Epic Encounters: Ruins of Symbaroum – ‘The Gem in the Barrows’ Up Close

Epic Encounters heads to the Ruins of Symbaroum with the new adventure box The Gem in the Barrows. It’s time to go adventuring!

Steamforged Games and Free League have teamed-up to bring the Ruins of Symbaroum to the tabletop. We covered when this was first announced but now we’ve got some more hands-on details. They sent us a copy of the first wave of the upcoming releases and I’m here to tackle them.

Check out all the Symbaroum products from Steamforged Games Here

Today I’m going dive into the Epic Encounters: Ruins of Symbaroum – The Gem in the Barrow box. This product serves as a really good intro for anyone new to the world of Symbaroum. That said, because it’s part of the Epic Encounters line, you could also just use these contents for your existing campaigns. This box has some really cool stuff and I’m excited to talk about it — so let’s get into it.

Ruins of Symbaroum – The Gem in the Barrow Up Close

First up, yes this box is designed to be used as part of the Ruins of Symbaroum and fits in perfectly with the Symbaroum RPG setting. It contains 20 miniatures in total. Five of which could easily be used as Player Characters or unique NPCs for your adventure.

There’s 3 other sculpts of four Elf Warriors, four goblins, and four barbarians. And finally there are also three leader characters — one each for the elves, goblins, and barbarians.

Aside from the miniatures, the box also contains a double-sided “battle map” as well as additional tokens. There’s also the Adventure Book which I’ll go over more down below. I really like the container inside the box for all the miniatures, too. It makes for a really quick and easy clean-up.

The Gem in the Barrow – Epic Encounter Miniatures

I know a lot of folks are looking forward to the miniatures in this box. I don’t blame them! They are certainly a big part of the appeal for me, too. Below you can see the various sculpts.

One of things I really liked about this box was the variety of the sculpts. I know that five of these miniatures are designed to be your PCs for the campaign. But they are also generically good fantasy miniatures which I’m sure you can find a good use for.

They are made from same material that Steamforged Games uses for the other products in the Epic Encounters line. And they do have a good amount of details.

I also like that a few of the miniatures also have animal companions on there bases. I think it’s a nice touch. Again, while they could be used in just about any fantasy setting, they are also designed to fit in with the Symbaroum setting. And if you’re familiar with that setting you can probably pick-up on some of those details.

I also like their take on goblins, Elves, and the Barbarians.  The Goblins are smaller and more mischievous looking. The Elves are slender and noble — but definitely have something to hide. And the Barbarians are more of the armored, brutish types. They are warriors through and through! They don’t look like the crazy half-nude berserkers you might associate with barbarians. Honestly, it’s just a nice change of pace.

Welcome To The Barrow

The last thing I wanted to mention a was the Adventure book. While the minis and extras might be the big draw, as a Game Master myself, I really appreciate these books from the Epic Encounter sets.

They are easy to navigate and come in simple comic-book style bindings. But more importantly, they have all the info to run the adventure. I think this aspect of the Epic Encounters is criminally underrated. The lore and hooks within the book are perfect to get your creative juices flowing. You don’t need to know a thing about Symbaroum to get into this adventure. But if you do that only adds to the experience.

Furthermore, this box is designed to be used with 5e. So all the stats and numbers you need to make it work included. There’s even suggestions on how to scale this adventure to your party’s level. I really love that about the Epic Encounters sets in general. And this Symbaroum set is just more of a good thing.

Now, if you ARE wanting to run this as part of a Symbaroum RPG campaign, you’re in luck. These sets will also have free PDFs to download with conversions to the Symbaroum RPG system. Those PDFs aren’t out just yet as this product doesn’t official launch until February 18, 2025. But they are coming.

I won’t get into spoilers here. But I will say even if you’re a complete noob to the setting of Symbaroum, by the time you finish this adventure, you won’t be! And you’ll also be begging for more. Which is a good thing because there’s a second part to this adventure…

I’ll be covering that boxed set and the core rules book next week. Reviewing these products kind of feels like a little Christmas present to myself. That seems appropriate for this time of year.

Pre-Orders Now Available

Epic Encounters: Ruins of Symbaroum – The Gem in the Barrow $59.99

For the first time, the Epic Encounters series ventures beyond the Titan mountains into the realm of Ambria, to bring you miniatures, maps, and encounters set in the dark fantasy world of Symbaroum.

Ambria is a kingdom built on ruins thick with memories. And at the centre—vast, impenetrable, and wreathed in mysteries—is the Forest of Davokar.

Your players will compete against rival factions (or even join forces with them) as they seek to claim a mysterious, heart-sized gemstone from an ancient barrow. The extent of its powers are unknown, but the allure of its magic endures. Will the heroes unravel the secrets of the gem without being caught in the crossfire between the groups vying to control it?

Immerse yourself in the dark fantasy setting of Free League’s Symbaroum with this 5e-compatible set from Steamforged Games. This box set takes the best parts of both Symbaroum and Epic Encounters to create an unforgettable experience for you and your players.

There’s more coming from Steamforged Games and Free League from the Ruins of Symbaroum!

Promotional Product Provided by Steamforged Games

Writer, Editor, Texas Native, and now Tex-Pat, Adam covers all things Tabletop Gaming. Which includes Warhammer 40,000, Age of Sigmar, D&D, Board Games and everything else that involves dice, boards, cards and a table.
A hobbyist, player, and collector of miniatures and games, Adam’s current obsession are his Death and Chaos Armies for Age of Sigmar, his Blood Angels and Tyranids for 40k, an expanding collection of Marvel: Crisis Protocol minis, and his ever growing Arkham Horror: The Card Game Collection.

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