Song of Blades vs Advanced Song of Blades

SONG OF BLADES AND HEROES VERSUS

ADVANCED SONG OF BLADES AND HEROES:
A PRIMER

Song of Blades and Heroes was published in July

2007 and it was revised in 2011. Ganesha Games is
now publishing an “advanced” version of the rules,
but the old rules will not be discontinued, because
the two sets appeal to different styles of gaming,
and one can easily transition to the other.

A few clarifications are needed. This PDF

summarizes the differences between the two.

1) Basic rules remain in production. The basic

books (Song of Blades and Heroes) continue to
be printed and supported. They can be
bought at www.ganeshagames.net

2) Core rules are unchanged: Most old

profiles work just the same. Morale
and activation are the same.
Combat is the same. Profiles from
the old books can be used
alongside the new ones. The point
system is the same. Measuring
sticks are still Short, Medium, Long.

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3) Advanced adds a detailed magic system. This

has been asked for by fans. If detailed magic,
with area effect spells, terrain altering
enchantments, amulets, magic suits of armor
and weapons aren’t your cup of tea, keep using
Basic rules.

4) A formal change: “Special rules” are now called

“Traits”. Lots of ink saved.

5) Advanced books are 6x9 inches, with full color

photographs and illustrations. This booklet has
several examples. The PDF downloads of
advanced books also include an inksaving
version with page backgrounds and art removed,
for those who print at home.

6) Advanced adds Reactions. Reactions are

actions that happen during the opponent’s turn.
Basically, if a character fails any Q roll, an
opponent can pick up any dice that rolled a
failure and use them to activate his own figures
in the opponent’s turn. This new rule is optional,
but most players who have tried it are not going
back to the old system. The book also suggests
several ways to limit reactions if they seem too
much of a good thing (they are not; they just give
a different game). The turn-over effect is still
there. A player can spend two Reactions to “take

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the initiative”, thus creating the turn-

over effect like in basic SOBH.

7)Advanced adds
shield/armor/weapon rules. These
are just additional special rules (Traits).
So you can use them, or not.

Let’s see an example. We have an

Orc model with a small shield and a
spear. In SOBH he is:

Orc Spearman 23pts, Q4 C3, no Special Rules

In ASOBH he is:

Orc Spearman 32 pts, Q4 C3, Traits: Long Reach, Melee Block

In ASOBH, we added the Long Reach Trait, allowing

him to count for outnumbering purposes when he is
attacking with his long spear over the shoulder of a
friend. It’s a new ability, it’s not overpowering, but it
creates an interesting tactical situation. Long Reach
is a Weapon-based Trait. This is marked with a (W)
in the game: the Trait is lost if the Orc loses his
spear (there are abilities that can disarm a
character).

We also gave him the Melee Block Trait. This lets

him roll a die after receiving a melee hit and, on a
roll of 5 or 6, lessen the effect of the hit, for example

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turning a knockdown into a recoil. However, the

small shield cannot block missiles or magic.

There are other Block abilities. Some personalities

may have Expert Block allowing them to block on a
4+. This does not create invulnerable characters
because many weapons/attack types ignore shields
(e.g. Flail attacks) or destroy them (Shieldbreaker).

The Advanced profile costs a few more points,

because it has additional abilities. The two
profiles can be used together, and players using the
point system can feel that the two are balanced.

8) Spellcasters now have 30+

spells to choose from. A SOBH
Magic-User, under the new
system, is simply a
Spellcaster (a 0 point Trait)
using the Transfix and the
Magic Blast spells. The point
cost is the same. The
abilities of spellcasters
are more nuanced.
Every new book adds
more spells and
magic items. Here’s a
sample spell, the
classic Fireball:

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Fireball
Tags: Area (Short). Variable Range, Extended Range, LoS Required,
Holdable
All models in the target area receive a fire-based attack with C=
power +1. Walls of Fire are unaffected. Fireball is Lethal against
Wall of Ice and Ice Elementals.
Backfire: Caster takes a C2 fire-based attack.

Each spell is a separate Trait with its own point cost.

Each spell has a Backfire effect that happens when
the spellcaster fails badly at his activation roll. Some
spells are apparently less useful than others, but
only have mild consequences when miscast.

9) More types of magic will be added in

supplements. We have lots of different magic
abilities planned. For
example, Hammer and
Forge adds a few more
spells and a complete
system for rune magic,
runestones, runes etched
into weapons or used as
traps, runic blessings, and
druidic, animalistic Feral
Powers; the Elf supplement
Leaf and Arrow will add
more spells, enchanted
arrows, magic birthmarks
and more druid powers;

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Steam and Cogs will add spells that

interact with steam-powered and
clockwork-powered automata, and so
on.

10) Spells are described by tag words.

