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 […]
Articles by Paul Baldowski
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 […]
No Unpleasant Surprises
Newcomers to any game have a lot of questions to ask and I hope those who already play those games can offer some good advice. A new […]
A is for Ambra Assailed
The streets of Ambra are alive with people. Sometimes, you have to remind yourself where you are, what sort of situation we find ourselves in. […]
What’s a Scene?
The basis of an adventure in Symbaroum, a Scene stands as a means to determine the ‘value’ of an adventure — or just a session […]
Le Pacte De Fer
I can hardly believe that I have been reading, playing and gamemastering Symbaroum for more than a year and running The Iron Pact for most […]
Quick Arrow Reclamation
The Symbaroum Advanced Player’s Guide (APG) includes a whole selection of optional mechanics in the Alternative Rules section. Some will work for you, some not. If you […]