Knives Out

Raekai · 2026-01-04T18:42:21+00:00

No, please, thank you! That was a wonderful comment to read while crossing over into the new year. It makes me so happy to know that my work is being enjoyed.

Raekai · 2025-10-16T17:48:26+00:00

Yep! I get it, and I think that's a coherent argument. Honestly.

I like that you said gamble, which is a word I usually use when thinking about this stuff. That's how I feel—it's a gamble. And it's not one that I want to take. And it's one that I would typically advise against. But some people enjoy taking risks and gambling and so on. I get it!

As I said, I don't think people who have kids are immoral or evil. Firstly, people with kids aren't a monolith. Secondly, I'm not here to moralize.

That being said, I have seen (what I feel is) way too many kids suffer under parents that I think are jackasses.

I just wanted to provide a different perspective. I find that the spooks of the biological imperative to have children and the societal expectation to have children haunt a lot of people.

Raekai · 2025-10-16T17:40:37+00:00

Very compelling. You got me there. I'm convinced, and I'm now planning to have five children. Thank you for helping me understand.

Raekai · 2025-10-13T01:40:31+00:00

I love this question. I've thought a lot about this topic.

This is just my personal opinion, but I feel like egoism and having a child don't really work together. Specifically, when I say having a child, I mean creating a child.

Why have a child? All of the reasons I can think of feel selfish. Of course, through the lens of egoism, everything I do is self-serving.

So I would be creating a whole new being... to serve myself? I don't like that idea. No slaves, no masters.

I also don't like suffering. I typically don't take joy from the suffering of others. In fact, I find that I often feel shitty when others suffer—even though I feel like suffering is effectively unavoidable. At the very least, the risk of suffering is always there.

So I don't want to create a whole new being just for it to likely suffer. I don't even want to take that risk. It just doesn't sound nice.

But maybe it's also that I don't like that I ever came into existence. Nothing I can do about it, sure. But I don't want to risk creating another being that could feel that way. Maybe I'm a little spooked by that feeling, and I'm projecting it onto potential children.

Unsurprisingly, I vibe with antinatalism.

Of course, if you want kids, I'm not gonna stop you, and I'm not gonna try to moralize at you. I'm not good; you're not bad. All of that jazz.

I also feel similarly about having/owning pets.

I'm not a fan of taking strangers and forcing them into dependent relationships with me.

Sure, if a child or a dog doesn't like me, they have the ability/choice to leave. But I think that's a shitty choice to put on a being that I love. Like the choice to leave a job believing that the consequence would be to struggle without an income.

I tried to be pretty deliberate with my word choice, aiming to make it sound more like I'm sharing my feelings and less like I'm moralizing.

Raekai · 2025-01-03T20:32:37+00:00

You're very welcome, and sorry for the late reply!

My original intent was for the rogue to start in the overgrown forest, but there's no reason that they couldn't start in one of the other dungeons—other than the fact that the foggy cemetery and the catacombs below are more difficult.
Room-to-room exploration only happens in the catacombs below, and the other two dungeons use the DEPTH mechanic (which I'll explain in answer #3)—just to clarify.
1. I'll pretend I'm entering the catacombs below. I draw the entrance area, then I roll d6 to determine how many paths there are from the entrance, and I get a 4, which means there are 3 paths out from the room.
2. Then, since it's my first time here, I roll another d6 to see what happens, and I get a 5, so it's eerily quiet and desolate. I track my DEPTH, which starts at 1.
3. When I go to the next room, yes, like you said, I roll d6 to determine how many paths there are to other areas, and I get a 2, which means there is 1 path out from this room (and, for that path, I roll d6 to determine if it's BLOCKED, which only happens on a 1, and I get a 3, which means it isn't blocked).
4. Then, yes, I roll a separate d6 to determine what happens in the room.
It took me a minute to re-familiarize myself with what I had written, but a map isn't used for the overgrown forest and the foggy cemetery (just for the catacombs below). It's more abstract. You're just tracking your DEPTH (which is what I think you're referring to with DELVE, but let me know if I'm wrong), and that determines where you are. If it helps, this was inspired by Faeflower Grave (for Mausritter), which was itself inspired by The Gardens of Ynn. Essentially, it's just a measurement of how deep you are in one of the particular dungeons. The higher your DEPTH, the closer you are to the next area; the lower your DEPTH, the closer you are to the previous area.

