Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound - One Year On

Hi folks, and welcome back to #MortalRealmsMonday. This month marks the one year anniversary of the release of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound

Soulbound is the first ever tabletop RPG set in the world of Age of Sigmar, and the success it has seen since release is a testament to the popularity and excitement people have for the Mortal Realms. The Soulbound core rulebook launched alongside a stunning collector’s edition, Gamemaster’s screen, dice trays, and a beautiful map illustrated by renowned cartographer Jared Blando.

Since its release, Soulbound has received overwhelmingly positive reviews (see reviews on videogamesuncovered.com, rpg.net, beastsofwar.com, spruesandbrews.com) and has been supported with numerous supplements, such as a boxed Starter Set and an expansive Bestiary.

With so much to choose from, I thought it might be a good idea to offer some advice on where to get started with Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound. Oh and remember, every physical order and pre-order comes with a PDF copy of the book!

Where to Start?

It can be difficult to know where to start with a new RPG, particularly one as epic in scope as Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound. Thankfully, there are two great entry points: the core rulebook and the Starter Set. Which of these you should pick up depends on you and your group.

If you are new to tabletop roleplaying games, new to the Age of Sigmar, or both, the Starter Set is a great place to jump in. The Starter Set contains a 48-page adventure that serves as a step-by-step guide to learning the rules of Soulbound while also introducing you to the world of Age of Sigmar. It will teach you how to make Tests, what a Fyreslayer is, and give advice on being a Gamemaster (the person who runs the game). The Starter Set also includes useful reference sheets, dice, tokens, maps, and five pre-generated characters so you and your friends can dive right into the action. It also comes with a 64-page guide to Brightspear, the city where the adventure takes place, which has a tonne of extra adventures so you can keep playing when the adventure is complete.

If you are experienced with tabletop roleplaying games or a huge fan of the Age of Sigmar setting who is certain they want to explore the Mortal Realms, then the Soulbound Corebook is the perfect way to start. The core rulebook provides everything you need to begin roleplaying in the Age of Sigmar. It has a step-by-step guide to character creation with over 20 Archetypes to choose from, dozens of spells and Talents for your hero to utilise, rules for combat and exploration (with plenty of examples), a look at each of the Mortal Realms and the gods that oversee them, a deep dive on the Great Parch in the Realm of Fire, and a bestiary containing over 60 monsters. 

What Next?

Once you’ve started your adventures in the Mortal Realms, you might want to expand your collection. Depending on whether you are a GM or a player, you have a number of options.

I’m a GM

If you are a GM, be sure to pick up the free scenario Crash & Burn. This serves as a great introductory adventure for Soulbound and drives home the epic scale of the conflicts the heroes will face. Along with Crash & Burn, the Soulbound Gamemaster’s Screen is an excellent resource for any GM. It comes with a three-panel landscape screen filled with useful rules references to make things easier when you’re running the game, and also comes with a 32-page booklet featuring 25 one-page adventures set in cities throughout the Realm of Fire. These adventures are great as side quests to your own campaign, but can also serve as great jumping off points for epic campaigns of their own. 

One thing GMs always need are terrifying adversaries to throw against the party. The Soulbound Bestiary contains over 180 creatures to use in your campaign. Each creature comes with a detailed description, as well as advice on using them in your game, their tactics, and tips on creating exciting and memorable encounters. 

If you are looking for a ready-made campaign to run for your group, the epic adventure Shadows in the Mist is just what you need. This exciting campaign is told across six interconnected adventures and sees the party venture to the deadly mist-shrouded streets of Anvilgard. The party must contend with a treacherous Aelven cabal and face down the horrifying servants of Nurgle if they hope to save Anvilgard. Shadows in the Mist comes with a complete guide to Anvilgard and a stunning map, as well as new Endeavours, new items, 50 new foes, and a look into Anvilgard’s tumultuous future!

I’m a Player

If you are a player and are keen to expand your options for creating your character, be sure to pick up Champions of Order. Champions of Order offers new Archetypes, and introduces the Lumineth Realm-lords — Aelven warriors and mages from Hysh, the Realm of Light. The book also introduces subfaction bonuses, which allows you to choose where your character comes from or who they serve, and offers over 100 new Talents, 50 new Miracles, and over 50 new spells. As well as this, Champions of Order contains expanded information on the Binding ritual, dozens of new Endeavours, and strange and wonderful new items. Champions of Order offers countless new ways to create and customise your character!

Anything Else?

If you still want more Soulbound content, don’t worry! We have a number of exciting PDFs to enhance your game.

