Staff Picks #2: Mork Borg, Cosmic Horror and Texting Your Friends

Good morrow travelers! Welcome to the second installment of “Staff Picks!” We’ve been eagerly anticipating your feedback on the last issue, and we hope to bring you more recommendations that you might not have thought about previously.
This week we’re showcasing some of our wonderful TTRPG systems, board games and LCGs! We love our TCG’s and would be remiss to ignore them; but we wanted to showcase all of our other wares we have here at The Haven. We’ve recently been expanding our TTRPG and alternative board game library, especially focusing on some of the picks we’re taking a peek at today. Without further ado, let’s dive right into what our staff have been loving recently!.
X - MORK BORG
“It’s like a digital art collage, the imagery is incredible. As someone who wants to live in a TTRPG world, it’s very inspiring to me.”
An OSR game with a distinctly doom metal aesthetic, this RPG has won multiple awards for its innovation and ingenuity towards old-fashioned systems. Within the world of MORK BORG, you experience the end of days, live within a world that is doomed to die and erupt into chaos, and try to resist despair wherever you can. The book is awash in stark black and white illustrations, all illustrated by artist Johan Nohr. With a distinctly nordic disposition and a stark black sense of humor, MORK BORG lures you into a world that is as whimsical as it is bleak and dire.
In a campaign run with MORK BORG, players navigate a world that will end in 7 days. Through a robust, almost-entirely dice based table system, players can roll up a character and hop into a scenario quickly. Players roll many different factors randomly, from weapon type to armor class to inventory size. With only 4 stats to keep track of, the game focuses on snap combat and decision making. The MORK BORG TTRPG system primarily uses smaller numbers than something like 5e for example, so it’s easier for players to keep track of.
Dive into a world of misfortune and dread in MORK BORG today, and try some of the various scenarios and expansions we have in stock!
DAVID - ARKHAM HORROR
“A really solid cooperative card game within the Lovecraft universe– what’s important to me is that this game’s dedication to depicting Lovecraft’s worlds with diverse and strong characters.”
Taking place in the sleepy and mysterious streets of the famous H.P. Lovecraft locale, 1 to 2 players will cooperatively solve mysteries in an attempt to save the world from eldritch abominations and mayhem. Each game played in this system is part of a longer running storyline that can have dire consequences for the world you inhabit. Arkham Horror’s world isn’t just limited to the card game– if you prefer a board game or TTRPG system, the folks at Fantasy Flight have designed various entry points into the sprawling world of Arkham Horror.
Players choose one of 5 investigators in order to solve various mysteries. Each investigator has a player deck, premade specifically for them. Players can customize these decks with other cards included in the base game. Exploring various rooms, grabbing clues and drawing cards from an encounter deck, players will juggle their sanity, health, and magical abilities as they try to resist the dark urges of arcane worlds beyond. With bespoke artwork, a strong aesthetic and deeply unravelling story that unfurls with each playthrough, Arkham Horror will keep you hooked under the murky depths of an old god’s sea kingdom.
Grab a copy of Arkham Horror today before an evil cult destroys the world!
ELSIE - ALICE IS MISSING
“A deeply important and emotional game, Alice is Missing feels like reconnecting with friends you haven’t spoken to in years. Although these reunions aren’t always pleasant, they remind you of a time when things were easier and more innocent– this game is about small town secrets and rumors of people long left behind.”
You thought this fine author wouldn’t have a pick herself? Well, you’re wrong! I’ve been loving this game (and crying over this game) since I first played it, and I’m anxious to tell you all about it.
In Alice is Missing, you take control of various teenage characters in an attempt to find Alice, someone of great importance to you. Whether she’s your sister, your friend, or even your lover, all of the players in-game explore various locations in an attempt to find her– whether she’s alive or dead is up to fate. Suspect cards and clues are revealed throughout the runtime of the game, which is under a strict 90 minute timer. The kicker is that players cannot directly communicate with one another– they must only use a text thread and group chat to share information.
This is a roleplaying game in its purest form, almost like improvisational theater or LARP. Feel the role of your character, the weight of their relationships with other characters, and the strength of your bond with Alice. You decide who she was during the game– was she a good person? A flawed person? A self destructive or kind person? These are all questions that by the end of a 90 minute session will be answered and scar you for days after your game. This game is the best kind of wound, and I love it dearly.
Text old friends and reminisce of days long left behind in Alice is Missing today.
That’s this week’s staff picks! As we get into the swing of posting blogs, let us know what you might want to read about next. We have a few column ideas that might be exciting for you, whether you’re a Haven veteran or newbie. We wish you luck on your travels, and hope to see you next time on “Staff Picks!”
1 comment
Oh crap MORK BORG looks awesome, I love the metal vibes. I’ll have to check that out, I love me DnD so this is very much up my alley.
I was checking out Alice is Missing the other day at the store. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna like the silence and texting but I trust Elsie so I might have to check it out again.