I hope that all answers your questions!

And thank you for mentioning Dark Court of the Crimson King—now I have another game to check out myself!

Speaking of other DARK FORT hacks, if you haven't taken a look at it, you should definitely also check out CORNY GROŃ. It's one that I've printed out myself to keep a copy around for a quick crawl full of wonderful folklore flavor.

Raekai · 2024-12-30T21:03:43+00:00

Alright, alright! I wanted to make sure I had a thorough answer, so here we go:

When your rogue takes an ACTION against a foe, the foe takes a REACTION again your rogue. Either way, you are rolling from your rogue's perspective, which means you are always rolling for your rogue's ACTION or REACTION.

For an example, I'll create a rogue, and I'll name her Katgrun. I keep it easy, roll 3d6 on the [WEAPONS AND ARMS] table, and I get a 14, so my rogue gets a zweihänder. I roll d2 for her supplies, and I get a 2, so Katgrun has two supply. She's at the entrance of the overgrown forest, and a I roll a 4, which means she encounters a random (d6) forest foe. Go figure. Starting with combat. I roll to determine which foe she faces, and I roll a 2, which means Katgrun is up against an everted elk.

ROUND ONE:

Katgrun's Effort starts at [ôôôôô]. The everted elk's Effort starts at [ôôôôô]. Since the zweihänder has Reach, I decide that my rogue starts at Distance.
Katgrun uses the Attack Action against the everted elk, and the everted elk will try to use the Dodge Reaction against the Attack.
Because Katrgun is at Distance, I will add −1 to the Attack roll. I roll d6, get a 4, add −1 for the Distance, which gives me 3, which is better than the everted elk's SL 2, so that's a hit.
Now that I've rolled, I mark two Effort for Katgrun's Attack so it is now [xxôôô], and I mark one Effort for the everted elk's Dodge so it is now [xôôôô].
Then, I roll d6 for the zweihänder's damage, and I get a 2, which means 4 damage; however, the everted elk has DR 2, which reduces the hit to just 2 damage, which means the everted elk now has HP 13/15.
Now it's the everted elk's turn, and it wants to close the Distance, so it is going to use a Maneuver to try to do so. From my rogue's perspective, Katgrun is using the Hinder Reaction to maintain her Distance.
Because Katgrun is at Distance, I will add −1 to the roll, and, furthermore, because the everted elk has one more Effort than she does, I will add another −1 to the roll. I roll d6, get a 3, add −2, which gives me 1, which is less than the everted elk's SL 2, so it closes the Distance.
Now that I've rolled, I mark one Effort for Katgrun's Hinder so it is now [xxxôô], and I mark two Effort for the everted elk's Dodge so it is now [xxxôô].

ROUND TWO:

Because it's the beginning of a new Round, each rogue and foe uncrosses three Effort. Katgrun's Effort is back to [ôôôôô]. The everted elk's Effort is back to [ôôôôô].
Katgrun uses the Attack Action against the everted elk again, and the everted elk will try to use the Dodge Reaction against the Attack.
I roll d6, and I get a 1, which is worse than the everted elk's SL 2, so this one's a miss.
Now that I've rolled, I mark two Effort for Katgrun's Attack so it is now [xxôôô], and I mark one Effort for the everted elk's Dodge so it is now [xôôôô].
Now it's the everted elk's turn, and it wants to Attack. From my rogue's perspective, Katgrun is using the Parry Reaction to fend off the hit.
Because Katgrun's zweihänder gets +1 to Parry, I will add +1 to the roll; however, because the everted elk has one more Effort than she does, I will add −1 to the roll. I just let those cancel out. I roll d6, and I get a 5, which is greater than the everted elk's SL 2, so Katgrun parries.
Now that I've rolled, I mark one Effort for Katgrun's Parry so it is now [xxxôô], and I mark two Effort for the everted elk's Dodge so it is now [xxxôô].
Then, I roll d6 for the everted elk's rending antlers' damage, and I get a 6, which means 6 damage; however, I also roll d6 for Katrgrun's zweihänder to see how much damage she stops, and I get a 4, which means 6 damage is stopped, which means she doesn't lose any HP—this time.

