bugs
Monolith 1: Harvest
8 contributors
Concept: “A quarterly publication that focuses its cyclopean gaze on a single system with every issue”
Content: “A journey through dilapidated townsteads, rejuvenated fields and terrifying dungeons, with all the horrors you meet along the way”
Writing: The pedagogy of planting and population planning, and a forgotten temple to begotten basilisks, all aggressively annotated.
Art/design: Darkly grotesque cultists, disturbed floral prints, cultured public domain illustrations, and colorful marginalia highlight the body text.
Usability: Organized, aside from a few intentionally frustrating almanac charts. But I’m sure you can manage those with a little old-fashioned spit and polish.
Content: “A journey through dilapidated townsteads, rejuvenated fields and terrifying dungeons, with all the horrors you meet along the way”
Writing: The pedagogy of planting and population planning, and a forgotten temple to begotten basilisks, all aggressively annotated.
Art/design: Darkly grotesque cultists, disturbed floral prints, cultured public domain illustrations, and colorful marginalia highlight the body text.
Usability: Organized, aside from a few intentionally frustrating almanac charts. But I’m sure you can manage those with a little old-fashioned spit and polish.
Mörk Borg Cult: Heretic
9 contributors
Concept: “A zine full of MÖRK BORG stuff. Most of it is created by our wonderful community and will be (or already is) made available for free download on morkborg.com, but there is also exclusive official material.”
Content: Generators for cults and curses, feats, 2 classes, black-powder weapons, 2 long adventures, a pair of 1-page dungeons, and a quartet of monsters/NPCs
Writing: Varies by author but consistently emphasizes images and concepts that are grim, creepy, and/or outright weird
Art/design: Every entry’s layout, graphic design, and coloration are distinct, creating a lot of visual diversity and easy navigability; sweet foil printing on the cover and first page; fold-out covers just to cram as much content into this zine as possible
Usability: The only obstacle is deciding what to read first.
Content: Generators for cults and curses, feats, 2 classes, black-powder weapons, 2 long adventures, a pair of 1-page dungeons, and a quartet of monsters/NPCs
Writing: Varies by author but consistently emphasizes images and concepts that are grim, creepy, and/or outright weird
Art/design: Every entry’s layout, graphic design, and coloration are distinct, creating a lot of visual diversity and easy navigability; sweet foil printing on the cover and first page; fold-out covers just to cram as much content into this zine as possible
Usability: The only obstacle is deciding what to read first.
Mörk Bug
Concept: “Elaborates on the roles of insects in underground gambling in the setting”
Content: Stats for bugs, gear for catching bugs, rules for selling bugs, an entothropic character class, and a sprawling bug-fighting-arena-slash-gambling-parlor
Writing: Clear and readable with Kelly’s characteristic wit
Art/design: Designed and laid out for readability with some buggy, Borgy flair
Usability: Laid out and designed for easy reading and reference
Content: Stats for bugs, gear for catching bugs, rules for selling bugs, an entothropic character class, and a sprawling bug-fighting-arena-slash-gambling-parlor
Writing: Clear and readable with Kelly’s characteristic wit
Art/design: Designed and laid out for readability with some buggy, Borgy flair
Usability: Laid out and designed for easy reading and reference
On the Slaughterfront
Concept: “The basilisks demand blessings from Prügl … but she’s already been abducted by another cult.”
Content: A twisted, insect-themed dungeon
Writing: Highly descriptive with striking imagery and some clever rimshots
Art/design: Nice balance of color, text, and graphics that keeps it easily readable
Usability: Hollow and full of bugs, just like it should be
Content: A twisted, insect-themed dungeon
Writing: Highly descriptive with striking imagery and some clever rimshots
Art/design: Nice balance of color, text, and graphics that keeps it easily readable
Usability: Hollow and full of bugs, just like it should be
Rancid Relics
Concept: “They're mysterious, creepy, and a little gross”
Content: 20 relics to leave a sour taste in your mouth.
Writing: Risky drawbacks and potent benefits enhance the questionable nature of these artifacts.
Art/design: Generated illustrations in a lithographic print style presented with bright solid colors.
Usability: Bordered text over illustrations may hinder legibility.
Content: 20 relics to leave a sour taste in your mouth.
Writing: Risky drawbacks and potent benefits enhance the questionable nature of these artifacts.
Art/design: Generated illustrations in a lithographic print style presented with bright solid colors.
Usability: Bordered text over illustrations may hinder legibility.
