Pirate Borg: RPG Starter Set Review

Bert
23 hours ago
5 min read

Quick, Fast, Spooky, and Fun RPG Review

The Pirate Borg Starter Set is the way to go if you want to hop into this RPG and immerse yourself into the world Immediately. The Starter Set box is packed full of content and everything you need to play. When I say packed I mean it, everywhere there could have been blank space has something including the inside of the box and the first page of the rulebook (before you get to the title page). This is a pirate themed RPG that adds in its own flavor to the genre that makes it a memorable experience.

What is in the Box?

The Pirate Borg Starter box comes with 5 full color double sided maps, plenty of tokens to use on the maps, a small deck of cards with creatures, items and other plot devices for the included adventure. There are dry erase character sheets and paper ones too. I guess it depends on how long you think you'll survive. The paper character sheets also have stats for boats, yea of course you can have boats its a pirate game.

If you seek a lightweight pirate adventure RPG this box should be your first stop.

Along with the Player's Guidebook there is an adventure included. Trapped in the Tropics puts players right into the action with a lot of undead creatures stomping around what is now Anguilla in the heart of the Caribbean. When I said it had everything to play I meant it, there are also dice and markers in the box. If you seek a lightweight pirate adventure RPG this box should be your first stop.

Pirate Borg RPG System

The very first page of the Player's Guidebook will help you generate a random character in 2 pages. If you want to build a custom character (i know you do) The next 6 pages will get you there and you will learn the entire system enough to play. I told you it was lightweight!

Pirate Borg uses very stats similar to most Tabletop Role Playing Games (TTRPGs). Strength, Agility, Presence, Toughness, and Spirit are the five stats. Presence is the intelligence/charisma stat and Spirit is more willpower/wisdom and using relics and rituals. IN Pirate Borg players roll 3D6 to get the modifier for the stat they are rolling. So if a 14-14 is rolled you get a +1 for that stat. Unlike D&D where a player would write both the stat roll and the modifier in Pirate Borg only the modifier is used.

it gets players in the action right way and gives them ... a reason to try that risky move that could result in stories that are retold for years.

Leveling up is a huge part of other TTRPGs but In Pirate Borg it is decided by the Game Master (GM) when players improve rather than using experience points. When players improve they generally gain new abilities or gear. One thing a brute can get when getting better is a top of the line blunderbuss, where a Zealot will gain a new prayer.

This play style puts the focus on the story and not developing characters. With the ease of creating a new character it puts players in a position to be more performative and cinematic taking risks when they might not otherwise. I like this because it gets players in the action right way and gives them an out if they don't like their character or reason to try that risky move that could result in stories that are retold for years.

I mentioned ships earlier and there are a full set of rules to support naval combat, ship design and crewing the ship. Things are scaled in a reasonable way (cannon balls will hurt you). Its fun to build a boat in this system and then take your adventures in to the breach.

Along with the standard selection of stuff, weapons, armor the starter set comes with 8 piratey classes to design your character from. There is also a bonus section that allows you to build a "tall tales" character. If you ever wanted to be a mystically intelligent Chicken or bilge rat now is your chance. Players can also build out a Merfolk or Aquatic Mutant.

One last part of Pirate Borg I like is the Devils Luck. This is a system that allows players to put their finger on the scale. Yet another reason to make dramatic risky choices. You can use the luck points to do max damage, reduce damage done to you, reroll a die, make a test easier or neutralize that critical fumble. This builds in a small but handy economy into the game. Players have an opportunity to gain back luck points after a 6hr rest when they have run out of them. If you are not fully depleted you do not gain any back. This very much encourages the use of luck in the game.

Inside Scoop and PIDGY coins — Trapped in the Tropics and Players Guidebook

Trapped in The Tropics Adventure (Minor Spoilers)

In the Pirate Borg starter set there lies an adventure. Not just a small thing either its a four part adventure that takes place in the Caribbean Sea, more specifically in and around what is called Anguilla now. The adventure book starts off with some tips and techniques on running a game as GM. Then it turns quickly to the adventure. The adventure has the Players on a salvage mission bringing along a Spanish conquistador and a nun to find a ship. Things obviously are not what they seem and the adventure quickly takes players through the region discovering what is really going on.

There is a mechanic introduced in this adventure Ash. This is the remains of undead that is consumed and has psychological and psychedelic affects. The adventure does a good job of leaving this a little open ended and Ash can be a gem that is possessed by players rather than a drug like substance.

As players get into the adventure there are all the fixings of a great pirate adventure - ships, treasure maps, and ghosts. The adventure is well written and all the tokens and maps that come in the starter box support this adventure. The book itself is beautiful and comes with a lot of backstory and lore for the GM to use during the adventure. This is an excellent place to start for people new to the Pirate Borg system. There are more adventure books available on their website if you want to take your adventures further and deeper into the Pirate Borg world.

Paper and Remarkable character sheets with boat cards

Thoughts Pirate Borg

Pirate Borg hit all the hits for me pirates, horror, easy to learn, quick to play, and wont get bogged down in rules research. My RPG group plays a lot of different systems and this one is going to be a welcome addition especially in our scenario where people come in and out a lot. It takes only a few minutes to explain the basics and just a few more to make a character. Pirate Borg focuses on the story and I like that a lot. Its no secret I like pirates but this is my favorite RPG system. I havent played Mork Borg yet and reading this system has me amped for that too. They have also just launched a Pirate map kickstarter that would be a welcome addition to the starter set.