BJÖRN BORG: Serve the Flesh

A MÖRK BORG Grindcore Tennis Mini-RPG

This is no mere match. This is sacred carnage. You are not athletes—you are instruments of ruin, swinging the racket of prophecy across the cracked court of gods.

Character Creation

Name: Combine something Nordic + violent. Example: Ulf Deathgrip, Astrid Malice-Volley

Stats

Assign -3 to +3 to each stat. The total must equal 0. HP: 1d8 + Toughness (minimum 1)

• Strength – Serve power and unholy fury
• Agility – Footwork and return precision
• Presence – Flaunt, scream, distract, seduce
• Toughness – Grit, endurance, and churro digestion

Starting Equipment (Choose one or roll d4)

1. Racquet – Choose +1 STR or AGI
2. Flashy Shoes – +1 Presence
3. Headband – +1 Toughness
4. Gender Neutral Codpiece – -1 Damage taken

Also: One sacred churro. See below.

Game Structure

• A Point is a loop of Serve → Return → Return (Repeat until failure) → Flaunt → Toughness.
• A Rally is the cycle of Returns.
• A Match is when a Sacrament is scored.

See Game Formats for victory conditions.

Serve (STR, DR12 or DR14)

• DR12 for normal serve, DR14+ for power shot (+2 DR to Return).
• Fail = fault. 2 faults = point loss.

Return (AGI, DR12)

• If returned: rally continues.
• Fail = opponent scores point.
• Crit fail? The ball hits a Ball Boy. He retaliates.

Flaunt (PRE, DR10)

• Showboat or tantrum after point scored by either side.
• Success = +1 next roll.
• Fail = -1 next roll.
• Crit fail = take 1d4 damage (femur hurled by crowd), lose 1 Presence.

Toughness Checks

After the third point is scored in a Sacrament, all players roll Toughness (DR12 → DR14 → DR16...).

A failure results in a -1 cumulative to all checks until the current Sacrament ends or the churro is consumed.

All checks are made with 1d20 to meet or exceed the Difficulty Rating (DR). 1 is a critical fail.

Game Formats

Choose a game type based on time, tone, and suffering:

Format	Sacraments to Win	Tone
Sudden Death	1	Quick, brutal, perfect for one-shots
Standard Carnage	2	Balanced death game
Grand Slam of Bone	3	Full ritual game; expect collapse
Victory by Glory	3 consecutive Flaunt successes	Style triumphs over stamina

If all players hit 0 HP, the crowd decides the victor.

If both sides simultaneously reach 3 consecutive Flaunt successes, the crowd goes into a frenzy and rips the players to pieces. Start a new game.

Scoring System

Points	Traditional	Serve the Flesh
0	Love	Hate
15	Fifteen	Blood
30	Thirty	Flesh
40	Forty	Ruin
ADV	Advantage	Glory
Win	Game	Sacrament

Doubles Rules

• Serve as normal (one per team).
• Both teammates roll Return. Either success = rally continues.
• Both roll 1? Crowd pelts with fruit: 1d4 damage each.
• Both roll Flaunt. Results are cumulative:
  • Two success = +2 bonus
  • One fail cancels one success
  • Two fails = shame (-2 next roll)

The Sacred Churro

Crunch of Remembrance – Heal 1d4 HP, confess a shameful secret to the crowd, reset Toughness penalties. Roll for Powdered Prophecy (1d6):

1. +1 SERVE for remainder of game
2. +1 RETURN for remainder of game
3. +1 FLAUNT for remainder of game
4. Racket glows and moans – +1 to all rolls for remainder of game
5. Ball rebounds from death – gain 1 Flesh Point
6. Filled with wasps – take 1d4 damage

Optional: The Bakery of Flesh offers rare churros. Replace Powdered Prophecy roll with one of the following effects.

• Churro of Doubles Unity – Only edible with a teammate. Grants +2 to all team rolls for the remainder of the game.
• Black Churro – Restore full HP. Permanently -2 Presence.
• Churro of Memory Loss – Gain 1 Flesh Point, but forget your name until the end of game.

The Holy Duality Doctrine

Trigger: When players are tied in Sacraments or deeply entangled in rivalry. All roll Presence. Highest chooses one (reroll ties):

• +2 to next roll
• Roll 1d6 for a Duality Outcome
• Gain 1 Flesh Point

Duality Outcomes

1. The Net Bleeds – -1 to all Serve rolls for one match

2. Audience Weeps – Everyone loses 1d4 Presence unless they confess

3. Racket Whispers – Learn a rival's secret (opponent decides)

4. Ball Boy Explodes – +2 DR to all Flaunt rolls this match

5. Time Fractures – Reroll Court Hazard for a different effect.

6. You Remember Why You Played – Take 1d4 damage. Gain 1 Flesh Point.

Court Hazards

1. Ashen Court – DR+2 to Agility due to choking dust

2. Blood-Slicked Clay – Fail Toughness = fall, take 1d4 damage

3. Screaming Net – Presence DR10 before Serve; fail = -1 Serve

4. Cracked Crystal – Fail Serve = lose 1 Presence (trauma echo)

5. Living Turf – DR14 Agility to move freely

6. The Echoing Eye – Flaunt DR14; fail = shame announced aloud

7. Court of the Inverted Crowd – Play upside down. Agility DRs +2

8. Pustulent Foam – Presence DRs +2

9. Chiming Net – Fail Serve = tolls a bell. -1 to Presence rolls for the match

10. Thousand Line Judges – Every out call is suspicious. Opponent decides if it lies

Roll 1d10 before the game starts.

Ball Boy Retaliation (On Crit Fail Return)

1. Cursed Ball – Next Return DR+2

2. Acid Spit – Take 1d4 damage

3. Hex Chant – -2 to next Flaunt

4. Switch Teams – Ball Boy assists opponent for 1 point

5. Tripwire Roll – AGI DR14 or fall, 1d4 damage

6. Doll Effigy Tossed – You see your face on the doll. -2 to next Flaunt

7. False Whistle – You act early. DR +4 on next roll

8+. Line Judge Possession – You’re briefly possessed. Opponent controls your next move

Roll 1d6 + number of retaliations so far. Ball Boy Rebellion Rule: If 3 or more Ball Boy retaliations occur in a game, one ascends to become the Umpire of Gristle. It begins issuing divine curses, altering court hazards, and demanding tribute.

Flesh Points

Earned by: Confession, 2 HP sacrifice, or crowd favor. Spend to:

• Reroll any failed roll
• Cancel a crit fail
• Auto-pass a Toughness test

Merch available here: www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/75126167-bjorn-borg

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Credits & Acknowledgments

BJÖRN BORG: SERVE THE FLESH
An apocalyptic tennis RPG of sacred carnage and churro-based damnation.

Written, Designed & Doomed by The Grey Ledger Society.

Playtested by the brave, the broken, and Grok.
Special thanks to Gemini for the rally.
And to Ulf, who fears mirrors.

Art Direction:
Cover and interior images generated, filtered, and wrung out from AI models & hell.

Based on MÖRK BORG

This is an independent production by The Grey Ledger Society.
It is not affiliated with Ockult Örtmästare Games or Stockholm Kartell.
It is published under the MÖRK BORG Third Party License.

MÖRK BORG is copyright
Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell.
Learn more at: morkborg.com/license

DISCLAIMERS

• No Ball Boys were harmed in the making of this zine.
• All churros are metaphorical. Unless you're really committed.
• The Umpire of Gristle sees all.

PERMITTED RITUALS

Feel free to:

• Hack it
• Print it
• Tattoo it
• Shout it at a cursed sporting event

Credit where it’s due. Blame where it’s owed.