Porkin' the Void vs Shadow of the Demon Lord
Compare Porkin' the Void and Shadow of the Demon Lord side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, cost, and more.
| Porkin' the Void | Shadow of the Demon Lord | |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | Scifi, Horror | Fantasy, Horror |
| Play Style | Gonzo, Comedy, Grimdark, Ship-Based, Space Opera, Deadly | Grimdark, Fast Sessions, Beginner-Friendly, GM-Friendly |
| Core Mechanic | Roll d20 +/- ability score against a Difficulty Rating (DR 6–18). Equal to or greater than the DR succeeds. Five abilities (Agility, Strength, Toughness, Presence, and Technology) each range from -3 to +3. Players roll all dice: attacks (Strength for melee, Presence for ranged) and defense (Agility), all against DR 12 by default. Enemies never roll. Natural 20 is a crit; natural 1 is a fumble. Omens (luck points) can deal max damage, reroll dice, reduce incoming damage, or neutralize crits and fumbles. | Roll d20 + modifier vs. target number 10. Boons and banes (d6s) add or subtract from the roll, canceling each other out. |
| Dice | d20 | d20 |
| Complexity | Medium | Low |
| Accessibility | Medium | High |
| Runnability | Low | High |
| License | MÖRK BORG Third Party License | Forbidden Rules SRD |
| Cost | $$ | $$ |
| Publisher | Yog'du Games | Schwalb Entertainment |
| Year | 2022 | 2015 |
| Best For | Groups who want a gonzo, darkly comedic sci-fi game where anthropomorphic pig-scum explore a doomed universe in styships, with Mork Borg's lethal simplicity expanded by cybernetics, psionics, and full spaceship creation and combat rules. | Groups who want fast, dark fantasy with streamlined d20 mechanics and a sense of impending doom. |
| Highlights | Full spaceship creation and combat system spanning 50+ pages, from hull design and modules to weapons and salvage. Ten optional character classes with randomized specialties, plus a classless option. Three subsystems layered onto the Mork Borg chassis: pigskins (techno-scrolls), hackable cybernetic implants, and six psionic disciplines. Extensive setting with multiple galactic empires, rival megacorporations, heretical cults, and an apocalyptic countdown. | Fast character creation, quick sessions, single boon/bane mechanic replaces most modifiers, 11 levels keep campaigns short |
| Considerations | 278-page rulebook is dense for a Mork Borg derivative, requiring substantially more reading than the base system. Content warning for pervasive profanity, crude humor, and deliberately vulgar themes that may not suit all groups. No free rules or quickstart: $15 PDF is the minimum entry point, though a free character generator (SwineBerther) exists online. Spaceship rules add significant complexity beyond what Mork Borg players may expect. | Dark horror tone limits genre range, setting tightly coupled to core rules |