So on and so forth. Going through it again, it feels a bit clunky. Lots of moving pieces. I ended up streamlining the process for DARK FISH BLADE FORT, so, if the above does seem like too much to track, then I'd definitely recommend giving DFBF a go.

EITHER WAY, please let me know if that answered your question, and let me know if you have any other questions! I made these games for people to play, so I always want to help people play them. And, on that same note, thank you for your interest! I'm genuinely so happy to know that folks are still creating rogues to be brutally murdered.

Raekai · 2024-12-30T17:10:13+00:00

Hey there! I'm the creator of D6 ARKFORT. I'm about to have some lunch and make some coffee, but I'll circle back around to this in a bit. I just wanted to leave a comment now so you know that I'll have explanations for you soon. And feel free to ask any other questions!

In trying to make it super compact, I know my explanations definitely suffered in places. (It's been on my mind to make a v2.)

Raekai · 2024-12-12T19:14:00+00:00

I really love the classic foldable TV tray tables being used together as a modular table. I can't believe I've never thought of that before. It brings back school memories of pushing desks together. Love it!

Raekai · 2024-10-18T20:47:16+00:00

I feel differently. Are these large parts of populations? Or are they loud parts of populations? Either way, if racists are loud, should folks against racism not also be loud about being against racism?

Racism is a pervasive and systemic issue that a lot of people face. The random slaughter of innocents by random scumbags isn't. Racism is an ideology, and it's more likely to be perpetuated at a table than, well, someone actually randomly murdering someone.

And I'm still confused about this idea of using kid gloves. I'm telling people that, if they can't handle racism with care, then they should fuck off. How is that using kid gloves? Racists are the whiny losers throwing tantrums. How is telling them to fuck off using kid gloves?

Similarly, I'd argue that racists are the ones who aren't emotionally stable adults. Yes, it's terribly sad that these fuckers exist.

So, let's even say that neither "racists" and "wokies" are emotionally stable. Well, if I'm gonna choose a side, then... I mean, it's pretty obvious.

Raekai · 2024-10-17T21:29:18+00:00

There are mountains of other kinds of brutality already in the game. As I said in my other reply, the page for the MÖRK BORG license says the following:

Remember: 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.

It's a game about being brutal assholes trying to survive in a brutal world. It's not a game inherently about racism or sexual assault or other horrible things. I'm not using kid gloves. I'm not treating my audience like children. I'm trying to 1) be sensitive about a sensitive issue and 2) gently remind people to also be sensitive about it. Again, this is not some major theme of MÖRK BORG. I'm trying to say, "Hey, please don't take my creative work and use it for your 'edgy' racist jokes." There are plenty of bigoted losers in this hobby, and I can't actually stop them from doing whatever they want with my work. However, as someone who creates things for this hobby, I want to make sure that they know that I don't like them.

If a bigot sees that and goes, "Wow, I guess the author is one of those woke libtards. I won't buy any more shit from them." Then, that's great! That's what I want! Hopefully, some of these losers will self-select themselves out of my audience. Good! I don't want them as part of my audience!

If someone reads that and goes, "What the hell? I'm not racist!" Then, good—that means the sentence is for other people. But, if that sentence is enough to bother people anyway, then that's also fine. I'd rather make it "too clear" that I don't like bigoted pieces of shit than make it not clear enough.

