Pirate Borg Review

Professor DM plays mini golf and reviews Pirate Borg, a rules-light TTRPG that is the best pirate-themed game on the market. This is not a paid review. (episode #404)
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[@federicoghezzi1261]

Today on dungeoncraft ProfessorDM writes off playing minigolfing with his family as a business expense.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

It's also a good review!

[@drillerdev4624]

I'd say getting creative with the crown's taxes fits the theme of the video

[@TheAlwaysPrepared]

@@drillerdev4624 🤣

[@samwilliams9195]

Arrrrr

[@Billchu13]

It's like ​@DUNGEONCRAFT1 has been taking advice from an accountant!

[@BlackMagicCraftOfficial]

It’s cool that you got to travel to all those exotic locations to shoot this video.

[@richardfortier]

I've run Pirate Borg a few times for team-building and student events. It's such an accessible game for non-gamers, such a great first TTRPG experience. Everyone gets what a dark pirate adventure is supposed to feel like. Normies love an excuse to talk like a pirate. :) Great video as usual. Hope you're having fun with your daughter in Ireland :)

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for watching. I spent last evening with her, but had to leave Dublin today. Spent least 30 minutes crying.

[@richardfortier]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 It's been a big year. For what it's worth, we're with you.

[@Stray_GM]

"THE EXOTIC LAND OF TORTUGA!" *Camera pans out to a gas station* Gold.

[@Daalon4RPGs]

I laughed at that too.

[@beardyben7848]

After far too much time spent on this silly task, I have discovered that there is not a filling station on Tortuga. There are however multiple convenience stores. And, interestingly, a computer store.

[@PatchworkTweed]

Black gold, even.

[@Sir_Lorekeep]

Glad to see Pirate Borg getting some attention. If you like the Mork Borg system, would recommend checking out Vast Grim, it's like Mork Borg but in space

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Vast Grimm is great!

[@Stray_GM]

Also Frontier Scum, it's Mork Borg in the wild west!

[@TheRobuzz]

Professor actually did a review of Vast Grimm some time ago :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl60n6KjabaVa8k

[@tomyoung9834]

Prof DM and Seth at one game table!?? Man, I’m sorry I missed seeing that!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

He's great fun!

[@BrazenBard]

..."rated ARRRRR!" Dadliest joke of the day. I approve. :D

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Tell my kids!

[@clone_69]

The kid's face was full of confusion

[@Daalon4RPGs]

Arrrrrr ya sure?! 🤣

[@zednumar6917]

People think a pirate's favourite letter is "Arrr", but the C is his first love...

[@kimh4434]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I love how you laughed at your joke more than the kid. Reminded me of when my own Dad would tell Dad-jokes (we didn't call 'em that back then) and laugh and laugh and wait for me to find it as funny as he did. Good memories.

[@RobotWagon]

You sir are the pirate king of dad jokes! I picked up Pirate Borg at one of our FLGS locations. It was a great read and I shared it with our youngest who loves the Pirates of the Caribbean movies/stories. We've had a great time chatting about potential adventures and this book was the basis for a birthday one-shot she ran for me and a few friends which was the best gift ever! Everyone should watch more Dungeon Craft to get reviews of independent games they might miss otherwise. Thanks Professor!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you liked it. It's important to grow the hobby.

[@Senzueffect]

Tbh, I enjoy the outtakes. They usually give me a chuckle.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

They are gold.

[@EcowarriorII]

Independent games are more fun. Play one with your group as soon as you can. And watch more Dungeon Craft.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you!

[@Deliriumend]

Ran a Pirate-Borg 6 shot for some friends. Beyond loving the vehicle combat rules, they all had the best response to reviewing the system. "It gave a framework then got out of the way so we could just play!" would definitely run it again given the chance, and I'm looking forward to trying Mek Borg because of Pirate-Borg.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Awesome.

[@willmendoza8498]

Yes! I love a game that gives me the tools and then gets out of my way.

[@toddpickens]

This is the second or third review I've seen of Pirate Borg, and it looks like a blast.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

It is!

[@alexroman6424]

Definitely a blast. Even just going through character creation can be a blast. It's also the less deadly of the Borg hacks, thanks to the "hat system" which I'm definitely stealing for everything else.

