I really tried to like MÖRK BORG!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.พ. 2023
- My review of the award-winning RPG, MÖRK BORG.
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Mork Borg is an experience that you may never be ready for.
Not that there is much to experience unless you've only ever played dnd so anything is new.
I love this book. Even building a wall case/frame for it with black lights.
The system is pretty good and light on rules while being incredibly evocative like a good OSR game should be.
Mork Borg definitely isn't for everyone, and that's okay. Kudos to you for giving it a try.
And if you like that kind of adventure layout, check out the Old School Essentials modules.
While Mork Borg is Form over Fonction, OSE is all the opposite : its layout alone is a buying argument because it's soo easy to use
I started GMing Mork Borg, so far we have fun
This book and Cy_Borg kick ass. Though I disagree with your assessment of the game I think this review was a good one. Aside from the game being nice and lightweight I really respect the amount of care that went into it's creation. In a sea of systems that can barely be differentiated from each other I think leaning hard into tone is very refreshing.
Good to see a "This particular system isn't my thing, and that's okay" video. I love that the community is going in this direction.
I love Mork Borg! It is a piece of art, not an instruction manual.
Agreed.
Most RPG books are bad instruction manuals. PF2 and 5e both have issues with related rules being spread out over the book.
It should have been an art book and not pretend to be a game.
@@gaspardbonnehon8758 Except it's a great game if you dig into it and find appreciation in OSR.
@@gaspardbonnehon8758 It works fine as a game, it's just not rule heavy
If you listen to Norwegian Black Metal expecting pop music, you’re gonna have a bad time 😄🤷🏻♂️ Love the tone, aesthetic, and setting, but I agree that rules should be laid out in a less confusing way. Crazy layout is cool for setting/lore but not great for rules.
Edit: I really appreciate how you approached this review recognizing the major element of personal taste.
Yeah- I love his channel but I knew the book wasn’t going to be to his liking before it started. Haha I appreciate the thoughtful look at it all the same. I love everything about MB.
Thanks for watching, Jeremy. This game definitely seems up your alley! I can appreciate what they're doing here, and when you do something this bold it's certainly not going to be for everyone. But those that love it love it, and I'm glad it exists.
I just got the book like 3 days ago and it’s amazing! I really like to deep dive into rules and decrypt everything it’s a cake for my brain. I really like books that don’t tell much but leave the interpretation to the GM. OFC you can just take the rules and use a more “happy” world if the setting is too dark. I think it is a perfect game for one-shots and some laughs at the table 😅
Thanks for covering non-WotC RPGs, lots of good ones out there
Totally fair assessment. I love Mörk Borg, but it's very much not for everyone. For me, the random tables alone are worth the price of admission. Thanks for giving such an even-handed, honest review.
Personally really love the game. The rules are tough to find, but once you find them, they’re so simplistic you don’t need to look for them often. I use it to run one shots and really lean into the darkness of it and it breaks up our high fantasy D&D vibes. Good review though!
Edit: Also love that it’s the first book people see when they look at my bookshelf with that yellow lol
Lol. It’s hard to miss!
The quest at the end of the book was so well organized that it made me understand that the messy layout of the book in general was quite intentional and that they actually knew what they were doing. I suppose one could only say about this book it is not for beginners or easily frustrated people, even if the rules are light.
Man I remember watching your videos in high school, I still plan on reusing your map making method using beans. Great to see you're still making TH-cam videos and your production value has gone through the roof since then. Keep it up!
I have heard about it a lot in passing, but wow, it was not anything like what I expected. Not really my cup of tea either, but it's cool that it exists.
It feels like a zine from the 80s/early 90s. I love the world it has.
As a technical writer, I simultaneously love and hate that it violates pretty much every single rule of technical writing lol. It makes it incredibly pretty and neat to pass around as a coffee table book, but harder to learn and follow than books 3x its size. Not something I'd probably ever play, but neat to look at.
I've played RPGs since the 70s and it's the easiest game to learn that I've ever played. The entirety of the rules fits on one A5 page.
You need to become friends with the Borg books. And it´s clearly adressing very expierienced gms. It´s like a big box with lots of crazy ingriedence. If you are a great cook, you will love it and prepare the craziest dishes your friends have ever eaten.
It's wild to me that this won an award for best layout. I think the layout is really the biggest problem with Mork Borg. The art is awesome and it LOOKS very cool, however starting out the core rule book with a lore dump and no explanation is certainlly a choice. But that said, I do really enjoy the game and its artwork overall. Though when your initial reaction is "vague confusion", that's definitely not great IMO.
