Adventures

The Curse of El Dorado (Abridged)

Concept: Embark with a treasure map to El Dorado, guiding adventurers through the lush, untamed jungles of Colombia on a hex crawl to uncover the legendary City of Gold. As they delve into the city's ancient secrets, players can choose to unravel its cursed history or solely amass the fabled treasure. Yet, an insidious curse lies in wait, gradually taking hold of their minds. Eventually, they must confront the malevolent force of The Blood Red Gold of El Dorado, realizing that their obsession with the treasure may come at a perilous cost.

Content: An Adventure for a more seasoned Pirate Crew, replete with Maps both keyed and not, and a large variety of locales to explore. Intended for an extended stay this Hex Crawl carries a great deal of meat on its bones.

Writing: This Adventure is well written and easy to adapt to any existing Campaign and is blessedly HyperLinked if you are you using the PDF.

Art/design: Perhaps the sole shortfall of this offering is the aesthetic value of its layout. Of particular note is a remarkable Hex Map of the area that seems to be unfortunately 'squished' to fit the page. Other than that a rather plain font choice, while legible, is a bit jarring an experience in a Pirate Borg product. However the artwork itself is excellent on most every count.

Usability: This Adventure would be an excellent locale to explore for any properly experienced group of Pirates. Intended for a longer stay and more of an overland adventure than is typical of Pirate Borg. With a little effort to flesh out some of the random locations the Map alone would make this an must have.

Product Link: The Curse of El Dorado (Abridged)

The Dark Column

Concept: Dungeon Crawl Adventure for Pirate Borg

Content: This mini-adventure contains the basic setting of one location with a few game tables, puzzles, awesome opponents, treasures and artifacts.

Writing: Writing for The Dark Column is absolutely packed with detail, depth and creativity to draw in any group.

Art/design: Original artwork and maps abound in this offering, the layout is crisp and engaging to the eye and the imaginational in turn. Colours are well chosen and used effectively to drive your attention to the correct areas of the page on every spread.

Usability: This adventure could easily be a starting point, albeit a fairly brutal one, to any group. I would suggest it more as a transition piece if you wanted to sit back and let your players do their thing and base your future games on their choices. The Dark Column is definitely packed with enough detail to keep your Players engaged for several sessions while you decide where to take them when they conclude this adventure.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Hunt for Morgan

Concept: A One Shot Solo Adventure for Pirate Borg

Content: Everything you need to set up an Adventure to hunt down the Undead Captain Morgan. Also included are instructions on how to set up the Game Map using a deck of Standard Cards, how to use the included tables to create your own Adventure for use with a group.

Writing: The Hunt is written in a very compelling manner to draw you in to the narrative and it does this job quite well. Included instructions on how to take the contents of the Adventure and turn them into Setting useful things for your own Dark Caribbean game add to the overall usefulness of this Product.
 
Art/design: Art is minimal throughout and used to great effect in the manner of illustrating the concepts that are provided to lessen confusion of the intended mechanics.

Usability: On the face of it, this adventure might seen of limited use, but that could not be less true. This resource is a great tool to help any Harbourmaster with map generation, table creation and adventure pacing.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Island of the Lost

Concept: A short form Island Adventure for Pirate Borg
 
Content: A series of small maps and tables for the enterprising Harbourmaster to bring this creepy island to life.

Writing: Given its source of inspiration this adventure serves the material well and provides an interesting mystery for a Pirate crew to engage with.

Art/design: Artwork serves well to bring the setting to its eerie 'life' while not remarkably it is cleanly done and makes the Adventure easy to navigate.

Usability: Certainly a fun interlude between major campaign stops, or a quick One Off for a Crew that is having trouble deciding on its next major objective. 

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Isle of Sin

Concept: The Isle of Sin is a low prep, one-shot adventure for a ship full of sinners. When your PCs are acting like unrepentant scallywags, the moon bleeds. Their aptitude and further potential for sin has drawn the attention of the Burned Man. They are drawn to a cursed isle where all the inhabitants are addicted to suffering.

Content: Everything you need to engage your Crew in a gruesome island adventure when they are leaning a little too hard in to their piratical ways... Includes adventure locales and Maps of same.

