Pirate Borg is the ultimate casual pirate RPG and it's about to get way better - RPG Review

[@DaveThaumavore]

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[@miketaylor8582]

I would like to talk to you if you have the time. I am the Ambassador for the upcoming film/documentary "50 Years of Fantasy" the 50th anniversary of D&D and looking for Creators and Influencers in our community.

[@limithron]

Great review, Dave. Thanks for much for the airtime. Making Pirate Borg has been the joy of my life, and I'm not stopping any time soon!

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@limithron it’s hugely admirable what you’ve built out of your passion and hard work. Congrats on the big launch today!

[@mateofantasma]

You did a great job. Happy Pirate Borg is getting better known.

[@glayher]

I am a rpg junky and Pirate Borg has been a breath of fresh air. Thank you

[@Blerdy_Disposition]

As a big dfan of many mork borg games, I knew I was going to fall in love with PIRATE BORG when i bought it. Its customizability and the community support give it an edge for sure over its other games for sure as you mentioned. I am going to be turning this game into a one shot soon!

[@BillPaine]

I love Pirate Borg! I really really love the community around Pirate Borg! I’m a Patron, I backed the new Kickstarter, and I love Pirate Borg, Luke, Tyler, and Zac, and the whole community they’ve cultivated. Great review, thank you!

[@trollbait3196]

We played what was supposed to be a one-shot and it turned into like a 45 session adventure. It was so freaking fun. At the end, my character was fed up with all the supernatural juju and after being betrayed by one of the other crewmates by being cast into the mermaid infested waters, he reached out to sell his soul to the dark being of the sea in order to enact revenge upon the rest of the treacherous crew... needless to say, this was a flipping fantastic game, lots of fun, and for me it is my favorite tool to use in order to build my own pirate campaigns for other game systems.

[@BeauYarbrough]

If you want a one and done inspiration for Pirate Borg, Tim Powers' fantastic novel On Stranger Tides (which is name-checked in Pirate Borg) is fantastic and a quick read.

[@JamesAbides]

Also the audiobook is expertly narrated by Bronson Pinchot.

[@simontemplar3359]

I am so relieved that you mentioned the art and layout style as being an impediment to learning the game. I bought the book and was blown away by the art style. That said, I have still never played it because I find the layout to be both cool looking but annoying and distracting AF. I really wish they had a straightforward text-only alternative or "handy bits" section. This is a game I want to love but I find it unplayable because of the layout in the book.

[@trpdrspider8372]

10:30 This was a great addition to the game when one of the players found through the loop table a vial of red liquid.Which he promptly drunk and turned into a Skeleton based off the chart.

[@_mawburn]

Also, I definitely agree with a lot of the X Borg games are pretty low effort but there are still a lot of gems. Pirate Borg and Vast Grimm are 2 of the best I've read and/or played. Absolutely fantastic games with very robust worlds that are built through imagery in their books.

[@juauke]

Death in Space is in my top 2 with Pirate Borg. I feel like Frontier Scum is close to this! I have yet to look and get my hands at Vast Grimm

[@_mawburn]

@@juauke I backed the Vast Grimm Kickstarter, but hadn't really looked at it till GenCon when I played it and it was way more disgusting and wild than I expected. (both in a good way)

[@opscontaylor8195]

@@_mawburn I bought Vast Grimm just based on the tagline. "Each miserable day that passes the universe inches closer to its inevitable demise." I was just like, "Yes, that. That is how I feel today."

[@juauke]

@@_mawburn ohhh I see, I'm putting it in my wishlist but looks like it's hard to get from a EU retailer

[@Vezill]

TBH the rule lite nature of Borg Hacks, the art first approach and interesting layouts are something I really love about them. You can always get the Ashcan versions to not have the funky layouts. Some others worth checking out: Cy_Borg, Vast Grimm, Corp Borg, Ronin and Berserkr.

[@simontemplar3359]

Do you happen to know where to find a plain layout version of this? I can't find one anywhere.

[@juauke]

@@simontemplar3359 I don't think there's one for Pirate Borg, sorry

[@sonder_ua]

I was surprised that Pirate Borg is not just a cheap alternative to Mork Borg. The first time I saw the book I was like "Meh, same stuff but pirates". But then I ran a starter adventure and it was a blast. Sandbox story, really cool ways to level up your character (since in Mork Borg you get almost no new talents from leveling up). One of my players started the game as a typical pirate but ended up playing as a sentinel Parrot with some wagon of Devil's Luck. Really great book. Awesome mechanics and content.

[@JackThor1]

A lot of the art reminds me of Monkey Island. Really better inspiration for Pyrate Borg then Pirates of the Caribbean.

