Ex Libris Mörk Borg: Optional Rules

Eat, Prey, Kill [MBC]†
Karl Druid, Johan Nohr

Concept: “When stomachs growl and there’s no inn in sight …”
Content: Rules for hunting and whole ecosystems of prey
Writing: Clear and evocative
Art/design: Enough to supply character but not obstruct usability
Usability: Well laid out and easy to navigate

Roads to Damnation / Overland Travel [MBC]†
Svante Landgraf, Johan Nohr

Concept: “Travel across the dying world.”
Content: Mechanics for adding color and adventure to journeys
Writing: Provides solid sketches for GMs to flesh out
Art/design: Mörk Borg-style artwork and a very useful travel map
Usability: Well organized, easy to navigate and use

Note: “Roads to Damnation” includes additional art and content, and it is only available in Feretory; “Overland Travel” is available free at MBC.

Unheroic Feats [MBC]
Johnny Carhat, Johan Nohr

Concept: “When getting better, if not using an optional class, you may instead gain a feat.”
Content: Abilities that add versatility for classless characters (and more motivation to play them)
Writing: Evocative and inspiring
Art/design: Mörk Borg ambience in a more traditional style
Usability: Clearly and linearly laid out

d666 Names for the Dying World
Michael Mars

Concept: “Whenever a PC asks a NPC what the Dying World is called, roll 3d6 and consult this chart. That’s what that NPC thinks the Dying World is called.”
Content: A trio of 6-point tables
Writing: Tongue firmly in cheek
Art/design: Yellow. Pink. Black. Old Newspaper Type. Copperplate Gothic. Good to go.
Usability: Get ready for Die Nohrland

Blackpowder Basics
I. McClung

Concept: “Unleash havoc with this set of rules featuring devastating blackpowder weaponry.”
Content: Includes rules for historic firearms, blackpowder mishaps, and a gun-toting character class
Writing: Clear delivery of more-complicated-than-average weapon mechanics
Art/design: On-brand use of color, type, and visual arrangements
Usability: Well laid out in discrete sections and easy to navigate

Börk Morgue #666 †
Greyson Yandt

Concept: “An unofficial zine for a Dying World with words and design”
Content: Random tables, optional rules for dice & powers & armor/weapons/combat, pointy teeth, monsters & NPCs … and a Börk Morgue & a Maus Borg
Writing: Presented with a personable tone with plenty of wry wit
Art/design: Loaded with Mörk Borg aesthetic elements, color, and some creative layouts
Usability: Adds some deeper complexity in some areas (especially combat) and some irreverent variety all around

Carousing in the Dying World
Greyson Yandt

Concept: “A PC can ‘get better’ […] by carousing.”
Content: Spend money and time to increase attributes and gain traits, items, recruits, etc.; clever use of simultaneous dice rolls
Writing: Clear and thoroughly entertaining
Art/design: Subdued but easy on the eyes
Usability: GM may need to consult additional supplements; in itself, perfectly usable

Cities of the Dying Land †
Reverend Uncle Bastard

Concept: “A city generator”
Content: Two dozen tables to create a living, breathing settlement
Writing: Tons of little details to add real personality to locations
Art/design: Good use of Mörk-Borgy colors while being easy on the eyes; physical version glows under a black light (awesome)
Usability: Keep a notepad handy; there are too many characteristics to remember unaided

Cursed Immortality
BW Schwartz

Concept: “You’ve been cursed with immortality.” Bummer.
Content: 6 ways characters can survive death (albeit not entirely unscathed)
Writing: Descriptive and punctuated wry comments and mechanics to match
Art/design: Typographical and color choices create a dynamic gestalt while aiding navigation
Usability: Step 1: Get cursed. Step 2: Die. Step 3: See what happens.

Dashed Hopes & Twisted Pleasantries
Jacob Marks

Concept: “Need to give your players a small bit of hope or respite? Then roll on this table. Want to take away that hope? The event has an optional dark twist.”
Content: 12 light occurrences and ways to pervert their charm
Writing: Well written with especially good comedic pacing and timing
Art/design: A useable, visually interesting table with particularly fun guiding graphics
Usability: Rolling a d10 is the easy part; deciding to crush the PCs’ souls a little bit more is the fun part

Death Is Not an Escape!
Wayward Polyhedral

Concept: “It isn’t your time. Rise revenant and roll for Death’s gift upon your first death.”
Content: 20 abilities that provide certain benefits and detriments
Writing: Some creative concepts concisely expressed
Art/design: Illustration and color lend an appropriate, on-brand character
Usability: Just roll d20 to see what gift you bring back from beyond the grave

