Mischief vs Pirate Borg
Compare Mischief and Pirate Borg side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.
| Mischief | Pirate Borg | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy | Fantasy, Horror |
| Tags | Rules-Light, Classless, Gonzo, Comedy, Fast-Paced, Fiction-First, Low-Prep, Improvisation, Character-Driven, Hackable | Deadly, Rules-Light, Gonzo, Pirates, Fast-Paced, Random Tables |
| Core Mechanic | Roll a d12 and add BODY, MIND, or WILL, then read the total on a five-tier scale: 12+ is a Critical Success, 9–11 a Success, 5–8 a Mixed Success, 2–4 a Failure, and 1 or less a Critical Failure. Natural 12s and 1s are always critical. Each instance of Good or Bad Luck adds a d12 and keeps the highest or lowest result. | Roll d20 + ability modifier vs. a Difficulty Rating (DR). Players roll both attack and defense. Five abilities (STR, AGI, PRE, TOU, SPI). Classes include Brute, Rapscallion, Buccaneer, and Swashbuckler. Devil's Luck points provide clutch rerolls. Ship combat uses broadside volleys and boarding actions. Fully compatible with Mörk Borg content. |
| Dice | d12 | d20 |
| Complexity | Low | Low |
| Availability | Free core rules | Free quickstart |
| Runnability | 3 of 5 book tools | 3 of 5 book tools |
| License | Made for Mischief Third-Party License | Mörk Borg Third Party License |
| Third-Party Publishing | Commercial publishing allowed — Made for Mischief Third-Party License | Not yet researched |
| Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing. | ||
| Publisher | Drimbus | Limithron LLC / Free League Publishing |
| Year | 2026 | 2023 |
| Languages | English | English, Swedish |
| Best For | Groups who want quick, swingy fantasy sessions with comedic magic, freeform character concepts, and advancement tied to each character's personal goals. | Groups who want fast, brutal pirate adventures with a doom-metal aesthetic: ship combat, cursed treasure, and a world spiraling toward annihilation. |
| Highlights | Opponents use a single Power score as roll modifier, damage track, and persuasion threshold, so one number runs a creature in both combat and conversation. Characters level up by checking off items on a player-written Bucket List, tying advancement to personal goals rather than experience points. Abilities and spells share one list and are normally Exhausted by a failed roll, so magic needs no spell slots or mana. | Simple rules, ship combat is fast-paced, Devil's Luck creates drama, fully Mörk Borg compatible, extensive random tables for pirate adventures |
| Considerations | A failed roll exhausts the Ability used until a Rest or Healing restores it, so a character starting with three Abilities can lose most of their tricks within one Conflict. Base attack damage is usually 1, or 2 on a critical, so weapons mostly differ in accuracy, critical range, and Luck conditions. Wounds add a -1 penalty and then Bad Luck on every roll, so injured characters get steadily worse at escaping danger. | Class balance varies significantly, core book layout prioritizes style over reference usability, ship combat rules are lighter than expected, random character generation limits player investment |