“Each miserable day that passes, the universe inches closer to its inevitable demise”
I backed Vast Grimm pretty quickly when I first saw it, before I read too much about it, because, well look at it. It looks incredible, and you all know that I am a sucker for an art object. An entire Mork Borg conversion set in space? Sign me the fuck up!
While I got mine and the campaign is over, you can still get your own copy here!
Well, it got her on Saturday, and so I thought it would be fun to finally tell all y’all, that it’s even better than I thought it would be.
Physical Product: 9
This is a great little book. It’s the same size, shape, and quality as the Mork Borg core book. It has a gorgeous pink look ribbon and feels solid and great to hold and read. It also looks fantastic sitting on the shelf next to my other Mork Borg books! As far as I’m concerned this is as high a score a traditional book can get, it’s great.
Art: 8
Vast Grimm has an entirely different art style than Mork Borg. It helps remind you as you read that this, while a conversion of Mork Borg, is not ACTUALLY Mork Borg. A lot of the style looks Computer-Generated and reminds me of claymation. There are also a lot of baller sketches and cool shit. My only complaint is that it feels a little less cohesive than some other products, but there’s still not a single dull moment going through the book.
Writing/Editing: 9
The mistakes are on purpose as wurms burrow into the brain! There’s some joy to be had rejecting grammar edits from an editor in order to maintain a specific stylistic voice.
World/Fiction: 9
- Design: A whole new galaxy, one where every aspect of Mork Borg was taken and transitioned into this Space-Punk opera of a dystopian future. between the look and the thought that went into rebuilding this beast, it’s extremely impressive.
- Originality: I mentioned that every aspect of Mork Borg was taken and remade. I mean it. A new skin that is recognizable but completely new. I think it takes a certain kind of genius to take and reshape an extant book the way Colin and Brandt did, extremely impressive.
- Fleshed out: This is one departure, the setting of Vast Grimm goes into more detail than its papa Mork Borg. It shapes things more clearly while still leaving lots of room to discover, mutate, and evolve.
- Engaging: I absolutely did not want to put this book down. I want to read every page twice and discover all the nooks and crannies I’ve missed.
- Mechanics: It’s Mork Borg. That isn’t a complaint. What tweaks and rewording is made, and especially the rules for infestation, fit the system and the setting beautifully.
Overall: 8.85
Final Thoughts: I don’t review or read PDFs. This isn’t some snobby thing, or elitist mentality, reading long documents on a computer screen hurts my eyes. I spend a lot of time writing on a monitor, so when I’m reading it, I like to limit it.
So while lots of people will have already read it, I’m getting eyes on it for the first time this weekend. I’ve been waiting for this one, I think it’s a fantastic little book. Creator Brian Colin told me that this book and setting are more inspired by Punk Rock than metal of any genre, but that being said, I listened to a lot of psychedelia while reading and it fit really well.
Despite this being a conversion, I think it’s a really impressive book/setting and well worth the price of admission. On a side note, I got one of the little boxes of dice, and the magnetic dice box itself is well worth it!
Have a physical game or supplement you want John to review? Contact him below!
Wandering Monster 