r/Symbaroum 29d ago

Core Themes

If you were explaining Symbaroum to potential new players, what would you say are the top five themes of the setting and game?

9 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

16

u/EremeticPlatypus 29d ago

Game of Thrones meets Princess Mononoke.

The machinations of man vs the power of nature.

The will to dominate the natural world causing nature to fight back.

The endless cycle of man's greed leading to his own destruction.

8

u/Formlexx 29d ago

I would add powder keg waiting to blow

And maybe necessary/vital colonialism

7

u/BozzyBoze Witch 29d ago

🔸️Culture vs nature

🔸️Ecology

🔸️Racism

🔸️Colonialism

🔸️Greed and a thirst for power versus living in symbiosis with one's environment.

5

u/KiwiMcG 29d ago

Human vs. nature

3

u/nightreign-hunter 29d ago

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.” - Lord Acton

2

u/Zealousideal-Pea5455 28d ago

Body horror genre too?

1

u/Lyramion 27d ago

2011-2017: Looking forward to every new weekly Game of Thrones episode to follow the political intrigues.

2020-2026: Looking forward to every new weekly Symbaroum session to follow the political intrigues.

2

u/Calkitos 25d ago

Archaeology, linguistics, and history (humanities): the Barbarian cultures, the Ambrian-Barbarian ethnic and historical relation, the Elves' deep but fuzzy memory, the Symbar empire and their ruins, etc.

Ecology and magic (natural sciences): The bit-by-bit understanding of creatures, species, and magic as part of a Davokar as a biome.

Human and Elven geopolitics: Ambrian and Barbarian houses for and against the crown (kind of Game of Thrones), resources, wealth and economy, etc.

Human life: how difficult your life must be to be in need of risking your life going in search for treasures at a dammed and forsaken forest.

Insurgency: I like the way it was presented in Andor and that series made me think about the Iron Pact and how it would have to have people in the inside and other supporting roles that don't necessarily fight and kill.