But for anyone who happens to read this, give it a shot! It's not going to be for everyone but it is a really cool game and once you understand how the rulebook is laid out everything you need to have a good TTRPG time is in there.
Thanks for watching! Keep up the good work! :)
This honestly looks like something I would like, thanks for reviewing this even if it wasn’t your type of game!
Great review - probably the best I've seen on this game. Yeah, layout like a "punk rock zine from the 2000s" is a perfect description. Haven't played it -- so won't comment too much -- but yeah - not kind of game, but looks like some people really like it -- and I can see it being used for one-shots or convention games.
My copy just arrived! Very excited to flip through this. I can see why this might be not for everyone but the style alone is a reason to have it in your RPG collection. Even if it's only for inspiration.
Nice! Enjoy!
I hope you do more of these. I'd like to see your honest opinions of games outside of the Dungeons and Dragons.
Thanks, Jim. I definitely plan too.
Since discovering Mörk Borg, every other gaming system seems dull by comparison. I’ve had so much fun playing this game.
Same reaction to this game. But is great for the coffee table!
Oh my I can’t believe you’re covering this exquisite piece ❤
I like the style of art throughout the book. I am in fact working on a FPS with monsters like those that my son is drawing for me. I love the creativity, and the whole religious aspect of it I find hilarious. Being atheist it's difficult to get weirded out or take anything religious seriously.
I love these books, i probably won't get to play but the books are fantastic pieces of art for the shelves.
I really enjoyed this review as it answered the actual question I had. I heard nothing but hype about the style of the game and almost nothing answering the "okay, but does the actual game *system* mechanically reinforce the vibes or is it just an art book?" And the answer Nate gave was what I was looking for, it is definitely an art project more than a game but the underlying game is still pretty fun if you like the style.
Just thought it was a fair review, I like any review that can say "it's not for me but I can see how other people might like XYZ".
I looked at it and passed.
Thank you for sharing Nate. I can see that this particular thing is not for my tastes now that you have shared it. I appreciate your efforts here.
I would love to hear your thoughts on The Warren, the Watership Down rabbit RPG.
Thanks Nate! Yep, you have confirmed that I wouldn't even want to touch this thing with a 10-foot pole, for every reason you have given 🤣The purpose of a good review!
Haha! Thanks for watching, Michael. Hopefully you didn't find it too disturbing.
@@WASD20 Dude, I'm scarred for life! Don't worry, just kidding, no lawsuit incoming 😛
What I didn't like about Mork Borg was the setting, the blacker-than-black Metalocalypse style aesthetic. It just didn't gel with me and my group. What I DO like are the rules, I love how fast and easy it is to get characters made and a game going and how smoothly it runs. I was interested enough that I bought Cy_Borg and then Pirate Borg afterward and both of those games clicked with me much, much more.
Nice! Good to hear.
I have to say - this was an excellent review. And i did find Mork Borg way overrated. The Art and aesthetic with the Vague setting were the Only thing good about it. A no art version layout might be a 30 page book... maybe. I ran the Rotblack Sludge adventure using a simple b/x clone and it was fun. Maybe a Mork Borg heavy art settings book would be cool and play it with a deadly b/x clone ( which is what i did , as most all b/x clones are deadly ) - Not saying its crap but with Fantastic medieval adventure game White Box ( 4.23 $ ) and the free version of Mork Borg for the setting and tone - and your done.
I personally love the style and think the evocative monster descriptions and abilities are awesome!
Hmmm, interesting. I don't know that I'd want to incorporate the entire system, but the terrifying monsters might be weird enough to throw one in here or there into another game system to shake up the players. Thank you for reviewing it even though it's not your cup of tea. I'm going to look deeper into it and see if there are parts I can homebrew into my own campaign.
So glad I watched your video! Mork Borg has been on my radar for a while but I have never played, seen anything but the cover, or known anyone who has played it. I would definitely be in the same boat as you are with this one...willing to play but not my normal cup of tea. I would mention that the Old-School Essential adventure I recently got as part of a black friday sale with the OSE Classic Fantasy Rules Tomes has the same format with the relevant dungeon room maps on the pages with the text about the room. This is super helpful and I too would like to see more companies follow suit. Thanks again for your video and what you do for our community!
Thanks Chad!
In Swedish, I believe it is pronounced like "Myork Boree."
I have the PDF, and I found the layout to be nightmarish to decipher in a PDF format. Definitely not a ruleset for me to run.
BUT it is WONDERFUL to play in. You do need a group of people who can have depraved fun while still being respectful to each other, but it was a super-delightful experience.
