What is "BJÖRN BORG: SERVE THE FLESH"?
"BJÖRN BORG: SERVE THE FLESH" is described as a "MÖRK BORG Grindcore Tennis Mini-RPG." It's a role-playing game where players engage in brutal, ritualistic tennis matches, emphasizing carnage and divine prophecy over traditional athleticism. The game's tone is grimdark and chaotic, aligning with the MÖRK BORG system's reputation for dark fantasy and high lethality.
How are characters created and what are their core abilities?
Character creation involves combining a Nordic and violent name (e.g., Ulf Deathgrip). Players assign points (-3 to +3, totaling 0) to four core stats:
- Strength: Governs serve power and "unholy fury."
- Agility: Determines footwork and return precision.
- Presence: Used for flaunting, screaming, distracting, and seducing opponents.
- Toughness: Represents grit, endurance, and "churro digestion." Each character also starts with HP (1d8 + Toughness, minimum 1) and chooses one piece of starting equipment like a Racquet, Flashy Shoes, Headband, or a Gender Neutral Codpiece, along with a sacred churro.
What is the structure of a tennis match in "Serve the Flesh"?
A match follows a loop of four actions: Serve, Return, Flaunt, and Toughness checks.
- Serve: (Strength check, DR12 or DR14 for power shots). Two faults result in a point loss.
- Return: (Agility check, DR12). Failure means the opponent scores. A critical fail means the ball hits a Ball Boy, leading to retaliation.
- Flaunt: (Presence check). Success grants a bonus to the next roll, failure a penalty. Critical failures cause damage and loss of Presence.
- Toughness Checks: Start from Rally 4 and increase in difficulty (DR12, DR14, DR16...). Failing results in a penalty to all rolls until rest or churro sacrifice. Matches can be of different formats: Sudden Serve (3 Sacraments to win), Standard Carnage (4 Sacraments), or Grand Slam of Bone (6 Sacraments). Victory can also be achieved by "Glory" with enough Flaunt successes.
How does the unique scoring system work?
The game uses a thematic, brutal scoring system instead of traditional tennis terms:
- Love becomes Hate
- Fifteen becomes Blood
- Thirty becomes Flesh
- Forty becomes Ruin
- Advantage becomes Glory Winning a game awards a "Sacrament," which are the main objective for winning the match formats.
What role do "Churros" and "Flesh Points" play in the game?
Churros are sacred items with various effects when consumed or "sacrificed." A "Crunch of Remembrance" heals HP and requires a shameful confession. "Powdered Prophecy" offers a temporary stat boost (Serve, Rally, Flaunt) or other benefits like regaining a Flesh Point, but can also be filled with wasps causing damage. Special churros like the "Churro of Doubles Unity" or "Black Churro" offer unique benefits or drawbacks. Flesh Points are a crucial resource. They are earned through confession, sacrificing HP, or crowd favor. They can be spent to reroll failed rolls, cancel critical failures, or automatically pass Toughness tests, providing a way to mitigate bad luck or endure the match's harsh conditions.
What are "Court Hazards" and "Ball Boy Retaliations"?
Court Hazards are environmental effects that alter the rules or add challenges to a match, rolled randomly. Examples include "Ashen Court" (increasing Agility DR), "Blood-Slicked Clay" (causing damage on Toughness failures), or "Screaming Net" (requiring Presence checks before serves). Ball Boy Retaliations occur when a player critically fails a Return roll and hits a Ball Boy. These are punitive effects, such as the "Cursed Ball" (increasing the next Return DR), "Acid Spit" (dealing damage), or "Doll Effigy Tossed" (penalizing the next Flaunt). If three or more retaliations occur, a Ball Boy can ascend to become the "Umpire of Gristle," issuing divine curses.
How do Doubles Rules and the "Holy Triangle Doctrine" change gameplay?
Doubles Rules:
- One player per team serves.
- Both teammates roll Return; either success continues the rally. If both roll a 1, the crowd pelts them with fruit (1d4 damage each).
- Both teammates roll Flaunt, with cumulative results (two successes = +2 bonus, one fail cancels one success, two fails = -2 shame).
- A "Churro of Flesh Unity" can be shared for a doubles bond (+2 to RALLY together), but betrayal has severe consequences (-2 TOU permanently, lose Flesh Points). Holy Triangle Doctrine: This optional rule triggers when three players are tied in Sacraments or deeply entangled in rivalry. All three roll Presence, and the highest chooses a powerful effect like a +2 bonus to their next roll, revealing an enemy's secret, or gaining a Flesh Point. This adds a layer of strategic manipulation and interpersonal conflict.
What does the provided "Doubles Playtest" demonstrate about the game in action?
The "Doubles Playtest" simulates a "Sudden Serve" match (3 Sacraments to win) between two teams, The Bleakvolleys and The Gorestrings, on the "Court of the Inverted Crowd" (Agility DRs +2). It highlights several core mechanics:
- Character Stats & Equipment: Characters like Gunnar Hatefist (high STR, low PRE) and Freya Bloodspin (high AGI, high PRE) use their strengths.
- Match Flow: The rally-by-rally breakdown demonstrates Serve, Return, and Flaunt checks, with Toughness checks starting in later rallies.
- Consequences of Failure: Double faults (Ingrid in Rally 4), critical fails (Gunnar & Freya in Rally 2 hitting Ball Boys), and their associated Ball Boy Retaliations (Tripwire Roll, Acid Spit, Doll Effigy) are showcased, along with the crowd pelting due to double critical failures in doubles.
- Churro Usage: Viggo uses a "Crunch of Remembrance" to heal and confess, while Gunnar uses "Powdered Prophecy" for a Rally bonus and to heal.
- Scoring & Sacraments: The Bleakvolleys steadily gain points and ultimately win the first Sacrament, demonstrating the scoring system in practice. The playtest successfully conveys the grimdark, chaotic, and high-stakes nature of the game, with injuries, confessions, and tactical use of churros.