It funded in half an hour, hitting cartographer Limithron’s Kickstarter target and then going on to leave it in its wake. The Pirate Borg campaign is a success found under the “I should have thought of this” file.
Described as a scurvy-ridden, rules-light and heavy art RPG, Pirate Borg is based on the death metal doom of Morg Bork. But on water. There are well over 1,500 backers, and you can become one from the project page.
Luke Stratton, aka Limithron, is an artist based in Denver and had the idea for this self-contained RPG. In Mork Borg, the world is dying, and in Pirate Borg, you’re never safe, not even from your own crew.
You don’t need Morg Borg to play Pirate Borg and you can use Pirate Borg as a sourcebook for other systems. There’s even a 5e Bestiary Zine as an add-on kicking around.
The game is about being a greedy scoundrel for as long as you can get away with it. When you die, roll a new character and start again.
Pirate Borg is d20 based. Players roll 3d6 for each core stat, and you use the resulting modifier to try and beat a Difficulty Rating (DR). Most rolls are player facing, meaning players roll to attack and roll to dodge enemies; the gamemaster doesn’t need to roll any dice in melee combat (but will in naval combat).
Looking for a reward? The $15 pledge tier issues digital stretch goals, handouts, tokens maps and the core rules.
The 100-page hardcover is added to people at the $30 support level, with physical stretch goals and everything offered before.
Then, at $45, you get the character sheet and ship pad added in too.
A collectors edition of the game exists, unlocked, with the previous tier benefits minus the usual hardback, at $65.
The tiers continue until $2,000, and at that level, you’re getting both physical versions and a custom canvas printed map for your wall.
The arrival of this ship is scheduled for the docks during October 2022.
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