First I want to thank Rinaldo Agostini for sending us a copy of You Nameless Scum so that we can write this review. It is the first gamebook in English inspired by the horror role-playing game Mörk Borg.
If, once you have read our review, you want to buy it, you can find it in the physical version for around €23 or digital for around $7,70.
Once the necessary premises have been completed, it’s time to throw ourselves into this adventure that promises to be rapid and brutal.
The Contents of You Nameless Scum
In order to play this title it is not necessary to know the rules of the TTRPG Mörk Borg. If we manage to survive until the end of the gamebook, however, we will be able to use our character within the game sessions. In case you are also interested in experimenting with this possibility, I refer you to our review of Mörk Borg.
The plot of the work is very simple. Our protagonist wakes up in a cave, not knowing how he got there and with no other memories. Its only purpose is to survive. The setting is filled with lethal dangers, including a strange infestation that seems to affect multiple creatures.
In case they survive, I appreciated that completing the gamebook corresponds to creating a character and their background for Mörk Borg.
A First Look at the Gamebook
The first advantage of You Nameless Scum is to have focused on a compact and pocket format that facilitates playability. The 155 pages host 243 paragraphs full of details and descriptions that transport the player to a macabre setting. So the atmosphere that is created is perfectly in line with the role-playing game that inspires it. However, unlike a normal session, the gamebook never loses its tone by imprisoning the reader between its pages.
To complete the narrative part, there are a good number of extremely evocative color illustrations. Their style recalls what was seen in the Mörk Borg manual. The most commonly used colors are black and white, which alternate between writing, illustrations and background.
You Nameless Scum Mechanics Review
The mechanics of the gamebook is very simple and takes up just six pages. In order to play we will need a classic set of dice (from d4 to d20) and a pencil. The gamebook guides us step by step in the creation of our unfortunate survivor, helping us to generate characteristics, abilities and possessions. The gamebook follows a regulation that is based on the classic overcoming of a difficulty threshold.
For example, if we are asked for a test of strength with grade 13, we will have to roll a die out of twenty, add up our strength modifier and equal or exceed the difficulty. This modality follows both the simple tests and the fights, in which a fixed value of attack and defense is indicated to equal or exceed.
Final Thoughts
You Nameless Scum is an excellent gamebook that succeeds in its attempt to transport the reader into a distressing setting.
The format, the layout and the graphic component blend perfectly, never resulting heavy, but helping the reader to get lost in its pages.