Pirate Borg: Down Among the Dead (Sourcebook Review)

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Since its release back in 2022, Pirate Borg has carved out a unique niche in the TTRPG community, blending the rules-light death metal vibes of MÖRK BORG with the salt-crusted chaos of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Now, creator Luke Stratton (better known as Limithron) and Free League Publishing are sailing into unexplored waters with a brand new supplement entitled Pirate Borg: Down Among the Dead. The book offers new character options, GM tools, adventures and a unique setting that blends action, adventure and horror on the high seas. You can pick it up now from your local game store, Free League and DriveThruRPG.

So is this latest pile of Pirate Borg booty worth pillaging or should it be consigned to the briny deep? Below, we set sail for all the details. (NOTE: In the interest of transparency, we have received a review copy of the book in both physical and PDF formats from Free League, but have otherwise have not been compensated for this review).

What is Pirate Borg?

Originally launched on Kickstarter in 2022 by game designer Luke Stratton (aka Limithron), Pirate Borg is an offshoot of the popular MÖRK BORG rules light RPG, and was later picked and officially distributed by Swedish publisher Free League. The system was nominated for a 2023 Origins Award for Best Game-Related Writing and the community has grown significantly over the past few years and now features numerous fan-made adventures, third-party supplements and a robust Pirate Borg subReddit.

Thematically, the game leans into MÖRK BORG‘s dark fantasy vibes and unique art style, while layering in the supernatural and naval combat/exploration in an alternate version of the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. It’s a grimdark world of shipwrecks, curses, coral reefs, undead horrors and tropical terrors. It also features a unique magic system known as “Arcane Rituals,” which allow players to wield powerful, yet incredibly risky dark magic that can have unforeseen consequences.

Mechanically, Pirate Borg uses a streamlined version of MÖRK BORG‘s rules built around improvisation, rapid play and high lethality. Characters have four core abilities (Strength, Agility, Presence and Toughness) and roll a d20 + ability modifier against a target number (usually a 12) to attack, dodge, cast spells or interact with the world. The game emphasizes random tables, exploration tools and a rules-light framework that encourages chaotic pirate adventures.

What’s included in Pirate Borg: Down Among the Dead?

Down Among the Dead is a 148-page supplement written, illustrated and laid out by Pirate Borg creator Limithron and published by Free League. At its core, it’s meant to an expansion of the TTRPG’s “Dark Caribbean” setting and features content for both GMs and players, including:

• 3 New Classes: The Antiquarian (a treasure hunter that’s equal parts Indiana Jones and Jack Sparrow), the Deep One (a fish-like monster inspired by the Cthulhu mythos) and the Unlocked Soul (an undead sailor cursed to roam the seas for all eternity).
• House Rules: 20 optional rules for Pirate Borg based on player feedback and testing.
• 3 New Adventures: A treacherous descent into a waterfall cave guarded by a massive crab, a classic dungeon crawl through snake-infested ruins, and a high-stakes maritime hunt for a demonic warship crewed by vampires.

• 2 New Locations: The abandoned pirate port of Anchor Drop Falls and The Locker, a watery purgatory featuring the undead, shipwrecks and supernatural horrors (notably, details on The Locker makes up the vast majority of the book).
• 66 Skills: These are designed to augment the existing Skills featured in the primary Pirate Borg core rules.
• Random Tables: This includes random generators for islands, coral reefs, coins and Jolly Roger flags, plus random motivations for characters.

What is the lore and setting like?

The expansion leans heavily into the supernatural elements of the Dark Caribbean, primarily through the introduction of The Locker. This unsettling purgatory is a waystation for the souls of drowned mariners before they pass on to the Netherworld and is ruled by the enigmatic Lady Oblivion, with its waters patrolled by Charon the Ferryman.

Within the Locker there are a variety of locations, including The Shallows (where corpses are chained to the ocean floor), Port Oblivion (a hub for the dead constructed entirely from shipwrecks), the Pellucid Palace (which burns to the ground nightly) and the Limbyard (where waterlogged body parts wash ashore to be sorted into massive mounds by a two-headed Cerberus). Other landmarks include the Desiccated Sea (where skeletal sea creatures hunt for prey), the Inverted Galleon (an upside down shipwreck) and the Star-crossed Fort (a castle trapped in a permanent hourly loop of destruction and reconstruction).

The Locker also features some unique mechanical effects that impact gameplay. For example, physical bodies are regenerated every five minutes, allowing limbs to regrow and wounds to close. If you reach Zero HP, you also roll a D20. On a 1, you pass on to the Netherworld forever, while any other roll results in you restarting with a new undead body in the Shallows.

