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Spears of the Dawn
 
$9.99
Average Rating:4.6 / 5
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Spears of the Dawn
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Spears of the Dawn
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Devin J C. C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/04/2022 09:28:18

Wow.

I agree with what everyone above has said. He book is great. GOod layout. Wonderful generation tables that you can extrapolate going forward or for other games and projects.

Easy but deep character generation and cool and unique spells.

This is amazing and I can't wait to get my group to play.

If you like this check out Atlantis 2nd Age for something similar but different.

We need more books and RPGs like this to show how deep and rich he mythology of other world cultures are and to experience something a little different.

So glad I bought this.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Spears of the Dawn
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Andrew M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/05/2018 06:29:54

Really impressed with the useful tools in here, especially handy random tables. The sensible explanation of how to run a sandbox campaign then leads on to a number of useful tables for generating evocative random locations, cults, tribes, conflicts, and cultures. These tools will allow me to smoothly handle my players running off in any random direction.

The 5 cultures presented are a great mix that are easy to come to grips with. Some other fantasy-Africa products proivde actually too much detail and too many cultures to be easily used.

The written content is definitely 5 stars. I gave 4 stars because the art is wonderully quirky. I like the style, but it is all black and white which nowadays is unexpected (regretably).



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Spears of the Dawn
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Martin K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/02/2015 07:46:06

Wonderful example of a well done fantasy setting inspired by African culture without being a thinly disguised Africa copy. The cultures, character classes, and creatures all provide wonderful inspirations for running campaigns or creating your own setting and the game rules make for an excelent system for any Sword & Sorcery campaign set in a Bronze Age or Iron Age setting, regardless of cultural inspiration.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Spears of the Dawn
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Christian H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/09/2014 06:31:22

I ordered the Soft Cover + PDF bundle and have not been disappointed by either. A solid game setting, simple but fun rules system made for tweaking for your own needs and a large number of ideas for NPCs, conflicts and adventures presented as random tables. The book puts a lot of thought into playing a sandbox style game and provides good tips on how to do this. I would have liked to see some more stuff on the author's thoughts on integrating SoD play with a more linear approach - although this is hardly a problem in itself. The book is well laid out and edited, and the handy afterword (complete with bibliography) is a nice addition. My only comlaints: some of the setting information seem spread out a little where it could have been centered in fewer sections. Also the fonts used for Character Sheet headlines is a little busy with intricate symbols that are hard to print out properly.

All in all I can't see these minor errors prevent a solid 5/5 rating from my part.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Spears of the Dawn
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Patrick H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/11/2013 10:48:05

Wow. I am extremely happy with this. I purchased the Hardcover/PDF combo and feel that the product is well worth the price that I paid.

Back in the D20 days I purchased the Nyambe: African adventures game, and enjoyed reading it. It was a labor of love for the author and really felt like a African inspired place - but I never ran/played in it. i could never figure out what to DO with it to make it exciting. Great setting, but missing something - maybe it was the hook, or the advice I needed to come up with awesome adventures.

Lately I have been purchasing OSR materials - life is to busy, and rules are simple and easy (which works great with kids). After great reviews, I decided to take a $40 risk on Spears of Dawn. Man am I glad I did, as it is everything I had hoped it would be.

It is an african-themed rpg, complete with rules for play, that is oozing with flavor and potential. It is a 178 page tome, that is packed with everything you need to play. While I was initially concerned about the number of pages - I needn't have been. it has everything you need - rarely have I seen so much value packed into a smaller book.

The system is apparently based on the company's "Stars without Number" system (which I am now seriously contemplating purchasing!) ruleset - simple OSR type game with classes that fit the setting, simple skill system, and a magic system tailored to the setting. If you have played other OSR games, then it is all very familiar - plus a page on easy conversion to your favorite OSR setting if you prefer to use S&W, OSRIC, AKCS, or LL. Nice. This takes up over a 1/3 of the book.

The next third of the book is devoted to setting. This section is really awesome. The setting gives you multiple cultures, and a very cool reason to be out adventuring. It describes itself as a sandbox setting, but I did not feel limited to that at all - you could run a grand african inspired campaign (ala War of the Lance) - it is all there laid out and ready for you. brimming with story hooks - ideas were pounding in my head as I read.

The final third of the book is really the GM section. It has good notes on adventures in these lands, a bestiary (with rules for creating new creatures), and tons of charts and sections on everything from locations, encounters, NPCs (with quick generation), magic items, names, cults, etc.

Lastly it has a two page adventure that could easily fill up a 4 hour session. It is a simple "tomb crawl" that could be expanded into something more.

The art is typical of OSR type games - flavorful, yet simple. Some really good, some not as good, but all evocative of the setting.

I gave this five out of five, because I did not skim one page of this book - it is packed, useful, and I really want to run something on it. Do yourself the favor, take the risk, and check it out!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Spears of the Dawn
Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
by Teemu A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/05/2013 09:15:34

I have rarely come across as well thought out roleplaying settings as this, and I am definitely loving the chance to play more "Sandbox" styled games, giving the players an opportunity to affect the world on a larger scale than they might have imagined in some of the more traditional games. In Spears of Dawn there's a lot of adventure to be had and a great deal of promise.

What's more important is that the potential is not wasted, the setting delivers excitement, the options left in how the world is developing mean no two games are likely to be the same, and a campaign leaves even experienced gamemaster taking a player's seat unaware of what the other gamemaster might spring out on them with the richness of possibilities inherent in the book.

I purchased my copies of Stars Without Number before and I had a friend recomment Spears of Dawn to me, and I was happy to purchase it as soon as it came to my knowledge the book was out. My friend apparently acquired a beta copy of the book and spread his excitement to me too before the final version was out.

Sine Nomine is creating fantastic games. Personally, I've invested in Spears of Dawn, Other Dust, and Stars without Number. I'm looking forward to seeing what else they can bring, and I am excited for the possibilities in the system they use.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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