Scars of Silvos combines the simplicity of Korg mechanics with a bit of a open-world quest type flair. In this first attempt, I'll be playing as Asa from Oakrun and trying to solve issues besetting his people as the treacherous Thornwood continues to cut them off from civilization.

To get your own copy: https://dungeonhavoc.itch.io/korg-scars-of-silvos

Took a Break from the Heat

It was my birthday, there were folks visiting from out of town, and [perhaps most importantly] the chunk of Europe I am in was caught up in a sudden heatwave that took late-Spring cool-ish temps to middle-of-Summer-style very-hottish temps in less than a week. All these things conspired to keep me from doing virtually anything related to sitting at a computer desk for around 10-days.

There have been no book reviews, no rants about current going ons, and no solo play.

It's Korgin' time

I wanted to do some sort of "birthday treat" [even if a bit late] for myself and so I'll try a one-off. In the past I played some Classic Korg (Volume 1) and have had Korg: Scars of Silvos (LGT: itch.io page) in my stack for a minute. It takes the basic Korg ideas and adds enough depth to them to make it more akin to an open-world gamebook series [though admittedly one of micro-descriptions]. You pick up quests. You wander around. You might die.

You mostly roll d6 and try to beat an X which varies from event to event.

Classic Korg has a potential issue with the gameplay loop where you might get a few bad encounters very early but it mitigates this by only taking a few minutes to play. It's a lunch break game.

Korg: Scars of Silvos has a much longer game-loop so has some other mitigation in place. Generally, encounters seem a bit easier and there are special quest rewards and there's a rest option. You are also less required to just cycle through 20+ d6 rolls to finish a quest, sort of. I have never played it so I am not sure how badly it might can go. BUT, then you get some status conditions and the like that can tweak things.

I say, let's find out.

Stuff in blockquotes will be from the book itself [though I'll mostly excerpt], stuff in bullet-points will be mechanical rolls. Everything else will just be my thoughts. There's not a whole lot of characterization so I don't really need another category. I'll use a few pictures screenshotted from the PDF but try and keep those mostly just snippets so you can have an idea of what I am looking at.

1. Starting Out - Oakrun

I start with 20HP, 0GP, 0 Quests Completed, and 6 Item Slots.

You roll a d6 to find your starting location and I get...

  • {1-2 Augeria | 3-4 Lunaria | 5-6 Oakrun} >> 6, Oakrun
Image snipped from page 9.

Oakrun is a Thornwood Settlement (there are two main landmasses in the game and Thornwood is on the "mainland"). The description given is...

The small logging village has a long-history of being on the short end of the stick...Now the evermarching Thornwood has caged the village within its vicious embrace. In spite of their misfortune, the people here stand tall.

This means I'll be a rural lad. Someone who thinks of himself as better than his Thornwood oppressors. Asa Shirecut will do as a name. [Doug's Note: later realized I misunderstood what Thornwood was, though kept some of the attitude]

There is a mechanic where you can Steal as your round action [roll > GP or face punishment] but thinking of this backstory, Asa is not a thief. At least, not here. Not with his people. Oakrun folks treat each other with respect. At least that's how he operates.

Looking at Quests, one that fits this proud Asa is "Stolen Goods."

Bandits have stolen equipment that Oakrun needs to function. Retrieve the goods. [Goods are in the Stolen Keep (E), they will take up 3 equipment slots. Reward: -1GP per item in Oakrun.]

It also has the note that I can destroy The Goods to get any two items which is...that's nice. Not Asa, though.

Time to set off into Thornwood to show how Oakrun folk handle business.

2. First Travels Across Thornwood

Snipped from page 13.

This is a small village so presumably I do not have to go out a front gate, so I can head north. The description given is...

The gnarled woods are wild and have just as much bite as the creatures which inhabit it. It is rumored that the trees drank the spilled blood of a demon which twisted them into grotesque blights. All efforts to cut the woods back have failed.

Ah, I had thought of Thornwood as a empire/kingdom. I now get it. This is logging village swallowed up by a rough forest that refuses to be tamed. No wonder have bandits running off with your equipment is such a problem. It's a death knell for these folks.

I like how lore is almost entirely found through such exploration.