Writing: Gruesome to say the least, this adventure leans in to the more murder hobo style of gaming and the writing does it's job very effectively! Atmospheric at every step.

Art/design: As with the Writing, the Art and Layout of this product are very well chosen to evoke the nature of horror, Fonts and Colours are highly complementary.

Usability: Intended to meet the Players more 'evil' leanings with an adventure to show them what path they are on. If your group enjoys the more horrific aspects of The Dark Cairbbean then this will suit them well. If not, this Isle may be used as a cautionary tale in a Tavern to steer them clear.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Jewel

Concept: A Heistventure for PirateBorg
 
Content: Steal a boat to turn into a portable fortress base! It's a boat, pirates want it for their shady business, others want it for a darker purpose. What do your players want it for? Inside you'll find a few interesting NPCs, two boats, some relics and artifacts and some ideas for how to mash them together to get an explosive and action packed session out of it with the potential for future faction adventures.
 
Writing: Written to compliment the stylistic choices of Pirate Borg, contains everything you might need to execute the adventure.
 
Art/design: Very much in the style of Pirate Borg Core Rules, solid colour selections and tabled layouts with some excellent artwork skillfully blended to create a cohesive whole.
 
Usability: A great adventure to put your Pirates in to the thieving spirit of a massive prize and a good way to explain to them just how daunting it can be to do so.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Repentant

Concept: An Ash-laden One Shot Scenario

 Content: Absolutely packed with content, Tables to generate new and hideous things, details on The Repentant itself, Crew for the ship, Demonic influences and contracts. Everything you need to go raiding in The Dark Caribbean!

 Writing: The Repentant embraces wholeheartedly the Pirate Borg motto of less is more when it comes to descriptive prose. Expertly laid out and suggestive wording will inspire any Harbourmaster to new heights
 
 Art/design: Beautiful art by Zac Goins and Daniel Comerci draw the reader in to the setting wonderfully while the overall layout of this product draws the eye to every nuance.

Usability: Every Harbourmaser will eventually need a palette cleanser or at the very least an introductory Adventure for Pirate Borg. The Repentant serves in this capacity elegantly in it's horror.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Rum Rebellion

Concept: This module is (loosely) inspired by the events of the Rum Rebellion that occurred in Sydney, Australia in 1808. The volatility of the rum based economy, stats for various types of  soldiers and factions who will to push the city towards the final explosive night of rebellion.
 
 Content: A City in which to start or advance an ongoing campaign that can be placed where the Harbourmaster chooses. Complete with Factions and Chapter Event headings similar to those in the Pirtate Borg Core Book. Setting information as well as a variety of adventure generators and NPCs are also included.

Writing: Quite well detailed, written in a longer format but useful in imparting the Setting to the Harbourmaster.

Art/design: Using largely Stock art, the colours are simple but do their jobs well. Layout is a bit simplistic but this is a Setting primer as much as an Adventure so that ends up being useful.

Usability: If you want to do something not already detailed in the Core Book or if you want a fresh starting point for a Campaign then this is a Supplement for you.

Product Link:
Itch.io Page

The Salty Nail

Concept: An NPC Vessel/Adventure Locale for Pirate Borg

Content: Welcome to The Salty Nail! A strange ship that somehow finds itself in the path of your Party, included within is a Table to generate how your crew finds the Ship, within are the denizens of the ship and the rules you need to engage with them.

Writing: Excellently written, this adventure location is packed with content and all of it is engaging.

Art/design: Intriguing design choices make this supplement both challenging and entertaining to read through without obscuring any of the necessary details to make it useful.

Usability: This product could serve as a starting point for your new Pirate crew.. or be inserted as an interlude for a Harbourmaster who perhaps needs a Session to just sit back and let the Players take the wheel. 

Product Link: Itch.io Page

The Treasure of Cutlass Cay

Concept:  Embark on a thrilling voyage to Cutlass Cay, sailing aboard the Rusty Kraken! Prepare to uncover the long-lost treasure hidden amidst the mysteries of the island.

Content: Get ready to dive headfirst into the heart of the Pirate Borg system, where epic adventures await at every turn! Brace yourself for an escapade that's bound to leave you craving even more daring quests on the horizon! Arrr, matey! 

