As tabletop RPGs continue to flourish, distinct evolutionary paths are beginning to emerge in their design. One path is more narrative, like Powered by the Apocalypse games or Tales from the Loop, with its cinematic scene mechanics. Other developers have worked to hone a set of tools to be used in any story, like Cortex Prime and Fate or Savage Worlds—systems that can be tailored to any genre. A third path is that of the Old School Revival or OSR. Old School Revival games, as their name suggests, want to capture the feel of the very first RPGs from the 70s, like the original D&D. While OSR games look as different from one another as different PbtA games do, they do have some common traits: an emphasis on player choice and simple rules.
Mörk Borg is one such entrant into the OSR field. Released in early 2020, Mörk Borg won wide acclaim from the industry, winning four ENnies, including three gold for Best Writing, Best Layout & Design and Product of the Year. Constructed by writer Pelle Nilsson (Ockult Örtmästare Games) and artist Johan Nohr (Stockholm Kartell) and published by Swedish game maker Fria Ligan, Mörk Borg is unlike perhaps any other game you've ever seen, and it is certainly worth seeing.
Most RPG games feature brilliant art on their covers that inspire the heroic feats players will attempt in-game. Mörk Borg's cover, on the other hand, is a challenge, its hazard sign-color a warning. The skeletal creature on its cover stares at the viewer with dead, pinprick eyes. The title is spray-painted graffiti—those deft signs of craft run throughout the book's design. In places, it's more like the novel House of Leaves than an RPG book, as words twist and jump around the page, at times nearly illegible.
Like House of Leaves, Mörk Borg is a bit intimidating to read initially, but it is compelling to skim the surface, with its screaming neon text and heavy metal art. Once inside, it's obvious this is no mere rules book. This isn't the Dungeon Master's Guide, or even a Player's Handbook. Mörk Borg begins with lore, and in that lore, one thing is made clear: the world is doomed. So, too, are the characters. Death is the rule. Actually, the first rule in the book is Misery. Every day that characters are (un)lucky enough to wake up in the world, they must roll for Misery. After seven Miseries, the final seal is broken, and the world ends. The book intones: "the game and your lives end here. Burn the book."
Like other OSR games, such as Zweihänder, Mörk Borg does not concern itself with keeping player characters alive. And Mörk Borg leans into that idea. So fragile are character's lives that the book encourages you to think twice before naming one, for a name "will not save you." The purpose of the game is not to construct epic quests for fame and glory. No, Mörk Borg is all about "miserable bastards doing their best/worst in a bleak, dying world." So, why should anyone want to play such a grim game?
One reason is to disabuse the idea that character death is something to always hold sacred. Sometimes death is the point, just as in Dark Souls. Another is the simplicity of the game and the freedom that simplicity conveys. "Rules-lite" almost doesn't do the game justice, as the basic rules fit neatly onto a 5x7 sheet. DMs are encouraged to craft rulings at the table as the need arises. Character classes are optional. "Powers" (what the game calls magic and spells) are also loosely described. The point is to wade into this terrible world and see what you can find, discovering ever more terrible truths as the apocalypse inches ever closer.
Perhaps even better than the book, however, is the game's website, which is just as sleek and lore-forward as the game. Part of what makes the site so great is the free add-ons to the game. The book comes with an adventure, but the website includes many, many more. These dungeons and adventures are dark and devilish. And there are plenty of fan-created rules, as well, for those looking to add some mechanics to their gritty gruel. There's even a way for the Mörk Borg Cult members to submit their own twisted fantasies for publication. If selected, they'll lay out the work in Mörk Borg fashion and post it online for other cultists to enjoy. There are terrible new foes, character classes, a dungeon generator and even a character creator to pump out fresh, soon-to-die characters. The website has everything needed and more to play the game.
The best reason to check out Mörk Borg is the entire package: the writing, the art and design together in a slim, well-made book. The doomed world of the two two-headed basilisks has inspiration aplenty for any DM, and every aspect of its design feels focused and intentional. Mörk Borg is Swedish for "Dark Fort," and no better title could be given to a game so bleakly impenetrable as this. To enter into this dark fort is to be swept into its world. Facing a winter of discontent, fans of all types will love wandering through the unhallowed pages of this instant classic.