Are you ready to get freakin’ pumped? NINJA BORG—the RPG all about ninjas and therefore the greatest RPG to ever exist—has begun releasing preview materials in preparation for a Kickstarter launch on 1 October 2024!

Why NINJA BORG Is Badass & You Should Back It

In April 2023, Rugose Kohn and Walton Wood realized that only they could create a game that provides the most awesome experience in RPG history: the ninja experience. But not just any ninja experience—a ninja experience inspired by early 2000s memes and ’80s action movies, a ninja experience that intentionally foregoes any pretense of historical reference or “accuracy” whatsoever. In short, the authentic ninja experience.

NINJA BORG runs on the proprietary RFSS (Real Fuckin’ Simple System), which minimizes mechanics and rolls while maximizing players’ ability to do completely badass ninja stunts and execute sweet ninja kills. The book will include tables of ninja weapons, ninja swag, ninja magic, and ninja guitars; even more tables for ninja backstories, ninja one-liners, and ninja missions; a rogues gallery of douchebags, jagoffs, and other sunsabitches that ninjas can fight; and an introductory adventure.

Additionally, the game has BORG in the name, which is how you can tell it’s going to be super-high quality and make tons of money.

Flipping Out on Kickstarter

But no—all of that amazing core content just isn’t enough.

Besides the book itself, the NINJA BORG Kickstarter campaign will include stretch goals for guest adventures by RPG designers including Brian Colin (Vast Grimm) and Karl Druid (Frontier Scum), an official soundtrack by Bong Coffin on cassette, print-and-play ninja stars, a NINJA BORG frisbee, a sweet ninja box (featuring art by Łukasz Kowalczuk and Johan Nohr) to keep it all in, and an online character generator.

Freakin’ awesome.

Super-Secret Stealth Preview Materials

Leading up to the Kickstarter launch, aspiring ninjas (a.k.a. the gaming public) can access preview materials on the NINJA BORG website, aptly located at ninjaborg.com. As of 5 July, the core RFSS rules are available in a no-art, purely typographical preview: NINJA BORG: Bare Boner Edition: Pre–Release Edition Edition. In August, at an as-yet-undisclosed date, we’ll release a quick-start bundle with prefabbed ninja characters and the opening scenario from the introductory adventure that will be included in the core book.

The Motherfuckin’ Ninja Masters

Walton Wood has an eighth-degree black belt in Sekiro and a fourth-degree black belt in Ninja Gaiden. He is freakin’ pumped that NINJA BORG is going to win all the ENNIEs (even if the judges haven’t realized it yet and never do). Walt once met Johan Nohr and drop kicked him in the face, and Johan thanked him. He also cofounded Ex Libris RPG and the Bogfolk, edits for a bunch of indie RPG creators and small publishers, and blogs at Liber Ludorum.

Rugose Kohn has an eighth-degree black belt in shit-posting, a second-degree black belt in shitty ninja movies from the ’80s, almost a green belt in Ishin-Ryu Karate, and sucks at video games (but still played the hell out of The Last Ninja on C64). He can't wait to backflip and cartwheel down the aisles in a sweet ninja outfit to accept ALL the awards NINJA BORG is sure to win. Rugose once threw Johan Nohr and Pelle Nilsson into the back of his windowless van, and they thanked him. He is known for the 30 Days of MÖRK BORG Adventure Chapbooks, Rugose Ball Balm, his fondness for hatchets, and finger/toenail clipping collection and art.