But I don't think I would ever run it myself. :D
More like ”Murk Bory (y as in a consonant)
Using the IPA's fonetic symbols it's pronounced /mœrk bɔrj/ in the stockholm dialect. (I'm a swede btw)
It's a fun art piece and I appreciate that, but as a game and rule book it offers me nothing I don't find better and laid out better in two dozen other OSR games.
I love the tone, the grim dark style. I have yet to play it, but I am looking forward to it. If there are any that are unsure of what a game of this would be like, The Glass Cannon have done a great one shot that show off the character creation and the game play. It was amazing! Great video. I applaud your honest review. Thanks!
Unlike Mork Borg & Cy_Borg, Death In Space is a really well thought out game. The layout is amazing, character creation and the basic idea of trying to survive in space is well layed out, customization of the ship is also amazing. It is rules light, but NOT as sparse as the Borg games. It has a very Traveler or Mothership feel to it. Give it a look, and I think you will be surprised.
I have Death in Space as well, and I do really like it. Haven’t played it yet, but completely agree about the book being better laid out.
I love the book, although, I'd use the PDF version for running games as it has well thought out bookmarks. My previous experience with OSR was Knave, and this is a really nice alternative. One thing I really like is how hack-able and optional the rules are. As a GM I love that I can allow my players to pick classes from it's sister books (CY_BORG, and Pirate Borg) with minimal effort on my part to adapt it for my adventure. What you said about the table having to be able to laugh off the difficulty is absolutely true, and there are only a few of my friends who would find this RPG enjoyable as a lot of them love to power-game.
Mörk Borg and other rules light games for life!
DnD 5e and PF 2e can eat garbage with their overly complicated and needless rules
Also even if you're not a fan it's still a great experience to try and I'm glad you did
It's interesting, for sure. Beautiful book and very thematic. Not the greatest "user interface", so to speak, and not really my kind of game. Glad it's not just me (I was worried with how many folks have been praising it if I was just missing something, so I admit to feeling relieved that it's not just me).
Love this game to death, but totally understand people who don’t. :)
Every rule you need to make an amazing campaign is there. Every atmospheric detail is there. Its literally the best TTRPG next to Cairn in my opinion.
I enjoy the free PDF version it’s laid out in a more traditional format.
Indeed
Mork Borg looks like my room when I was a teenager, so I had no problem navigating through it. The art is amazing and you learn the rules in 5 minutes. Pop some Slayer in the background and you’re good to go:)
Haha! “Looks like my room as a teenager” is a great way to describe it.
It looks like it’s a game meant for a very particular demographic of player, but honestly I’ve been wanting to give it a look since I first saw it, and your thoughts on it definitely pique my interest even more! I game incredibly infrequently, and have always loved larp for story-driven games and tabletop for action. It seems like the kind of game ye could throw a session together quickly on and nobody would complain that it was too dull!
I think I would have also been frustrated with the layout. It's the sort of thing that even if I myself can parse it, it's frustrating if it feels intentionally or obliviously bad, because the design *should* be better.
It's like the intentionally bad design that emerged most prominently in post-modernism. Except, this book is in production. Like, I get it, the design is meant to evoke a certain tone. But, it does so at the cost of accessibility, and I don't agree with that. I'd heard of it before of course, but I think now I'm disappointed it was so highly lauded.
They also have a "minimalist" PDF for those who hate that.
Another thing: for D&D I needed your videos to understand better the rules. I didn’t need anything for Morg Borg 😜
Lol. Fair point!
First: love your vids! Thanks for all the work you put into this. This comment is just my opinion 😊
Mörk Borg is a piece of RPG Art and i love it! It tries to make you use your darkest corners of your imagination. By giving only fragments and hints on the world and even rules i recommend using your brain and creativity. Its like looking at an abstract piece of art…what do you see? Can you look deeper into it, or do you see just some colourful squares and strokes?
Makes sense. Art is certainly very subjective.
Mork Borg is my kind of game. Not my only game, obviosly, but it fills that black metal demon I have somewhere in my fractured concience, and it fits very well on my CD rack too, hahaha. Of course is not for everyone, but I think is, beyond the (for me, outstanding) design, the setting is very interesting too.
Mork Borg is exactly what I was looking for in a RPG, I loved it, but I understand why the art and layout isn't for everyone.
I grew up loving extreme metal and the design that goes along with that.
Totally makes sense!
@@WASD20 Love your videos by the way!!
Interesting
I personally dislike morborg too, even if i get why people may love it. As a member of OSR community, all the gamers i know loved it, so i'm happy to see i'm not the only one !
