Forbidden Psalm (K.R.D. Designs)
What it is: breaking the "RPG" part of this series directive, Forbidden Psalm is a miniatures game based on or more accurately fully compatible with/adjacent to Mork Borg. It uses Mork Borg's rules and setting as the springboard for a fast-paced kitbash-powered miniature skirmish game. By coincidence or design it also serves as a useful resource for short scenarios, monsters and locations/ideas for use with a more traditional Mork Borg campaign.
The System: Forbidden Psalm takes the core conceits of the Mork Borg game system and translates it into a miniature battle game. The focus is on small teams, usually of about 5 models, who get a stat block which is slightly truncated/streamlined from the Mork Borg RPG counterparts, but not enough that you can't directly use content here with the RPG.
For example, Forbidden Psalm units pick a stat array instead of rolling, and get a set number of hit points. You don't worry about class, and focus only on relevant equipment. Units each get a random flaw and random feat instead of a class or other traits. Each player (and the game includes scenarios for just one player with a team of five vs. monstrous threats, for example) rolls up five units this way.
Forbidden Psalm introduces movement and positioning rules, typical of miniature games but perhaps useful in Mork Borg as well if you want to use minis and terrain. We're not talking a lot of rules here, though...Forbidden Psalm does technically spend relatively dense 4 pages on combat which is more pages than Mork Borg spends on all its rules.
Actual play in Forbidden Psalm is fairly straight forward: each player builds their squad, then you pick from one of ten scenarios and follow the instruction set to play through for an identified number of turns and goals. You then go to the campaign "between session" rules to see if survivors grow in power and the injured live or die. It allows for a way to play Mork Borg without a GM, for one, by conforming the setting to miniature wargaming, but it also makes for a fun approach to the artpunk death metal setting as a battle game, too.
The back of the book includes some printable standups for minis, but also has a section and examples on how to kitbash with inspirational suggestions. This is a phenomena I was only aware of from my wife, who likes occasionally kitbashing minis for painting. This is probably a good section for gamers interested in Forbidden Psalm, because outside of some Mork Borg minis that I think were only available through a Kickstarter, the only way to use minis in this game will be through a bit of cannibalization.
The Setting: Honestly, Forbidden Psalm doesn't waste time reiterating the Mork Borg universe, instead cutting to the idea that you work for the enigmatic wizard Vriprix, who seeks the mysterious Forbidden Psalm to stop the encroaching darkness of the end of the world. Your team of fighters have a noble cause, you see, though it is also driven by a desire for wealth and power accrual. Each of the ten scenarios in the book provide some locations you could adapt to the RPG easily enough in this regard. It also includes 11 monsters, as well as some scrolls and omens that, while aimed at the miniature skirmish side of this equation, can probably be used with the RPG with minimal adaptation as well.
Graphically it looks good, like a proper Mork Borg supplement, though it is ever so slightly more organized and easier to follow/read.
The Supplements: I see on the developer website that they have a bunch of supplements, but the only one I have so far is "In the Footsteps of the Mad Wizard," which is an expanded campaign book for Forbidden Psalm featuring a sequel to the campaign in the core book, as your adventurers cheated out of the mythical Forbidden Psalm by the mad wizard Vriprix, chase him to the city of Dawnlight, a ruined edifice of suitable mystery and mayhem for the setting. It includes new rules, 20 new monsters as well as a monster generator aimed at Forbidden Psalms, and a 17 act campaign that also includes a base of operations (the Hogshead Inn) and rules on 3-4 player play. Some more kitbashed miniature examples are showcased as well. The campaign includes RPG-focused expository text, so they seem to assume some people will cobble the skirmish campaign into a proper RPG campaign as well and offer the tools to do so. This supplement ultimately adds a lot of value to Forbidden Psalms, and motivates me to get the other expansion books they have released (looks like seven or so, though not all are in print).
Who is this for? Honestly, Forbidden Psalm will be a fun addition to a Mork Borg fan's collection. It's also a useful game to have if you want desperately to play Mork Borg but maybe can't find a proper group, as it allows for some solo and two-player play without needing a GM. It does require using either stand-ups or miniatures on a minimum size 2'X2' table and you will need to print out or create the maps for play areas (the bulk of the maps are fairly simple to use/make though). And if you don't like the idea of playing it as a skirmish game, this is a wealth of useful stuff that is mechanically cross-compatible with traditional Mork Borg. So...win win!
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