[@baronvonswankenstein]

Mörk Borg translates into “Dark Castle” in English. So “Pirate Borg” is “Pirate Castle,” aka The Crimson Permanent Assurance…. 😆

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing that!

[@Red_path]

I got that reference.🤨

[@clone_69]

@@baronvonswankenstein so Mörk may have a common ethymological origin with the word murky?

[@spacerx]

Yes, and borg with burg. You could call it Murkburg or Mirkburg and it'd be a pretty accurate translation. @@clone_69

[@PatchworkTweed]

Heheh, aye, great Monty Python reference! kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4SyaoJ8f7OAeKMsi=LkECzXTl3N9hIm8f

[@jacksonlai7590]

Deficient Master reviewed this system during Kraken Week. Get in touch with one another

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Great channel!

[@DeficientMaster]

Deficient is pretty cringe, but I love all DungeonCraft videos!

[@samusamu5342]

​@@DeficientMaster He's an odd guy

[@pyrix137]

But those hands....

[@beardyben7848]

Thanks to you both for your channels and as the children say, "to be cringe is to be free!"

[@oettrpg]

I just got it myself. Great product. Great Game. Excellent Art. Quick and Easy to reference.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you like it!

[@inarticulatevoid]

I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we would love to see you and seth in a game together, or even just a youtube collab!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Did you watch the Tomb of Horrors video? He makes a cameo in that one that is hilarious!

[@inarticulatevoid]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 heading over there after I finish this!

[@SigfridSWE]

CY BORG is the version of the system for a sci fy setting. Great rules and you can use them to play in any Cyberpunk setting you want.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Yes! Also very cool!

[@Seafarer64]

Another Pirate option is Firelock Games down in Miami area. They just had a kickstarter for a Port Royal version of a Mordheim-like game. They've also got their tabletop game, various colonial powers vs. pirates vs. local Indian tribes. Land based troops as well as a collection of ships. Something for the true pirate afficionado to consider.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for letting us know.

[@thatoneguy2057]

My son had his friends over and out of the blue asked to play D&D. His friends had never played before. I had just purchased Pirate Borg and found the creators made an auto character generator website. This worked perfectly. He and his friends had characters in less than 5 minutes and with all the tables I was able to DM on the fly. They were hooked and it became a full campaign.

[@justinmargerum2559]

Fun is contagious, and it's clear you had a lot of fun with the mini-golf scenes cleverly incorporated as segues between review topics. Not even really my style of game, but this review was just plain fun to watch all the way through!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you for watching!

[@TheSalem777]

"Some guy called Seth Skorkowsky" XD, Awesome cast you get there!

[@Magic__7]

I cant believe he went all way to the Caribbean just for the video

[@PappyPauper]

Lancaster!? We were so close (York, PA)! If you ever want to talk about the values of therapeutic tabletop roleplaying, I've been running outpatient groups with young adults and teens on the spectrum for about two years, and our nonprofit business just hired two new therapists/GMs to assist in our expansion. I ALWAYS love what Dungeon Craft does, and every video is highly educational and entertaining; I mined so much gold from your work, Professor, and our family wishes yours all the best in health care and a speedy recovery.

[@jaybakata5566]

I love all the videos created and released by Dungeon Craft. I love them even more when they have dad jokes, dressing up (pirates for sure), information on good games, and things that help me learn to be a better player and dm. Keep it up Professor. Wait, don't you have summer school to teach? You took your class to the Caribbean for a field trip? Best summer school ever! I guess you don't bring Death Bringer with you on location. Only thing I missed.

[@joselugo1982]

I LOVE independant TTRPG's and Dungeon Craft! Thanks!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you! I make this videos for game enthusiasts like you.

[@kevinbrennan-ji1so]

I love to see you get into character there with your boy at the start. Good spontaneous fun. You ought to do more of your videos like this.

[@thedabblingwarlock]

That is a gorgeous book and it looks like it'd be fun to play. I nabbed Dragonbane when I could get the whole VTT package for like $10 and I'm still trying to read through it, though it really does seem like my kind of system. Simple and fun to run. I'll have to check out Mork Borg after this.

