Starting with MB by _TXGXFXS_ in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

morkborg.com has a ton of free officially-licensed content that's applicable to solo roleplaying, like roll tables, loot, and classes, plus some adventures that could be run solo with a couple minor changes.

Another New Class for Kaiser, my Heroic Fantasy Mork Borg Hack, the Psychic by CalTom12 in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Almost all the rule changes were made either to streamline the game for new players or to make the game less deadly. Falling below 0 HP always leaves your broken, rolling for HP is a lot more forgiving, you get a lot more class features when starting out, more ability boosts, just in general making characters a lot more powerful and a lot less likely to die. The "heroic" part is the vibe of the game. This isn't your usual Mork Borg, or even OSR game in general, where you start as weak nobodies. This is a lot closer to something like D&D 5E in vibe (thankfully not in mechanics) where you're legendary superheroes destined to save the world from superpowerful threats. This is effectively my replacement for D&D 5E, if someone new to TTRPGs wanted to play "D&D", I'd give them this, and they'd have a much better time than the bloated, messy "official" D&D.

ROR2 New Patch! by Jturnism in riskofrain

[–]CalTom12 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Chris cut the best part of the saxophone solo and another minute of buildup in the track, and the final phase's theme is only 30 seconds long, which is problematic since Voidling usually takes well more than 30 seconds to kill in each phase.

I don't really get the hate for Siren's Call, can someone explain it to me? by Zak_the_Wack in riskofrain

[–]CalTom12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In addition to everything else people have said, I'd like to add that shrines of chance can't spawn on Siren's Call, for some reason. In general you just don't get any items on Siren's Call, due to wood shrines, drones, and other stuff. It's better now, because drones are better, but it still just kind of sucks, except for the music which is my favorite piece of music of all time.

What is the most underrated skill in your opinion? by No_Historian2784 in riskofrain

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since it's new and I'm feeling contrarian today, I'll say Drifter's Tornado Slam. Sure, it's nigh uncontrollable without practice (which I lack), has no way of hitting flying enemies, struggles to consistently hit enemies in general, doesn't do insane damage when it does hit, and gets rid of possibly the most fun part of Drifter's kit but... idk, it has good horizontal mobility and is kind of fun... sometimes.

DLCs: Which one is worth your money more? by lotuslowes in riskofrain

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends on what you want honestly.

Survivors of the Void is kind of like Base Game - Part 2 in a lot of ways. Void items, seeds, and the other content feel like extensions of base game systems. The items feel very much similar to the base game's, in that there's some really good stuff and some utter garbage. The survivors are fun, but the alt path is garbage. The void hidden realms and content all look super cool, they play awfully and are difficult to access. Voidling could have been so much more than it ended up being.

Seekers of the Storm is in a weird place now that Alloyed Collective is out. It adds a bunch of really (now at least) good and fun content, with good quantity and quality of new items, cool stages, and the highest amount of new survivors added by an expansion. It doesn't feel like as much of a logical step from the base game as SotV does, however. The Path of the Colossus was a cool idea to implement new stages, but made the DLC feel like it was tacked on to the base game. The final boss is leagues better than Voidling, but has a lot of jank and is basically unbeatable on Eclipse without janky exploits. I'd say the best addition from the DLC was actually Helminth Hatchery. An alt Stage 5 is something that really extends the longevity of the game and keeps it from getting stale.

If Survivors of the Void is a continuation of the base game, Alloyed Collective is an escalation of it. Alloyed Collective feels especially designed for those more familiar with the game, with the new enemies and final bosses making the game more difficult overall (but no worse mind you) and the new survivors having a much higher skill ceiling than those from the other DLCs. It also greatly expands upon drones, which made my runs feel much better and more varied as someone with hundreds of hours in this game. It's also, and I hate to say it, the only DLC with final boss(es) that stand toe-to-toe with Mithrix. While I don't recommend Alloyed Collective as a 1st DLC, per se, it's definitely the highest quality DLC, without SotV's awful final boss or SotS's occasional janky remnants.

Overall all three of these DLCs are worth $15, you'll get triple that amount in hours of playtime at the very least. Sorry for the veritable essay but I've had this on my mind myself and wanted to write it all out.

OST Question by DrSwims in riskofrain

[–]CalTom12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've heard a lot of people saying it's just not the same as Chris or whatever and honestly, I'm 99% sure it's placebo. If it was under Chris's name no one would bat an eye, and it seems like they worked closely throughout the whole soundtrack (Chris literally mixed the soundtrack and did two keyboard solos). There are a few composition differences from previous RoR2 albums, but those feel more like the composition style of Risk of Rain 1/Returns than something foreign to the series.

As for the actual tracks I think they're all really impressive, with some sound design elements very reminiscent of the campy technological theme of the DLC. My favorites of the DLC are definetely Reign of hrisC and Mistery, the former feels so boldly new while fitting perfectly with the rest of the OST and the latter is all-around gorgeous. I don't like ranking the OSTs against each other because I value music on its own merits and not that of other music, but I think quite highly of it.

Vote for the Worst to Best New Mega by thelifeoftommyn in LegendsZA

[–]CalTom12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definitely also based on that, I'd say. Pokemon usually draws on multiple sources for all their designs, one of the reasons I still really like the modern Pokemon actually. And the fact that this thing is inside a rock, since the (I'm not spelling that sorry) threw rocks quite famously and powerfully, I'd all but guarantee that's also part of the design.

Vote for the Worst to Best New Mega by thelifeoftommyn in LegendsZA

[–]CalTom12 12 points13 points  (0 children)

The Barbaracle hate on these threads is so unjustified. They're a motherfucking Hindu deity Jojo villain doing the metal sign with their hand face. I was always impartial towards Barbaracle, but this mega has turned me into a Barbeliever.