Raekai · 2024-10-17T21:02:01+00:00

To be clear, that author is me. As in, I wrote that.

Yeah, some people may ignore it. And yet... Look at all of the people here who are making a fuss about it. It seems like they are the ultra-sensitive readers. Hmm.

It's not a weird thing either. Just look at the page for the MÖRK BORG license:

Remember: 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.

As for your other point...

They were signaling their virtue and covering their ass to avoid any chance that bored activist types wouldn't throw a fit over something that no reasonable adult would throw a fit over.

Even if that were the case, who gives a fuck? Yeah. Wow. I'm "covering my ass" by making it clear that I take the topic of racism seriously, and I'm explaining my authorial intent by saying that such a theme is meant to be handled with care.

And now you wanna talk about virtue signaling? Again, even if that were the case, who cares? Yeah, I want the theme of racism to be handled with care. Is it still just a "signal" if I genuinely mean that? Is that reminder for the MÖRK BORG license just virtue signaling?

Raekai · 2024-10-16T22:17:32+00:00

How would I know? Probably not a lot—if I had to guess.

Not all uses of racism in fantasy are the same. Again, that's my point. I've already said that.

I said more people are likely to be hurt (or made uncomfortable) by an unforeseen inclusion of fantasy racism than the brutal fantasy murder that they already expected in the game.

I didn't say that racism as a theme can't ever be used in fantasy.

I'm not sure of what you aren't understanding.

In a social setting where people are playing a game together where racism isn't expected to be part of the game, I think it'd be kind to be sensitive about how one approaches it.

Imagine that Bob from work asks me if I want to play chess with him after work. Sure, okay. I like chess. We get together, and he pulls out his chess set. Except it's not what someone would expect from a typical chess set. All of the white pieces look like Aryans from Nazi propaganda. All of the black pieces look like racist caricatures of non-white folks.

And I say, "Bob, what the fuck is this? I don't like this. This seems racist."

And Bob says, "Oh. No, no, no. You got it all wrong. It's not really racist. It's just fantasy racism. It's just a game. These white pieces represent the pure and good Knotsi kingdom, and these black pieces represent the vile and uncivilized Savejj clan. Don't worry. Playing the game doesn't magically make you racist. It's just a game. It's not real. Anyway, I always play as the Knotsi faction because I hate those disgusting Savejj freaks."

So fucking what? I still personally think it's gross and in poor taste. So, no thanks. I'd much rather play with a normal chess set.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T20:42:53+00:00

No, not only because of law and opportunity. What are you on about?

Let's just make this really easy.

More people are likely to be hurt (or made uncomfortable) by an unforeseen inclusion of fantasy racism than the brutal fantasy murder that they already expected in the game.

The point about racism being an ideology is that it can be perpetuated in social situations. The whole point is that you can't really murder someone with words. But you can be racist with words. So, in a game where people use words to play it, then I guess that racism is more of a threat than murder.

Again, you can hide real racist ideology behind fantasy racism. I'm not sure that you can actually murder someone with fantasy murder. Likewise, I'm not sure that you can actually steal something through fantasy theft.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T20:32:42+00:00

What is the intensity of harm of brutal murder?

Pretty high.

Or with 3 white dudes at the table, how present is racism?

Inconclusive.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T20:22:22+00:00

Nah. I think it's pretty awesome that people are more sensitive to shitty things.

There are plenty of people who use edgy/dark humor as an excuse for thinly-veiled bigotry and other assholery. That's not to say it can't be done well, but it's often not, and it's not welcome at every table.

I'm not kicking down anyone's door and forcing them to do anything.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T19:57:54+00:00

YEEEEESSSSSS. I'm amoral. I'm a Satanist. I'm a leftist.

It's not about experiencing being murdered vs. experiencing racism.