[@wilonascave]

I played a solo series on my channel of pirate Borg. I did enjoy the book (to a point), but there wasn’t much meat on the bone for a steady campaign. Since then I shelved it. I hope that this expansion expand the longevity of a campaign, instead of short/one shots 🤞

[@_mawburn]

I literally ran Pirate Borg for the first time with 30min notice after my GM cancelled due to an illness. Usually that ends up in a crap game, but Pirate Borg worked extremely well and everyone had a blast. It's such a good game.

[@juauke]

I had a similar experience I ran it, with no prep except printing out rules reference and character creation cheat sheet, a quick adventure from Limithron's Patreon with two players and starting with the character creation, we had so much fun! Probably the best game I've ever had!

[@Sjoverne]

​@@juaukewhat adventure was it? :)

[@opscontaylor8195]

The "Big 4" Borg-likes (OG Mork Borg, CY_Borg, Pirate Borg, and Vast Grimm) all seem to prep and play VERY fast. There is a reason I keep one of those and CBR+PNK in my game backpack should someone cancel and we need an alternate one shot. That might go longer.

[@juauke]

@@opscontaylor8195 totally agreed! I might add Death in Space and/or Frontier Scum to the mix but I agree with those 4 I thought I was the only one to always have one in my backpack! Do you bring anything beside the book like character sheets, dice or anything else? I don't own CBR+PNK though but I'm looking at ways of getting it here in EU

[@sfeatherston3]

8:23 clarification: the card in the top right is the joker table. That is the table you are to roll on whenever you draw a joker out of your deck of cards as prompted by one of your special abilities.

[@NuttySquirrel_8]

Great review! My son and I played Pitate Borg at the most recent Gen Con. It was the last event of the con for us on Sunday, and I couldn't think of a better way to wrap it up. We had a great time and found the game to be fun. I'd like to play it again.

[@bhorrthunderhoof4925]

Having my own homebrew system I am since over 30 years not interested in a sytem but in the setting. And Pirates? Who can resist them. So I got the core book and joined the Kickstarter. This is just fantastic!

[@sirdrakey]

I had never heard of the Mork borg but I backed for the look and lore had a very Torg source book with a great comic illustration

[@antonblake1476]

I have art that appears in Cabin Fever. I've seen so much of the content in that book and I can't recommend getting it enough (though obviously I'm biased). I similarly had written PB off for a few years because I just wasn't very interested in a grim dark pirate game, but since being brought into the Cabin Fever game jam by my collaborator, I've found this game is so much more than what I had thought.

[@Spam1192]

Black Sails is absolutely one of the greatest TV shows ever written. So glad more people are talking about it.

[@samchafin4623]

Pirate Borg is great fun! I've played just 3 times, and always had a good time. I'm even happy toning down the apocalyptic Doomsday stuff, and just having some weird, arcane piratey fun.

[@Pantherrrr]

I've had Pirate Borg for a little while as I picked it up in a bundle but not yet played it. I actually wasn't a fan of the art and layout. They have clearly put a lot of care and effort into it, but I just found it to be a bit too much. More of a personal preference rather than a compliant. I can see Pirates of the Caribbean (the first movie was awesome) being a cool setting inspiration, but I'm also thinking how a setting inspired by the old Sinbad the Sailor stories would go. Looking to run a few sessions in the future and I can see our group picking this up quite quickly.

[@scottwalker6947]

Haven't played Mork, or Pirate Borg. But, I am looking forward to Black powder & Brimstone.

[@RecklessFables]

The best thing about Pirate Borg out of all the Borg games is that the author actually wants you to play his game which is why he was careful with the typesetting and such and rather than using the art style that is intended to make your head hurt. And that's an actual thing. The Borg games, in general use, painful coloring and typesetting to set the mood.

[@funky8752]

The best Thing about Heroquest is....

[@bara8928]

For other Pirate themed Media, a few Comic Series that are quiet on spot, mood/topic wise: Le sang du dragon Hannibal Meriadec et les larmes d'Odin Barracuda (by Jean Dufaux) For Mörk Borg "spin offs" I found actually quiet a few good ones (imo!) beside Pirate Borg (though its very high up there): Vast Grimm, Ronin, Cy_borg, Corp Borg...

[@Crushanator1]

Honestly this looks better than Mork Borg to me, theres plenty of rules light semi generic fantasy and medieval does but only a handful of pirate games, most of which are very complex

[@ChonmageXIV]

I will comment every purchase you talk me into, and knowing your ability to hype me up (in a good way), I'll just preemptively say I'm sold 😂 I have also already been eyeing pirateborg, so I guess this is a sign.

[@simontemplar3359]

It's really hard to follow the book. Not getting distracted by layout should count as a mini-game!

