Forum

Hello,

I see that we have a wave of new versions between Coriolis and Alien.

Will we be lucky enough to see a v2 of Symbaroum soon? Perhaps even powered directly by the excellent Dragonbane system?

This system seems to be moving towards a generic system and is already powering the new version of Trudvang.

S.

In a recent interview with the author, he stated that 2026 will be the year of Symbaroum. It will mark 10 years since its release in english, and they have a v1.5 prepared (not new rules, but revised ones and condensed from the various books). Also, Symbaroum will move it's center of action to the Realm of the Order, West of Alberetor, with a new campaign set there. Not such a massive campaign as Throne of Thorns, but a new plot and new books.

Good to know. I will wait for the revised edition before diving into Symbaroum.

Good to know. I will wait for the revised edition before diving into Symbaroum.

I think that makes sense, as the new Core book should be (theoretically) fully compatible with the already published material. So you should be able to play Throne of Thorns and the Adventure packs with the new book. And it will probably be better organized, rules and Abilities revised to make them clearer, etc.

There is still a strong demand for the rules to be revised, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to start with a new engine or something similar. That's why I said that Dragonbane could be a good engine for new rules.

My own opinion is that Symbaroum, the system, is as much part of the experience as Symbaroum, the setting. I believe it would be a mistake to change the system. While it needs to be revised, it is also a diamond in the rough.
Many confusions when it comes to the rules come from the poor organization, the writing that sometimes leaves it open to interpretation and some rules that may be unbalanced.
They have already said the revised edition aimed at fixing the first two items and as for the third, it will very well depend on what they believe needs fixing. Often misconceptions of “broken” rules arise from not properly applying the ability types (active, reactive, passive, free) and making combination that are not allowed by the rules.

Aside from the obvious (better book organization, clarified writing, balancing tweaks), I believe an area that requires improvement is in the monster and NPC stat blocks. At first, I was quite happy with the new stat blocs used in the starter set and beyond. With time, I came to realized they may even made reading the blocks worse.

I would like to see block that are easier to use in play and one way to do that is to categorize abilities and boons a bit more. As an example, I came to realize that going through the list of abilities to figure out, say, which are mystical powers, is time consuming.
When I have rewritten some stat blocks, I found it useful to:
Categorize Abilities between Combat Abilities (abilities that are mostly used in combat), Expertise (abilities that have broader applications like Loremaster, Recovery, Steadfast, Tactician, etc), and Mystical abilities (all the traditions, Ritualist, Strong Gift etc.), and traits (like exceptional attributes).

Have Mystical Powers in their own section for Spells and Rituals. It’s just easier to find them.
Even Boons I find useful to lump into Backgroung and Talents (generally giving an advantage or any other benefitlike Absolute Memory, Language, Poison Resilient), Skills and Occupations (generally a giving a +1 to +3 to a role like Archisvist, Bloodhound, Manipulator) and Resources and Contacts (mostly social boons like Privileged, Soulmate, Hideouts, etc).

Another aspect that I’d like improved in the stat blocks is what actions (normal, free, active, reaction, passive) are available for the NPC. As an example:

Attack - Bastard Sword (2H) 17, 1d12+1d4 (Long, Precise)
Attack – Bastard Sword (1H) 16, 1d10+1d4, +1d6 if charging on horseback [Equestrian]
Active - Attack Ignores Armor [Two-handed Force]
Active – Attack next enemy until failure [Two-handed Finesse]
Reaction - After successful Defense, once per turn, Strong←Strong, push enemy out of melee and inflicts 1d6 damage [Two-handed Finesse]
Reaction - When Attack misses, re-roll, to deal 1d8+1d4 [Two-handed Force]
Free – Once per turn, roll Persuasive ←Resolute to force an enemy to hesitate [Dominate]
Passive - +2 to Defense when using shield* [Shield Fighter]

Lastly, it always takes a second for my brain to read a stat block and see negative numbers (Per -7) as a strength area for the character. While I was thrilled by the cleaner write-up, in the end, I prefer PER 17 (-7). I do not expect it to change but I’m just saying.

I believe an area that requires improvement is in the monster and NPC stat blocks.

YES

I think your ideas are really good, and the Stat Blocks should go in that direction.

Another prior aspect that could be considered is, precisely, to simplify how Abilities and Monster Traits work. There are too many moving parts: Active, Free or Passive? Does it allow for a special action or maneuver depending on the Rank?

Either simplify those, or add to each stat block a copy+paste of the effects that the GM has to consider when fighting that monster, but that cannot be included in the stats (Active actions and additional maneuvers).

In a recent interview with the author, he stated that 2026 will be the year of Symbaroum. It will mark 10 years since its release in english, and they have a v1.5 prepared (not new rules, but revised ones and condensed from the various books). Also, Symbaroum will move it's center of action to the Realm of the Order, West of Alberetor, with a new campaign set there. Not such a massive campaign as Throne of Thorns, but a new plot and new books.

He doesn't speak of a supplement about City-States ?

In a recent interview with the author, he stated that 2026 will be the year of Symbaroum. It will mark 10 years since its release in english, and they have a v1.5 prepared (not new rules, but revised ones and condensed from the various books). Also, Symbaroum will move it's center of action to the Realm of the Order, West of Alberetor, with a new campaign set there. Not such a massive campaign as Throne of Thorns, but a new plot and new books.

He doesn't speak of a supplement about City-States ?

I might have mixed both realms, but I think it was the Realm of the Order. Then again, I might misremember and be the City -States.