BlackwaterDnD

Mörk Borg is a doom metal apocalyptic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, published by Free League Publishing in 2020. It was created by Pelle Nilsson and Johan Nohr. The game is famous for its aggressive, award winning graphic design and incredibly bleak tone. Players navigate a dying world destined to end, playing as miserable scoundrels, heretics, and broken souls simply trying to survive their final days. The system it is heavily inspired by is Old School Renaissance (2000s) Description In Mörk Borg, you do not play heroes. You play tomb robbers and outcasts exploring a grim, rotting world under a black sun. The setting is actively counting down to the apocalypse as prophesied by the two headed basilisk. Gameplay is highly lethal, fast paced, and completely unfair. It prioritizes atmosphere, quick rulings, and embracing the inevitable doom of your character. System Overview & Key Features Player Facing d20 Rolls The core mechanic is incredibly simple. Players roll a 20 sided die (d20) and add a stat modifier to beat a Target Number, which is usually 12. Players roll for all attacks and all defense. The Game Master never touches the dice during combat. The Calendar of Nechrubel The world is literally ending. Each morning, the Game Master rolls a die to determine if a Misery occurs. When the seventh Misery is rolled, the world burns and the game is permanently over. The players cannot stop this. Omens Characters have a small pool of Omens each day. These are points that can be spent to reroll a failed test, maximize damage dealt, reduce damage taken, or neutralize a critical hit. In a highly lethal game, Omens are the only thing keeping a character alive. Unpredictable Magic Magic is cast by reading ancient Unclean or Sacred scrolls. Any class can attempt to read a scroll, but doing so requires a Presence test. Failing this test results in a terrifying Arcane Catastrophe, causing massive damage or permanent mutations. Zero HP and Broken Bodies When a character reaches zero Hit Points, they are Broken. The player must roll on a brutal table to determine their fate. They might simply be knocked unconscious, lose a limb, or die instantly and gruesomely. Additional links youtube.com MÖRK BORG RPG Trailer morkborg.com - Official Mörk Borg website freeleaguepublishing.com - Official Free League Publishing website

Overview Obsidian is a free, locally-stored Markdown note-taking application that the TTRPG community has widely adopted as a campaign wiki, session planner, and lore database. Originally designed as a personal knowledge management tool, it stores everything as plain text files on your own machine with no subscription required. Description Unlike purpose-built platforms such as World Anvil, Obsidian was not designed with TTRPGs in mind, which means it arrives without templates, stat block support, or any TTRPG-specific structure out of the box. GMs who want those features need to install and configure community plugins themselves, which carries a steeper setup cost than dedicated alternatives. For those comfortable with that process, however, the result is a highly customizable system with no ongoing fees and no vendor lock-in. A thriving plugin ecosystem has filled most of the gaps, and the tool has become a genuine alternative to subscription-based worldbuilding platforms for technically comfortable Game Masters. System Overview & Key Features The Vault System Obsidian organizes everything into a "vault", a folder of plain Markdown files stored locally on your machine. Your campaign notes are portable, readable in any text editor, and not tied to any server or subscription. There is no proprietary format and no account required to access your own files. Bidirectional Linking Obsidian's core feature is its wiki-style linking. Typing [[The Silver Throne Tavern]] in a session note creates a connection to that location's article, tracked in both directions. You can click any note and immediately see every other note that references it, from quest hooks to NPC backstories. Graph View Every link in your vault is visualized as an interactive network graph. Game Masters use it to see which NPCs are the most connected, which locations have no written articles yet, and where campaign threads intersect. It is a useful overview tool for large, complex vaults. Canvas Canvas is Obsidian's built-in infinite whiteboard. Game Masters use it to map out plot arcs, organize faction relationships, or plan dungeon layouts using a drag-and-drop interface that links back to notes in the vault. TTRPG Plugin Ecosystem Obsidian has no native TTRPG features, but community plugins cover most needs. Fantasy Statblocks renders monster and NPC stat blocks from multiple game systems inside your notes. Initiative Tracker handles combat order. Dice Roller allows rolls directly from the vault. The Leaflet plugin embeds interactive, pinnable maps into location articles. Each plugin is maintained independently, so quality and update frequency varies. Templater The Templater plugin allows you to define reusable document templates. For example NPC sheet with fields for Motivation, Secrets, and Stat Block, or a session template with sections for Recap, Key Beats, and Cliffhanger. New documents can be generated from any template in a single command, which significantly reduces repetitive formatting work. The plugin ecosystem extends well beyond what is listed here, with community tools covering everything from database-style note querying and cross-device sync to interactive maps and combat automation. A full directory is available at community plugins. Additional Links obsidian.md - Official website and download obsidian.md/plugins - Community plugin directory forum.obsidian.md - Official community forum