Deck of Corpses†
Philip Reed

Concept: “A deck of 36 corpses the GM may turn to whenever the PCs stumble across yet another dead body.”
Content: A heap of bodies, some of whom also have loot
Writing: Some strange and gruesome remains; not for the faint of heart, but definitely for Mörk Borg
Art/design: Conservative but effective
Usability: Includes a unique mechanic involving the official Corpse Plundering table and clock time

Deck of Secrets†
Philip Reed, Warm_Tail, Alim Yakubov

Concept: “Use this deck during character creation […] to add background.”
Content: 36 violent, sordid, and bizarre selections to flesh out your characters’ personal histories
Writing: Well-crafted to inspire players’ imaginations and add compelling depth to characters
Art/design: Nice, macabre art on card backs, and textured backgrounds add some visual depth to each side
Usability: Just draw and then despair

Deck of Terribly Broken Bodies†
Philip Reed, Sergi, Alim Yakubov

Concept: “Instead of rolling a d4 and checking the table in the core rules, draw a single card from this deck whenever a PC reaches zero HP.”
Content: 38 severe injuries at 4 levels of severity (correlating to the 4 results on the Broken table in the core rules) with different results for different damage types
Writing: Visceral, vivid, and violent (obviously)
Art/design: Overall nice design; use of vivid yellow skulls to emphasize severity is a solid, well-devised feature
Usability: Very straightforward so you can focus on suffering from the wound instead of deciphering it

Dukk Börg [FÖLK-LORE jam]
Gem Room Games, Nerdy Paper Games

Concept: “As a hurricane, you approach the gates of Dukk Börg.”
Content: Includes optional rules for Clan and lineage, a Treasure Hunter and Gizmo-Speaker classes, stats for monsters and NPCs, items, and descriptions of locations within the setting
Writing: Revels in mashing up cyclopean grimdark imagery with Duck lore
Art/design: The diverse typefaces and arrangement of graphic elements scream Mörk Borg while the illustrations combine that spirit with the whimsical grandeur of the works of Carl Barks and Don Rosa.
Usability: It may or may not fit with your vision of Mörk Borg, but it’s a gem in its own right.

Eldritch Elevations
Michael Mars

Concept: “Blessed are the Powers granted to us by the Basilisks and Blessed are we by their use!”
Content: 20 options for critical success when using Powers
Writing: Clear, concise descriptions of narrative and mechanical effects
Art/design: Economical type choices; presentation emphasizes the textual subject
Usability: Roll & read

Eskalating Eskatons
Banshee Games / Shawn McCarthy

Concept: “Eskalating Eskatons ties the players’ spending of Omens to the Calendar of Nechrubel with a nifty rule and tracker.”
Content: The number of omens spent gradually reduces the size of the die rolled on the Calendar
Writing: Not wordy. Doesn’t need to be.
Art/design: Provides visual cues for use in the full-graphic version and verbal instructions in the printer friendly version
Usability: GM will need to keep careful count of omens used, but it’s obviously not a major chore

Familiars
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “Bizarre-looking miniature human figures (homunculi) created from non-human biological matter”
Content: Rules for creating and running familiars plus tables for names, communication, personality, specialties, food, death, name, and rarities
Writing: Straightforward with some particularly humorous entries
Art/design: Designed for easy usability and includes some illustrations as examples or inspiration
Usability: Potentially useful and entertaining

Forth Comes Fire [THE END IS NEAR jam]
Tragos Games

Concept: “A short supplement about fire”
Content: Rules for fire and its effects in combat (and afterward)
Writing: Concisely conveys the expanded mechanics
Art/design: Visually conveys the flame motif on every level
Usability: A handy reference for general use or in special situations

From the Maw Came … (Pages Torn from Manuscripts)
Gregorius21778

Concept: “Twenty ideas for breath attacks of monstrous creatures”
Content: A variety of ideas to add character to monsters or adapt them to a particular theme or setting
Writing: Each entry comprises a single paragraph of descriptive and mechanical exposition
Art/design: Designed for out-of-game reading
Usability: Probably best used as a prep tool, but can be used at the table

Glimpses of a Dying World
Feral Wizard

Concept: “Savage creatures lurk in the depths of forgotten crypts, incomprehensible relics lie waiting in the shadows of crumbling tombs, mystics argue incessantly trying to find a escape to the impending doom, and the powerful occupy themselves with vengeance.”
Content: A sprawling offering of all things Mörk Borg
Writing: Captures the tone and atmosphere of the Dying World through the descriptive text as well as the character of the mechanics
Art/design: Adapts the aesthetics and tactics of the core book with extensive use of modified public domain art
Usability: There’s something here for everyone

