Philip Reed
Anzhela and the Caged Skulls
Content: English breakfast with a side of TPK; running will only make you die faster
Writing: Text heavy, but creates a vivid atmosphere and provides psychological depth to the antagonist, something not often found in Mörk Borg
Art/design: Excellent, expressive depictions of the titular characters
Usability: Includes an alternative d6-based encounter-resolution mechanic; a bit more complex than some scenarios, but the additional moving parts make for an interesting and memorable scenario
Atticus Tower
Concept: “The foul bard Rexorn … is busy transforming suffering into music.”
Content: A sonic-themed dungeon with original creatures and NPCs
Writing: Mostly descriptive but efficient
Art/design: Exactly what it should be
Usability: A complex but surprisingly easy-to-navigate layout
A Wizard’s Dying Wish
Content: A one-room encounter with a cool monster twist and some nasty aftermath possibilities
Writing: Devoted mostly to describing the situation and setting, but provides the GM with inspiration and some flexibility
Art/design: Keeps the pamphlet visually interesting without being obtrusive
Usability: Fold it twice and you’re ready to go
Calo’s Book of Monsters
Content: 20 monsters as well as a region for them to inhabit and local rumors for PCs to overhear
Writing: Provides lots of exposition on each monster as well as multiple adventure hooks and detailed stat blocks
Art/design: Features detailed black-and-white illustrations against a stylized Mörk Borg-yellow ground
Usability: GMs would be well-advised to read each entry carefully and take note of the copious details
Deck of Corpses
Concept: “A deck of 36 corpses the GM may turn to whenever the PCs stumble across yet another dead body.”
Content: A heap of bodies, some of whom also have loot
Writing: Some strange and gruesome remains; not for the faint of heart, but definitely for Mörk Borg
Art/design: Conservative but effective
Usability: Includes a unique mechanic involving the official Corpse Plundering table and clock time
Deck of Evil Objects
Content: A 15-card deck with 3 additional cards (2 for the Deck of Treasures and 1 for the Deck of Secrets)
Writing: The descriptions will make you want to use these even though the mechanics will probably kill your character
Art/design: Sets the tone well without overcrowding a small space
Usability: Draw a card. Read the card. Repeat.
Deck of Secrets
Concept: “Use this deck during character creation […] to add background.”
Content: 36 violent, sordid, and bizarre selections to flesh out your characters’ personal histories
Writing: Well-crafted to inspire players’ imaginations and add compelling depth to characters
Art/design: Nice, macabre art on card backs, and textured backgrounds add some visual depth to each side
Usability: Just draw and then despair
Deck of Terribly Broken Bodies
Concept: “Instead of rolling a d4 and checking the table in the core rules, draw a single card from this deck whenever a PC reaches zero HP.”
Content: 38 severe injuries at 4 levels of severity (correlating to the 4 results on the Broken table in the core rules) with different results for different damage types
Writing: Visceral, vivid, and violent (obviously)
Art/design: Overall nice design; use of vivid yellow skulls to emphasize severity is a solid, well-devised feature
Usability: Very straightforward so you can focus on suffering from the wound instead of deciphering it
Deck of Treasures
Content: 36 items with mechanics for incorporating the canonical Corpse Plundering Table
Writing: Nice descriptions of items and enumeration of their mechanics
Art/design: Relatively conservative but effective
Usability: Straightforward in itself, but requires some reference to the core rules
Krampus
Content: Stats and a hook for the race of kidnapping, meat-hungry krampi
Writing: A balance of mechanics and descriptive text
Art/design: Fits lots of text onto the page alongside some nice art
Usability: Straightforward but certain aspects may be off-putting to some players
Niklaus
Content: A murderous pseudo-Santa possessed by an alien entity known only as the Christmas Spirit
Writing: Twists St. Nick to fit right into the Dying World
Art/design: Exactly what you’d expect of a Mörk Borg murderhobo Santa
Usability: More elaborate than some monsters but not overly complex
Recared’s Unclean Pamphlet
Content: Some seriously brutal Powers
Writing: Mixes mechanics with visceral, violent imagery
Art/design: Some striking, appropriate art and helpful typographical choices
Usability: It’s a tri-fold pamphlet. Make sure you fold it correctly, or you're probably doomed.
Snowman
Concept: “A snowman makes for a powerful guardian in frosty dungeons and snow-covered towers.”
Content: Contains a stat block, descriptive text, and adventure hook
Writing: Puts a sadistic twist on a classic holiday icon
Art/design: Fits well with the creature concept
Usability: For optimal efficiency, set thermostat below 30° Fahrenheit
Strange Citizens of the City
Content: A throng of bizarre personalities, hirelings, bystanders (some with personal connections to each other); also includes some locales and rumors
Writing: Suitably dark and disturbing with plenty of rimshots
Art/design: Fairly straightforward layouts with art that brings a strong arcane-mechanical flavor to the table
Usability: Very useable, and motivates you to do so
Strange Inhabitants of the Forest
Content: A variety of adversaries, encounters, travelers, and items to loot from their corpses
Writing: Includes copious backstories and adventure hooks
Art/design: A wide, evocative variety
Usability: Straightforward and simple to navigate