Kergüs
Blood Ambrosia
Clamdash!
Concept: “For a few hours each year, the seas beneath the glaciers of Kergüs retreat, revealing salted dungeons in their wake. Within these waterlogged tunnels of ice – the CLAMS.”
Content: Grab your CLAM-picking gloves—an audience with Anthelia awaits the winner
Writing: A briny feast for the senses with Karl’s signature sense of humor
Art/design: Easy to read with ample visual cues for navigating each room’s description and for moving back and forth between descriptions and map
Usability: The CLAMS are barbed, and the tide waits for no scvm
False Prophecies
Content: A physical manifestation of the Sword of Hailstone game app
Writing: Provides mechanics for navigating the frozen wastes and lore and stat blocks for what you’ll find along the way
Art/design: Masterfully puzzles the game content into the relatively small space of a fold-out cassette case
Usability: Pairs well with Sword of Hailstone materials, which include a fold-out hex map
For Whom the Deer Haunts
Content: Provides a hook, suspects (with a fun alibi system), and culprit
Writing: Conveys the necessary information concisely but effectively
Art/design: A gritty graphic character with strategic shocks of color
Usability: Allows GM to customize scenario to taste or need; includes a twisted twist on the reward
Frozen Hellscape
In the Bluelight
Sword of Hailstone
Content: A hexcrawl through Kergüs in pursuit of the eponymous sword
Writing: A mix of mechanics and description with setting-appropriate imagery
Art/design: Text is economically laid out to accommodate the intended physical format; includes some nice pixel art from the app version
Usability: Will require some scrolling (or page flipping if you print it); includes player maps
Sword of Hailstone
Content: A primarily app-based adventure game built on Mörk Borg mechanics
Writing: Entirely descriptive; mechanics are handled by the app
Art/design: Pixelated depictions of Kergüs and its inhabitants
Usability: Physical copies and digital materials are available but not required to play
The Glass Herbarium
Content: A location adventure featuring glass, destructible flooring, and plants that probably want to do dreadful things to you.
Writing: The Glass Herbarium’s concise efficient prose blooms into a brilliant, weird fantasy adventure.
Art/design: Consistently clean art and layout hint at a glass sanctuary protected from the scvm of the dying world.
Usability: Clean but not sterile. Strong stylistic hierarchy makes for easy navigation and reference during play.
The Thirteenth Damned Son
Content: An abomination inspired by the Jersey Devil but skillfully adapted to the setting; includes a sleek randomized crawl through the frozen lands of Kergüs
Writing: Short but flavorful description and a healthy stat block; a beautifully written hook with a table of random encounters that keep the PCs moving toward the climax
Art/design: Fits right into Mörk Borg on every count
Usability: Verbally and visually economical
The Tournament at Alliáns
Concept: “Her Excellency Anthelia, Blood-Countess of Kergüs, has determined to amuse herself by holding a tournament in Alliáns.”
Content: Tourney rules and tables for rewards, consequences, combatants, and relationships
Writing: Consistently entertaining and inspiring
Art/design: Solid choices add atmosphere and facilitate flow
Usability: Well organized; hyperlinks to other texts are quite useful; bracket sheet is a plus