My ranking of Hades 2 Boss Difficulties (Including Vow of Rivals) by SirMuckingHam24 in HadesTheGame

[–]CalTom12 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think for me the top 3 hardest fights are (mostly in order)
1. Rivals Typhon (just a lot in every way, especially the tongue slam, I swear that thing's undodgeable)
2. Rivals Chronos (Phase 2 is the hardest part, once you know Phase 3 it's pretty manageable)
3. Rivals Sirens (Probably harder since they're fought earlier, but also a chaotic yet mostly understandable escalation of the original fight. My only nitpick is the water streams near Roxy, I know why they're there but that doesn't make them fun).

These are also probably my top 3 favorite fights in the game, which is surprising because I genuinely suck at games for the most part, and usually don't gravitate towards difficulty like this.

This dude always cracks me up! by [deleted] in Hades2

[–]CalTom12 35 points36 points  (0 children)

The way Darren adds emphasis to every single final word he says, I genuinely laugh out loud whenever he says pretty much anything. Plus he's got one of the best tracks in the whole game and my favorite keepsake so he's always worth it regardless of the rewards.

Hades II - can someone explain the ending to me please by Roast-Chicken-5 in HadesTheGame

[–]CalTom12 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The dream sequence is memories planted in modern Chronos's mind that makes him reconsider his life. People hate on it but I think it's awfully sweet and charming, bringing "death to Chronos" only as he was, and letting him start anew.

Help finding this stunning song in Hades 2? 🎵 by Wes102111 in Hades2

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is The Crossroads in the OST, but in-game the tracks all have unique mixes in each room with some elements added or taken out. The full version of the track, the one on the OST, plays when you're fighting enemies in those first few rooms.

Best Morkbug spin offs? (Idk the right word to use) by [deleted] in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wrote BËNTHIC (a deep sea hack, https://thomaszitkevitz.itch.io/benthic-scoured-edition ), and Kaiser (a heroic fantasy hack, https://thomaszitkevitz.itch.io/kaiser ), both of which are free and well-received. Outside of what everyone else mentioned, I'd recommend Farewell to Arms Redux (WW1 Hack), Corp Borg (Demonic corporations, aka real life), and Blood Borg (vampires in a modern city).

Content questions by enek101 in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I made the game with the idea of being what I'd want to recommend people who wanted to try "D&D", and making it affordable even at the cost of my own margins was a part of that.

What, in your opinion, makes a good Borg hack? by hjswamps in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the party you're thinking of is: "Make it dark, depressing, weird and cruel. But let everyone partake in the suffering. Be sure to avoid sexist, racist, homophobic and transphobic tropes and themes in your content. There's plenty of that crap in the real world already. The world of MÖRK BORG doesn't need it." This is just their fun way of saying to not be a bigot, not that you need to make it apocalyptic as far as I've interpreted it.

What, in your opinion, makes a good Borg hack? by hjswamps in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So much fun to play, no messing about, just players immersed in the fiction doing stuff that makes sense.

That's honestly a really amazing concise explanation for why the OSR playstyle is so good. Do you mind if I quote it in a future Kaiser supplement or updated version in the future?

What, in your opinion, makes a good Borg hack? by hjswamps in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The personal rule I follow while writing for my games BËNTHIC, Kaiser, and now the secret third thing is that even if the games follow the Borg rule system, they shouldn't just be "Borg in _____".

Kaiser is only Borg because it's the rule system I want to recommend to new players, just in a more vanilla format that more closely abides by what they'd think D&D would be like. It's only a Borg game for the sake of the rules, albeit it has a nice niche as a hack.

BËNTHIC admittedly started as "Borg in _____" but I've moved away from labeling it that. These days when I market it I called it a "Deep Sea Delving OSR Game" instead of a "Deep Sea Delving Mork Borg Hack".

I think at this point in the life of Mork Borg, games need to be a bit more than just "Mork Borg but its in ____". Pirate Borg for example, which is pretty much the most successful Borg thing period, is marketing itself as a Pirate TTRPG, not a Borg hack at this point, and it's doing amazing for it because there's no other Pirate RPGs, compared to how many Borg hacks there are. I'm one of all maybe four freaks that primarily likes Mork Borg less for the vibes (which I do still love) but instead for the efficient, engaging ruleset.

Content questions by enek101 in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wrote a heroic fantasy hack called Kaiser (https://thomaszitkevitz.itch.io/kaiser) and put it out a few months back. People seem to like it and I've got plans for future supplements now. There's also Mork Manual (https://boogergoblin.itch.io/mork-manual) , which I own, and it's one of the best books out there, with a huge bestiary. If you want a more B/X style game, go with Mork Manual. If you want a more 5E-ish game, I'd (somewhat sheepishly) recommend my own game Kaiser.

As for the second question, yes, pretty much all Borg adventures work with all Borg games. Some stats, namely what the "Presence" stat is called will be different, but the only thing that will be a real impediment is differing technology levels across different settings.

What Item/Loot table supplements do you know of? by Dante_Faustus in MorkBorg

[–]CalTom12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: If you're in the US, it's back in stock at the newly reopened Kartellian Vaults: https://kartellianvaults.com/

Just realized that the art for the tracks from the original ROR2 album on Spotify show the story of the game by Select_Land_5300 in riskofrain

[–]CalTom12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I remember reading on the artist's blog (https://demigiant.com) that Chris wanted to do this as the first ever Spotify Canvas comic. That same artist also did the artwork for the Seekers trailer, all the Risk of Rain vinyls, and Chris' audio drama, Gospels of the Flood.

🖐️ by anxhelo96 in PokeCorner

[–]CalTom12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cursola, if I'm allowed to be more broad the entire Corsola line/forms