It’s is a very cool concept for a setting and, given the high lethality of Pirate Borg, actually works well as a kind of narrative safety net for the game. After all, if you ever suffer a total party kill, players can always end up in the Locker.

What are the adventures like?

Down Among the Dead includes three never-before-published adventures:

• Lost to the Locker: This is a sandbox adventure set in the Locker, with players recently dying and finding themselves stripped of their gear. They must navigate the strange undead world and find a vessel in order to make their way back to the land of the living. While the atmosphere and concept is very cool, the sandbox nature may be a little challenging for inexperienced GMs.
• Venom in the Veins: This adventure is set within ancient ruins dedicated to a dreaded serpent goddess. It’s a solid, extremely lethal adventure with plenty of twists, turns and traps. At the same time, the old school dungeon crawl vibes may be a bit off putting to players looking to lean more into the pirate theme.
• Into the Maelstrom: The book’s centerpiece adventure takes place aboard a demonic, seven-deck warship. Players are tasked with infiltrating this floating fortress, which is crewed by vampiric fish people. The adventure also features rules for “Three-Eyed Parrot,” a unique poker-based card reading that randomly determines the party’s fate and mission objectives. It’s an absolutely brilliant adventure, but definitely requires a fair bit of GM prep.

How do the rules and mechanics hold up?

The three new classes all work extremely well in terms of both flavor and mechanics. That being said, it may be a bit challenging to work The Deep One into an adventure (a flesh eating fish demon isn’t necessarily going to fit with every ship’s crew).

The 20 House Rules are also a welcome addition. These range from immersive meta rules (like taking a shot of rum in the real world to avoid making a Toughness check) to some unique mechanical concepts (like rerolling initiative each round). The 66 Skills also provide new and meaningful character options, with standouts like “Gull Squawker” (summoning seagulls for reconnaissance) and “Bulletproof Fashion” (treating fancy clothes as armor).

Finally, all of the random tables are very much appreciated and offer a ton of world building and flavor. In particular, the random island generator is something longtime GMs will likely come back to time and again if you’re looking to quickly whip up a new location on the fly.

What’s the art and presentation like?

Visually, Down Among the Dead is absolutely stunning. Following the MÖRK BORG tradition, the art is chaotic, vibrant and incredibly atmospheric. Maps are detailed and functional while maintaining a hand-drawn, in-world feel. The layout is also extremely well done, with the book managing to fit in a ton of material without ever feeling cluttered. In other words, like most MÖRK BORG spin-offs, Down Among the Dead is as much an art book as it is a game a supplement.

Notably, the physical version of the book also features a glow-in-the-dark cover, which is a stylish first for the series.

How much is “Pirate Borg: Down Among the Dead”?

The hardcover book retails for $39.99 USD (not including shipping and handling) with the PDF going for $19.99 USD on DriveThruRPG.

When was “Pirate Borg: Down Among the Dead” released?

The book was officially released on March 10th, 2026, both online and at local game stores. It’s worth noting, however, that backers of the original 2024 Kickstarter received their copies well in advance.

Is Pirate Borg: Down Among the Dead worth picking up?

Pros

• The Locker: A brilliant mechanical and narrative solution for player death that expands the Pirate Borg world significantly.
• Endless Utility: The generators for coins, flags, reefs and islands are all top-tier and packed with enough content to last years worth of play.
• Atmospheric Adventures: While there are a few minor issues, all three adventures are extremely well done.
• Stunning Production: The art is absolutely beautiful, doing much of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating the atmosphere of the book.

Cons

• Chaotic Layout: While beautiful, the “Borg” style can sometimes make finding specific rules or stats difficult (particularly when it comes to some of the more creative fonts).
• Challenging for New GMs: Like most MÖRK BORG inspired games, the book expects a lot from GMs (which is part of its appeal, but may also by offputting to inexperienced players).
• High Lethality: As with the core Pirate Borg game (which is requires to use the supplement), Down Among the Dead may not suit groups looking for long-term power fantasies or complex tactical combat.
• Limited Utility: If you’re looking for more horror and supernatural elements to add to your Pirate Borg campaign, this book has you covered. If you’re looking for more broader campaign materials, however, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

Final Thoughts and Review Score

Down Among the Dead represents a major next step for Pirate Borg as a game system, managing to fit a lifetime’s worth of play into a little over a hundred beautifully illustrated pages. With its unique blend of the supernatural, horror and nautical adventure, it’s proof that sometimes the best secret in life (and in death) are those that refuse to stay buried.

Final Review Score: 19 out of 20

You can pick up the book now from your local game store, Free League and DriveThruRPG.