First of all: I didn't get to actually play yet, so i can't tell if it actually works.

But the book itself is pretty good. Nice artwork, easy to understand rules and one thing that i absolutely love: It is very "noob friendly". Since the system is rather crunchy, they tell you exactly which rules and combat maneuvers are best left out at first, so new players can gradually learn the system as the complexity increases. I also like that they did the same with the armor system: It's complex and customisable, but they also give you pre calculated full suits of armor so you don't have to deal with the crunch if you don't want to.

Why only 3 stars then? It's incomplete, plain and simple. There's a setting and a map, but next to no actual information aside from some blurbs in the chapter on races. Which is incomplete by the way. Several races are on the race table, but you get nothing on them and we are told to wait for the next supplement. You think Vampires sound cool? Too bad, they are in the next book! It gets frustrating when things like gods or chaos dragons are mentioned in passing, yet there is no actual information on any of them. The magic system is even worse: There is none. They just tell you to wait for a supplement that doesn't exist yet. When does it come out? Nobody knows. According to the publishers Facebook (not updated in months) production was delayed due to COVID.

This just doesn't feel like a core rulebook. It feels like maybe half of it. So much stuff is missing. Normally, i would be fine with not having a detailed setting or novels worth of lore, but the lack of a magic system (which is constantly mentioned in this book and the Hunter's Handbook) really hurts.

It had everything to be a great system, but the abandonment of the publisher and the neglect with its supporters makes us lose any interest. Several errors and problems were found in the book, an errata was promised, but it never got published.

SoS does a great job of giving you a challenging yet greatly rewarding adventure. After having run a few campaigns I quickly fell in love with the system, with its freedom at character creation coupled with a roleplaying-oriented experience system, and a lot more.

Combat is deadly and fast paced. The Wound system means that getting significantly hurt is debilitating, and at times crippling. Fighting a group of bandits who have snuck up on you overnight is just as sweat inducing as subduing a giant scarab. Fortunately, advancement seems to scale well in all areas, and a ragtag group of gentlemen who could barely afford armor can become experienced fighters, as the system changes both their characters and the players' way of thinking. For those looking for a very flavourful combat system, it's definitely there. Multiple types of maneuvers and ways of specializing yourself are within your disposal, so each character's fighting style is vividly unique. At the same time, this doesn't become a barrier for newcomers even to tabletop RPGs in general, for the basics are good enough to keep you going, enjoying the fighting, and probably not dying. Having introduced this game through one-offs to various friends who had never even touched a roleplaying die in their lives, they ended up having a great amount of fun.

The only thing to note is that although combat and the like can be quite fluid and fast, there can be plenty to keep track of, even if the majority of the burden is on the GM rather than the players.

For things outside of combat, the game also holds up. Skills work well, with a good amount of them and enough crunchy flavor to include modifiers for various circumstances in those skills, and so far it hasn't been a hindrance to games. The options for character creation are pretty good too, with the point-buy system working as intended and having multiple perks or flaws that a character might have to shoulder. I've tried varying campaign powers, from the grittiest to near most epic, and the themes definitely fit the bill.

In the end, the system is really good not only for those seeking a grittier and more realistic combat system, but also a refreshing experience for RP-heavy games as well. The basic tools from the rulebook can take you a long way, from court intrigue to gritty battlefields or epic adventuring.

Song of Swords' "thing" is being dark and gritty, with realistic and detailed combat. This it does quite well. I have run some 'fechts' (the sort-of slang term for a fight) using this system with some friends since this has been released, and this has been quite enjoyable. It was quite complicated to start off with, but with practice it becomes quite smooth.

Skills seem a little boring, and almost a little too varied. They do seem serviceable, though, and are obviously not as much the focus.

I would highly recommend this, if only for the varied setting, the combat system, and the detailed equipment selection. But combined together, this system is a worthy successor to other HEMA-focused games, including those focused on the paradox of iron.