[@macoppy6571]

5:29 What kind of monsters are in Pirate Borg? "Kids" 😂🤣😂🤣

[@lordofdorknessdm3085]

Awesome video. Looks like you guys had a blast with the mini-golf, too! Mork Borg is a top item on my list of things to play, and it's various iterations seem pretty awesome (Pirate Borg, Cy_Borg, Vast Grimm, etc.).

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you enjoyed it! We did have fun!

[@nazaritev6482]

Thank you sir for your lovely youtube vids. My hopes and prayers for your swift recovery.

[@HowtoRPG]

I had a great time playing Pirate Borg with a bunch of KZbinr friends. Thanks for the review.

[@baronvonswankenstein]

Had no interest in Pirate Borg until I saw this review! Now it’s on my BUY list….

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Enjoy!

[@mrgunn2726]

Garr good review, hoping ye are having fair weather and smooth sailing on your summer journeys.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Just a little rain up North, but otherwise great weather.

[@CANDROU1]

great review! I've always thought naval battles in RPGs were under utlized. There's no place to run, and having to worry about the ship's damage and the possibility of sinking adds so much to an encounter. Cheers, and continued good health @Prof

[@briancourtemanche8065]

Pirate Borg is ... AWESOME! And its author is one of the nicest, most hard-working, creative fellows in the scene today. This game is magnificent.

[@Kreln1221]

4:00 *_"If you've played that 'ampersand' game, you'll understand how it works."_* 😏

[@geosyrrus6423]

This was great and I’ve been thinking about checking out Pirate Borg, but the final version of Ironsworn: Sundered Isles was recently released and I was really hoping it was about to get some visibility on your channel. In retrospect, if you decided to do a review it would make more sense to wait for the printed booklets, which aren’t expected until fall. Ironsworn is an incredible game, and Sundered Isles is so packed full of ambience and flavor it’s my favorite version yet. Plus, how could you resist another opportunity for pirate puns!

[@bobhasson190]

Trying to catch up, not sure how I missed this when it came out. Nicely done too.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

June. Lots of fun to make!

[@dmdc5719]

Great review! Normally I don't go looking for new systesms/rpgs; hadn't been of interest in learning new games. But this one captures my interest a lot. Mainly cause pirates, but if it also has a lovecraftian feel to it, that's an awesome bonus. This book looks really well done. Cool art, the pages of info don't look overwhelming but my favorite thing is it doesn't look like it will blind me either. A lot of times I feel books are too "bright". This looks like it's dimmed down, probably the color of the pages or the artwork and such that helps mute that brightness. Also can I say that it doesn't appear like a large book but seems packed full of content. I am very interested in this one for sure.

[@FabioBittar]

Hey mate. I love the new format! It's great to see you out in the world wearing your rakish pirate hat =) Yarr!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for your kind words.

[@wingusryu8289]

Yes! Love this game. We need more reviews on location! Next should be a review of wasted world while on the go-kart track! Yes, Just because you are young! No mercy! Deathbringger would be proud!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

That could get tricky!

[@Decado1628]

I played in a Pirate Borg campaign where we used Dragonbane for mechanics. What a great fun setting. The book is really well done with great art and the random tables have made their way into my Castles & Crusades city of Freeport campaign.

[@Acroyear4]

Great video. Informative, short, and fun!

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

Brought a needed smile to my face! Be well PDM & Family!

[@nubrandgamingvenue]

❤

[@drhapi5308]

I backed the kickstarter! Got the special edition! Now I have an entire pirate dedicated shelf

[@Nat1Games]

Best RPG channel, with the best reviews, on all of KZbin! I absolutely love the Borg games, though running CY_Borg is quite difficult in my opinion. I can't wait to try this one out sometime. Thank you as always for making these videos PDM! You're one of the heroes of the OSR.

[@YoriTheHuman]

Now that's a very inspiring game with pirates. Everything is better with pirates. Wonderful video, Professor! Also, the incidental filmings during the review made me laugh, loved the pirate outfit as well 😂

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@HappiestGnome]

Professor, you have a lighter step and a twinkle in your eye after that brush with death. Time to fly! I am so happy for you. Virtual hug, much love your way.

