Part of my Mörk Borg Madness Review Series. What is Mörk Borg? Check out this great video review by Bud’s RPG Review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MgGuXLQQwU Or my run through of RPGs and other things on Fantasy Faction. http://fantasy-faction.com/2022/richards-2021-sff-media-round-up
Man and Beast gives you a variety of content based on the theme of people turning into beasts as “the world goes down the gullet of the apocalypse“.
It’s 11 pages long and offers the following features.
- The WILD HUNTER class, kitted out to flush and kill any quarry they choose, no matter the genus or number of legs
- Ten eccentric hunters to accompany you on your journeys (whether you like it or not, in some cases)
- Generic half-animals
- True beastmen
- Lycanthropes
- Assorted other horrors
- Tables for beast den loot
- Special reaction tables for bestial enemies
- Barebones Print-Friendly style
As promised, this short document has a simple layout, making it relatively kind to printers and pretty easy to read, albeit without the artpunk flair of the original game. It’s jazzed up with some neat pictures of slavering fanged animal maws, done in glowing red. Text that shifts colour within paragraphs adds a touch of artistic madness to proceedings.
Mörk Borg’s signature writing style is sparse, brutal and evocative. No lengthy explanations, just heavy metal vibes and lots of room for interpretation. Hollander follows this lead, with some nice punchy lines introducing the collapse of civilisation and its effects on the minds and bodies of the denizens of the Dying World.
“These are the end of days and the division is no longer human and animal. It is hunter and prey.”
On offer are 17 monsters. Including – humans who have become prey animals, and are now capable of a lethal stampede. Goaty, horned beastmen reminiscent of Warhammer Fantasy. A classic fantasy trio of werebeasts, (plus a vampire-werewolf hybrid, always fun).
“shaggy satyrs from hell”
Standouts include – the Jabberwocky, here depicted as a nasty hungry ugly dragon with a distressing back story. And the Meat Tyrant, a big, bestial butcher of a beast described as a “Nascent godling formed from totem-beasts fed too many human sacrifices.” Beautiful, love it. Both of these could easily be the focus of an entire adventure, perhaps even a short campaign.
The hunters are all eccentric, mostly dangerous, some helpful, a couple more trouble than they’re worth. Shamans, shapeshifters, nobles and murderers.
The Wild Hunter character class has a cruel, poetic description and some nice abilities. Many of these revolve around hunting monsters – being better at killing them, finding them or harvesting them for parts. A good class for those who enjoy survival games or Monster Hunter in particular. A few abilities have broader use such as nightvision or setting traps. There isn’t much in the way of story hooks or individual background options to build a unique character with. It wasn’t a class I felt desperate to play, but it fits the theme of the supplement and seems useful in game.
Overall. This savage supplement works perfectly well as a bestiary on its own, with some classic monsters and some rather original and horrible entries. I’d have liked some cool monster pics, but with some work looking around on line you can find stand-ins for a lot of these creatures. Definitely pick this supplement up if you want some wilderness-based adventures or want to explore the collapse of civilisation, rather than just digging through dungeons. The other bits and pieces are on theme and will be nice if you want to really lean into the idea of a hunt-focused game. Try combining it with the Eat, Prey, Kill section from MORK BORG Feretory.
It’s pay what you want on Itch, no reason not to pick it up and worth supporting with a little of your own money if you can spare it. https://ross-hollander.itch.io/man-and-beast
Look out for more Mörk Borg Madness as I review more third-party content for the Doom Metal game.
And don’t forget that I make Mörk Borg stuff myself!
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/16868/Better-Dreams
https://richard-56789.itch.io/ghoulish-grin-mork-borg-compatible-zine
Wandering Fantasy 