[@RyanoftheNorth]

Excellent review, and although I haven't had a chance to run a session or two, will be high on the list this year! Been itching for some Pirate related shenanigans!

[@drillerdev4624]

I'd say, if you don't want to watch Pirates of the Caribbean for inspiration, you could always play Monkey Island or read On Stranger Tides

[@grindcoreninja6527]

Damn, my homies probably walked right by you and didn't realize.

[@Robofussin23]

Perfect timing. Was just thinking about running this game for my group.

[@natel7151]

My favorite "BORG" this side of "Death in Space (Borg)". The setting feels better than the death metal sketch you get out of the original MORK BORG, and the anti-capitalist political-utopia-in-a-dystopia schizophrenia of CY BORG. The Dark Caribbean is a great setting. Everything about PIRATE BORG just feels more like a game and less like a coffee table book compared to the other BORGs (other than Death in Space (Borg)). The presentation is full BORG, but I feel more trapped into playing a certain way with MORK BORG and CY BORG. There's maybe too much of the authorship in MORK BORG, and definitely way too much author intrusion in CY BORG... while PIRATE BORG feels more like a BORG homage to the Age of Piracy. (Death in Space (Borg) probably suffers from an excess of excellent games in the same space, like Mothership or Hostile or ALIEN or whatever.)

[@juauke]

I agree with your analysis that Death in Space and Pirate Borg are much more usable than most of their counterparts (including Mörk Borg and CY_BORG). Myself, I think I need to look into Vast Grimm because it sounds like it might fill up those boxes but for the Sci-Fi genre.

[@Rich_H_1972]

Not a fan at all of Mork Borg, think its a bit of a triumph of form over substance but Pirate Borg is awesome and its layout is far less crazy that its 'daddy' game. Love it to bits. Kickstarter is hammering it too and the stuff you can get on it looks great.

[@tonysladky8925]

Is there a world-ending countdown like the Calendar of Nechrubel in OG Mörk Bork or the... I'm spacing on the name of the mechanic... the something-Headlines from CY_Borg?

[@happy-kh4uk]

I wrote four of the classes that’ll appear in Cabin Fever, so having seen everyone else’s submissions so much I can confirm it’s going to be one of the most content-stuffed books you’ll ever find for any OSR games. This is literally my favorite RPG, it combines the simple rules of Mork Borg with a nautical setting and has lots of effort made to make it the easiest Borg to learn and one of the easiest RPGs to learn.

[@skullsquad900]

Pirates of the Caribbean is what a PEAK Pirate Campaign should look like XD

[@ATron9k]

You deserve more than you get

[@beowulfshaeffer8444]

Or you could graduate from there to "On Stranger Tides," the 1987 novel by Tim Powers that the fourth pirate movie stole the name of and the entire Pirates franchise was inspired by (since the ride itself wasn't inspiring in the voodoo, zombies, and ancient curses manner.)

[@DaveThaumavore]

@@beowulfshaeffer8444 that’s cool, I didn’t know about that book. Thanks!

[@southpole76]

Is there a comparison to Sundered Isles?

[@jasonnewell7036]

From the second I saw this go up on kickstarter, I knew it was going to be special.

[@thebrothersslim6056]

Thanks for sharing Dave!

[@borgy1337]

The Limithron "naval maps" Patreon predates Pirate Borg by a couple years so there are ton of maps. Luke started out making naval art and rules for 5e in 2020

[@Oðrun]

The kickstarter had me at "un-dead campaign". ☠ Already own the main book. So happy there is more.

[@jacobgerhard9525]

Dead men tell no tales! OK I was on the fence now I'm stowing away on the HMS pirate borg☠️

[@vastlyblank]

Don’t you mean ‘smorgas-borg’?

[@Faldur]

I ran Pirate Borg game with 5 players and we went all in on pirate costumes and decoration. It was maybe the best ttrpg session I've ever hosted, the game is so fun. With light rules the players focused more on making things as cinematic as possible. One PC was playing a clever monkey who lept up on another player's arm as they thrust their swords at the same time!

[@tazmokhan7614]

I want to know if the team is going to ever cover the 3 native tribes and the African people in any book?

[@dianagarcia953]

Im in 18+min and I still have no idea how to play this game, whats the system, if its dice pool or D20 o percentiles...nothing

[@user-dd9dh9kw5c]

I want to like mork borg but its barely a game. Its almost like you are paying for nothing but an art book.

[@user-Brian_Gregory]

My one quibble with PirateBorg is including both Cthulhu *and* the Devil as behind-the-scenes bad guys. HPL's atheistic "cosmic horror" just doesn't mesh with Judeo-Christian "good vs. evil"...

[@forpoczta]

Sincerely, this sounds like a pretty bad gaming product targeted at people who do not need it to enjoy rpg session. More inspiration than a game.