[@JRDATX]

Excellent, another DungeonCraft video! Give them to me, KZbin! Give them to me! Thanks Professor.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You got it!

[@ImperialVirtue]

Finally, a game that has mechanics for the many times your players ask if they can snort undead.

[@benjaminkidd2655]

I like Pirate Borg the best of all the minimalist-fatalist games (Mork Borg, Into the Odd, Cairn, etc.) because the random character creation is such a blast. All the random PCs we rolled up in the one shot I played were compellingly quirky and gave great hooks for how to role play them, while the devils luck gives you a chance to do some real swashbuckling before your inevitable demise.

[@nubrandgamingvenue]

The unexpected mini golf talent of PDM mirrors his enthusiasm for independent entrepreneurial success! His mission is solid and straight from his heart. Keep up the good work Professor. ❤

[@wolfthunderspirit2709]

OMG - ProfessorDM is in my backyard (Lancaster, PA)!

[@BDCSam]

Thanks for the review Dan! This game looks great! Always happy to see a new DungeonCraft video! ❤

[@charlesbarrett4270]

I paused the video halfway through, ordered this game, then finished the video. Thanks for the review. Can't wait to play this!

[@JartistDnd]

I really like the roll to defend. Instead of the roll to hit, makes it more thematic. and it sounds way cooler than you miss the level 1 goblin. now its the Level 1 goblin parries your attack. or they use a branch adding 1 ac and it blocks your attack. definitely going to be using that mechanic.

[@jnlsnfamily8747]

I mix it up with Hot Springs and When Sea Is Calling. It's the first in the Borg series I think that isn't just empty design punk.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing.

[@pi8chyt]

You did it again! I watch your video and right afterwards I buy the book 😄

[@jclefbouncyrock]

Always good to hear about new games - thanks, Professor!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@roletensgamecrafter]

Professor has to be the coolest teacher ever. Every episode showcases his knack for making information interesting. I bet his class is a lot like this, too.

[@submarinehandgrenade]

Pirate Borg is a fantastic game! I ran my players through the adventure in the back of the book as a one shot. They ended up deviating from the main quest, 4 characters died and (no spoilers) ended up with the worst ending 😂 Thank you Professor DM for bringing more attention to this game!

[@cheesy_87]

What a great review video! I can't believe you went to the Carribbean just so it's fitting to the world of Pirate Borg! Now that's production value right there

[@WhatIfBrigade]

This is much more interesting than I anticipated. I often run ship based games, whether sailing or space ships.

[@ingjaldsleikestove]

Thanks. Now I know what to pick up while going to Visby this summer.

[@ChuckThorin]

My favorite of the Mork Borg compatible games. And heck you can end up playing a Magic Chicken (Optional Class).

[@Buzzerker_1775]

Great to get a peek at how Professor DM really is like when out in the wild

[@ShaneSchofield52]

Love it! Love that you support the Mork Borg system and its many great hacks.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Love hacking!

[@reecechlumsky4406]

I love Dungeoncraft! Glad you're doing these reviews!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you enjoy it! People need to know there's more than D&D

[@johnholton8157]

I just discovered Mork Borg this past week; it had me hooked when I saw the discography listed in the game's introductory section (many of my favourite bands on there, LOL). I'm just about to roll up some scum to send into their first dungeon. Needless to say, this Pirate Borg game also looks like something I'd really enjoy (I adore Weird Tales style pulp fiction, including Lovecraft). Excellent review!

[@spaceturtle8]

This review is definitely one of the most fun I've seen around. Pirate Borg is a fantastic game and setting that's incredibly well supported by Limithron.

[@Journeyman107]

Love to see positive videos vs the punditry and outrage stuff, your more informational stuff has been very influential channel for me as I've gotten into DMing. It looks like this will be a great game to check out if my group wants a piracy campaign- I've had Skull and Bones (D20) on hand for that purpose but it's quite old-school and rambling

[@willmendoza8498]

Bought the book and rolled up a few characters in preparation for a friend’s game. It seems great. Wish it had a robust index and/or good table of contents. But I love the control panel layout.

[@cgabriel7311]

Currently we are playing an abominable combination of Mork Borg, CY_BORG, Death in Space CorpBorg, Forty Foes, OrkBorg, and Thoughts and Prayers - we call it CronenBORG. What harm could one more Borg based game be?

