[Let’s Study: Symbaroum Part 2a] Setting and History

After quite the hearty greeting, the book douses whatever warmth was in the opening with a dose of cold reality.

The game is set in “the region that in ancient times was ruled by the civilisation of Symbaroum – an empire that by all accounts was advanced in the areas of architecture, spirituality, magical schooling and the arts; a culture that without doubt suffered a both rapid and brutal downfall.”

History

This section begins with a fascinating image: after two decades of suffering and strife against the hungry hordes of the Dark Lords, the Great War was over. But the realm was in a truly sorry state: thousands had died, countless people were maimed and broken, and the land itself was ravaged by death magic.

The young Queen was rescued from the Dark Lords, but she returned as a shadow of her former self, a mask covering her once radiant smile.

Twenty-one years after the Dark Lords were vanquished, and the Queen was forced to lead her people to safer grounds, heading north of the mountain range called the Titans lay the ancestral home of her people. It was time for Queen Korinthia to claim her birthright.

For centuries that region had been under the control of warring barbarian clans, but Queen Korinthia’s forces took over after a three day siege and established the realm of Ambria, “the Shining”. Slaves and prisoners were almost immediately put to work on constructing the capital of Yndaros.

Over the next few years, the nobles of Ambria had begun to plan new conquests beyond the original borders of this new realm, and Lasifor Nightpitch, the uncrowned king of Ambria’s treasure-hunters established the town of Thistle Hold. Since then, the walled settlement of Mayor Nightpitch has served as a safe haven for Ambrians exploring Davokar, a forest full of natural resources and rich remnants of long lost civilisations; also a forest full of rampant abominations, dark-minded creatures of otherworldly origins and a band of wardens most unwilling to welcome the damages done by human explorers.

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I have to admit that the history section is one that was a refreshing change from the usual. The idea of being in a region in a state of reconstruction after a terrifying war is intriguing, and immediately answers the question as to why such a place would require adventurers… and more importantly, why Davokar would serve to be such a prized target of expeditions, despite the horrors that lay within.

Next up, we’ll continue with the setting section with a look at the Factions of Symbaroum.

For those interested in checking it out and following along, you can purchase Symbaroum on PDF over at DriveThruRPG for only $18.99

Also, Team Järnringen is holding a Kickstarter campaign for Symbaroum Karvosti: The Witch Hammer, their latest book for Symbaroum. Go check it out!

[Let’s Study: Symbaroum Part 1] Introduction

I’ve been on quite the European RPG binge lately, enjoying titles like Mutant: Year Zero, Degenesis: Rebirth, and now Symbaroum.

Symbaroum is a dark fantasy RPG from Team Jarnringen that has been translated into English. Set in a grim dark fantasy realm of Ambria and the forest of Davokar, the game presents a region ripe for adventuring and exploration.

Rather than present the players with a sprawling continent with multiple biomes and vast empires, Symbaroum zooms into a section of the continent to present it in a way that affords the designers to really delve into the nuances of the setting and its people.

While not a novel idea, it’s one that I appreciate as many designers really get to show off their skill when it comes to being given restrictions. I’m looking forward to seeing how well they deal with it in my succeeding entries to this Let’s Study series.

The book itself is divided into three parts. Part 1 deals with the setting, giving us a look at the realm of Ambria and the forest of Davokar. We’ll see the history, geography and people of the region, as well as the conflicts between them.

Part 2 is the Player’s Guide, which contains player character creation rules, and game rules that players should be familiar with, such as the basic mechanics and combat.

Part 3 is the GM section, a coverage of more specific rules and guidelines on how to create adventures and a section with a bestiary and adversaries that players may encounter.

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Being from a tropical country like the Philippines, the concept of a dark fantasy RPG with a huge emphasis on a Forest as a major component of environmental conflict is intriguing to me, and I’m definitely looking forward to having Symbaroum impress me.

Next up, we’ll be tackling the setting of Symbaroum

For those interested in checking it out and following along, you can purchase Symbaroum on PDF over at DriveThruRPG for only $18.99

[Let’s Study: Conan] Part 7: GM Chapters and Review

Today we’re tackling the last parts of the Conan book, with a quick glance at the remaining chapters!

The Hyborean World

This is the dense setting chapter that talks about the world that Conan inhabits. Remember when I said way back at the start of this series that the RPG book is probably the most extensive treatment of Robert E. Howard’s worldbuilding? Well, that shines through in this chapter.

Each of the regions in The Hyborean World is given exhaustive treatment, with a discussion of geography, cultures, the people, customs and conflicts of each. Needless to say each of these is also filled to the brim with plot hooks and adventure ideas that could launch a ton of campaigns. GMs can zoom in and have a solid series of adventures around a given region like Aquilonia, for example, or do the Conan thing and go whole hog on a travelling campaign where the characters find themselves in new and exotic locales in every adventure.

Gamemastering

This chapter is where the book breaks character to address the GM directly. In it, they relay the tasks and duties of a GM, and try to convey as many tips and tricks as possible to emulate the pulse-pounding thrills and chills of Conan’s pulp adventures.

