Today we offer you the review of Alberetor, The Haunted Waste. This is the fifth and penultimate chapter of the Throne of Thorns. Thanks to Free League are a must, for making the manual available in digital version. You can buy Alberetor, The Haunted Waste directly on the Free League website at a price of 348 crowns, just over 33 euros; you can find various bundles to collect all the previous chapters, too, as well as other Symbaroum material.
The Throne of Thorns
Throne of Thorns is a monumental work made by Mattias Johnsson Haake, one of the two minds behind Symbaroum (together with Mattias Lilja, whose interview about Ruins of Symbaroum, the conversion to D&D 5E, you should also see). The Haunted Waste maintains that standard, providing 178 pages full of ideas and just as many tips to adapt the adventure to the decisions made during the game. The manual includes all the tools necessary to provide context to the characters, to create them from scratch, and also to play the consequences of the chapter presented.
I believe the best possible experience is gained by playing the campaign continuously, running the various sections of the campaign in immediate succession. There is certainly no risk of running out of material, because each volume really has a lot, enough for several months of play. Linking The Haunted Waste to other adventures allows you to delve into the history of the Symbaroum game-world at a progressive and unexpected level of depth, until you get to discover its darkest secrets.
For those wishing to experience those depths, here is a list of
the previous chapters, each of which takes its name from the location in which it is set:
- Thistle Hold: Wrath of the Warden
- Karvosti: The Witch Hammer
- Yndaros: The Darkest Star
- Symbar: Mother of Darkness
The sixth and concluding chapter of The Throne of Thorns will be Saroklaw: The Battle for the Throne.
Alberetor, The Haunted Waste: Flawless Achievement
Alberetor, The Haunted Waste‘s workmanship is fine, as with all Free League products. The illustrations have the typical character of Symbaroum, endowed with an evocative power to which few can compare. Without worrying about the pursuit of hyper-realistic detail at all costs, these have an unrivaled impact at a glance.
The layout of the manual follows the Symbaroum canons: clarity, readability, and practicality in finding information without renouncing captivating graphics that create an atmosphere in itself. A choice that goes against the trend of the market, which is increasingly looking for a neutral approach, but which Free League carries on with many of its products. The pages are not only loaded with information, they bring with them an added value in this sense.
The Power, the Passion, the Danger
“We are the rock,
the foundation upon which walls shall be built.We are the thoughtful observer,
who shall watch, understand, and guide
but not construct, not manage, not lead.You shall build, but also listen –
or the walls you raise around the flame of life
shall be a prison that smothers and darkens.”
With these words The Haunted Waste is presented.
Our reviews are strictly spoiler free, so we won’t delve into the plot, not even the one developed in previous volumes.
What we can tell you is Throne of Thorns is a chronicle that explores the mysteries of Davokar and the ancient Symbar empire, as well as the secrets of the war that shook the Alberetor and led to the creation of the new Ambrian kingdom. Initially, the characters are introduced to the game world and put in contact with the various factions that have important roles, if not as protagonists in the plot. Moving forward they face twists and turns, betrayals, highly dramatic scenes from a social and human point of view, difficult decisions. The plot and its intrigues thicken from chapter to chapter, until the characters become key elements for the future of the world.
Analyisis of Alberetor, The Haunted Waste
Alberetor, The Haunted Waste, contains all the elements necessary both to face the events described as a single adventure, and to insert it into The Throne of Thorns, as anticipated.
The volume is divided into three sections: War & Blood, The Lost Land and Into the Storm.
The first chapters of War & Blood mainly serve to define the game setting, with an overview of the civil war that is splitting the kingdom of Ambria between Loyalists and Reformists, and of the various factions involved. There is a very detailed timeline of the unfolding of the conflict, with an extensive description of its repercussions on the game world. Obviously there is no lack of rules for creating characters suitable for the proposed challenges; in case the previous chapters of Throne of Thorns have not been played, there are also some valuable tips on managing the group. Finally, there are the hooks of the adventure and the actual beginning.
In The Lost Land, the characters are dedicated to exploring the nation of Alberetor, the former realm of the Ambrians. A land devastated by war, and this devastation hides a secret that the protagonists could become aware of. Information important enough to change the fate of the entire setting, to the point that perhaps it deserved to be included in the Symbaroum core manual. Various scenarios are proposed to be explored, at the discretion of the Game Master, in which various clues are scattered that lead to the next section.
Into the Storm explores the lost land of Lyastra, where some of the Demon Lords who started the war with the Alberetor still reign. Here, too, various scenarios and various expedients are proposed to immediately convey the tone of the narrative to the characters, leading them to the epilogue of the story.
Strengths
One of the most striking qualities of Alberetor, The Haunted Waste is certainly the attention to detail with which it was made. There is so much material not even one of the nearly two hundred pages of the manual is wasted. That completeness is a double-edged blessing, though, because the Game Master must study to orient himself in the mass of information, dense with dates and names. On the other hand, this certainly helps you to master the events perfectly.
This is combined with the possibility of using the adventure in a perfectly modular way. The authors have been particularly careful to include the most probable plot developments, and to leave the mesh of the narrative large enough to be able to adapt to the proverbial unpredictability of the players. Each chapter of Alberetor, The Haunted Waste presents various threats and various events, which can be selected according to the style of play and the preferences of the group. Investigation, intrigue, action, horror are all approaches that the Game Master may take, mixing them in the proportions that best suit him.
Alberetor, The Haunted Waste is obviously accompanied by maps and PNG stat blocks, for quick reference. Some new creatures are presented, and some rituals, and the Grandmaster level of the monstrous Tunneler trait. The skill tests to be carried out are highlighted at the end of each paragraph.
All the documents presented in the course of the volume are collected at the end of the volume, so they can be read by the players as if they were real scrolls.
Conclusions of the Review of Alberetor, The Haunted Waste
Alberetor, The Haunted Waste is certainly an excellent work.
The commitment behind the entire Throne of Thorns campaign is enormous, and it shines through in the attention to every single detail. Suitable for any style of play, as a single adventure or as part of a well-articulated chronicle, it is definitely a must have for lovers of the dark fantasy that distinguishes Symbaroum.
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