PIRATE BORG is a rules-light, art-heavy tabletop RPG inspired by history, fantasy, and horror. It offers a grim, pirate-themed experience with a 166-page PDF available on DriveThruRPG.
Overview of Pirate Borg
PIRATE BORG is a standalone tabletop RPG inspired by the award-winning MÖRK BORG, offering a pirate-themed experience. Players take on the roles of greedy, filthy scoundrels, seeking fortune in a grim, rules-light system. The game emphasizes scavenging, survival, and player agency, with mechanics like rolling on tables for character creation and ship management. It’s perfect for OSR-style one-shots or campaigns, blending history, fantasy, and horror. Available as a 166-page PDF, it’s a self-contained toolkit for pirate adventures.
Inspirations and Key Features
PIRATE BORG draws inspiration from history, fantasy, horror, and rum, blending these elements into a unique pirate-themed RPG. It features a rules-light system, heavy artwork, and a focus on scavenging, survival, and player-driven decisions. The game includes character creation through rolling tables, cursed relics, and naval combat mechanics. Its 166-page PDF offers a grim, self-contained experience, ideal for one-shots or campaigns. Compatible with MÖRK BORG, it provides tools for hacking and customization, making it a versatile option for tabletop enthusiasts.
Character Creation in Pirate Borg
PIRATE BORG character creation involves rolling on tables to determine backstory, equipment, and abilities, with cursed relics adding depth. Ability scores are generated by rolling 3d6;
Rolling Ability Scores
In PIRATE BORG, ability scores are generated by rolling 3d6, creating a unique and unpredictable character. This method, inspired by MÖRK BORG, emphasizes randomness and adaptability. Players roll for attributes like Strength, Agility, and Intelligence, determining their character’s capabilities. The system encourages creativity, as lower scores can lead to intriguing flaws, while higher scores grant exceptional abilities. This approach ensures no two characters are alike, fostering a dynamic and unpredictable gameplay experience tailored to the pirate-themed setting.
Generating Backstory and Equipment
Players in PIRATE BORG generate their character’s backstory and equipment by rolling on tables. These tables provide unique, often unpredictable results, ensuring each character is distinct. Equipment and backstory are intertwined, with rolls determining not only gear but also personality traits, fears, or even curses. This system encourages creativity and randomness, making character creation a dynamic and engaging experience that immerses players in the grim, pirate-themed world of the game, where every decision carries weight and consequence.
Game Mechanics
PIRATE BORG features a rules-light system inspired by MÖRK BORG, emphasizing player agency and deadly consequences. Rolling tables drive character creation, encounters, and narrative twists, fostering unpredictability and creativity in its grim, pirate-themed world.
Rules System and Compatibility
PIRATE BORG operates on a rules-light system inspired by MÖRK BORG, offering a flexible framework for storytelling and player agency. Its compatibility with other RPGs allows tables and mechanics to be easily adapted, making it a versatile tool for GMs. The game emphasizes deadly consequences and smart decision-making, while its modular design enables customization. This self-contained system ensures a unique pirate-themed experience, blending horror and fantasy elements seamlessly into its core mechanics.
Tools for Hacking and Customization
PIRATE BORG provides extensive tools for customization, allowing players and GMs to adapt its mechanics to their preferences. The game’s modular design enables easy hacking of tables, encounters, and rules, making it compatible with other RPG systems. Players can create custom classes, modify ship combat rules, and craft unique adventures. Supplementary resources, such as printed playing cards for relics and rituals, further enhance customization options, ensuring a tailored experience for every pirate crew.
Adventures and Encounters
PIRATE BORG offers thrilling adventures like “Back to the Ship!” and “The Isle of Sin,” featuring cursed islands, ancient temples, and deadly sea creatures. Encounter tables include the Kraken, zombies, and rival pirate crews, ensuring every voyage is fraught with danger and unpredictability.
Notable Adventures and Modules
PIRATE BORG features standout adventures like “Back to the Ship!”, where players escape a dangerous isle, and “The Isle of Sin”, a cursed island filled with suffering. “The Repentant” offers a haunting 1-shot scenario with a ghostly vessel, while “Tangled in Shrouds” provides multiple story paths. These modules blend horror, mystery, and nautical themes, offering unique challenges and memorable encounters. Players can explore sunken temples, battle sea monsters, or navigate political intrigue, ensuring no two adventures are alike.
Encounter Tables and Monsters
PIRATE BORG includes diverse encounter tables featuring iconic sea monsters like the Kraken, undead pirates, and cursed creatures. Players may face navy ships, privateers, or mysterious raft survivors. Monsters range from zombies to spectral entities, adding horror and unpredictability. The game’s encounter system ensures dynamic adventures, blending nautical battles with supernatural threats. These elements create a grim, immersive world where danger lurks both on the waves and in the shadows.