Nice
The rules are so light and the themes so dark that it's the perfect game for my group to throw down when people have had a rough week. Too tired to focus on complex rules and in the mood for something grotesquely and ridiculously violent.
Well said!
What are some of the real life occult or satanic things found in the game book as mentioned at 5:30? I'm thinking about getting it but I'm a Christian and that stuff matters to me. If anyone is able to further illuminate, please do. I don't mind dark stuff in general, but I keep it fictional. I love Kingdom Death for example.
Think of pretty much any satanic or occult symbols and you can count on finding them somewhere here. Goat heads, upside down cross, pentagrams, etc.
I wouldn’t say there’s anything super anti-Christian. It just plays around with the occult in the same way doom metal does.
@@WASD20Gotcha, thank you for answering! I might get it, but like you I think I still am wrestling with the tone. Dark fantasy is my favorite, Berserk, Kingdom Death, Dark Souls, it's just I feel like Mörk Borg lacks a center of good from which to feel grounded in any way? Not sure, still looking into it. Maybe it can be tweaked too. Appreciate the info.
This book just screamed to me "I'M EDGY AND UNIQUE AND YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, MOM!". So "edgy" that it's kind of a caricature of itself. I wouldn't mind playing it, but this kind of scatter brained product style isn't something that interests me. I find this weird because Forbidden Lands was so beautifully laid out and produced.
Different team here. This one is not created by Free League itself, but buy some smaller creators they partnered with.
It happen sometimes that x TTRPG not click with us, but is good that you always open to learn new games. Also Free League make so good art for their games (I love the one ring, alien rpg and the new Blade Runner rpg).
"I feel a bit depressed"
to be fair you did purchase the book that you knew was "Swedish Fantasy".
😂
Nailed it.
Mork Borg is just too artistic for its own good. The rules, etc should have the "incredible design" - restrained. And i dont say that lightly - Mork Borg's art and writing is TITAN GOD LEVEL good. I enjoy the rules design and setting but it felt hard to get into. I do love the game once i swallowed hard and it got it all down my throat. We love it and i cherish my paper copy.
I really love Mörk Borg! I can understand that the dark tone, art and imagery can put some people off. I actually have really religious people who play in my group. I just told them that if they don't want to play, it's fine. But if they play don't let it affect you or don't take it seriously. I'm pretty sure the creators aren't part of a satanic cult. If they were they definitely would not have used the cross of Saint Peter(for those who don't know, the upside down cross is not a real satanic symbol. The upside down cross represents Saint Peter and the way he was crucified by the romans. It was only in pop culture and movies like the exorcist where people started associating it with the devil.) on their artworks. They just went with the rule of cool and the tone they wanted with their art.
Agreed! I don't think it's actually satanic or anything. It's just metal, and leaning into the dark edgy tone because it's fun for so many.
I personally love love love rules light ttrpgs. I hacked mine into a post-apocalyptic apocalypse ala adventure time, but much, much darker.
Cool idea! I could definitely see that working well.
Mork Borg is one of those products that people will say is "an acquired taste" and "not for everybody", while in reality it's for nobody except turbo-hipsters who have a very cursory interest in roleplaying games, because even if you completely ignore the tryhard artpunk presentation and just read the plain text free PDF, you'll still be hard-pressed to find anything but a skeleton of old D&D houserules sold as a game, and one with a fixed target number for all its combat rolls, at that :D
Opening with lore is pretty standard on a lot of older RPG stuff. You probably cut your teeth on the wave hand-holdy stuff that 3.5 began at the oldest, or even 5.0 which is the most hand-holdy there is that I know of. This is some old-school lookin' grimdark baby. The graphic design elements are overdone IMO; I'd rather they clean that up and make it less busy, but I'm a minimalist. 3.5 is about as busy as it needs to be, though with larger books, sidebars as GURPS uses are nice. Older Warhammer fantasy (and probably 40K but that wasn't my bag as a kid) had a lot of fluff sections scattered throughout their Army Books.
it kind of reminds me of that movie "Mandie" which I really enjoyed.
I agree w/ your assessment. It's good but has a lot of hype for it based on its style.
Black Sword Hack is much more readable/useable and is my preference.
Try DCC rpg
I have! I really like it.
Would love to see your take on Cy_Borg or Vast Grimm which I think is Mork Borg adjacent as well
I love the Mork Borg vibe. Had no troubles getting into the rules but I agree it is quite messy. And if you think this one is a downer, don´t ever get near Kult: Divinity Lost. That one I almost regret getting.
Lol, good to know thank you.
