I enjoy looking into new RPG systems even though my play group only plays D&D. I like to see what else is out there because the burnout gets too real sometimes. Who knows? Maybe one day I can convince my playgroup to dip into something new for a campaign or two, and I’ll be ready with a backlog of options.
One of the systems I considered switching to was the Swedish RPG MÖRK BORG. MÖRK BORG is a ttrpg set in a post-apocalyptic world with a solid combat system and possibly the coolest rulebook you’ll ever own. If you haven’t seen the MÖRK BORG core rule book yet, look it up. It is beautiful. I almost bought into the system just so that I could flip through the pages and appreciate the art.
MÖRK BORG is getting a pirate-themed spin-off, and it looks just as good as the base game. PIRATE BORG introduces eight new playable classes, 80+ new monsters, an easy-to-learn naval combat system, and an adventure to get you started. This book has everything you’ll need to run a pirate campaign in a cool dark fantasy system worth exploring. I mean, who doesn’t want to play in a pirate campaign? Make sure you check out the official site if you’d like to try the game for free. The publishers have a rules reference sheet, character sheets, maps, and a character randomizer.
Preorders for PIRATE BORG are now live on the official site. The core book costs $36.84 plus shipping, which is a solid price for how good this book is going to look on your table. People who preorder also get immediate access to the book in PDF so you can start your Pirate adventure before the official release on September 19. Don’t forget to check out the rest of MÖRK BORG content while you’re at it!
Tanares Adventures – Ultimate Edition is coming to Kickstarter June 27th and it is going to be the biggest dungeon crawler ever!
Tanares Adventures returns to Kickstarter on June 27th with some much-needed improvements and more minis than you can handle. If you are looking for a dungeon crawler to get into or simply looking to upgrade the copy you already own, go follow the Kickstarter.
Tanares Adventures is a tabletop dungeon crawler that promises hundreds of hours of gameplay through its many quests, choices, and battles. The game is designed for up to eight players, with solo play in mind for those like me who don’t have eight friends. Players control two four-member teams as they go on an epic adventure and meet at the end. The choices you make matter, so make them wisely.
The combat is unique and interesting. Each hero has a unique stat block and access to certain abilities. Gear cards will give heroes access to additional abilities that will recharge after certain conditions are met. There is a level-up system to get you through your adventure. Combat is done by rolling dice and playing ability cards. Enemies have a seemingly well-designed AI, but I would to test it for myself to confirm. The game encourages teamwork and strategy through its many configurations, choices, and skills.
If you a more in-depth explanation of how to play the game and how combat works, check out The Meeple Marathon video on how to play. He does a fantastic job at breaking down the rules and explaining the game in a way that is easy to understand. Make sure you go follow him for some excellent board game content.
What drew me to this game were its minis, but after seeing some of the gameplay, I am interested either way. This game looks perfect for those who want to dive into another adventure, but don’t want to be bogged down by complicated rules. From what I saw Tanares Adventures seems easy to pick up, set up, and play.
If you want to buy the base game with the minis, you will have to back the game at $189. This gets you 100 minis, inserts to store them in, and all the maps and components you need to get started. The more money you throw into this game, the prettier your game will be. Higher tiers will have access to more minis and storage solutions. But if you only care about the gameplay, you can back the project at $129 to get the Standee Edition. The standee edition gets all the maps and core components, and access to stretch goals, but will receive cardboard standees instead of the minis. There are also some upgrade packages available for those of you who already bought the game.
Tanares Adventures looks might be worth looking into if you are in the market for a new dungeon crawler. The art is beautiful, the concept is interesting, and the minis are amazing. I can see myself using the maps and minis for my D&D campaign. Whatever your interest in this game may be, make sure you follow the Kickstarter so you know when it goes live. Backers who pledge at least $89 on the first day will receive a really cool dragon mini as a special gift.
Candela Obscura: The Macrabre System You Should Be Trying
Like a lot of people, I got into Dungeons and Dragons because I enjoyed watching Critical Role. I’ve since stopped following the show as closely, save for the animated series on Amazon, but have been playing with the same group of randoms I met three years ago. I love D&D, but I am always looking into new systems to try. I like to borrow mechanics from other systems, but mostly, I like to see what’s out there.