You have found a D&D group, your characters are ready and the players are hyped for the start of the game. However there is a thought that keeps cropping up in the back of your head: “What if they take the story in a direction I don’t feel comfortable with?” Tabletop roleplaying games are built on imagination and improvisation. Therefore setting boundaries might feel wrong or tricky. Perhaps you or someone else has a phobia of spiders, or some situations might make you uncomfortable. This is where safety tools come to play. Before you start thinking that these are borderline “censorship” methods - they are communication shortcuts that ensure everyone in your group is having fun, even if the story gets dark or brutal. What are safety tools? Think of safety tools as subtle “safe words” in a stunt show or a timeout in sports. It doesn’t mean that the show can’t go on, instead it allows for the participants to pause, edit or skip certain bits of content that might not be something everyone is comfortable with. It avoids the need for that awkward, long speech about themes and decisions while making some people feel uncomfortable with either expressing their creativity or feeling targeted in another way. When everyone at your group knows where the “emergency brake” lever is, players usually feel more comfortable with intense roleplay situations, as everyone feels more in control of the direction the story is going. /images/general-media/1778077472_okHsoUPF.gifIf the game goes in a direction that everyone is comfortable with - rewind. The big three Lines and Veils This is a list that is collaboratively created during Session Zero. Everyone agrees upon setting limitations regarding various topics and when to let the story progress in a “skip cutscene” manner. Lines: Hard boundaries. If a “line” is drawn at harming animals, these situations do not occur in your games. Veils: A soft boundary - this is more of a “fade to black” moment, where the story overlooks specific details and situations, but still acknowledges their existence. The X-card If a situation makes you uncomfortable, signaling (either with a physical card with an X on it, or writing it in the chat) the X-card means that whatever is going on is skipped or retconned. The game continues but avoids the specific direction it is currently headed. This is a no questions asked situation. You don’t have to explain why this situation bothers you, a healthy group will respect your choice and preference and move on. Open door policy In a situation, where you do not feel comfortable, you are permitted to simply get up and leave the table to either “take five” or stay away until the current situation is resolved. Or if the theme is simply overwhelming, you can excuse yourself for the rest of the session. It is important that the group agrees beforehand to respect the open door approach and will not judge the person choosing to opt out. “This will ruin the mood!” As a DM (or a player), you might fear that using safety tools will break the immersion. In reality, the opposite is true - players knowing that they and their preferences are respected will keep everyone on the same page. When a group has no discussed boundaries beforehand, players are likely to simply “shut down” during specific situations and simply disconnect either mentally or digitally from the game at hand. Since the story involves everyone in the group, everyone should feel like they want to be part of it. Knowing beforehand which themes and topics may be an issue for your players will help everyone in the group focus more on the game, and less on worrying or playing the “guessing game”, wondering whether the topic at hand is appropriate for everyone. How to react when a tool is used If you are the DM and someone uses the X-card or reminds of a “line”, here is a professional way to handle it: Stop. Pause the narration or situation immediately. Acknowledge. Say “Thanks for letting me know.” Don’t ask “Why” or try to downplay the situation. Respect the player and their decision Adjust. Change the scene. Feel free to “rewind” the scene and take it in a different direction. Instead of spiders in the room, there are goblins, wolves, mimics, dragons (okay lets not overdo it…), or nothing at all. Check-in. A quick “Everyone good?” to check whether the situation has been resolved. And continue the game. Why do we promote using safety tools? When meeting new people for the first time, you don’t have years of history to know what their triggers or boundaries are. And circling back to the “guessing game” - you shouldn’t be expected to know these. Instead clear communication will help your group in the long run. Using safety tools should be seen as a strong green flag. It tells others that you are a thoughtful player or a DM, who cares about the people behind the characters. You will turn the group of strangers into trusted players much faster. Be a brave player Great tabletop gaming stories are ones where players take risks, are vulnerable, come up with stupid plans (that somehow work) and defeat villains. Safety tools will guide your game in a direction where you don’t step on anyone’s toes and lets you focus on the game at hand. Ready to get into a game? Post your player profile on Groupfinder, or find a group where you can gather other like-minded, respectful, players.  If you know of a DM, who is looking to level up their group management - then share this article with them and help make the tabletop community a better and more enjoyable place for everyone. If you are ready to jump into a game, head over to our directory to find a D&D group looking for players right now.