Symbaroum core rules free on Drive-thru RPG

Aglondir · January 29, 2020, 09:42:33 PM

Limited time, best hurry.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/163293/Symbaroum--Core-Rulebook?term=symbaroum+core

Omega · January 31, 2020, 05:56:35 AM

Back to 20$. That was short.

lordmalachdrim · January 31, 2020, 07:00:47 AM

From what I saw in a quick flip through it's another system where the GM never rolls the dice. Which for me puts it on my never to be run list.

Omega · January 31, 2020, 09:42:08 AM

Quote from: lordmalachdrim;1120489From what I saw in a quick flip through it's another system where the GM never rolls the dice. Which for me puts it on my never to be run list.

That is because the system is set up such that the DM doesnt have to. They just decide what an opponent does in a round. The rest is player rolls vs the monsters stats as it were so its a self contained system. It is not that the players are rolling for the monsters and themselves. The monsters dont roll at all.

From the book.

QuoteExample: The characters end up in a fight against a
tainted beamon with Accurate 11 (which will give the
character's roll a modification of -1). The Game Master
doesn't roll any dice for the bear beast's attack; the
players roll their Defense at -1 instead, thus modified
by the bear's Accurate. The beamon's attack hits if
the players fail the test, and misses if the outcome is a
success.

This works within the attack/defense system the game employs.

Abraxus · January 31, 2020, 10:45:19 AM

Quote from: Omega;1120486Back to 20$. That was short.

I was able to get it free yet even at 20$ it's not too badly priced. Compared to other RPGs companies that try and sell the PDF of a core rpg for 10 to 20$ less than print. Then try to con the fan base by claiming they had no choice to do so. When it's just them wanting to have their cake and eat it too. While thinking that gamers won't notice.

crkrueger · January 31, 2020, 11:11:12 AM

Quote from: lordmalachdrim;1120489From what I saw in a quick flip through it's another system where the GM never rolls the dice. Which for me puts it on my never to be run list.

I have the same aversion to Players-Roll-All, but not if it's an easy fix. In the case of Symbaroum, instead of having Players roll for Attack and Defense, and NPCs have static Attack and Defense, just make it so that both of them roll Attack vs. a static Defense, in which case it becomes just like D&D. Or you could have both of them roll both to determine winner, but that would increase combat time, and might be a little swingy.

lordmalachdrim · January 31, 2020, 06:49:14 PM

Quote from: Omega;1120500That is because the system is set up such that the DM doesnt have to. They just decide what an opponent does in a round. The rest is player rolls vs the monsters stats as it were so its a self contained system. It is not that the players are rolling for the monsters and themselves. The monsters dont roll at all.

And that is my problem with it. I like rolling the dice as the GM.

Omega · February 01, 2020, 01:02:41 AM

Quote from: lordmalachdrim;1120589And that is my problem with it. I like rolling the dice as the GM.

So do I. Im still reading through it and Im not sure the DM rolls at all? Not even for social interactions? The way they have some of the rules laid out and worded is a little disjointed. But if I am reading this right it was originally a nordic RPG? Sweden or Netherlands? So that may explain some of the quirks.

Shawn Driscoll · February 01, 2020, 01:03:14 AM

I prefer to treat my NPCs as PCs, and not as target numbers. I like some of the art in the book though. Seen lots of it on Pinterest already lately.

Omega · February 01, 2020, 01:09:18 AM

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1120634I prefer to treat my NPCs as PCs, and not as target numbers. I like some of the art in the book though. Seen lots of it on Pinterest already lately.

Same. But their system is in a way similar to mine with one less step. And way back I toyed with the idea of non-PCs having a fixed att/def number to pare down the rolling some. Instead I had damage as a fixed number. Still considering going the NPCs dont roll route and Symbaroum shows that the idea is viable. Just not everyones thing.

Shawn Driscoll · February 01, 2020, 03:04:54 AM

Quote from: Omega;1120635Same. But their system is in a way similar to mine with one less step. And way back I toyed with the idea of non-PCs having a fixed att/def number to pare down the rolling some. Instead I had damage as a fixed number. Still considering going the NPCs dont roll route and Symbaroum shows that the idea is viable. Just not everyones thing.

If I'm using minions for an encounter, I'll give them low stats so that they don't live long enough to make rolls.

Skarg · February 01, 2020, 02:50:30 PM

Nice setting. Nice worldbuilding. Really nice art.

A bit excessive on the scale of giants and things for visual effect, IMO.

Game system... well I'd sooner play it that D&D, but that's not saying much. It's almost sorta ok but I see some annoying gamey things and a system to learn with no reason I would want to spend the effort. Easy enough to convert to GURPS.

For me it's mainly useful as inspiration, because the art and some of the ideas are evocative and inspire my imagination to do things.

RPGPundit · February 03, 2020, 07:17:58 PM

Quote from: lordmalachdrim;1120489From what I saw in a quick flip through it's another system where the GM never rolls the dice. Which for me puts it on my never to be run list.

Ditto.

Snowman0147 · February 03, 2020, 07:57:54 PM

Quote from: lordmalachdrim;1120489From what I saw in a quick flip through it's another system where the GM never rolls the dice. Which for me puts it on my never to be run list.

I was about the say, "FUCK! Now I have to get back to the drawing board for my rpg I am trying to make."

The reason I am not is because you gave me a whole new idea on how to handle that roll low d20 idea. Can you say thread the needle?

Aglondir · February 03, 2020, 10:05:49 PM

Quote from: Snowman0147;1120896I was about the say, "FUCK! Now I have to get back to the drawing board for my rpg I am trying to make."

You might find Players roll all the dice interesting.