Classes and Roles
PIRATE BORG offers cursed classes like the Caribbean Werewolf and Cannibal Cook, blending horror and piracy. Each class brings unique abilities, fostering a grim, OSR-style experience.
Notable Classes and Their Abilities
PIRATE BORG introduces cursed classes like the Caribbean Werewolf, who transforms under the full moon, and the Cannibal Cook, who devours crewmates for power. The Accursed Deck Scum zine adds 10 new classes, such as the Dread Pirate, blending horror and piracy. Each class offers unique, grim abilities, fostering a deadly, OSR-style experience where survival hinges on smart decisions rather than optimization. These classes enhance the game’s dark, art-heavy aesthetic and pirate-themed chaos.
Relics and Rituals
PIRATE BORG features cursed relics and dark rituals, such as the Sword of the Drowned God and the Rite of the Black Tide, which corrupt and empower characters in horrifying ways.
Cursed Relics and Their Impact
Cursed relics in PIRATE BORG offer immense power but at a terrible cost. The Sword of the Drowned God grants naval dominance but slowly drains life, while the Crown of Black Coral provides dark wisdom but drives its wearer mad. These relics corrupt over time, forcing players to weigh the risks of wielding them. Their presence adds a layer of moral complexity and danger, enriching the game’s grim, pirate-themed world with unpredictable consequences.
Reception and Reviews
PIRATE BORG has garnered acclaim for its unique blend of grim themes and rules-light mechanics. Critics praise its focus on player agency and deadly, unpredictable gameplay.
Community and Critical Reception
PIRATE BORG has cultivated a vibrant community, with fans creating custom adventures and third-party content. Critics praise its deadly, unpredictable gameplay and focus on player agency, making it a standout in the OSR scene. The game’s unique art style and grim themes have resonated with players seeking a fresh, rules-light experience. Its compatibility with MÖRK BORG adds to its appeal, fostering a dedicated following and inspiring new narratives in the Dark Caribbean.
Digital and Physical Availability
PIRATE BORG is available as a 166-page PDF on DriveThruRPG for $19.99. Physical copies are sold through select retailers, with discounts offered to those who purchase the PDF first.
Where to Purchase the PDF
The PIRATE BORG PDF is available for purchase on DriveThruRPG for $19.99. It is a 166-page document that includes all the necessary rules, character creation guides, and game mechanics. Fans of the game can also purchase physical copies through select retailers, with discounts offered to those who buy the PDF first. This ensures players can enjoy the game in both digital and physical formats, catering to all preferences. The PDF is optimized for easy reading and reference during gameplay.
Expansions and Supplements
PIRATE BORG offers various expansions and supplements, including adventures like Solitary Plunder and Cavern of Cursed Tears, available on platforms like DriveThruRPG and Limithron Shop.
Additional Content and Adventures
PIRATE BORG is supported by a wealth of additional content, including adventures like Solitary Plunder and Cavern of Cursed Tears. These expansions introduce new scenarios, monsters, and relics, enhancing gameplay. Modules like The Repentant and Tangled in Shrouds offer unique storylines and challenges. Players can also explore Five Lost Souls, a bestiary of horrors, or delve into faction-specific relics. These supplements, available on DriveThruRPG and Limithron Shop, provide endless opportunities for pirate-themed adventures and customization.
Community and Fan Content
PIRATE BORG fosters a vibrant community with third-party creations, including custom adventures and zines. Fans have crafted unique content like Five Lost Souls and Polyonymous: Dark Fauna, expanding the game’s universe.
Third-Party Creations and Custom Adventures
PIRATE BORG has inspired a wealth of third-party content, including custom adventures and zines. Titles like Five Lost Souls and Accursed Deck Scum offer new classes and monsters, while adventures such as Silent Cove and The Repentant provide immersive scenarios. These creations, available as PDFs, expand the game’s possibilities, allowing players to explore cursed islands, battle terrifying creatures, and uncover hidden treasures. The community-driven content enriches the Dark Caribbean setting, offering fresh challenges and stories for players and GMs alike.
PIRATE BORG stands out as a captivating tabletop RPG, blending pirate lore with dark fantasy and horror. Its rules-light system and rich art make it accessible and immersive. With a growing library of third-party content and official expansions, the game offers endless adventures. Whether sailing the Dark Caribbean or battling cursed creatures, PIRATE BORG delivers a unique experience; Perfect for fans of OSR and pirate-themed RPGs, it promises thrilling journeys filled with danger, mystery, and player-driven stories.