I want to thank the author Christian Eichhorn for sending us a copy of Galgenbeck Sacrifice, an adventure compatible with Mörk Borg‘s ruleset, granting us the possibility to write this review.
This work was born thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign. It is now available on DriveThruRPG at a price of € 13.30 in digital format only.
The (Spoiler Free) Plot of the Work
The sun vanished behind a black disk months or years ago, who could tell. Now, a comet plows across the sky, leaving behind a trail of bloody pieces. The Galgenbecker people are confused, incited, whipped into a frenzy. So many innocent dangle from the trees. The stank lures in the ravens and worse.
Half of Galgenbeck’s population is gone. Most have fallen to Josilfa’s scythe. The city seems eerily empty, but nobody notices the citizens’ absence. Galgenbeck was always half empty. All is as it should be.
Galgenbeck is one of the most populous cities in Mörk Borg‘s setting, or rather it was.
Josilfa Migola is the eternal and merciless high priestess of the Cathedral of the Two-Headed Basilisks dedicated to the god Nechrubel, “the shadow that covers all”.
The comet symbolizes the advent of a herald of the god, ready to claim victims and tear the memories about them apart.
The characters are introduced into this scenario thanks to two smart narrative hooks, but nothing prevents you from creating your own. They will then be able to experience the difficult atmosphere of Galgenbeck, seeking their path within the city of death and amnesia. Mortal and otherworldly dangers may lurk around every corner, but also the possibility of lifting this curse.
As you can see from this review, Galgenbeck Sacrifice is characterized by a macro-plot within which players have ample freedom of exploration. The events are intriguing and the pressure of impending death manages to keep the tension high.
Galgenbeck Sacrifice Content Review
I would like to specify that this manual is really full of contents, a sign of great passion in its writing.
First of all the adventure: it takes up most of the manual, but I’ve already talked about this aspect. I only add that it is not a one-shot; it will take a few sessions to complete.
What fascinates me most, however, are probably all the extra contents that make the adventure deeper and more “alive”. There are bizarre and disturbing characters, descriptions of districts and important places (both known and hidden), specific maps, recurring enemies that populate Galgenbeck, rumors, a table with 100 specific random encounters and even some words of the specific dialect of the city.
I don’t want to go any further, but before moving on to the next point of this review I would like to underline the quality of these contents of Galgenbeck Sacrifice. Even taken individually, they can also help create your own adventures in this city, making it easily deeper.
The Structure of the Manual
The manual is only available in digital format and has 64 pages; not bad for a simple ruleset like Mörk Borg! In part this is confirmation of the richness of content; on the other hand, however, the eccentric and unmistakable aesthetic style of the works typical of this role-playing game spreads the words on a greater number of pages in order to leave the right space for art.
The images in Galgenbeck Sacrifice (as you can see from the ones included in this review) are mostly perfectly in the style of Mörk Borg. Quirky, weird and damn inspired. Honestly, I didn’t really appreciate a couple of more realistic ones, as I perceived them a bit out of place compared to the rest of the work. And to be precise, by “more realistic” I mean almost considerable vintage photos. Let me be clear, this does not spoil the beauty of the manual; simply, for personal taste, I would have preferred something else instead.
It is therefore not possible to identify a standard layout, because each page is different. Text adapts to images thanks to variable orientation and font. It is not a style for everyone, but personally I find it extremely fascinating.
Conclusions of the Review of Galgenbeck Sacrifice
I had not yet seen many long adventures for Mörk Borg and this work has been able to make up for this lack. This is not a campaign to run for years, but it does allow for some exciting and engaging sessions.
Furthermore, as mentioned earlier in this review, Galgenbeck Sacrifice has a considerable advantage over other adventures; the additional content related to the city makes it very useful for any other plot set there.
The price is higher than that of other products of this type, but the quality and the possibility of reusing it fully justify it.
For all these reasons, I can say that I am very satisfied with this manual and I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the mysteries of Galgenback in a beautiful adventure designed for Mörk Borg!
