We had the pleasure to interview the authors of the amazing RPG Mörk Borg: Pelle Nilsson and Joahn Nohr. A few weeks ago we posted our appreciation for the rulebook and the supplement Feretory. We liked them so much, in fact, that we felt a need to look further into it.
We know that Pelle mainly dealt with writing and the rules, while Johan used his talent to create the artistic side of this work, but we wanted to talk about their inspiration, their past works and their programs for the future.
Let’s find out what they told us!
First of all, congratulations on your success. Your dark son is (deservedly) winning more awards than there are damned in hell. Our first question for this interview is: how was the Mörk Borg project born? What inspired you and why did you decide to use that game system?
Pelle: Thanks! I was at a convention in the north part of Sweden and some of us wanted to play something rules-light when the hour was late. I started to work on that and first did one paper with the rules and some few monsters. Then did the classes and Omens on another paper. I presented the idea to Johan and we decided that it would be cool with a “zine-ish” book, reminding of old stuff that was made in the 70s and 80s. A light game/book you can put in your bag and start playing in 15 minutes. System wise I wanted to do something that was easy to convert from the first game that was made in 1974.
Johan: Me and Pelle worked together on a Swedish horror game called Barkhäxan and realized that we make a pretty good team. So I didn’t hesitate a second when the opportunity came to collaborate again with this thing.
The doom metal atmosphere is very evident throughout the manual. Does this feature only reflect a general passion of yours or is any particular song “present” in Mörk Borg? And what are your favorite metal bands?
Pelle: It’s mostly a general passion. I was more inspired by music (except the rules) when writing the game. Favourite music for me is early doom metal like the first five Black Sabbath albums, and then “second wave” bands like Cathedral (UK). I really like a couple of bands from the early years of the norwegian black metal era: Darkthrone (Mörk tron in swedish by the way) and Mayhem. Non-metal music is also high on the list, mostly dark ambient (like Desiderii Marginis) and classical music.
Johan: Music is such a strong source of inspiration for both of us, and MÖRK BORG is kind of a musical project as well as a game. So far we’ve released one album together with Gnoll and Heimat Der Katastrophe, and there’s another album coming as well in the shape of Putrescence Regnant that we do with Games Omnivorous and Exalted Funeral (as well as Mange Maria and Greg Anderson of Sunn O))) ). When I made the core book I listened to a ton of doom and black metal and tried to make the visual presentation and the design channel that sound. I think what I listened to most during the making of the book was Bongripper, Conan, Murg and This Gift is a Curse. And depending on the music I listened to, the design and art changed into that atmosphere.
The feeling we had in the months after the game was released was that of a product that does not want to be elitist, but offers all its players the opportunity to integrate it with new content (also publishable). Is that so? Is this choice proving successful in creating an active community?
Johan/Pelle: The whole inclusive and creative DIY mindset is very important to us, and we want to keep encouraging people to participate and add to or tweak the game to fit their style.
Let’s talk about Feretory. This product collects a lot of extra content to expand the base game. What are the innovations that you think are most interesting (and would you maybe have preferred to have included them in the basic manual)?
Johan: The first submission to the Cult–and really the thing that gave us the idea to begin with–was the overland travel rules by Svante Landgraf which we named Roads to Damnation in Feretory. It’s such a simple module really, but one I can’t see myself play without. It’s also super easy to add to with additional roadside events and encounters depending on where in the world you are or what Miseries have occurred. I’m also very fond of the d100 table of random shit that you can find. They’re not useful or remarkable, but just flavorful and sets the tone for how shitty the world is. I also like how you can tell a story in just a few words when naming an item, see “child-sized iron maiden”.
Pelle: I can mention some of the official stuff here as well: maybe the monster generator would have been cool in the core book, but it’s nothing I think about much. It’s pretty ok to have it in the zine as well. The rest, like the Inn with it´s food and gambling, and the new class, are perfect ingredients in this kind of format.
The adventures of Mörk Borg are also very original and definitely out of the ordinary – I’m sure this is clear even just reading this interview. In your opinion, what essential characteristics should an adventure written for this RPG have? And in general what would you recommend to an author who would like to write additional material for the game?
Johan: Personally I prefer to write and run location-based adventures that can easily be plugged into your ongoing campaign, kind of like how the optional rules and third-party classes and monsters etc can be plugged into your game. As long as you have a location or two, a couple of factions or powerful creatures (that doesn’t just want to kill you!) and plenty of toys and traps to play with you’re good.
Don’t plan for a specific chain of events, don’t think of an ending. Present problems but not solutions. The players will figure out the rest. If I were to have specific tips, it’d be to 1. Have factions that want something that the PC might be able to provide, 2. Write a bunch of random tables so that the GM isn’t expected to come up with all the truths, and 3. An adventure is a toolbox, not a novel. Keep it short, usable and open-ended. And brutal, don’t forget that. An adventure without risk is no adventure.
Let’s talk about the artistic side; what the hell did you sell your soul to to create something so incredible? Really, I struggle to remember an equally inspired manual. Which studies or works was the illustrator inspired by?
Johan: Thank you so much! MÖRK BORG was (and still is) a ton of fun to draw and design for because there are no limits or rules that hold you down. I am a traditionally schooled graphic designer and I work as an art director by day, so I have all the theory and the practice with me. But this was a chance for me to go wild and try to challenge the traditions I’ve been taught and experiment with the rules. And I tried to not look too much at other RPGs for inspiration, but rather in places like gig posters, punk zines and just random arthouse stuff. Turns out role-playing games don’t have to look a certain way, which is a bit refreshing.
2020 proved to be a very difficult year for everyone, but being able to face it by playing engaging sessions of Mörk Borg was a little less dark (so we took advantage of this interview also to thank you). You can tell us, now, though: the Two-headed Basilisk had foreseen this too, and was yours an attempt to warn us?
Pelle: Sorry, no! Both Two-headed Basilisks are sad about this shit. It’s been a very frustrating year for us as well. We really wanted to travel and go to the UK och US, to hang out with people and talk MÖRK BORG and other stuff. Luckily we had the release party in early March, just days before the break out. Let us hope we can do all we want next year.
Are you enjoying success now or do you already have other official manuals in the pipeline? And in this case can we have some anticipation?
Pelle: Both! We are grateful about the success and are working on some new stuff. Right now the vinyl record which we did with Exalted Funeral and Games Omnivorous, but also other yet secret things for early next year.
Johan: Yeah at the moment we’re deep into production of Putrescence Regnant but there are a lot of cool things brewing that we’ll be ready to announce in time.
Thanks again to Pelle and Johan for their availability and for the very interesting answers they gave us!