Song of Shadows and Dust: Outremer

The following sections outline the rules for using Song of Shadows and Dust (hereinafter SSD) for battles in the Outremer during early Crusades (usualy 1182-1187). Song of Shadows and Dust is a game based on the Song of Blades and Heroes system (hereinafter SOBAH) and is fully compatible with it. It takes place in the streets of ancient cities, where street gangs fight for dominance over their neighborhoods. The system includes several mechanics for incorporating the environment and civilians. Since we love the SOBAH engine for its non-linearity, we decided to apply SSD to our battles in Overseas.

Rule Changes

Weapons and Armor

The Song of Shadows and Dust rules are primarily designed for street fights between gangs in the cities of the ancient world. In the Outrem, you’ll encounter armored knights and soldiers, which changes the game’s dynamics and the application of certain rules. For the purposes of these rules, armor has the same effect as the “Hard” rule. You can, of course, rename the rule to “Heavy Armor” as in other SOBAH games. For the purposes of rules such as activating civilians, models are considered as aromored with all combat weapons, i.e., the Armed, Bow, and Javelin rules. For crossbows, apply the Bow rule; for other throwing weapons, apply the Javelin rule; for other ranged weapons with a shorter range then bow, you can use the rules from Song of Blades and Heroes named Shooter: Medium

Changes to Certain Skills

Certain specific rules, primarily those related to characterization, need to be modified in their names to reflect the era and setting. Replace the word "Plebeian" with "Serf"; "Tribune" with "Holy Man".

Replace the word "Demagogue" with "Preacher." In the Outremer setting, a demagogue is a preacher of his faith. When a preacher attempts to influence a crowd, he gains a +1 bonus if he is trying to influence civilians of his own faith.

Rules from other Song of Blades of Heroes games

Song of Shadow and Dust is primarily about street fights between gangs in the classic era. If you want to expand SSD in the Outremer beyond just street fights, you can use additional rules from games based on the Song of Blades and Heroes ruleset. For example: Acrobat, Mounted, Savage, and others.

Additional rules may also include rules for weather and terrain, such as deserts, quicksand, or sandstorms from the Song of Wind and Water supplement.

Yet some of the skills are just worth mentioning.

List of the suggested skills is but not limited to: Assasin, Berserk, Jouster, Sharpshooter, Desert-Walk, Swamp-Walk, Mountaineer, Dashing, Hatred, Shortbow.

New Rules

Faith (0)

Every character and civilian must have this special rule. It defines bonuses and penalties for interacting with crowds; see the revised Demagogue (Preacher) rule. It can also be the target of the Hatred rule. Choose one of the major religions: Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Shi’ite, or Sunni. For the purposes of the Hatred rule, however, we can go into greater detail, such as sects—for example, the Seveners or the Twelvers—or even deeper, such as the Nizari Ismailis. They are always part of a larger religious group, though.