Publisher: Steven Gibbs

PDF $3.00 - Pay what you want

Link: The Treasure of Cutlass Cay

The Way of the Worm

Concept: Crique des Vermineux looks like a serene fishing village at first glance, but those who dwell here ultimately live to feed the Mother of Worms. This module, suitable to be integrated into a multi-session campaign or to be played as a one-shot, will bring to you the horrors of an eldritch PARASITE.
 
 Content:
  • Road to Disaster: A table of two evolving threats and a possible chain of events that will occur if the player characters decide to do nothing.
  • Original, hand-drawn art on almost every page.
  • 4 illustrated, major NPCs to make your days worse.
  • The Worm-Ridden: A new Haunted Soul Class for Pirate Borg.
  • Crique des Vermineux: A former French colony turned secret haven of the Wretched. A town to be explored on 4 pages with rumor and encounter tables.
  • Gnawed Caves: An unnatural, 4-page dungeon with hand-drawn isometric maps and horrors better left alone. Can you hear the Choir of Worms?
  • A Wretched Generator to create the NPCs you need!
  • VTT Files with tokens and maps for you to print out or use digitally.
 
 Writing: Having won the Award for Best Adventure in the CABIN FEVER Game Jam, The Way of the Worm is a fully realized locale, replete with Tips on how to best make use of its contents. Every entry is concise and clearly presented to you in a format that never overwhelms despite the rich depth that is included. Often times the Creators make mention of how best to use the material or what you might need to do in order to make it your own which is a blessing in disguise as they clearly indicate that, while the Adventure is complete, that there still remains some work for the potential Harbourmaster to engage in.

Art/design: Artistically this Adventure is a pure joy to read and explore. At no point does the layout overwhelm the text, everything has been presented with great attention to detail. Maps and interior Art are elegantly used, well keyed and appear in a Spread format for ease of use and removes the need for constant page flipping/scrolling.

Usability: There is so much content in this Adventure and with the 'twist' of placing Time pressure on the Players it makes for an excellent outing in to the more horrific aspects of The Dark Caribbean. In a Genre replete with intended 'One Shots' The Way of the Worm will provide many sessions of fun for any crew.

Product Link: The Way of the Worm

The Wedding Ship

Concept: This adventure takes your crew on a journey of ambition and plunder, you've caught wind of a Wedding Ship, packed with young folk and destined for Jamestowne in an effort to bolster the failing Colony there, the ship is packed with new Settlers and the wealth that they carry to make a new life for themselves... or the life that a clever Pirate can guide them to.. for a Fee of course. You need a Captain and a Ship to set your plan in motion!

Content: Clocking in at 38 Pages in length this Adventure contains 5 Pre-Generated Characters and an extensive array of Adventure locales with a wealth of advice for the Harbourmaster to aid in their representation of the subject matter.

Writing: The Wedding Ship is quite well written and is very definitely intended for a Mature group of Players as some of the subject matter touches on more adult themes. It is quite reminiscent of old school adventures with sets of "Read this aloud to the Players" and contains several Choose your Path points which may make for a decent amount of replay value.

Art/design: Interior Artwork covers a wide array of Styles and Sources and is certainly in the same spirit as other 'Borg' works. If there was any one comment to be made about the Design it would bet that some of the Font choices can be a struggle to read easily on the first pass. That aside, it was a joy to flip through this Adventure as every other aspect of it is quite cleanly done.
 
 Usability: Despite the presence of several Choose your Path points this Adventure does ask that the Players 'Buy In' to the Events being described which is a refreshing thing to see as The Wedding Ship is a tale worth following to its conclusion. It very cleverly skirts the idea of being On Rails by presenting a clear Path to the Players through extensive exposition. If you have a Group that is keen to invest in an Adventure that eschews the Sandbox then The Wedding Ship is for you.

Format: PDF DriveThru RPG 38 Pages $9.99

Product Link: The Wedding Ship

Unmoored

Concept: A traditional Point Crawl adventure taking players across an sinking island somewhere in The Dark Caribbean!
 
 Content: Coming in at 5 Pages absolutely packed with tables in the Borg tradition, a single Map is provided for the Harbourmaster, keyed with the Locations and Points of Interest to run the Adventure.
 
