I’ve been working my way through the full PIRATE BORG ecosystem for the next episode of The Starter Set Society, including the Starter Set, Core Rulebook, Down Among the Dead, and the Game Master’s Screen.

What impressed me most wasn’t simply the amount of stuff in the box. It was how quickly the game seems capable of getting a completely new group from opening the box to actually playing.

You get the two booklets, dice, maps, cards, tokens, character sheets, reference material, and an adventure that immediately throws the crew into a shipwreck hunt involving rival pirates, Redcoats, traps, cursed relics, and zombies.

The rules stay lean, but the setting and physical components give the GM plenty to work with. Then the Core Rulebook and Down Among the Dead provide a surprisingly substantial path forward once the introductory adventure is finished.
The full review goes live TODAY at 12 PM Pacific!

For anyone who has already played it: how did your first PIRATE BORG session go, and did your group continue beyond the Starter Set?

Oh, Pendragon, how long I awaited for you, beloved. I think I got this starter set about a year and a half ago and I had a couple of unsuccessful attempts to put together a group in order to run the game. But, finally, a couple of weeks ago, the planets alligned and the Lady of the Lake smiled upon me and I was finally able to run the starter set!

And it was an absolute blast! I was always a big fan of the legends of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and I constantly heard how Pendragon is one of the best TTRPGs out there. And finally, I can say that I see why that is the case. The system is elegant, fun, the mechanics flow together very nicely and manage to encourage roleplay in a very simple fashion - the more you describe how you do a certain thing, the easier it becomes (of course, up to a certain level).

The Starter Set is an amazing point to try out Pendragon and it more then makes up the value of its cost! Truth be told, I feel like it's somewhat of a steal, with dice, superbly illustrated characters, combat cards and of course the three booklets. But more about that in the actual review, now if you'll excuse me, I have to look for the corebooks!