Renfield
Concept: “Your Master’s deranged, fanatically devoted servant.”
Content: An obsessive andblood bug-fueled fanatic,
Writing: Mechanics which bind you devotionally to your Master.
Art/design: Intense visual elements in an exaggerated theatrical design.
Usability: Dependent on interaction with a Master figure.
Content: An obsessive and
Writing: Mechanics which bind you devotionally to your Master.
Art/design: Intense visual elements in an exaggerated theatrical design.
Usability: Dependent on interaction with a Master figure.
Skull Spiders
Concept: “Arachnids that lay their egg sacs in the throats of ensnared victims.”
Content: “Venemous creatures that armor themselves in the skulls of their prey.”
Writing: Arachnid mechanics that aren’t too sticky.
Art/design: Spiders. Skulls. Spiders wearing skulls. Webs. Corpses. What more do you want?
Usability: A organized web of legible text
Content: “Venemous creatures that armor themselves in the skulls of their prey.”
Writing: Arachnid mechanics that aren’t too sticky.
Art/design: Spiders. Skulls. Spiders wearing skulls. Webs. Corpses. What more do you want?
Usability: A organized web of legible text
Smörgasbörg
10 contributors
Concept: “Grab your bibs and bone saws you’re in for a treat…. ”
Content: A filling 120-page harvest of human meat (and how to use it).
Writing: Sefl-indulgent self-injury, masticatory mutilation, and gratuitous gluttony.
Art/design: Sharp sketches, gruesome graffiti, and a not-inconsiderable quantity of red.
Usability: Organized and occasionally explicit body horror abounds. You have been warned.
Content: A filling 120-page harvest of human meat (and how to use it).
Writing: Sefl-indulgent self-injury, masticatory mutilation, and gratuitous gluttony.
Art/design: Sharp sketches, gruesome graffiti, and a not-inconsiderable quantity of red.
Usability: Organized and occasionally explicit body horror abounds. You have been warned.
Storm-tossed Lepidopterist
Concept: “All it took was a butterfly's wing beat, one beat and your life was changed.”
Content: A butterfly-effect collector.
Writing: Decorative lepidopteran descriptions with entropy-inducing mechanics.
Art/design: A portrait of butterflies, nets, disorder, and death in a familiar class format.
Usability: Honestly too legible for a class focused on entropy.
Content: A butterfly-effect collector.
Writing: Decorative lepidopteran descriptions with entropy-inducing mechanics.
Art/design: A portrait of butterflies, nets, disorder, and death in a familiar class format.
Usability: Honestly too legible for a class focused on entropy.
Street Spider
Concept: “Fat swollen spider the size of a dog.”
Content: A fat swollen spider the size of a dog. Also poisonous.
Writing: Provides a paragraph-long scenario/hooks with stat block and infection conditions
Art/design: Psychedelic tarantula invasion
Usability: Unusual stat arrangement but not obstructive
Swarm Sworn Stooge
Concept: “Horrifying undead marionettes absorbed into the hivemind of a swarm of creepy-crawlies”
Content: Features four different swarms with two optional “gifts” from each
Writing: A strong blend of information and attitude
Art/design: Text is arranged for easy reading with the empty space filled with images of aforementioned creepy-crawlies
Usability: A creative array of appropriate class features
Content: Features four different swarms with two optional “gifts” from each
Writing: A strong blend of information and attitude
Art/design: Text is arranged for easy reading with the empty space filled with images of aforementioned creepy-crawlies
Usability: A creative array of appropriate class features
Temple of Trechery
Concept: “An LSD trip of an adventure for Mörk Borg”
Content: As above (so below).
Writing: A deeply rooted plot that’s sure to decay into a psychedelic trip, whether idylic or hellish is up to your scvm.
Art/design: A collection of print illustrations, and a few tastefully generated portraits which produce that strange hallucinatory feeling.
Usability: Well-organized and flexible. Available in German, with English translation in the works.
Content: As above (so below).
Writing: A deeply rooted plot that’s sure to decay into a psychedelic trip, whether idylic or hellish is up to your scvm.
Art/design: A collection of print illustrations, and a few tastefully generated portraits which produce that strange hallucinatory feeling.
Usability: Well-organized and flexible. Available in German, with English translation in the works.
The Dungescape Issue 2
Concept: “Rugged tunnels far beneath the dirt of the earth. What stirs in the dark with all-seeing eyes, beaks, and claws, scratching the stone?”
Content: An escape dungeon, full of feathered “friends”.