It's best not to over think it. Just flow with it. Don't try to control it.
Solitary defilement for this is a must
Great review.
😂gatta go take a walk in the sunshine
I have to agree with you. Ennie awards aren't always great reflections of general appeal or quality. The Gold Best Game of 2022 went to a game called Thirsty Sword Lesbians which is neither compelling or a quality product in my opinion. Point is: Take Ennies with a grain of salt. Good job covering Mork Borg!
Agreed, sometimes unfinished games that are in alpha testing win prizes -- like WTF?
Hell yes I love Black and Doom Metal!! Hell yes I love gorey ass horror movies! Coffee table book? I'm giving it to my kids as baby's first books!!!!
lol. You do you! 😂
I like the game, but have to admit that I have not played it. I agree with your assessment of the layout and its obtuseness. However I love the style and the general lightness of the rules. The supplements for the game are actually very good as well and could be ported pretty easily to other games.
I would like to see a Hero Borg hack or edition that was the rules with a different coat of paint. This ruleset is simple enough that it could easily be an introduction to TTRPGs.
You should check out Vagabonds of Dyfed, would be really interested to see your thoughts on it!
I knew this wasn’t gonna be your jam, but I dig your take all the same. And yeah- that adventure is Really Nice.
Thanks!
See, I LOVE Mork Borg, and absolutely hate 5e. I also adore black and death metal and find pop unlistenable, and I've been playing the Doom games since I was a kid and they were brand new and they came on a floppy disc, so I think my tastes are just the perfect fit for this system.
That said, I wouldn't want to do a serious long term game in this system, I'd rather do OSE. Mork Borg is for short campaigns and one-shots IMO.
Absolutely makes sense! :)
MÖRK BORG! sounds like a bookshelf collectors item, pulled out when everyone grows tired of playing one game for too long.
I looked at the book and thought hmmm, however playing the game it was so much fun !!!!
Yea, I love seeing the 5e critter kids frown in disgust at MÖRK BoRg.
Everything homie complained about made me want to buy it more
This artist has done a few other RPG references books, and I loooooove their style, but I haven't heard much positive feedback about the games themselves. I think thats a real shame.
I thought Scandinavia was supposed to be “the happiest place on earth.” 🤣
😂
Norway got some of the best black metal and Finland got some of the best death metal
I’m fairly forgiving when it comes to dark themes, but even for me, the art in this book was just too off putting to consider a purchase. Maybe I’m getting soft…
looks freaking awesome ngl, ordering this for sure xD
Review Pirate Borg Next!
I will consider it.
Good video, but my go-to is Hyperborea rpg
Nice review. I would like a TTRPG that mechanically is quite simple / has similar rules to this, but my eyes wouldn't be able to handle the colour saturation, etc. Not a fan of "mace to the face" levels of dark tone in my medieval fantasy either.
Bastionland, Cairn, Into The Odd, or most BXDnD hacks should give you that.
@@ZYR47 Thanks, I'll look into those :)
Sounds like an Elite from Halo 1 named it
metal asf let’s go
I like the game a lot but saddly none of the people I usually play with agree with me. They all say the system is to symple or they don't like the vibe. Not saying they are wrong, I compleatly get it but it just feels bad to have another game that no one wil play with me. XD
Neat but not my thing though.
yeah if it was just a bit less dark/ toned down, it would be great
I can't get into RPG books with art that I just dont vibe with. It's not bad, it's just not for me.
Evan though everyone doesn't like it I do you even said that you will still play pls make another dnd video I’ll watch all of them
I love morknborg for its ideas, style and writing
The gameplay and design is great, but ha sthe same issue as all other dnd versions: no idea of statistics and balancong
Late but i honestly mork borg is a big nope for me. Im honestly scared of owning a copy in the first place and the tone isnt for me. Im also not a fan of pcs being intentionally weak just for the sake of a) 'true heroism' (for mork borg's case its for the laugh out of it, others a point of frustration for me) or b) to 'encourage' problem solving (which i found out isnt always the case, some folks playing older versions of dnd and even osr still go for a hack and slash MO similar to those playing modern rpgs).
In general, id go for dnd 5e and fabula ultima than say OSE, Mork Borg and even whatever new rpgs folks are making in response to wotc. Though like many things there are exceptions. If folks wanted to play osrs but not yet willing to embrace it I recommend bugbears and borderlands which for me is the best midway point between 5e and the osrs. Another recommendation is basic fantasy which is free online and is familiar enough for players in modern systems to get to (as well as having a morale system like mork borg).
Try Pirate Borg!!