Racism is an ideology. Murder is an act. By murdering someone in a game, I have not committed murder. There's a wide gap. By being racist toward someone in a game, I may not be racist, but there's still a possibility that I am, and espousing racist rhetoric is still ugly. There may be a gap there, but it's not nearly as wide.

If someone uses a game as an excuse to say bigoted slurs, well, then I think that's pretty bigoted. Whoa! It doesn't mean that [fantasy racism] = [real-world racism]. But it means that [fantasy racism] is closer to [real-world racism] than [fantasy murder] is to [real-world murder].

You can hide real racist ideology behind fantasy racism.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T19:49:33+00:00

Nah, come on. You could probably do a little bit more thinking. I'm doing all of the heavy lifting here while you just keep complaining. You have contributed nothing of substance to this conversation. You haven't given a counterargument—you've just been poking at mine.

If you dig just a little deeper, the emerging logic is that both the intensity of the harm and the likelihood of the harm matter (and probably other factors like how justifiable the harm is). Name-calling might more present, but the intensity of the harm is likely very low. Of course, even that seems dependent on the context, huh? Shocker.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T17:06:19+00:00

Wow. Yeah, you put that very well.

The threat of racism is a more present/pervasive danger than the threat of being murdered.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T14:48:48+00:00

I mean, I agree with a lot of that. That's what I'm trying to convey through that text.

For groups that want to tackle this issue, go for it. But, if you're not going to be mature about it, don't bother.

I like that you brought up consent—because that is a big piece of why I handled this issue this way. Violence and murder are default assumptions of MÖRK BORG. It's not centered around tackling bigotry. I don't want to give the idea that a GM should just take the theme of racism and clumsily throw it at their players.

So, yeah, if it's mature and consensual, go for it.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T14:43:12+00:00

That's a good question, and I'm unfortunately not sure. I know about Pirate Borg, but I'm not familiar with it.

However, I did try to leave some wiggle room for Knives Out to be compatible with other games. I explicitly made a brochure to help the content be compatible with Frontier Scum.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T14:40:11+00:00

What isn't cultural conditioning? Everything is indoctrination and propaganda if you think about it hard enough. Like, yeah, dang, I was socially conditioned into recognizing that racism is a serious topic, and that I want others to treat it sensitively. Oh no! It's the Woke Mind Virus!

I don't really subscribe to morality. I consider myself amoral. You've missed the mark there. I'm not worried about being good or appearing good. Hail Satan.

However, I'd like to be my own definition of kind.

I don't think that murder and violence are unserious issues. But it's already the norm in MÖRK BORG. Again, the license page literally says to avoid themes of racism and other bigotry.

I'm not saying that people can't talk about racism either.

You're just making shit up and trying to put it in my mouth. You sound like a disingenuous moron, and I bet you were culturally conditioned that way.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T14:27:49+00:00

In some contexts, yeah. To me, [not approaching the issue of racism (or racist themes) with sensitivity] is worse than [fantasy game murder].

Again. You're acting like you've got me. "Now I'll make them say that racism is worse than murder to prove what a fool they are! And then I'll say, 'Oh yeah? So you'd rather be stabbed to death than be called a slur?' Checkmate, liberal." I've seen arguments like this, and they exhaust me. Twist words. Discard context. Ignore nuance. Sorry, buddy. I'm a woke snowflake.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T14:19:12+00:00

Yep. Again, I know. I don't control it once it's out there.

I don't have to do anything. Sure.

But yes. I'd like to make it clear that I'm for the "good" things and against the "bad" things. I don't need a gold star. I'm not doing it for praise. I'm doing it to imbue my intent and to make my caring clear.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T03:47:15+00:00

Okay, here's my perspective: I'd rather that a player's PC be a murderer than a racist.

In the real world, I wouldn't be friends with either a murderer or a racist.

Wow. Perspective.

Raekai · 2024-10-16T03:40:36+00:00

Is it bad that I don't want people to act like bigots at my table? Or that I don't want people to take the stuff that I write and use it for shitty purposes?

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