Greetings!

I was watching Professor DM's reviews here of these two RPG products, and I think they both sound pretty damned awesome! Have any of you gotten a hold of either of these books? What are your views on the products?

Professor DM of the Dungeon Craft program is cool, too. I've watched many of his programs, and they are all very good and thoughtful.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Mork Borg is a mildly interesting setting idea with a artistic layout that some enjoy.  The system is nothing spectacular.  The pretty layout takes precedence over being able to read the text in the setting and rules section.  The adventure thankfully is more traditional in layout and decent enough.  If you want an art object, it's a good pickup.  Grim Jim was more generous in his review than I would have been.  My copy will be sold during the next shelf cleanup.

I've no experience with 5E Hardcore Mode.

Mork Borg is an experience thing. Admire it, play it, enjoy it, put it aside. Certainly well worth picking up, but get the physical copies as in pdf it is a nightmare to try and read. (and the expansion supplements are worse, definitely a form before function approach)

It's setting is more of a framework than a world and the scenarios it supports are limited. You will be playing a lot of 1 shots and character progression is rare if it happens at all.
The plethora of fan supplements is already starting to imbalance the original structure and new class selection options can/will break the game very easily.

I would not be tempted to get rid of my set, firstly because it will always be there as a good break between regular games or campaign interludes and secondly because it is a beautiful thing to have on the shelf and just admire from time to time.

Dungeon Craft is a very good RPG channel.  Professor Dungeon Master is very entertaining.

Having a Hardcore Mode for D&D 5E is a good option; especially for those who have a preference for early D&D flavor, that doesn't feel like you're playing a super hero.

Mork Borg is a one shot coffee table book.

5e Hardcore Mode is cool if your players will buy into it.

Quote from: mAcular Chaotic on May 27, 2021, 06:28:05 PM
Mork Borg is a one shot coffee table book.

5e Hardcore Mode is cool if your players will buy into it.

Greetings!

Nice! *laughing* A "One-shot Coffee table book!" I have to admit, such a suspicion did cross my mind. Good to know your views, Macular Chaotic!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quote from: Jam The MF on May 27, 2021, 01:47:31 PM
Dungeon Craft is a very good RPG channel.  Professor Dungeon Master is very entertaining.

Having a Hardcore Mode for D&D 5E is a good option; especially for those who have a preference for early D&D flavor, that doesn't feel like you're playing a super hero.

Greetings!

Yeah! I love the PDM program, too! excellent show. He covers all kinds of things, adventure design, table rules, DM stuff, and miniatures and painting discussions, too!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

I watched this review a while ago.  Mörk Børg...I don't like the art.  And the random charts seem like something you could pic up in any AD&D 3rd party suppliment. I love me some Scandinavian Death Metal, but I don't need to buy a book for that.

Hardcore Mode looks like it has some wonderful stuff in it. It has inspired me to write my own 5e suppliment. 

I present to you:

Ye [5e] OLE SKOOL UPGRADE (YOSU)
Stats, 3d6 in order.  Consult the table for your stat modifier:
3..........-5
4-5.....-4
6-8.....also-4
9-12...-3
13-15...-2
16-17....-1
18.........+0

Races:
You can be any race you want, as long as that race is "Human'", which gives no special abilities.  You can also be an "elf" (human with pointy ears), "dwarf" (short human with a beard), or a "half-orc" (really ugly human), but you don't get any perks for this. Anyone who tries to play a race with the word "Dragon", or "Half-..." in it, dies instantly.

Classes:
Fighter: can use any weapon/armor
Thief: can't use any weapon/armor
Magic User: can't use anything. Might get spells.

Hit Points:  every character gets 1 (one) hit point. When they gain a level, they get another hit point, plus their Constitution bonus.  If it is negative, they loose hit points.  If the hit point total reaches zero or less, the character dies.

Skills:  Your character has no skills.  If they had any skills, they would get a job, and would therefore have no reason to go crawling around in caves fighting monsters.

Starting funds/equipment:
Roll 3d6, multiply the result by 10.  This is how much money your character owes to creditors.  You start with no money.

Each character begins the game with the clothes on their back.  On a d20 roll of '20' a character may also have some lint in their pockets.

Fighter
Level/XP needed
1./0.
2./2000
3./4000.      +1 to attack bonus


Magic User
Level./XP needed./Spell slots per spell level:1/2/3
1. 0. /0./0. /0. 
2. /2,500../1./0./0.
3. 10,000. /2./1./0.   

Spells: Only Magic Users can learn and use spells.  A first level magic user starts with 0 spells and must learn them in the game. 

Thief
Level./XP needed
1./0
2./1
3./3.   

Theif "Skills"
Thieves know certain skills that are frowned upon in polite society:

Pick Nose: 1 in 4 (d4)
Climb stairs/ladders: 6 in 10 (d10)
Walk and chew food: 3in 12 (d12)
Hide: 1 in 7 (d8, reroll 8's)
Find Traps: Automatic (Oh! You found a trap alright!)

Backstab: Thieves gain "extra damage" (that is to say, "damage") when they attack an opponent who is unaware of their presence.  Since thieves are not allowed to use weapons, they can only harm enemies when they cheat.

Combat:
Each combat round is a minute (60 seconds) long.  Actual fighting doesn't take that long but this represents the time characters spend feinting and jockying for position while their opponents toy with them and laugh before administering a decisive blow.

Initiative: Your character goes last. 

Attack rolls and Armor Class:  In order to make things easier, YOSU uses a "descending armor class" system.  The better the armor, the lower the armor class.  The attack roll must be higher than the number listed.  This allows better equipped players to die sooner and end the DM's sadistic torment of their characters.  It's a mercy.

Armor Type.       AC(roll this number or higher to put a character out of their misery)
Leather AC:8
Chain Mail AC:5
Plate Mail AC:3

Weapon Damage
For expediencies sake, all weapons do 1d6 damage.  When a character reaches 0 Hit Points, he dies.  Any extra damage carries over to the player's next character as "Psychological Trauma".