In addition, there is also a long section talking about Momentum and Doom, and how to best use these resources to manage pacing and tension in a game.

Perhaps the most interesting section in this chapter is what happens between adventures. Whenever the characters aren’t off slaying creatures and escaping mummified sorceror-kings, they’re busy living their lives. This is tackled with mechanics for Upkeep and Carousing. This isn’t just simple task of wine and wenches, but an opportunity to engage in traditionally downtime activities like meeting with a patron, engaging in trade or gambling. These then become a source of adventure seeds and misadventures, giving the players a sense of the passage of time while engaging in (mostly) non-sword swingy pursuits.

Vultures of Shem

This is the introductory adventure found in the Conan RPG. It’s a brisk adventure that kicks off in a very pulp-y fashion, but to avoid spoilers I’ll refrain from talking about it in much detail. Needless to say, it starts with quite an opening, and depending on the decisions that the characters take they’ll run into all sorts of interesting (and despicable) characters, and have more than a few run-ins with the supernatural. It’s very appropriate given the source material and a great way to re-orient players away from the habits and expectations of other Fantasy games.

Heroes of the Age

This is the Kickstarter Backer character chapter, and they present a wide range of interesting characters that can be tossed into any Conan campaign. While whether or not they’re good is largely a matter of taste, many of them are pretty interesting, and I can spot a few that would make for interesting encounters in my campaigns. (If you’re the kickstarter backer who wrote up Hast, well done!)

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Review

Robert E. Howard’s Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of set off to become the definitive Conan RPG. While many have tried before them, Modiphius has managed to pull off this claim, coming up with a game that contains what could be best described as the very essence of Conan’s adventures.

Art & Layout

The artwork in the book is phenomenal, and well used, each one conveying the manic vibrance and urgency of Conan’s pulp adventures. While there was still a few instances of a naked lady being sacrificed in an altar, most of the other artwork showed sensibly-dressed women in situations of empowerment and adventure.

The layout is crisp and clean, and made reading the book a lot more pleasant. Callout boxes with and tables were used with consistency and an eye towards clarity, and even with the textured printer-unfriendly version, the background didn’t interfere with the ability to clearly read the text.

As a PDF product, the entire thing was bookmarked and searchable and quite snappy on my laptop (though perhaps a little less so on my mobile phone.)

System

Modiphius’ 2d20 House System feels like a perfect fit for Conan’s adventures, and the genius of the Momentum and Doom mechanics lie in their ability to affect the mood of the game and amplify tension.

Combat is crunchy, but every rule exists to support the fiction. Conan isn’t a place where combat is heroic. It’s visceral, practical and fraught with danger. Even if the player characters are meant to be exceptional individuals, there’s never a sense of an encounter being a cakewalk since the GM is always waiting in the wings with Doom in hand.

Conclusion

Would I recommend Robert E. Howard’s Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of to others? By all means, yes. If you’ve never played a different kind of Fantasy RPG, then you owe yourself to try this game.

If you’ve ever enjoyed Conan in any iteration, from the movies, the cartoon, the videogames or the stories then you owe yourself to try this game.

I’ve always had a strong preference for games whose rules are structured to promote a given feel and mood while simulating the “physics” of the fiction. The Conan RPG does this in a stellar fashion, with a crunchy set of mechanics that emulate the world of savage adventure inhabited by Conan in a way that I imagine will be very, very difficult to outdo.

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The Conan RPG is now available for purchase in PDF format from DriveThruRPG for $24.99

[Let’s Study: Conan] Part 6: Encounters

After taking a peek at Sorcery, we’ll be going over the various threats and monsters that players can expect to run into in the Conan RPG.

Creature Categories

The RPG has five different categories for the encounters that the GM can throw at his players:

• Minions – The most frequently encountered opponents, Minions fight with the normal rules, but do not have hit locations. They only roll 1d20 on tests and Stress equal to half the associate attribute, rounded down. They may not attempt Reactions or sacrifice armor or shields to ignore wounds. New Minions can be added to a scene by spending one Doom per Minion as long as there is a logical and plausible reason for reinforcements to show up.
• Toughened – Are the category of a serious threat. Exceptional individuals among various lesser creatures tend to fall under this category. Toughened creatures act and fight with the same rules as player characters.
• Nemesis – This is the most powerful category, representing “boss” type characters. These fight with the same rules as player characters, with multiple Harms and the ability to sacrifice armor and shields to ignore wounds.
• Horrors – This category of encounter represents creatures called to being with a Summon a Horror spell.
• Undead – This category represents creatures summoned by Raise Up The Dead spell.

Groups

Like the cultists in our Combat example, many adversaries work in groups. These are defined as either Mobs or Squads. Mobs are a disorganized rabble, while Squads are usually lead by a Toughened or otherwise exceptional leader.

Special Abilities

Creatures being what they are, possess a host of special abilities that allow them to exhibit immunities to certain types of damage, carry their own personal stash of Doom, cause characters to suffer mental damage upon seeing them, or even have alternate modes of movement, such as flight.

