Quack against the coming apocalypse in Mörk Borg-meets-DuckTales RPG Dukk Börg

If there’s one thing the Saturday morning cartoons of the late ‘80s taught, it’s that ducks love two things: adventure and money. Upcoming tabletop RPG Dukk Börg enshrines that truth in its dark gonzo world where plucky animated fowl lurk a blasted world on the knife’s edge of total collapse.

Designed by the team of Gem Room Games and Nerdy Paper Games, Dukk Börg builds on the framework of Stockholm Kartell’s Mörk Borg with more than just a flavour pass. It builds out just about every aspect - locations, character classes and options, adversaries and treasures. It might have started out as a joke, but the designers mean it as a love letter to both influences.

“Dukk Börg takes the beauty and brutality of Mörk Borg and uses them to emphasize what we all loved about DuckTales: unlikely heroes, high stakes adventure, found family, and the pursuit of outrageous wealth that can all be found amongst the wreckage of racecars, lasers, and aeroplanes,” reads the game’s Itch.io page.

Groups will need Mörk Borg in order to run Dukk Börg, as it uses the same mechanical structures and progression paths. The popular doom metal RPG is already fairly absurd on its own - the world has ended in some catastrophic way, and the players are scavengers, mercenaries or outcasts attempting to eke some form of living from the dust and debris of humanity - and the addition of duck clans and Castle Skruj certainly doesn’t ground anything.

Those brave enough to explore the rotten city of Dukk Börg and the surrounding Calisota will be able to visit location that might seem familiar but have been twisted by the apocalypse - the aforementioned Skruj also has a Citadel of Gold in the middle of the bay, and an exploded moon is still accepting visitors. Character classes such as Gizmo Speakers and Treasure Hunters will fill out the players’ band of would-be nouveau riche canards as they plumb the depths for hidden gold and forgotten technology.

Standing against them will be adversaries familiar to anyone who has watched either incarnation of DuckTales, though the apocalypse has not massaged their egos or their greed. Speaking of the end of the world, Dukk Börg’s final days will tick down to the beat of the theme song, heralded by race cars, lasers, aeroplanes and the dreaded strangers.

Ridiculous and horrific in its portrayal of a beloved cartoon, this title could offer a spot of levity to groups grinding through the core Mörk Borg experience or help onboard potential players who aren’t quite sold on its gorgeous but admittedly brutal art direction and feeling.

Dukk Börg was initially released as three separate supplements, each introducing more material and gradually building the world. The full game will be available through Gem Room Games’ Itch.io page on June 29th for $12 (£9).