Streets of Brightspear gives players and Gamemasters a wealth of new options and resources for running campaigns in the city of Brightspear, and is the perfect companion PDF for the Soulbound Starter Set. This PDF presents dozens of new Endeavours for characters to undertake during their downtime in Brightspear, as well as new items and artefacts found in the city’s markets. Streets of Brightspear also contains tables for creating unique and strange Agloraxian artefacts that can be found by those brave or foolhardy enough to venture into the Undercity. Streets of Brightspear includes

Fateful Night is a horror-themed adventure set in Brightspear perfect for a single night’s play. The adventure pits the party against hordes of undead, including a deadly Lord Executioner and a powerful Myrmourn Banshee. This PDF also includes two one-page adventures that can expand the scenario for play over multiple sessions.

Trouble Brewing continues the adventures in Brightspear but draws on lighter themes than other Soulbound adventures. It introduces the characters to Jakkob Bugmansson XI, the Brewmaster-General of the Kharadron Overlords and the descendant of the most prestigious clan of brewers any world has known — Josef Bugman! The characters join Bugmansson on a pub crawl to celebrate Year’s Beginning but along the way a precious cask of Buman’s XXXXXX is stolen! The party must find the culprit and return the beer before its disappearance causes a diplomatic incident involving several very drunken Duardin. As well as the main adventure, Trouble Brewing also includes a brand new Archetype — the Brewmaster! The Brewmaster is a master brewsmith of the Kharadron Overlords, bringing liquid refreshment to the Mortal Realms. This new Archetype includes its own aether-rig, as well as a new Talent and Endeavour to ensure the Brewmaster fits perfectly into any Soulbound adventure.

Refuges of the Realms presents nine refuges to use in your campaign, as well as items, stat-blocks, and adventure hooks to support these new locations. The refuges include not only the forces of Order, but also Death and Destruction subfactions who don’t mind crossing allegiances for their own benefit. In even the most inhospitable lands, the party can find allies — but they must fight hard if they want these sanctuaries to last.

Doomed Lands offers GMs advice on incorporating Doom into their Soulbound campaign using Doomed Locations — places throughout the Mortal Realms that respond to the amount of accumulated Doom. As Doom increases, its influence shapes the location, altering its characteristics to reflect diminishing hope and rising dread. This PDF contains 21 Doomed Locations across the realms of Aqshy, Chamon, Ghur, Ghyran, Hysh, Shyish, and Ulgu. You can use these locations in your own game, or use them as inspiration to create your own Doomed Locations.

Through Fire and Smoke expands upon the Environmental Traits presented in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound corebook with an even wider array of Hazards and dynamic elements to enhance tactical gameplay and elevate the action to a whole new level. By adding exciting new threats and opportunities to the battlefield, players have more options to consider, more risks to manage, and more ways to interact with and explore with the Mortal Realms.

I Want More!

The first year of Soulbound has been filled with exciting releases, but there are many more to come! If you’d like to know what we’re working on, read on for a taste of what’s coming for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound.

Steam and Steel presents everything you need to begin crafting your own weapons, armour, and machines of war. This book contains new aetheric equipment for the Kharadron, new Fyreslayer runes, new weapons and crafting rules, alchemy and potion making, and rules for vehicular combat along with dozens of example ships and war machines. Steam and Steel is perfect for players looking to create their own equipment, and for GMs who are looking to bring ship-to-ship combat and large-scale vehicular destruction to their game!

Stars and Scales A new PDF supplement. Keep an eye on social media for more on this one! 

Champions of Death presents new Death Archetypes, such as the Abhorrant Ghoul of the Flesh-eater Courts, Necromancers in service of Nagash, the Knight of Shrouds of the Nighthaunts, and the Mortisan Boneshaper of the Ossiarch Bonereapers. The book also includes new Species, factions and subfactions, new Talents and Miracles, and new spells. 

Artefacts of Power explores the powerful magical forces of the Mortal Realms. It presents new options for magical crafting using realmstone, dozens of new items and artefacts, and powerful Endless Spells to cast as well as rules for dispelling and fighting these deadly predatory spells. 

Blackened Earth is the second campaign for Soulbound and will see heroes travel to the city of Greywater Fastness in Ghyran. Greywater Fastness is an industrial behemoth and its smog-shrouded streets are filled with churning refineries and gun foundries. This relentless industrialisation has decimated the surrounding land and has led the city to the brink of war with the neighbouring Sylvaneth. The Soulbound are placed squarely between these two factions and must try to prevent open war from erupting between the forces of Order. However, those within the city would like nothing more than an escalation in conflict, and will do whatever it takes to trigger a war.

Champions of Destruction presents new Destruction Archetypes, such as the Fungoid Cave Shaman of the Gloomspite Gitz, an Orruk Brute of the Ironjawz, a Wurrgog Prophet of the Bonesplitterz, or a Firebelly of the Ogor Mawtribes. The book also includes new Species, factions and subfactions, new Talents and Miracles, and new spells. 

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