Looking at the hex-map, directly north is a +2 difficulty. It might be worth it to try and "farm" a few lower level encounters here to get some better equipment before getting to the +6 difficulty of further. Ooh, even better, there's a string of +2 to +0 difficulty hexes as Asa moves towards Lunaria [which seems to be much like a capital city]. Let's do that.

I don't know if this is considered in the spirit of the game or not but this is how I tend to play so...pfffft.

also from 13
  • Move SE. d6 +2 >> 4 = 6 A Call for Help. I answer it. d6 {1-3 I Help [d6 reward] | 4-6 A Harpy} >> 2, I help! I gain d6 >> +3 GP [3 total].
  • Move SE. d6 + 0 >> 3 Poacher (human). X = 2. d6 >> 3. Success. +1 GP [4 total]. 2:6 chance to get Tools. d6 >> 4 = No tools.
  • Move SE. d6 + 0 >> 1 Will-o'-Wisp. X = 2. D6 > 1. Take 1HP [19HP total]. Will attempt to flee1. D6 >> 4 > 2 = Success.

The battle system is a (tiny) bit more complicated than Classic Korg here in that you have various categories — Human, Beast, Plant, Undead, Construct, Outsiders — and weapons seem to mostly improve against only one or two or have some other limitation. There is a "Maul" on a bookmark I got when backing the game on Kickstarter that is +1 Fight, but -2 Flee. It costs 7gp. I'm going to try and hit that much without taking too much damage.

  • Move S. d6+0 >> 5 Jack-a-Lope [2 | 2 | 1 + 1:6 Lucky Foot]. d6 >> 6 = Success. D6 >> 6 = no Lucky Foot. +1GP [5GP total].
  • SW. d6 +0 >> 6 (another) Cry for Help. Asa likes to help folks so... {human | harpy} >> Human. Yay. +1d6 >> +2 GP [7GP total].

Now Asa has enough to get to Lunaria and buy a maul. Has to get there first.

  • NE. d6 +0 >> 6 (another) Cry for Help. Lord, these woods. Ok, flip a coin and get... yet another human. Asa doing the good deeds. This time I get +d6 >> +6 GP. Saving the rich folks. That's bringing me up to 13GP total. Which is good.

Now Asa moves into Lunaria.

3. Lunaria

Snipped form page 7.

Lunaria is the oldest settlement and Thornwood and looks like it has a bit of a sticky past [heh, wood puns] where rulers have changed out. Current ruled by King Corvoss and slowly sinking into the bay.

Asa thinks of the folks here as city folk and does not really get along with any of them, but they take his gold just fine.

I'm going to buy a Maul (-7GP), a Shield (-2GP), a Tool (-2GP), and a Caltrops (-2GP). The Maul is a +1 to fight, -2 to flee weapon. Shield allows me to avoid DMG once. Caltrops allows me to flee once. Tool allows me to avoid traps once. It does not say the Shield only blocks combat damage but I'll keep it reasonable before applying it elsewhere.

Asa ain't going to stick around so will head back out towards Oakrun and try to pick up a bit more GP to get some healing before he goes to find the bandits.

4. Back Across Thornwood

ASA has 19HP, 0GP, 0Q, and is currently trying to solve Stolen Goods. He has a Maul (+1Fg, -2Fl), 1 Shield, 1 Tool, 1 Caltrops.

  • Move NW. d6 +0 >> 5. Jackalope. d6 +1 >> 6+1 = 7. +1GP [1 total]. No Lucky Foot.
  • Move NW. +0 >> 3. Poacher. +1 ATK >> 2. Success. +1GP [2]. No dropped tools.
  • Move NW. +2 >> 8 Thorn Blight (Plant) [2 | 1 | 0], if DMGed, will be POISONED. +1 ATK >> 5. Success. No reward.
  • Move N. +4 >> 7 Harpy (Aberration) [2 | 3 | 2], cannot FLEE (not good at running, anyhow). +1 ATK >> 7. Success. +2 GP [4].
  • Move NW. +2 >> 4 Poacher's Trap (Trap). [X = 5!]. Will burn my 1 Tool.
  • Move NW. +4 >> 9 Landslide (another Trap, dangit). [X = 4]. Avoid >> 4 = Success!
  • Move SW. +6 >> 10 Faun (Outsider) [2 | 1 | 1], if defeated, might summon a Peryton. +1 ATK >> 7. Check for Peryton: No. +1 GP [5].