I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Critical Role was changing systems. There has been speculation about the move for a while now. I think the drama with Hasbro getting too greedy had its part in the transition, but I also think they were looking for a new system that allowed them to focus on the narrative. Critical Role has been a catalyst for D&D’s recent popularity, and I am curious to see how this move affects the player base.
Their newest campaign, Candela Obscura, will use the Illuminated Worlds system. I won’t be covering the campaign, but I have read the quick start guide and thought it was worth some attention. For those interested in running a campaign of Candela Obscura, download the quick start guide from the official site.
In Candela Obscura, players will face off against the paranormal as they investigate the macabre and the mysterious. While there are many opportunities for combat, the system’s focus is building a compelling narrative through its checks and player interactions.
The best way to learn about this game is through the quick start guide. It has easy-to-learn mechanics, a prewritten adventure, and pregenerated character sheets to get you started. Best of all, you can play it for free. Do note that you are getting a simplified version of the RPG, but it is enough to get you a taste of the system. I think it is a neat system to try. I particularly like how it handles checks and the flavor of its world. The guide is free, so you have nothing to lose if you try it today.
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The BrikWars are Coming!
If you are in the market for a new quirky tabletop wargame, you should look into BrikWars. Brik Wars aims to give your old brick systems a new purpose with a ruleset that seems like a silly good time. Build and destroy your own battlefield, collect unique armies, gather powerful weapons and items, or go on one of the prewritten adventures. No building instructions are required! All you need are a set of bricks, the core rule book, and some imagination. The combat mechanics seem simple to learn, and there is an interesting build/destruction mechanic that promises a fresh tabletop experience. There are even prewritten adventures you can run through before breaking off and making your own. Players can either use the rules for wargaming or for running a silly TTRPG.
I don’t think this will be anyone’s main wargame or TTRPG, but it does look like something you pull out when you don’t want to get too serious. This also looks like a great way to get kids into tabletop gaming without having to buy too many game pieces, assuming your kid already has a healthy collection of Legos. The art is cute, the rules seem simple enough to teach, it has a very quirky and fun tone, and there seems to be a lot of room to be creative.
The book is scheduled to ship on September 2023, but you can preorder your core rulebook today. Preorder now to receive a pdf sample of the rule book for testing. The publisher is looking for feedback before the game’s release so that the game releases at its best version, so make sure you share your thoughts on the game.
You can preorder the book for $50.44. Now seems like a great time to dust off your old Legos or simply buy new ones.
Unveiling Dragonbane: A Swedish RPG Gem with Stunning Art
I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a couple of years as a player and a DM and have enjoyed every minute. I have made some great new friends, and I look forward to hanging out with them every week. That said, there have been times in my D&D career when burnout has gotten to me. This burnout has made me curious about other systems. Sometimes just I want to live in a new system for a session or three to keep things fresh. Over the years, I’ve researched a few systems to sprinkle into our sessions. This time, my search brought me to the classic Swedish RPG Dragonbane.
What first drew me to this system was the beautiful art style. If nothing else, you need to look up this system to appreciate the artwork. The system looks simple enough to pick up quickly, and it has an interesting parry/dodge mechanic that could make combat more interesting.
If you want to play Dragonbane, there is a free QuickStart guide you can download with the basic rules and even a short adventure you can run. You will not have to enter any payment information if you order it through the site, but the delivery does take a couple of minutes to get to you. I suggest you get a copy directly from Drivethrough RPG instead.
You can preorder the core set from the official site for $53.93. For this price, you’ll receive a copy of the rule book, an adventure book with 11 adventures, a set of dice, five pre-generated character sheets, five blank character sheets, a double-sided map, custom treasure cards, and cardboard standees for characters and monsters. People who preorder will also get immediate access to the PDF of the rulebook, so you can start playing immediately. The core set has everything you need to get you hooked for a very reasonable price. You can convert the pricing on the store page to your local currency but not the cart. A quick Google search should remedy this. They do ship to the US, but I am not sure about anywhere else. The shipping cost was reasonable if I did the conversion correctly.
