There are plenty of metal zines out there, but none of them are like Lurker. Actually, Lurker covers such a wide variety of topics, you can’t classify it as simply a metal publication. After all, when was the last time you saw a metal magazine that came with a board game? (Other than Isten 100 from 1999, I doubt there is one.)

Lurker Magazine is just as much of a gaming zine as it is a music zine. The second issue, dated Spring 2020, comes with a solitaire board game based on William Hope Hodgson’s classic novel of cosmic horror, The House of the Borderland. How cool is that? As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it.

Before I get to the game, let’s talk about the magazine itself. Even the music articles are all over the place in terms of coverage. Looking at the cover, you’d think this was strictly a death metal publication. There is an interview with death metal veterans Immolation, but ‘70s rockers Starz and hardcore act Integrity are featured as well. There’s also a review of Dungeon Siege West, a festival devoted to dungeon synth. As you’d expect, there are album and demo reviews, mostly of death/black metal releases, but a few of other genres make it in there too.

On the gaming/weird fiction side of things, there’s a lengthy interview with “Uncle Mike” Atkinson, designer of the Lovecraftian miniatures game Strange Aeons, and several pieces of short fiction, some of which were based on RPG sessions played by members of metal bands. The “Artifacts and Relics” column is a highlight, reviewing the early ‘80s RPG supplement Tulan of the Isles by Feist & Abrams. The Feist in question is Raymond E. Feist, who would later go on to fame as the author of the Riftwar Saga. This article will surely be of interest to gaming historians, as Tulan of the Isles was one of the first urban settings published for fantasy role-playing games.

Rounding things out is a review section for board games and RPGs. The gaming reviews in Lurker are much more in-depth and detailed than their music reviews.

And now, the main attraction (for me), The House on the Borderland game. It was designed by Nate Hayden, the man responsible for the death metal dungeon brawl board game Cave Evil, so I had high hopes for this. I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.

In Hodgson’s novel, the protagonist (who is only referred to as “The Recluse”) lives in a large isolated house with no companions other than his sister and his dog. At various times throughout the novel he, through no will of his own, has out-of-body experiences where he travels across the solar system to unknown cosmic realms. After returning from the first such experience, The Recluse encounters a swine-like humanoid with sickly pale skin. Groups of these Swine-creatures assault the house.

In the game, the player controls the three characters: The Recluse, his sister Mary, and the dog Pepper. During most turns a Noise tile is placed somewhere on the board face-down. When revealed, the Noise tiles could either bring Swine-creatures into play, or trigger an event. The object of the game is to survive until the final event, The Luminous Speck, is drawn. Although lasting until the final even is enough to earn victory, the player can also “win well,” depending on how many of seven different goals are achieved. One point is earned for each of the three characters that survive, for each of the three mystery tokens that are gained, and for completing 25 entries in The Recluse’s diary.

The characters don’t have a lot of options as far as actions. They can move and fight Swine-creatures. The Recluse can also write in his diary. In spite of such limitations, the game never becomes stale or repetitive due to its unpredictable nature. With dice rolling and card draws, there’s quite a bit of luck and randomness, which keeps things interesting. Another benefit of the simple rules is that unlike many solo board games, it’s less likely you’ll get overwhelmed and lose track of things.

My favorite parts of the game are the events that cause The Recluse to travel through the Borderland. During these events, cards from the Borderland deck are overlaid on the board. Those who’ve read the novel will recognize the places that can be discovered here, such as The Plain of Silence and The Sea of Sleep.

Hayden has done an excellent job of adapting the novel to a board game format. I can’t imagine anyone, even a big game company, doing it better. I’d like to see him try making a game based on a classic fantasy novel, like Dwellers in the Mirage by A. Merritt or The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson.

For more information on Lurker Magazine and to order, visit their website. Issues #1 and #2 are available, and #3 is coming in the fall.