Tabletop RPG · since 2019 · #19 most discussed

Mörk Borg

A bleak, doom-laden fantasy of the apocalypse, with minimal rules, random characters, and short, brutal adventures.

Old-school (OSR)Dark fantasyd20random generationhigh lethalityclassestheater of the mindOne-shotsNeeds a GM

6.3

Geek rating

From 16 firsthand play reports in 4 r/rpg threads. The threads alone average 7.2.

Player rating— / 10

No visitor ratings yet.

Discussion7.3 / 10

444 r/rpg posts named it, October 2023 to October 2026.

Rules weight

Fits on a page. Hype 6.0 for its age.

Have you played it?

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Didn't work for usOne of our best

What players say

At the table

Tables describe Mörk Borg as a very light d20 game that is quick to learn and needs little prep. Reports lean toward one-shots and short campaigns. Most threads are debates about the Borg family, so firsthand play detail is thin.

What works

Players pick up the rules fast and enjoy them, and the rules-light design nudges people toward more creative, narrative play (thread).
It is easy to run on short notice and easy to homebrew mid-session. One group keeps it as a fallback when scheduling gets hard (thread).
One-shots work well when everyone accepts the lethality up front. One GM ran Crown of Salt as a gauntlet, with a village of adventurers whose players took over new characters as others died (thread).
Character creation impressed players. The game suits short, gonzo campaigns of 6-8 sessions, and it is easy to modify or combine with other OSR procedures (thread).

What tables struggle with

Random character generation left two of four players in one group with stats that made them nearly useless (thread).
The rules felt basic to some, and the art-heavy layout is hard to navigate mid-game. Some people use the Bare Bones edition instead (thread).
Lethality is a problem for groups who want to keep the same characters through a long campaign. The game also lacks factions, retainer rules and time-keeping tools for longer play (thread).
One group bounced off it after a couple of sessions. Frequent levelling let player HP get out of hand, which led to house rules (thread).

Who it suits

Groups wanting quick, low-prep, dark-fantasy one-shots or short campaigns.
GMs who like to tinker, and who can drop the apocalyptic tone if it doesn't fit.

In players' words

"It's extremely intuitive and everyone I've played it with picks it up quickly and has fun with it." (thread)
"We also used the random character generation rules and I wasn't very impressed. Two out of the four players ended up with stats that made them basically useless in the adventure." (thread)
"Ran a couple sessions of it for our table after our shadow of the demon lord campaign finished just to try it and we bounced off it hard" (thread)

The threads behind it

Each thread is rated for the play it describes, from the firsthand reports in it. Load one here or read it on Reddit.

6.8

Mork Borg and it's iterations

The few firsthand Mörk Borg reports describe a very light d20 OSR game that is quick to prep and run, and it works well for one-shots and short campaigns. One group was let down by random character generation that left some characters useless, and the thread mostly debates the Borg family and hacks like Pirate Borg and Cy_Borg rather than reporting play. 6 firsthand · 67 comments

Open on Reddit

7.5

What are your thoughts and opinions on Mork Borg and other games "Borg" games?

The few people who ran Mörk Borg describe it as fast, fun and easy to bend, with character creation as a highlight, and best for short, gonzo, dark-fantasy games. One table bounced off it after a couple of sessions. Much of the thread is about the Borg line in general, Pirate Borg and Cy_Borg, art and layout, and a long design-philosophy argument, all of which I ignored. 5 firsthand · 153 comments

Open on Reddit

6.5

Running "Crown of Salt" and making "Mörk Borg" less lethal

The thread is mostly a design debate about removing death from Mörk Borg, and very little of it is actual play. The few real reports say one-shots were fun and one commenter's Crown of Salt gauntlet worked well, while the OP's worry is that the adventure is too lethal for a long-running party. 3 firsthand · 36 comments

Open on Reddit

8.0

The Mork Borg phenomenon

The thread is mostly about Mörk Borg's popularity and market size, plus OSR definitions. The only firsthand play reports of the base game are positive: the rules are quick to learn and push players toward creative, narrative play. The Pirate Borg reports are about a hack, so they were ignored. 2 firsthand · 295 comments

Open on Reddit