Grave Matters †
Rinaldo Agostini

Concept: “New uses for dry corpses”
Content: Undeath-themed classes, gear/weapons/scrolls, optional rules, monsters/NPCs, encounters, and an adventure site
Writing: Loads of creative concepts presented through expressive, inspiring, and witty prose
Art/design: Modified public domain images and original art support the theme along with layouts, typography, and colors that make this undeniably Borgy
Usability: References amongst entries create a sense of cohesion and interconnection; an excellent resource for a game or arc themed around skeletons, zombies, and corpses

Heralds of Doom
Arnaud F. Lambert

Concept: “A comet of unnatural hue hurtles across the sky… What strange fate does this harbinger of evil foretell?”
Content: Tables of portents, prophecies, and potential solutions
Writing: Copious apocalyptic imagery and some fun allusions
Art/design: Color and typographical choices support the concept and writing
Usability: Not to be confused with Harolds of Doom, an acapella metal quartet

Horrible Wounds
vil

Concept: “Alternative death/ broken mechanics for Mörk Borg, including a simple way to deal with ‘sanity damage.’”
Content: Includes wound types and categories, conditions, and rules for healing
Writing: Straightforward instructions with vivid (and occasionally humorous) descriptions of wounds
Art/design: Poster version includes more visual flourish while print version is more visually conservative and economical
Usability: Printable version sacrifices visual character for easier readability on standard paper

Hovel of Miseries [FÖLK-LORE jam]
grave snail games

Concept: “Life is short. Steal a fort.”
Content: Events. Hirelings. Fortifications. Amenities. Renovations. Allies. Animals. Curses. Hooks. Taxes. Everything you need to run a stronghold.
Writing: Atmospheric, informative, and witty
Art/design: Graphically diverse, with efficient layouts and typographical choices
Usability: Some related content isn’t in close proximity, but page gestalts and section headers make it easy to find what you’re looking for

Malignant Phenomena (Pages Torn from Manuscripts)
Gregorius21778

Concept: “For when an Arcane Catastrophe would be a bit much…”
Content: 20 less-severe options for but still significant consequences or occurrences
Writing: Descriptions and formal effects delivered in a single paragraph of reasonable length
Art/design: Designed for easy reading and use at the table
Usability: See art/design

Mörk Borg Solo Rules
Martin Ouellet, Colin Knock

Concept: “Want to play solo between your weekly games? Want to practice to get familiar with the game, and try generating new ideas, and getting as Mörky Borgy as you can alone? These rules are for you.”
Content: A simple, concise system for running a solo game
Writing: Uses a straightforward, conversational tone with clear instructions
Art/design: Designed for easy reading and use rather than visual style
Usability: Instructions are broken down into short, manageable points; calls for various other supplements and resources, all of which are free online

Mouth, Stomach, A$$
mcglintlock

Concept: “A gross and gratuitous starting equipment randomizer for imprisoned players”
Content: Tables for what you’re hiding and where you’re hiding it
Writing: More efficient and economical than gross and gratuitous
Art/design: Organizational and type choices add plenty of character to a concise supplement
Usability: None of these items are things I’d want to hide in any of those places

Random Ingredients (Pages Torn from Manuscripts)
Gregorius21778

Concept: “You want to create a spell or a ritual, or a potion or elixir? You need inspiration for the place or the components of the ritual, or for its circumstances?”
Content: A 20-point table of ingredients, sources, and situations
Writing: A diverse range of entries in each list
Art/design: Graphic and typographic choices intended for easy use
Usability: Self-explanatory but does include instructional text

Ravaging Plague I: Rusted Iron, Words of Power †
R., M., N.B., G.H., Droll Meadow, N.B.

Concept: “Ravaging Plague aims to bring Mörk Borg and its extreme metal influences into further conversation.”
Content: Extreme metal-inspired offerings across the board
Writing: Laden with metal-inspired imagery and themes
Art/design: Brutalist text layouts balanced with organic, gritty graphics all presented in stark black & white
Usability: No table of contents or index, but layouts and different deployments of positive and negative space are good visual aids for navigation

Riders of the Apocalypse
I. McClung

Concept: “As the death of the world approaches, harbingers ride out, embodying all of its woes.”
Content: Stat blocks for avatars of misery and mechanics for introducing them into your game
Writing: Clear, concise, and characterful
Art/design: A mix of artists and styles embedded in Mörk Borg’s aesthetic
Usability: Straightforward layout; tables add variety without being overwhelming

Scum’s Guide to Kergüs
Eris Skathi

Concept: “Want to get a bit deeper into the dreary wastes of Kergüs? Want to investigate the dream-plagued snow? This guide will give you many helpful tips, and get you well on your way.”
Content: Includes new gear, weather, finds, injuries, scrolls, variants for core classes, rules and encounters for arctic travel, monsters, and a dungeon generator
Writing: Well written with on-brand grimness and humor
Art/design: Relatively conservative but still stylized enough to be distinctly Mörk Borg
Usability: “Author is not responsible for symptoms of frostbite, hypothermia, or insanity caused by Kergüs’s (un)natural environment.”

