Pirate Borg

Pirate Borg is a pirate roleplaying game set in a dark version of the Caribbean, where the dead don’t stay down and the sea is full of things worse than the navy. It’s built on the MÖRK BORG rules, which means it’s fast, loose and very dangerous for your character.

How it works

You roll up a pirate in a few minutes and you’re ready to play. There’s no long list of abilities to learn. You describe what your character does, and when it’s risky you roll a d20 to see how it goes.

The game has proper rules for ships: sailing, cannon fire, boarding actions and crews. So an evening can move from a tavern brawl to a sea battle to a cursed island without anyone reaching for a rulebook.

What makes it fun

Characters in Pirate Borg die easily, and everyone at the table knows it. That changes how people play. Nobody gets precious about their pirate, so they take wild risks, make terrible deals and swing from the rigging, and the group laughs about it when it goes wrong. If your pirate dies, you roll up a new one and you’re back in within minutes.

The tone is grim but it’s also a lot of fun. Think of the darker end of pirate films, with undead crews and ancient curses, played by a table that knows none of them will get rich.

Best for

Adult groups who want a one-shot that’s easy to pick up, a bit gruesome and full of chaos. A good choice for people who’ve tried D&D and want something faster and rougher, and for anyone who has always wanted to play a pirate.