Polyhedra Games, the company behind Justice Velocity (which I reviewed here), has a new project on Kickstarter, THE PLAGUED CRYPT OF HELVETE. Adding a new adventure to MÖRK BORG, this campaign offers the adventure, a plague token system, miniatures, and more. I asked Clipper Arnold of Polyhedra about the campaign, the extras, and what inspired him to create a project for MÖRK BORG.
EGG EMBRY (EGG): Thanks for taking the time to discuss your campaign with me. What is THE PLAGUED CRYPT OF HELVETE?
CLIPPER ARNOLD (CLIPPER): Of course, and thanks for having me. THE PLAGUED CRYPT OF HELVETE is a third party adventure module for the award winning black metal inspired MÖRK BORG. We’re not affiliated with MÖRK BORG in any way, but they have an open third party publishing license on their website. Basically anyone can make content for the game so long as they abide by certain terms and conditions. PLAGUED CRYPT is meant to be an addition or introductory adventure for new players. The party is informed of a bounty on plagued beasts in the forests of the North and set out on a journey to track down the source of the calamity. It’s full color and will have a mini dungeon, new monsters and items to plug into any campaign, and more. It’s a brief module that will be published in softcover and PDF. We have shirts and minis as bonus items on Kickstarter as well.
EGG: This is for MÖRK BORG. What about that system inspires you?
CLIPPER: Well, for one, the layout and design work is amazing. It really stands out and is very inspirational. There’s an entire mood and energy that ties in well with the art and tone (even the coloration of neon pink, bright yellow, and pitch black) and that scrappy, grungy punk photo-copied zine feel is really great too (especially as someone who has made zines for his own punk band previously). Additionally, it’s a lightweight rules system that puts the energy and tone of storytelling over the mechanical intricacies, which I’ve always been a big fan of. Also the fanbase is really creative and energetic, and it’s fun to be a small part of that. And, of course, generally speaking, as a fan of heavy music and imagery this hits the right chords.
EGG: There’s a plague token system, what is that?
CLIPPER: Basically, there’s a dire plague afflicting the town of Galgenbeck that seems to be arising from these blighted beasts and monsters in the forests, so there’s a chance when you’re fighting one of them that you become afflicted. As time passes and the tokens stack up, your character gets put in greater danger and you have to find an antidote before it’s too late. It’s just a way to raise the stakes (excuse the poker/token pun) and see some physical representation of that on the board. The base game actually has a somewhat similar allusion to a goblin curse where characters have the potential of transforming into a goblin, though it’s left kind of open-ended.
EGG: What other new goodies can fans expect in the book?
CLIPPER: There’s a small dungeon, full color layout and art, a 3-page comic, a 36 (2d6) piece loot table, and of course the adventure as well. We’re almost to a stretch goal of adding more art and content, so I’m already thinking up some material to add. I think anyone interested in MÖRK BORG would be able to get something fun out of it, even if they just end up using the loot tables or reading the comic, but the adventure itself should be a great introduction to the game for players and, I hope, a great jumping off point for a campaign.
EGG: In this, there’s a short comic. What made you decide to add that to the product?
CLIPPER: I like comics a lot as a narrative medium. I think it adds a lot of visual language. I remember being excited about a short comic-like insert at the beginning of Mekton Zeta just because it was something cool and interesting that isn’t in a lot of tabletop RPGs, but feels like a really natural or tangentially related addition. There’s also a manga component to the Japanese version of Tunnels & Trolls, which is really cool.
EGG: You’re offering miniatures, correct? What figures?
CLIPPER: They’re 28-32mm scale 3D-printed (unpainted) figures that I sculpted (and will likely be printing) myself. One is the main baddie, Aerico, who is a disease demon. He’s dark cloaked and carries a cow-skull. The other is a death knight who I thought looked cool — just a fighter-like character with some spiked armor and a cool sword who seems very much at home in the doomed world and could likely be used for a player character’s mini. There’s also a stretch goal for a third surprise miniature if we hit $10k.
EGG: Visually, MÖRK BORG has a look and layout. What are you doing to achieve those?
CLIPPER: My best, haha. I think the art and the comic adds a lot — even the cover was a digital painting I made years ago that just seems to fit with the narrative really well. I’m also taking a lot more chances and flights of fancy with the design than I would for anything else. That’s one of the reasons the project was very appealing to me when I started it last year as it was a bit of a design challenge.
EGG: Are you planning more MÖRK BORG products?
CLIPPER: Not in particular, but people seem very interested in this one so time will tell. I know they’re launching a grimdark cyberpunk version of the game, which might be interesting to play around with.
EGG: Beyond this project and MÖRK BORG, what else are you working on?
CLIPPER: There’s a Nebula Chaos Kickstarter coming out next year, which is a zany space opera / sci-fi inspired RPG that uses the same 2d6 base system as Justice Velocity. There’s also a board game project we’re working on for something called Super Kaiju Clash, which is kind of a mixture of Monopoly, Munchkin, and Mario Party but with giant monsters crushing buildings, stomping each other, and collecting energy crystals. There’s other stuff in the wings but those are the only two with deadlines right now.
EGG: Thanks for talking with me. Where can fans learn more about your work?
CLIPPER: I would recommend giving us a follow on social media @polyhedragames, checking out [our website], and/or subscribing to our newsletter. Oh, and check out our Kickstarter, of course!
THE PLAGUED CRYPT OF HELVETE from Polyhedra Games
End Date: Tue, November 30 2021 10:53 AM EST.
“a dark fantasy MÖRK BORG compatible third party module”
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.
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