Dragonbane looks to be a solid system if you are looking to get into a new TTRPG. I will be trying to get my players to join me on this adventure, will you be doing the same?
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Game Review: Demeo
I was given Demeo at GDC to review for my blog. I would like to take the time to thank the Devs for taking the time to talk to me and answer all my questions. I am very grateful for the opportunity to try this game more thoroughly. That said, this will be an honest review of the game.
Demeo is a co-op dungeon crawler tabletop game that you can play on PC and VR. You choose from seven classes and move them through different themed dungeons to clear their objectives. Demeo has a minor deck-building mechanic. You use abilities, items, and spells by casting them from cards you buy, find, or earn throughout the dungeon. On each turn, each character has two actions. A character can move, attack, or use an ability. The goal of this game isn’t to clear the dungeon of its monsters but to complete the dungeon’s objectives. It is easy to get caught up fighting monsters only to be overrun by them when you take too long to clear a floor. There is strategy to this game, but it is manageable if you are thinking about your turns carefully.
I love this game because it gives me the perfect board game experience without having to spend time on setup and cleanup. I came into this game already infatuated by the limited experience I got at GDC, but I wasn’t prepared for how dangerous this game was for my time. One more turn easily turned into hours later, so I had to make sure I at least ran my sessions with a timer.
The game runs and looks great. I love the different aesthetics of the adventures, and you can earn cosmetics by playing the game. I did try both the PC and VR versions of the game and have no preference. I love how immersive the VR version of the game is, but the PC version is a great alternative when I don’t want to put on the headset. There is cross-play between the versions, so you don’t need to buy a VR headset if you don’t need one.
The game is meant to be played with other players. You can team up with your friends, or play online with strangers. I keep the strangest gaming hours, so I wasn’t able to play with others. If you are like me and don’t have friends, the solo experience is fantastic. You can run dungeons with a single hero, or you can run them with four. I liked that I was able to try different characters at once. Both experiences felt vastly different, and they kept the game fresh. The difficulty of the dungeon scales was based on the number of characters in the party, but I felt the scaling was fair.
Demeo is a ton of fun and a must-buy if you like playing board games. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation, Pico, Meta Quest, and Epic Games for $39.99.
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Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
I know we were supposed to boycott Honor Among Thieves because of how greedy Hasbro is, but my wife wanted to watch it. I couldn’t miss out on the rare opportunity to nerd out with her. She doesn’t care much for my love for D&D, so I was hopeful that this would be my chance to bring her into the hobby. I am still working on convincing her, but at least she enjoyed the movie.
Chris pine is a charismatic bard who turns to a life of crime when his wife is brutally murdered. On his last job, he gets captured and sentenced to jail. On his release, he discovers that the man he trusted his daughter to has taken her. It is now up to him and a band of misfits he has gathered to go on an epic adventure and get her back. Do they have what it takes to overcome the evils this world has to offer?
I had a ton of fun with this movie. The characters are charismatic, the D&D references are fantastic, and the balance between comedy and action is perfect. There was a fear going into this movie that it would sacrifice tension and suspense for one-liners and dumb gags, but I was surprised by how well this movie did. Honor Among Thieves knows when to break the tension with a joke, but it also knows when to be serious to build its suspense. The fight scenes are tense and epic, and I dare you to sit through this whole movie without laughing.
The actors are great. The chemistry between the characters is fantastic, and they play off each other so well. I think this movie works so well because of how well the actors play their characters. If nothing else, they look like they are having fun with this movie. Instead of a generic comedic action or fantasy movie, it felt like a D&D campaign adapted into a film.
If you know nothing about Dungeons and Dragons, you don’t need to. I enjoyed all the references to spells, monsters, and rules, but I didn’t find it necessary to understand what is going on. My wife doesn’t know anything about the game but enjoyed it tremendously. The movie is just a fun adventure with magic and maybe a dragon or two. My only complaint is that the movie is a bit predictable, but it is fine for what it is.
If you are thinking of watching Honor Among Thieves, watch it in theaters. This movie is at least worth a discounted ticket, but I understand the need to boycott it.