Symbaroum on the Cards
I’ve touched on the business of the Zero Level character before and the pleasures to be had in the process of taking players through the […]
Articles by Paul Baldowski
The Taint of Corruption – part 1
The stain of Corruption is a reality for any practitioner of the mystic arts, or for those braving artefacts or locations where magic invites the […]
Heyzrehell’s Google Character Sheet
Amongst many other utilities now available for Symbaroum, Heyzrehell posted a version of the character sheet in Google Sheets over on the Google+ community. I […]
Arms of Quality
Mechanics don’t necessarily need to make perfect sense, but when they don’t a game can often descend into a much less satisfying experience. When a […]
A Tough Act to Follow
When you put yourself in harms way, you set your life firmly on the line. Those who enter the field of battle without a solid […]
Symbaroum at Gen Con
It’s just over a week until Gen Con. While I never expected it to happen, I will be attending this year. Indeed, if you pull […]
The Mythology of Symbaroum
The mythology of Symbaroum lies in the hands of the GM. When you really consider the nature of the world set down in Symbaroum, you […]
The Lies That Bind
The PCs come to a settlement where many of the population have gathered in the centre to listen to the words of a rough clad […]
Longcon 2017
Some conventions seek to serve up a platter of gaming opportunities, a buffet of snacks and tasters, quick adventure and demos. And then there are […]
The Smart Party
I chat with The Smart Party grandees Gary Bee and Baz Stevens about the genesis and expansion of All Rolled Up – the home of award-winning dice […]
Arrows and Quivers
The business of arrows and quivers in Symbaroum doesn’t seem ready to slink into the background. In a Reddit discussion about Symbaroum archers being overpowered, […]
Intermissions and ENnies
For those waiting on the progress of my A-to-Z Challenge, I promise that it will return. However, it will return at a pace conducive to […]
N is for Nihilism
The prospect of having a game that embraces nihilistic behaviour isn’t too far from the core of Symbaroum. From the get go, the situation looks […]
M is for Mounts
Out of the unimaginable blackness beyond the gangrenous glare of that cold flame, out of the Tartarean leagues through which that oily river rolled uncanny, […]
L is for Long Doors
The rules aren’t the same wherever you go; the world just doesn’t work that way and will throw you a curve ball when you least […]
K is for King’s Isles
The enigma of Davokar is not confined to the depths of the dark region to the north or the puncture points of ruined towers dotted […]
J is for Jokes
Setting the mood for your games of Symbaroum makes all the difference, given the general tone of dark fantasy communicated through the background and imagery. […]
I is for Identity Magic
The act of stealing the identity of another can only come from violence. The assumption of the physical appearance of someone else demands payment of […]
H is for Hex Mapping
Within the Symbaroum Core Book you have enough background within the first 70-pages or so to get you up and running, with particular focus on the […]
G is for Gaoian Mysticism
Witches of the barbarian tribes embrace the traditions of the Old Gods, discounted or blasted as heretical by the church of Ambria. The witches know the […]
F is for Faceless Horde
I saw a small black aperture, felt a ghoulish wind of ice, and smelled the charnel bowels of a putrescent earth… I saw outlined against some […]
E is for the Ever Realm
Ambra sits on the north coast, less than 100 miles from the north-western fringe of Davokar, where the trees literally tumble into the ocean. The grey […]
D is for Despair and Dismay
The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown The stress and […]
C is for Collector of Faces
A new world of redness and darkness, A horrible coma call’d living The false, hollow phantoms of beauty That cloak all the evils of Dzannin. […]
B is for Boons and Burdens
The nicest thing about Boons and Burdens, introduced in the Advanced Player’s Guide, has to be that they have a much less obvious connection to […]