A Host of Horrors

As this point, the book offers a dizzying array of threats and opponents for our heroes. These range form mortal threats like Cultists and Savages, to Wild Beasts, Monsters and Horrors from Beyond. Finally, the list ends with a quick rundown of Characters of Renown, including the stats for celebrated characters such as Conan the Barbarian, Belit, Queen of the Black Coast, Valeria of the Red Brotherhood and Thoth-Amon of the Ring.

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The Conan RPG has a huge selection of threats (as it should!) and any GM worth his salt will find something of use here. Each of the creatures presented could be the seed of a new adventure, and with a little elbow grease, anyone can come up with encounters here that feel like they were ripped from the pages of Robert E. Howard’s pulp stories!

Next up, we’ll be taking a look at Game Mastering Conan the RPG, and we’ll wrap up this Let’s Study series with a review of the game now that we’ve had a chance to go through all of it.

If you’d like to follow along with this series, The Conan RPG is now available for purchase in PDF format from DriveThruRPG for $24.99

[Let’s Study: Conan] Part 5 Sorcery

Happy Valentines Day!

Not quite the most cheerful image to pop up today, but we’ll be doing a quick look at Sorcery in the world of Conan.

Most of you might know that Conan is a setting where magic is rare and dangerous, and where Sorcerers are inevitably all utterly insane. While most of this is true, what struck me was the amount of interesting detail that was spent on explaining the nature of Sorcerers in the setting.

Traditions

The chapter opens with a quick discussion of the various Sorcerous Traditions in the world of Conan, ranging from Western Sorcery to Witchcraft and Shamanism.  Each one has a short writeup as well as a list of various spells that are more or less well associated with these Traditions.

The Sorcerer’s Repertoire

This section is perhaps my favorite as it describes the various focuses of a Sorcerer to make it successfully in the world of Conan. It talks about the need for Wisdom to be discerning in the exercise of power to avoid madness, the worth of having skills like Animal Handling for managing summoned beasts, and even the value of having a high Presence score to make sure that you have the weight of sheer intimidation on your side… all without needing to cast a single spell yet!

Of course it does go ahead to discuss other magical arts like Alchemy and Sorcery, but the Sorcerer in Conan’s world needs to be the total package.

Petty Enchantments

A large chunk of the chapter is devoted to Petty Enchantments. These are the results of using the Alchemy skill, and despite the name, there’s very little that is petty about them. As products of the rudimentary (and ill-understood) sciences of the age, ordinary people who see these will automatically consider them magical as opposed to obeying any laws of nature.

These are sorted into the following types:

• Exploding Powder
• Blinding Powder
• Burning Liquid
• Upas-Glass
• Reinforced Fabric
• Talisman
• Lotus Pollen

Each of these is broken down into various forms of various potency based on how difficult it is to make. Exploding Powder, for example, begins as basic flash paper, which is of little damage and maybe nominal use as a distraction to strike fear on those that witness it in action. Further up the difficulty curve lie Explosives, which are far more capable in dealing horrendous damage upon their targets.

Sorcery

Here we go, real Sorcery is a suite of powers keyed to a Talent tree. Each talent gained unlocks more and more secrets, including Petty Enchantments. Sorcery is a path that is never taken lightly, and begins with finding a Patron, often an older mentor or some sort of supernatural agent that is willing to unlock the secrets of the supernatural for the Sorcerer. The demands that these patrons ask for is steep however, and many Sorcerer’s find the price too high to pay.

Casting

Spellcasting in Conan requires that a Sorcerer spend a Minor Action to Focus. In addition, all failed dice in a Spellcasting skill test is treated as a Complication with 20’s counting as two Complications! Furthermore every spell requires at least 1 Resolve to cast, with a host of dangerous outcomes for the Complications incurred. Needless to say spellcasting in the setting is not for the faint of heart… or sane of mind.

Spells

The spells themselves in Conan are perhaps not as numerous as in most other RPGs, but each and every one of them is flavorful and appropriate to the setting. Here’s a lovely example in time for Valentine’s Day:

I Will Take Your Heart!
Difficulty: Epic (D5), includes Dismember, Wound of Sorcery (2), and Overwhelming Agony

With this spell, you can reach out, clutch your hand, and as you do so, your target’s heart is grasped and crushed. If the attack is lethal, the heart is pulled free from its cage of muscle and bone, flying across the intervening space and landing with a hideous wet slap into your outstretched hand. This is a Close attack, 4 Combat Dice, Intense, Piercing 3, Vicious 2.

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And with that we’ll end today’s entry for Let’s Study. Sorcery in Conan is brilliantly done, and has a strongly thematic component making it an excellent addition to the countless horrors of the setting.

Next up, we’ll be taking a look at Encounters and the various types of enemies to be encountered in Conan!

If you’d like to follow along with this series, The Conan RPG is now available for purchase in PDF format from DriveThruRPG for $24.99