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

LOL

[@cgabriel7311]

​@@DUNGEONCRAFT1it was a result of a CY_BORG campaign that got out of hand and had to be modified into a post-apocalyptic wasteland setting.

[@samsinger5135]

that's awesome that you were in PA.. i hope you enjoyed your time there and that "dad joke" uuuugh that was good... and a good review of a pirate game

[@whiteycroon]

Played a session in Limithron’s west marches campaign and it was fast and fun!

[@antigrav6004]

Ran pirate borg for a while this year, used Hot Springs island as a location. It was a good time.

[@David-su4is]

Awesome stuff as always, ❤ watching your stuff.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you so much!

[@Carlphish]

Out in an order for this game minutes after watching your review. I’ve had an itch for running a pirate themed game for a couple years now. Glad to find a nice system that could support that!

[@ChaosSquad]

I've been running pirate Borg for the last four months. It's a great game! Love the art. The creator will answer questions on their discord. There's a good bit of content already out for it too!

[@evansj18]

Picked this up at gencon based on your review and how rad it looked. Playing this weekend -- it looks like a blast. I'm a little unsure about the naval combat rules though, it seems like a tabletop minis game bolted onto the otherwise clean system.

[@andrewdelrusso4951]

The humor really makes ur videos more enjoyable

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you.

[@tabletopbro]

As an avid Mork Borg lover, I GUESS I should finally pull trig on Pirate Borg. Great review Prof!

[@charlesincharge4593]

I played the system at Origins and it was so awesome I bought the deluxe edition. I ran my players through the 2nd half of a pirate borg mini campaign on saturday and they loved it!

[@rascally_ryan]

Well that certainly shivered my timbers!! 🏴‍☠️☠️😄 Now why’s the rum gone, Professor? Did you get to it first?! 🍻

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I did!

[@RoseKindred]

"But, why is the rum gone?" Because we had a long night playing Pirate Borg, matey!

[@colinmorton8074]

I like that a pooping seagull replaced Deathbringer for the heckling outro here 😂

[@davidhill2275]

I'm not a huge fan of Mork Borg, but I LOVE Pirate Borg and Vast Grimm. This is a fantastic game, and I love your review! Great job!

[@Kyndurr01]

There's also an upcoming game using the Mork Borg rules, but in a fantasy samurai setting called Ronin. I just haven't found a release date for the physical copy.

[@phillipbernhardt-house6907]

I shall have to pick this up one day...booty be hard to get these days, but one hopes for a windfall. ;) Also: that miniature golf place looks fantastic! Wish I could go there, but I'm on the wrong coast to do so. :( I have a question for you: what's a pirate's favorite letter? If you said "RRR," you're wrong: any true pirate's favorite letter is "C." ;)

[@pb6703]

That face on your daughter during the the last joke. :D

[@liliancazzulo]

Professor having fun with the family in mini golf is the best part of this review...❤

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@nubrandgamingvenue]

❤

[@harkejuice]

Well, I already have Cy-Borg that I play almost weekly in pickup games, so I might as well! This looks awesome!

[@Kardfogu]

That bird rolled a nat 20...

[@WyldJezter]

Yarrr the seas be calling! ... but one more round of putt putt me hearties!

[@N0KKENWAITS]

Great review of a really cool game. The BORG-verse is my fav rpg space for sure.

[@kevingooley9628]

Great video! Where can we watch your test play?

[@hardrocker8101]

Was NOT expecting Lancaster to be mentioned.

[@briangrooms8963]

Best part of the video is at the 5:30 mark. Actually made me laugh out loud.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@VosperCDN]

Grabbed this during the KS, yet to play tho. Hoping to slide it into the schedule as a one-shot game.

[@user-Brian_Gregory]

I'm surprised none of the reviews I've seen draw the obvious comparison: PB uses the same premise as Deadlands (history started the same as Real Life, but then a Big Supernatural Event happened that caused the setting to branch off into a "magic is real" alternate reality), except in the Spanish Main instead of the Old West. I'm eager to try out this system. My only quibbles are the scant spell lists and fairly short monster list. These would benefit from a supplement.