The Ruins of Symbaroum 5E is getting two new expansions: The Throne of Thorns Part I and The World of Symbaroum. You will need the 3 core Ruins of Symbaroum (Player’s Guide, Gamemaster’s Guide, and Bestiary) and a fundamental understanding of the 5E OGL rules to play the expansion. I can see you running games with just the Gamemaster’s guide, but there is always room for more flavor. The expansions bring new characters, monsters, and adventures to fans of Ruins of Symbaroum 5E. If you’re looking for a way to spice up your next campaign, you might want to look into the Ruins of Symbaroum 5E.

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What is Ruins of Symbaroum 5E?

Ruins of Symbaroum is a dark fantasy TTRPG that uses the 5th Edition OGL rule set as a foundation, but expands on it with its intruduction of new settings, mechanics, and classes. If you enjoy 5E but want to change things up without having to learn a new system, Ruins of Symbaroum might be worth looking into. While there is a lot of content to keep you busy for a while, all you really need is the Gamemaster’s Guide. Everything else you can purchase as you need it. 

Synopsis

The rich and nuanced Symbaroum setting revolves around the Ambrians – a civilization that two decades ago were forced to flee their ancestral soil after a devastating war. Their new and promised land borders on the vast forest of Davokar, covering the remnants of the Empire of Symbaroum which fell into ruin hundreds of years ago. Brimming with natural resources and mythical treasures, the forest calls out to the Ambrians to be explored and plundered, but the road into its depths lays far from open. Not only are the shadows beneath the foliage fraught with danger, monsters and infectious Corruption; there are also the elves of the Iron Pact who have vowed to die to keep anyone from disturbing the ruins of old, warning that the ancient evil of Symbaroum stirs in its sleep. 

Throne of Thornes I

Throne of Thornes I contains the first two episodes of the epic adventure chronicle. Designed for players levels 7-9, the book takes adventures on a perilous expedition into the dark depths of the Davokar Forst. The stakes of this adventure are high as heroes must fight off cultists, monsters, and other horrifying dangers that fill its pages. The book introduces:

• 20+ color maps with new towns and areas to explore
• 50+ stat blocks for new NPCs, monsters, and advesaries
• New side quests and adventures
• Handouts for clues and other important information

I’ll need to see the book and read through it to form a better opinion, but the world seems pretty neat so far. If you’re looking for a new campaign in the Ruins of Symbaroum universe, Throne of Thornes I might be worth the preorder. You can preorder the beautiful hardcover from the official Free League Publishing website for $47.85. Preordering the book also gives you instant access to PDF so you don’t have to wait for shipping. 

The World of Symbaroum

The World of Symbaroum is more of a resource book for the GMs who enjoy the world but want to create their own campaign. The book expands on existing lore and settings presented in the Ruins of Symbaroum Gamemaster’s Guide by diving into the history of the world and introducing new people, places, and events. The book also provides Gamemasters with 34 plot hooks, 18 historical secrets, and 7 adventure landscapes in the forest of Davokar for level 5-10 adventurers. 

I’ll need to get my hands on this first before I can form an opinion, but this seems like a wonderful resource for people who are already invested in this game. If you have a table that cares about lore, or just need some ideas to freshen up that next session, go preorder The World of Symbaroum. You can preorder The World of Symbaroum from the official Free League Publishing website for $47.85. Preordering the book gets you instant access to the PDF so you don’t have to wait for shipping. 

Conclusion

These expansions seem to be geared more toward people who are already invested in the system. I recommend you check out the core book and move from there. If you’re already invested, make sure you put in your preorder! I’ll be doing a preview of the core book soon, so make sure you stay tuned for that.