Now Asa is has come to the Ruined Keep and will enter to try and find the bandits.

5. The Ruined Keep

ASA has 19HP, 5GP, 0Q, and is currently trying to solve Stolen Goods. He has a Maul (+1Fg, -2Fl), 1 Shield, 1 Caltrops.

Snipped from page 21.

This keep was once the homebase from someone called Wulfir and his company who were bribing King Bazol. Duke Silvos slaughtered everyone [yay, justice!] and left the keep in ruins, though it now has a slight bandit problem.

Now... Asa should have a rough idea of the overworld map. That makes sense. However, I'm going to play that he doesn't really know the layout of the keep so early on, after Room B, I'll roll a dice to figure out which way he goes. It could be quick or it could be LONG.

Unlike overworld hexes, rooms might not immediately repopulate with encounters once they have been cleared.

  • Room A. +2 >> 3 Trip Alarm [hah, fitting]. X = 5 (what?). Avoid = 5. Success!
  • Move North. Room B. +2 >> 3... Avoid = 3. Failure. I am SLOWED.

SLOWED means I am -2 to Flee. This puts me at a whopping -4. Asa's not going to run, boyeeee. At least not without dropping his caltrops.

  • {NW to C | SW to G | SE to H | E to locked door, then I} >> 1 = NW to C.
  • Move to Room C. +2 >> 6. Spider Swarm [Beast 2 | 3 | 1 + 2:6 Spider Venom]. +1 ATK >> 7. Success. +1 GP [6]. No Venom.
  • Only one way to go so...attempts the Locked Door {1-2 Exhausted | 3+ Success} >> 6, Success.
  • Move to Room 3. The Bandit....wait, no. Looks like Asa just gets the goods. Woah.

Now to move back out. Each room has a 2:6 to "Repopulate" and have an encounter.

  • C: 2 = Repopulate. +2 >> 8. Worg [Beast + Aberration 3 | 3 | 2]. +1 ATK >> 2. -3 HP [16]. +1 ATK >> 5 = Success. +2GP [8].
  • B: 5 = Empty.
  • A: 2 = Repopulate. +2 >> 4 Hawk Hornet [Beast 2 | 4 (2 with Shield)| 1]. +1 ATK >> 2 = Success. +1 GP [9].

And with that, Asa heads back out into the Thornwood.

5. Thornwood Yet Again

ASA has 16HP, 9GP, 0Q, and is currently trying to solve Stolen Goods. He has a Maul (+1Fg, -2Fl), 1 Shield, 1 Caltrops, a x3 Stolen Goods. He is SLOWED (-2Fl).

  • Move N. +6 >> 12 Peryton [B 3 | 2 (1 with Shield) | 2]. +1 ATK >> 5. Success. +2 GP [11].
  • Move NE. +4 >> 5 Jackalope. +1A >> 3 = Success. +1GP [12]. No Lucky Foot [couldn't carry it anyhow].
  • Move SE. +2 >> 3 Poacher. +1A >> 2 = Success. +1 GP [13]. Can't carry anything else.

And with that, Asa returns home and gets to turn in his first quest.

6. Back Home in Oakrun

Asa shows back with his bloodied maul and the Stolen Goods and everyone has a good old party.

-2GP to heal back up to 20HP and -1GP to clear his Slowed. 10GP left over.

Now, in Oakrun, he gets -1GP to the cost of things so let's look at shopping just a bit.

I think he'll buy the Leather Armor. +1 to FLEE (so only -1) and +1 to AVOID TRAPs. That's -5GP so leaves him with 5GP. That and one more set of Tools (-1GP) will leave him with just 4GP but ready to pick up a second quest, next time.

ASA has 20HP, 4GP, 1 Quest Completed. He has a Maul (+1Fg, -2Fl), Leather Armor (+1 Flee, +1 Avoid Traps). 1 Shield, 1 Tool. 1 Caltrops. He is currently resting up in Oakrun.

  1. Defeating the Will-o'-Wisp increases threat level, which I am trying not to do, at least not yet. ↩ī¸Ž