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Ruins of Sybaroum 5e: Adventure Compendium – Complete Review

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Introduction

I ran the Ruins of Sybaroum 5e recently at my table. It’s been a while since I’ve ran 5e and we wanted to make our return. Ruins of Symbaroum offered a different enough setting and flavor that we made our plunge and start with the Adventure Compendium. I did buy this book with my own money, and ran it using the official Alchemy RPG module (also purchased with my own money). This review will be on both the game and the module. You can pick up a copy of the Adventure Compendium on the official Free League Publishing site or your favorite game store. You can also pick it up through my Amazon Affiliate link. It really helps me out. I’ll be leaving affiliate links where I can.

What is Ruins of Sybaroum 5e: Adventure Compendium?

The adventure compendium is a 5e compatible adventure that takes players from levels 1-8. If you’re planning to run any of the other pre-written adventures in this series, or are a new DM, this is the place to start.

The Adventure Compendium is a collection of adventures that lets players not only explore the world of Symbaroum, but get a taste of the different types of adventures. There are witch hunts, murder mysteries, escort missions, and a few other neat surprises. You will need access to at least the OGL ruleset, but it doesn’t hurt to have a Gamemaster’s Guide. Things like the Ruins of Symbaroum Core Setting Book, Player’s Guide, and Beastiary are nice to have, but you can run this game with just the OGL.

The Module

Alchemy RPG is a VTT that focuses on enhancing Theater of the Mind campaigns. It can be used to run combat and it has tools to run battle maps, but the modules main job is to set the mood with its cool visuals and atmospheric soundscape.

The Adventure Compendium Module is fine, but it is incomplete. Buying other modules will make prep easier, but hombrewing what you need isn’t hard, just time consuming. If this is your first VTT, buying into it isn’t going to be a problem. It is reasonably priced with a clean UI that is simple and easy to use. As far as substance goes, the visuals for the module are cool, but not the real reason you’re buying the game. You can always supplement the module with your own content for free. I found the font too small to read, and I don’t like that you can’t move or resize any of the windows. It be nice to be able to move the notes around to move characters.

Combat in this module works fine. If you like to use maps, the experience feels a bit lacking. Resizing maps feels a bit clunky (but better than Roll20) and the maps included with the module aren’t very optimized. They work well enough if you ever need to run something quick, but Foundry VTT does it better. If you don’t care about maps, it’s great. Setting up the encounter is easy, and every chapter is neatly divided so you only get the stat blocks you need. I don’t think the included visuals and sounds did much to enhance combat, but setting up your own scenes with music and visuals is easy and quick.

Alchemy is a solid VTT for those who want to focus on the story and don’t care much about combat. It is free to try (with a few limitations), but you can start with the module if you want to support the publisher and want the convenience the module provides. You can run the game without the module, but it is a little time consuming.

The Book

If you’re a new Gamemaster with new players looking for a darker grittier adventure, the Adventure Compendium is a great place to start. The book has solid pacing and a good variety of actives to get things started.

The world of Symbaroum is very unforgiving and will wipe a careless party. GMs can always tweek and change an adventure to fit their table, but the adventure is supposed to be harsh. Monsters are supposed to be strong, resources are supposed to be scarce, and the danger is supposed to be feel real. Games like these seem to have more meaningful moments of epic heroism, but the table needs to be in the mood for it. Changing survival mechanics and re-balancing combat is always fine, but it takes away a bit of the spirit of the campaign. As it turns out, we weren’t really in the mood for a more serious campaign and we couldn’t form that connection. Lowering the difficulty to allow room for shenanigans made it not as good.

But, just because the game didn’t fit the flavor of our campaign, it doesn’t mean it won’t fit yours. The Adventure Compendium does a fantastic job at being an intro product, and with a good amount of difficulty to keep things grim. It does feel like it is geared towards newer GMs and players (it could be a lot harder) and that is perfectly fine. The stories it tells are also fine, but not a real reason to buy this book. If you want to explore the world of Symbaroum and don’t need the crutch, you can try starting with the setting book instead. I’ll be doing a full review at some point so stay tuned.

Board Games and TCGs

Ruins of Symbaroum 5E is Getting Two Exciting Expansions!

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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.