Rotblack Sludge | Play to Learn MÖRK BORG

Rotblack Sludge | Play to Learn MÖRK BORG

You are SCUM and the world is ending, but that's no reason not to have a great time having a horrible time.

TYPE

One-Shot

LANGUAGE

English

EXPERIENCE

Beginner

AGE

18+
2 NEEDED TO START
$20.00

/ Session

Details

1 player following this game

Once / Sunday - 11:00 PM UTC

Oct 25

Session Duration / 3 hours

2 / 5 Seats Filled

Top Game Master

One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.

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This game will begin once 4 players have joined

Meet your party members

2/5

About the adventure

Rotblack Sludge is an introductory dungeon crawl for MÖRK BORG, set in a grim, dark, and nihilistic world where death is frequent and often meaningless. The game leans heavily into old-school dungeon crawling, emphasizing danger, scarcity, and the inevitability of failure. You SCUM face execution for heretical theft, but a masked Seer, a Courtier of the Shadow King, offers you a final chance at life. The King’s only heir, his son Aldon, has gone missing, and without him, the crown will pass to the King’s imbecile brother. Retrieve the boy discreetly, and you will be rewarded with wealth, freedom, and your worthless life.

Game style

Dungeon Crawl

Combat Heavy

Rule of Cool (RoC)

Roleplay Heavy

Meet the Game Master

5.0

(38)

TOP GM
Podcaster
Published Writer
Artist

1 year on StartPlaying

84 games hosted

Highly rated for: Beginner Friendly, Inclusive, Sets the Mood

Average response time: Under 1 hour

Response rate: 100%

About me

I am a published author and knew I wanted to be a writer when I was fourteen. My day job is a Technical Writer, building documentation and knowledge bases for hardware and software companies, but storytelling has always spilled into everything else I do. Game Mastering scratches every storytelling itch I have. Writing, directing, editing, improvisation, performance, and collaboration happen in real time with the players. After running games across a wide range of systems and tones, I’ve learned to adapt to what a group is looking for and build sessions around the rhythm that develops at the table, whether that means investigation, horror, character drama, tension, absurdity, or all of the above. My goal is always to make the world responsive and alive while giving players enough freedom to surprise themselves, their fellow players, and me.

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Character creation

Creating your character

You may either select from a list of pre-gens or create your own character by rolling at the beginning of the session. It is an almost absurdly easy process and doesn't matter much. Remember, you are SCUM, and your character is most likely doomed anyway. Try not to think about it. You may also create a character in advance of the session here and export: https://scvmbirther.makedatanotlore.dev/

What to expect

Preparing for the session

Prepare for the apocalypse by downloading the absolutely free MÖRK BORG BARE BONES edition direct from the publisher: https://morkborg.com/content/ Welcome to MÖRK BORG. To keep onboarding smooth and get into play without delay, complete the steps below before the session. Nothing here is difficult, but doing it ahead of time avoids technical friction once we begin. What we are using • Foundry: the virtual tabletop where the game takes place • Discord: https://discord.gg/pw262FFCFy Preparation Steps You will receive a direct invitation link to the Foundry game. Open the link in a browser. No account is required. A password will be provided. If you are unfamiliar with Foundry, review the basics here: https://foundryvtt.com/article/player-orientation/ Optional, but useful • Use Chrome or Firefox for best performance • Headphones recommended • Join Discord before the session to confirm audio works Once inside Foundry, you will only need to move your token, roll when prompted, and follow along. Everything else will be handled in the session.

What Dan brings to the table

Rotblack Sludge is an intense MÖRK BORG dungeon crawl, complete with a quick rules reference, guidance, music, atmosphere, a map with dynamic lighting, and horrible secrets. We will be using the Foundry implementation of the system, which allows for some automation in the character sheets, but will require some bookkeeping and manual tracking. The rules are simple in the OSR-style rules, and the scenario is designed to help you learn them. I will be providing a quick rules overview and reference sheet, atmosphere, NPC voices, nasty surprises, and certain doom.

Homebrew rules

What could be possibly be improved upon?

Equipment needed to play

Internet

Computer

Microphone

Safety

How Dan creates a safe table

This is a grim, dark, and nihilistic game and setting. MÖRK BORG leans into extreme violence, decay, and hopelessness, often described as the death metal of tabletop RPGs. Characters may be subjected to brutal, unfair, and often senseless circumstances. Because of that, we will discuss potential triggers before we begin and make sure everyone is comfortable with the tone and content. That said, the intention is not to create a traumatic experience. The setting is a stylized, almost exaggerated exploration of dark fantasy themes, and part of the fun lies in the harsh, disposable nature of the characters and the unpredictability of their fate. The tone in the fiction may be horrific, but the experience at the table should remain enjoyable, absurd at times, and ultimately lighthearted. Player comfort is always the priority. We will be using a Foundry module called Table Safety, which allows any player to pause play at any time, skip content, or raise a concern without explanation. You are always free to step away, message privately, or redirect the scene if something becomes too intense.

Content warnings

Animal Death
Alcohol Use
Blood
Body Horror
Cannibalism
Character Death
Cults
Death
Deep or Large Bodies of Water
Drowning
Execution
Extreme Violence
Hostages

Safety tools used

Frequently asked questions