Writing: Social elements add a dynamic element to the dungeon.
Art/design: Top-down map and creature illustrations highlight a compact two-page dungeon reference.
Usability: Compact and organized for easy reference of the entire dungeon during play.
Content: An escape dungeon, full of feathered “friends”.
Writing: Social elements add a dynamic element to the dungeon.
Art/design: Top-down map and creature illustrations highlight a compact two-page dungeon reference.
Usability: Compact and organized for easy reference of the entire dungeon during play.
The Glass Herbarium
Concept: “The Herbarium is beautiful and warm. It grows fruits and vegetables despite the snow. And just one taste of the bright red apples that grow inside its glass walls is enough to bewitch a man.”
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.
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 Mothman
Concept: “A nocturnal wanderer of the shattered world, a vile thing, seeking to snuff out any light that may be remaining.”
Content: A malicious take on the mothman of Point Pleasant
Writing: Clear stat block with concise bits of flavor text
Art/design: Layout & aesthetic capture the dynamic of moths flitting around a flame
Usability: The functional mechanics are split on the page and not well differentiated from the descriptive text, but it’s a small concession to the overall excellence of the visual design
Content: A malicious take on the mothman of Point Pleasant
Writing: Clear stat block with concise bits of flavor text
Art/design: Layout & aesthetic capture the dynamic of moths flitting around a flame
Usability: The functional mechanics are split on the page and not well differentiated from the descriptive text, but it’s a small concession to the overall excellence of the visual design
The Sundrenched King
Concept: “The coronation is approaching. Helvius will die. Long live Helvius.
You are newcomers to Hunningbury. You are here to stop the coronation.”
Content: Rabble-rousing and regicide in the kingdom of Hunningbury.
Writing: A hard timer lends urgency to the political intrigue. There are many options to prepare for the assault on Helvius in his keep, all of them viable.
Art/design: Quaint and idyllic imagery belies the unpleasant realities of Hunningbury.
Usability: Political intrigue that works for both talk and sword happy scvm.
Content: Rabble-rousing and regicide in the kingdom of Hunningbury.
Writing: A hard timer lends urgency to the political intrigue. There are many options to prepare for the assault on Helvius in his keep, all of them viable.
Art/design: Quaint and idyllic imagery belies the unpleasant realities of Hunningbury.
Usability: Political intrigue that works for both talk and sword happy scvm.
Things That Go Bump
Concept: “a collection of classic horror monsters to terrorize your players. Perfect for gothic horror settings or really anything spooky and dark.”
Content: 13 more somber monsters with a few dashes of weird
Writing: Concise and easily readable/usable
Art/design: Creates striking spreads with text and public domain images presented in black, white, teal, and red; good use of color lets certain layouts breathe without feeling empty
Usability: Grab your d13 and go wild
Content: 13 more somber monsters with a few dashes of weird
Writing: Concise and easily readable/usable
Art/design: Creates striking spreads with text and public domain images presented in black, white, teal, and red; good use of color lets certain layouts breathe without feeling empty
Usability: Grab your d13 and go wild
Things that Haunt the Darkness
Concept: “Looking for some weird and fun creatures to throw at your players? LOOK NO FURTHER”
Content: Twenty eight memorably miserable monsters
Writing: A variety of short and characterful creature descriptions, with matching special abilities.
Art/design: Sharp monochromatic sketches in bright neon colors and thick white text creeps across a black background.
Usability: Easy to sort into encounters and adventures at the table.
Content: Twenty eight memorably miserable monsters
Writing: A variety of short and characterful creature descriptions, with matching special abilities.
Art/design: Sharp monochromatic sketches in bright neon colors and thick white text creeps across a black background.
Usability: Easy to sort into encounters and adventures at the table.
This Adventure is Full of Flies
Concept: “contains enough insects to sustain the average player for an evening of abject pestilence.”
Content: A pamphlet adventure with a village that practically vomits insects.
Writing: Tightly woven adventure text with many subplots and callbacks to distract Scvm from all the bugs they’ve probably swallowed.
Content: A pamphlet adventure with a village that practically vomits insects.
Writing: Tightly woven adventure text with many subplots and callbacks to distract Scvm from all the bugs they’ve probably swallowed.
Art/design: Surprisingly clean text. Design elements reinforce narrative structure. Insect imagery hints at the horrors dominant in certain locales.
Usability: A self-contained village adventure simply bursting with replay value.
Usability: A self-contained village adventure simply bursting with replay value.
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