Harkenstone
A Shadow King's Palace
Content: Yeah, what he said.
Writing: Abundant descriptions of locations and things found within the palace
Art/design: Fairly straightforward, text-first pages with some more elaborate, image-dominated spreads later in the document
Usability: “It’s up to the GM to let the PCs escape the palace. It won’t change anything.”
Auld Clootie’s Bairn
Concept: “What has happened to suddenly change the behavior of little Angelica…and how can the Mercer family fit in to their new community?”
Content: A surreally mundane adventure with a troubled tot
Writing: Provides lots of detail and dialogue as well as suggestions for alternative plots and a metric ton of nasty insults
Art/design: Primarily designed around navigating events and conversations delivered via text
Usability: Ready to use out-of-the-box but can also be tinkered with and adapted to GM taste and need
Betty Blackteeth
Content: Jenny Greenteeth adapted to the swamps of the Greater Galgenbeck area
Writing: Descriptive text provides character and tactics; stat block includes a chain of nasty Specials
Art/design: Builds the isolated, suffocating atmosphere that defines the monster
Usability: This is why you shouldn't play in swamps (or maybe why you should when you're playing Mörk Borg)
Big F’n Rock
Concept: “Röck Borg”
Content: It’s a big f’n rock
Writing: Infuses the mechanics with some grim humor
Art/design: Use of color keeps text visible against but coordinated with ground
Usability: Rock ’n roll
Catacombs of the Briar Witch
Concept: “Annika and her son Torean – like so many others – caught the Ebon Pox early this winter. While she has slowly begun to recover, the child did not.”
Content: A sprawling adventure to find a lost child with multiple locales to explore, NPCs to interact with, and a wide variety of monsters and adversaries
Writing: Highly descriptive and replete with sample dialogue for NPCs
Art/design: Establishes the settings and atmosphere without obstructing usability
Usability: Well organized with additional material included in an appendix
Corpse Plunderer
Concept: “Sweat trickles from your brow as the shovel bites into the dirt. Treasure lies below and will be your soon.”
Content: A gravedigger class with a sardonic tone
Writing: The definition of gallows humor (but it’s graves, not gallows)
Art/design: Good use of color to differentiate text segments and aid navigation
Usability: A couple more details to remember than some other classes, but that’s why you have a character sheet
Down Below
Concept: “‘I need a hardy group to check the district’s Drainage Works beneath the city.’”
Content: An elaborate sewer crawl filled with NPCs, plenty of treasures, and even more hazards
Writing: Includes lots of atmosphere and characterful monologues/dialogue for NPCs
Art/design: Optimized for clarity and quick navigation and reference
Usability: Provides plenty of details, clues, and dialogue for the GM to use or adapt; a potentially long adventure
Endless Sea Raider
Concept: “Predator of the Endless Sea”
Content: A piratical player-character class
Writing: All the standard features with some inspired class-specific items/companions
Art/design: Graphics convey the grim bleakness of the Endless Sea with some appropriate splashes of Mörk Borgy color
Usability: Nicely blocked out for easy reference
Flails at Chrimbo
Concept: “Your insane sister apparently sent the children Flails this Christmas. Flails!”
Content: A sandboxy, randomized crawl through streets beset by flail-wielding tykes. (Yes, it is as dark and hilarious as it sounds.)
Writing: Multiple tables for different types of encounters, suggested destinations, and a grim finale
Art/design: Primarily textual, but well-organized to do its work effectively
Usability: Facilitates linear flow through the document
FÖLK-LORE: Fiends, Freaks, & Foes
41 contributors
Content: The first volume of collected FÖLK-LORE Jam entries
Writing: Varies by author, see individual entries under the FÖLK-LORE Jam tag
Art/design: Varies by entry; single-page entries are well balanced in spreads
Usability: Varies by entry, but it’s all Mörk Borg—how tough could it be?
Frostweans
Content: An undead scourge that gains power by wreaking vengeance
Writing: Provides 4 stat blocks alongside plenty of background for inspiration
Art/design: Text heavy, but colors aid quick navigation
Usability: Gives GMs carte blanche to make it even meaner and nastier
MB Inspired Art
Svensk Köck
Concept: “The Svensk Köck is a murderous creature known to haunt the vilest kitchens of Graven-Tosk.”
Content: A Borgified parody of the Swedish Chef
Writing: Standard stat block with a paragraph detailing this … thing … and its specialty dish, The Black Feast
Art/design: Visually conveys Mörk Borg’s mix of humor and grimdark
Usability: Straightforward for GMs, potentially lethal for hungry PCs
The Cailleach’s Call
Content: A Power enabling casters find a familiar; includes rules for abilities and rosters of animals and traits
Writing: Primarily devoted to explaining the Power’s mechanics
Art/design: Appropriately mimics the appearance and texture of a scroll
Usability: Simple and straightforward
The Unworthy
Content: Circumvent (or kill) embodiments of the 7 Deadly Sins to reach the stronghold and negate a Misery
Writing: Sketches the overall scenario and individual encounters with stat blocks for each NPC
Art/design: Text blocks’ arrangement around the map reflects encounter placement on the map; typography and color also help with navigation
Usability: Carries serious penalties for PCs who take encounters at face value