 Writing: Winner of the Award for Best Writing in the CABIN FEVER Game Jam! Adopting the Bullet Point style that is synonymous with Borg games the writing in Unmoored is both informative and exciting for any Harbourmaster, providing direction without interference to permit you to run it with your own unique style.
 
 Art/design: Layout is done in a style similar to that found in the Pirate Borg Corebook and many subsequent adventures. Fonts are used sparingly for thematic effect and when employed are used in a format that does not make the adventure needlessly difficult to read. A single keyed map is provided for the Harbourmaster to direct the action.
 
 Usability: This incredibly succinct, action packed island can literally be placed anywhere in The Dark Caribbean as the title explains, it has literally become 'Unmoored' it is perfectly arranged to be used as a waypoint between Campaigns. As the Island itself is moving you could easily run a few Sessions here and then have your Crew arrive at the jumping off point of their next Adventure.

Product Link: Unmoored PWYW

Upon Red Tides

Concept: A creative toolbox for any Harbourmaster to infuse a different style of gameplay.

Content: 13 Pages of Adventures, two new Classes and a new NPC Pirate Captain.

Writing: Upon Red Tides is an immersive read if you embrace its core concepts and go with the flow. Exceptionally well written and presented.

Art/design: Layout and Artwork are top notch in this entry, colour choices are vivid and bold enough without being sloppy or garish. While some of the font choices are a little too thematic making them difficult to read in PDF without considerable zooming in it takes away nothing from the effectiveness of their use.

Usability: Easily recommendable for the abundance of content that can quickly and easily be taken in to any Harbourmasters library. A trove of HMing treasure to be sure.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

Wrath of the Coatl

Concept: Discover the mysteries of a secluded place, where the presence of inquisitors, whispers of ancient cult, troubled waters and vanished abbey obscure the truth.
 
Content:

  • Map of San Hilario's coast: A map charting the key landmarks and events along the shoreline to help you navigate around the coast.
  • 3 key NPCs and their crew: With each having their own motivations and unique methods for uncovering the treasure.
  • Manati's village: A fisherman's village harboring a secret Mesoan cult. Explore the village with hooks and rumors. But all may not be trustworthy...
  • Fortress of San Hilario: 2-page dungeon, an Inquisition fortress that appears to hold many secrets within its walls.
  • Sunken abbey of San Hilario: 2-page dungeon, a sunken abbey which doesn't seem uninhabited...
  • New monster with unique combat-mechanic: Meet the social crabs known for their group behavior and ability to inhabit objects of various sizes.

Writing: This supplement is beautifully well written and is bursting with information for the Harbourmaster in every corner. Every entry is clear in both prose and game design.

Art/design: Several art styles combine to bring this supplement to life and while it may seem disconnected, it somehow manages to tie all aspects together. Taking many style notes from Pirate Borg's own core Rules makes this supplement very familiar to the eyes. Background colours and textures all compliment well with the exception of the Abbey map near the end which seems confusing at first glance.

Usability: If you are low on time to prep an adventure then Wrath of the Coatl is your new friend. An entire island detailed with Maps, NPCs, Adventures and Hooks that can be placed wherever you might need it. Ample notes, new Creatures, NPC motivations and an over-arching Plot are all included.

Product Link: Itch.io Page

Yet Another Fort: Cunning & Stealth Fort Crawl

Concept: Yet Another Fort is a minimalistic fort crawl adventure with focus on being unseen and emergent storytelling for Pirate Borg. This module is intended to be used as a one-shot or as part of a larger campaign.

Content: This product provides the Harbourmaster with a ready made Fort to be added to any location that might call for one.

Writing: Expertly written with an eye for adventure in the vein of older isometric adventures it is rife with content for the Harbourmaster to take advantage of in an effort to challenge any group of players. Details are kept tightly written in an effort to encourage interaction rather than narration.

Art/design: Quite densely laid out there is a lot for the eye to see in these pages but all of it is well done and always useful.

Usability: As stated before, any Harbourmaster can easily make use of this Fort in their own games add to that the fact that it is already detailed as well as mapped and you cannot go wrong with this as an ace up your HMing sleeve

Product Link: Itch.io Page
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