The Secret Glory
Sean F. Smith

Concept: “A 1920s supernatural investigation version of Mork Borg. Mythos Borg.”
Content: Includes additional/alternative rules for occult investigation, gear, and a demi-class
Writing: Descriptive with a neutral tone appropriate to the content
Art/design: Nicely mimics a printed document from the period
Usability: Well laid out and split down the middle for easy use by GMs and players

The Shit-Black Death
Walton Wood

Concept: “Mechanics for virulent contagion”
Content: Rules for micro- and macro-impact of plague
Writing: Heavy on text, and on everything else
Art/design: Relatively subdued; primarily meant to facilitate usability
Usability: Fairly crunchy but not overly complex; requires external resources

Shroom Barge
Richard Kelly

Concept: “From north to south, barge pilots … carry mushrooms. Dense, heaping bargeloads of mushrooms.”
Content: An assortment of shrooms, variant Shroomic Powers (and consequences), rules for barge racing, rules of barge building, ready-made barges, and a barge-based class
Writing: Clear and easy to read prose with some obligatory conceptual weirdness
Art/design: Traditional layout and design with color, illustrations, and typographical variance lending visual variety
Usability: Simple in itself; an interesting way to lend some background color or focused variety to campaigns

Sölitary Defilement
1d10+5

Concept: “An engine of lonesome death”
Content: A sprawling supplement with comprehensive rules and tables for solo play
Writing: Straightforward, second-person instruction in the main text; also includes a sample of play
Art/design: Clean, linear textual layouts and presentations with on-brand typographical choices to delineate structure; illustrations set a lonely, macabre atmosphere; also includes a handy flowchart for daily activities
Usability: Calls for the use of other supplements and tools, but in itself, a thorough kit for dying alone & miserable, including multiple useful documents for record-keeping

Suffering Extended
Michał Gotkowski

Concept: “Alternative rules and extended content”
Content: Includes new options for starting equipment, companions, class-specific unarmed attacks, weapons, artifacts, armor, critical hit locations, bad habits, familiars, names, pack animals, minor items, and musical instruments
Writing: Captures the core book’s grim humor and tone
Art/design: Strong Mörk Borg aesthetic; sets itself apart with blue that harkens back to the core rulebook
Usability: Well laid out; available in single page and spread versions for convenience

Terribler, Brokener, Badder
mcglintlock

Concept: “More optional character creation tables”
Content: d66 tables of terribler traits, brokener bodies, and badder habits
Writing: Each entry is quick and concise but with plenty of roleplay potential
Art/design: Laid out and designed for easy use, but includes some fun typographic easter eggs
Usability: A solid expansion of the core book’s options

Too Many Fingers
Tyler Lindsey

Concept: “Learn the rules to the popular pub game TOO MANY FINGERS, and try your hand at it today!”
Content: A guessing-game that adds some excitement to those boring nights at the tavern
Writing: Simple rules clearly conveyed
Art/design: Visually depicts the rules and reward
Usability: Requires players to have a favorite finger (shouldn’t be a problem for most scvm)

Tormentous Tragedies
@skelejam

Concept: “An expanded list of miserable histories, backgrounds, and inescapably dire crimes”
Content: 20 more options for character backgrounds; some strange and horrifying (and thoroughly appropriate) options
Writing: Quick, concise snippets expressing some truly torturous traits
Art/design: Matches the original Troubling Tales layout nicely without simply mimicking it point-for-point
Usability: “Roll a d20 or tear the paper to shreds and pick whichever tale is most legible.”

We Die Alone
Peter Rudin-Burgess, Stefan Keller

Concept: “A solo roleplaying supplement for Mörk Borg”
Content: Rules tweaks, advice for setting scenes and building narrative arcs, and mechanics for GM-less play
Writing: A mix of game mechanics and metagame guidance
Art/design: Liberal layouts and more subdued design than some Mörk Borg publications, but still on-brand
Usability: Not as comprehensive as some other solo toolkits but it’ll get the job done

Work Borg
Richard Kelly

Concept: “Terrible part-time jobs, cheap tenements, roguelite progression, and a dating sim”
Content: Downtime activities—basically, all of the mundane drudgery you usually play games to escape from
Writing: Alternately soul-crushing and bizarre, but also consistently comedic and even beneficial
Art/design: Relatively traditional but with on-brand typography and color choices
Usability: “Downtime is extremely optional, and it may not fit the flow of some games.”