Each spell, in addition to its description,
has a series of tag words detailing how the spell
works. This lets us save space in the book and
makes the rules easier to remember. All “Wall”
spells, for example, follow the same general rules.
All “Variable Range” spells calculate range in the
same way; and so on. Supplements will add new tag
words.

11) Every Advanced supplement has a set of

simple “narrative based” campaign rules. Instead
of breaking out your calculator, you can
“level up” one of your surviving
characters every time you win a game.
No book-keeping is needed besides
updating that profile. The updates
that a character can take are
described in the campaign
section. There are generic upgrades
that can be taken by anyone, and
specific upgrades that can be taken only by
characters belonging to a certain theme, race or

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organization. For example, all characters in the

Guild of Thieves can take Stealth, Traps and
Thievery. All Orcs of The Bloody Blade Tribe can take
Dashing or Bashing Blow; and so on.

12) Many profiles in the new books are arranged

in experience progression. So for
example you can have a Beginner
Thief, a Thief, an Expert Thief, a
Veteran Thief, and a Guildmaster
Thief on a roster. In general, you can
upgrade a character from one of
these “levels” to the next, for example
spending one upgrade to turn your
Expert Thief into a Veteran Thief. This
gives a feeling of progression.

13) In the Advanced rules, Players are

encouraged to assign story-based
advancements to characters. No
hard and fast rules are provided, but a
few examples are given. Remember that
nameless Halfling Scout who passed his
Terror check when fighting the Great Necromancer?
Let’s give him the Fearless Trait. That dwarf who
gave the final blow to the ancient dragon? He
earned his Dragonslayer Trait, didn’t he? Or maybe
he will become the Dwarves’ Inspired Commander.

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14) Ganesha Games makes miniatures now. We

already have a lot of nifty fungus folk figures and a
hog-riding halfling available on
www.songofblades.com, and we are currently
producing Dwarves and Hobgoblins. No, this does
not mean that you will be required to use the
“official” figures. The rulebooks will have plenty of
generic, universal profiles so you can continue to
use ANY figure you already have. But you can also
support us by pledging on our Kickstarters and
buying our figures.

15) Song of Blades has an official setting now. It’s

optional, so you can use it or just ignore it, but it’s
designed to accommodate any figures or cultures
you want.

The world is called Norindaal, has seven major

land-masses (An Mòr, Kardalok, Qaarra, Monda
Daenar, Dunvania, Edda and Andamon), one visible
moon and Daikesti, a “Silver Moon” visible only to
High Elves and astrologers. Centuries ago, after they
created the “three pillar races” (Dwarves, Humans
and Reptile folk) the Gods were displeased with
Norindaal, as the place was being overrun by
dinosaurs, dragons, giants, demons, chaos
monsters and evil mutant reptilian races. They
inflicted a century of meteor swarms and floods

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upon the world. This event was called the Century

of Rain and Fire. Most of the evil races were
destroyed, but some adapted to an amphibian
lifestyle or magically entombed themselves, only to
be rediscovered later by Dwarves mining for gold
and gems.

Dwarves discovered Elves in meteorites, freed them

and so Elves came unto the world. The Elves are
split into many sub-races. The Dwarves are now
regretting helping them out of their stone tombs.

While looking for the EverBounty, a potentially

inexhaustible mother lode of gold and gems,
Dwarves freed demons and antediluvian monsters,

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bringing ancient evils back into the world. Dwarves

who refused to work on those mines were cast out.
Collectively known as Outcasts, they are
themselves divided into many different cultures (the
Branded, the Prairie Pirates, the shamanistic Pelters,
and the steam-tech-powered Grinders). In addition,
an Undead curse spread through the population of
Malegund turning all of its inhabitants into undead
monsters under the control of Darran Dur, the
Dwarven Lich King.

The area of An Mòr called the Sun-Kissed Vale is

where the Fungi Folk are located. Fightin’ Fungi is the
first official book for Advanced
Song of Blades and Heroes
and is already available as a
PDF on
www.ganeshagames.net and
as a paperback and miniatures
on www.songofblades.com.
Fungi Folk are an important
presence on Norindaal, so
they will pop up in other
books.

Hobgoblins are a militaristic,

nomadic people living on the
steppes between the Sun-

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Kissed Vale and Kestar Kell, homeland of the

Dwarves.

15) We will publish narrative based campaigns.

The first, Unicorn Hunt, is in playtest right now and
should be available January, 2016. These will be
short books with 3-5 linked scenarios and narrative
based progression for the characters. Each book will
have scenarios and all new rules and profiles
needed. Profiles will be offered for both basic and
Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes.

If you are interested in Advanced Song of

Blades and Heroes,
you can pre-order it
now and be part of
the playtest during
our Song of Blades:
Hammer and Forge
Kickstarter. Join the
Kickstarter to be part
of this exciting new
version of the rules.

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