So after a lot of wrangling and pain I managed to get all the most important rules for Black Powder and Brimstone on to one double page spread. I love the accesability of Mörk Borg and how everything you need to know is crammed on to one easy to read page. That way there is less of a chance of the GM franticly flipping through a book to find somethng simple on their first time playing the game. Obviosly this super compressed collection of rules is only ment to be a technical doccument, you only get a glimpse of the book and the rules as well as the tone and atmosphere of the book and the world.
Seeing as the book is kind of an art book as well as a game manual, I still want it to be as easy to read and comprahend as possible. Jumping into a new TTRPG can be a little daunting, especially if its not set in a generic fantasy world where you know all the tropes and steriotypes.
So by including a page like this at the start I hope I can be just a little more accomidating.
But I’m curios, what aspects of rpg books do you like/ dislike? what makes a book a joy to read or a painful slog of back tracking and misunderstanding? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
These are my favorite pages in any of the Börg books I have. I GM non-D&D systems so rarely that being able to just reference almost anything in one place and move on without much of a fuss and bogging the game down.
This project is looking great! Really glad I found this ‘stack. 😀
Thank you again, Ben, for another delve into your design & insights to this amazing project.
I love that you have been able to condense your important game rules to a double page spread! I honestly feel this is accommodating for TTRPG’ers of all experience levels & am so happy that it will be present for BP&B.
My fondness for this project grows all the more knowing it is equally an art book, as well as a game manual. My most favourite TTRPG books have always been those in my collection that have seamlessly merged lore, art & rules to make the read compelling & entertaining, while also planting seeds in my imagination to have it run wild with story ideas.
The only times I have ever found TTRPG books that painful slog of a read was when I turned to the rules chapters & found walls & walls of text. I love a good read as much as the next person, but unfortunately if the layout & presentation is like a text book or a very dated encyclopaedia, then I can sometimes be overwhelmed & find it much harder to commit rules to memory.
Thankfully I’ve found this so rare of late, & many modern TTRPG books absolute pleasures to read.
If you have a favourite TTRPG book, may I ask what it is? I would be delighted to know!