penny.  5/5

Summary-Cryptid Creeks is a fun Saturday morning cartoon.  I like the theme and the execution of it, but I need more explanation.  It’s very much a narrative RPG and not an adversarial RPG.  This is a game you play when you and your friends want to tell a story together and don’t just want to write a book by yourself.  So, keeping that in mind, you will have fun.  But maybe read the base Apocalypse World book to get a bit more of an idea on the mechanics.  93 %

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Slav Borg

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Product– Slav Borg

System- Mork Borg

Producer– Slavdom Studio

Price– $26.64 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/477706/Slav-Borg–PostSoviet-SemiFantasy-RolePlaying-Game?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Mork Borg crossed with Night Watch!.  90% 

Basics– Fight the Necromancer Zgol!  Slav Borg is Mork Borg set in the eastern block during the fall of communism, but if the world was only goblins, magic, and the fight between the haves, the have nots, people with power(s), and the people caught in the middle, set with the love of cars that Mad Max brings to the table.  It has rules for cars, races, multiple new classes, two COMPLETELY NEW ways to play Mork Borg, and even new character elements so your character gets some fun ways to mess with the dice.

Mechanics or Crunch–  This is a fun mix, but suffers from some of the same elements that Mork Borg does.  What’s here is absolutely amazing.  But, I would like a bit more introduction to how to play the game.  The new rules are fun, but they also don’t have explanations beyond the basics.  Running through a few examples would really help.  That said, all the Borgs don’t care about being exact with the rules.  If you need perfectly balanced encounters where you can rules lawyer through the encounters, just keep walking.  This is absolute a grind house epic set in the world of Night Watch (if you don’t know, go check out that underrated classic!)  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  From my experience, all the Borgs ooze style and this is no different.  Honestly, this book is DOUBLE the page count of the original and it uses a hefty bunch of those pages to build a bigger world for you to play in.  It’s still gonzo urban slavic and end-stage communist era fantasy, but I am here for it.  5/5

Execution– Slav Borg is a Borg game through and through, and much like the patriarch of the family, this one sacrifices some readability for style.  The book is gorgeous in a grime covered, ork infested, end stage communism kind of way.  It is a solid love letter to a tragically underappreciated time and setting.  That said, its absolute dedication to style hurts legibility.  I also didn’t see hyperlinks, and that makes me a slightly annoyed in a book that came out after 2020.  And finally, the book is good and gives two new ways to play, with one being a rogue-like adventure method, but it doesn’t give a basic adventure.  Give me an adventure I can instantly play with my friends when I buy your setting book!  But it needs to be stated, my issues are absolutely with what is not here, because what is here is amazing. 4/5

Summary– Slav Borg is in good company.  I love the mechanics that are here.  I love adding new crazy things to the world.  I love the community that decides to take a rules-light world and just throw the craziest damn things at it.  This is a new deep vision of a part of the world that lots of people don’t know about and a way to bring it to light.  It’s well done, and everything from the miniatures used in the art to the lovingly crafted gritty story is handcrafted.  That commitment to the grit motif does make it harder to read and leaves some explanation out.  That’s what hurts the product a bit.  But my complaints are that I’m wanting more.  What’s here is phenomenal and if you want a Mad Max goblin commie block world where you fight the necromancer to save the soul of your family, then this is the book you need to pick up.   90%

Ring Side Report- RPG review of Mork Borg

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Product– Mork Borg

System- Mork Borg

Producer– Free League Publishing

Price– $19.99 here https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/295910/Mork-Borg-English?affiliate_id=658618 

TL; DR– Death Metal DCC RPG mixed with Cypher system set in Dark Souls.  90% 

Basics– Hear the call of the double two-headed basilisk!  Mork Borg is an old school RPG with themes that feel like you’re playing in an 80s death metal album covers.  Let’s break this game down.

Basics- This is a d20 rpg.  Your character has four stats and you roll 3d6 for each and use a chart to determine your bonuses for each stat.  From then on you will use the bonus for each statistic and roll a d20 with it for any test.  The default test success result is a 12.

Combat and Rounds- Each round of combat is about six seconds.  This is a VERY old school game as someone rolls a d6.  Roll high, the players go first as a group, and low the enemies go first as a group.  Each round, each character gets on action and a move.  That’s it.  What’s interesting is the GM really doesn’t roll dice.  You attack with a bow?  Roll presence+d20 with a DC of 12.  You are attacked?  Roll agility+d20 DC 12 to not get hit  That’s it.  It is NOT a deep crunchy system.  If you hit or are hit, you roll damage dice and take that much damage.

Classes- There are a few presented classes.  These classes give you hit points and different abilities.  These are pretty random like most of the system.

Powers- Characters can gain powers.  These are either holy or sacred spells. You can use them a number of times per day equal to d4+presence.  These allow you to do attacks, talk with animals, or any of a handful of different abilities.

Morale- Monsters run.  If they are hurt enough or the leader dies, the may bolt.  When they are dealt enough damage or enough of their friends die, someone rolls 2d6.  If the result is over their morale, they monsters either run or surrender.

Monsters- Monsters are simple with a number of hit points, a morale score, abilities, and damage for attacks.  Each has a beautifully horrible picture.

Alright, thats the basics, let’s dig in.

Mechanics or Crunch–  This is a VERY rules-light RPG.  You already know almost everything you need to play.  It’s not deep, but it works.  Some things are not described well though.  That’s kind of intentional as this is much more a fun, gritty RPG and not a deep musing on the human condition.  It’s much more a SOLID OSR game where you know how to play since you’ve got dice older than some of the kids at the table.  But, that rules light approach makes it harder to start playing.  4.5/5

Theme or Fluff–  If this game goes deep into one thing, it’s the theme.  This game feels like what Dark Souls wants to be.  It’s gritty, it’s dark, and it has mysteries wrapped in mysteries and isn’t afraid to make it harder to play to make the atmosphere perfect for the game.  It really does feel like playing DnD in a death metal cover.  5/5

Execution– I like this game, but the commitment to theme hurts presentation.  The book is hyperlinked.  So, it’s good.  But the commitment to the zine and hard core metal makes it hard to follow everything.  Also, the reliance on audience assumption of how games work is maybe a bit too much.  I know what I am doing, because I’ve gamed for over 20 years, but newer players will be completely lost. 4/5

Summary– Mork Borg is an artist committing to their vision.  The game itself is exactly what these people wanted.  It’s light on rules and deadly without being a slog to play.  The theme is exactly the dark world they wanted with enough places to play and explore.  That commitment is admirable, but it does take away from the ease of getting into the game if you don’t know what OSR is or how to play old school DnD.  It’s a bit of an ask for new players, but for the old grognards like me I understand what they are aiming for.  I like what’s here but if you’re newer to RPGs, then ask your older Forever DM friend and we’ll blare some Cannibal Corpse and show you a good time! 90%