ACKS II: Open License, No More OGL

https://arbiterofworlds.substack.com/p/the-perfidious-treachery-of-wotc

Good news from Autarch with ACKS II, from the above blog:

Therefore, the only choice is to abandon the OGL entirely. Going forward, Autarch will no longer produce material under the Open Game License. We will be launching our upcoming Adventurer Conqueror King System: Imperial Imprint (ACKS II) in May without any WOTC SRD material. We will put in place a new license - a truly open license — that will make the core rules of ACKS II available to every other OSR developer in the space. And all of our future products, on DriveThruRPG, Kickstarter, Patreon, and elsewhere, will be released to be compatible with ACKS II or Ascendant, not with anything owned or touched by WOTC.

A gutsy and incredible move. I am on board. It is time to come together under the banner of freedom, choice, and the support of diverse and inclusive gaming communities. Of all beliefs, ways of life, and choices of the game they play.

And let us build new worlds from the ashes of the old.

Add On Books: Adventures Dark & Deep

Adventures Dark & Deep is a cool AD&D retro-clone with many really great books in the system. I bring this up because the bestiary is one of the best AD&D-like monster collections at 457 pages, and the monster stats convert easily to ACKS.

• ACKS AC = 10 - ADD AC
• Hit Dice = same but use d8s
• ACKS Attack Roll = 11 - ADD HD
• All other abilities as-is!

That is really it. All of a sudden you have a complete AD&D-like monster manual to have fun with, complete with extra-planar creatures and lots of fun classics. Orcus too, along with a full collection of demons and devils. The game-masters book also is a worthy buy, since there are tons of magic items to add to your game.

There are also a few monster books for this system, in case you are looking for more.

Adventures Dark & Deep is also a worthy game to play on its own! But if you are looking for a great set of add-on books for ACKS, and you are tired of some of the same old B/X resources, this is a great set of books to add to your collection and expands ACKS in a lot of familiar ways - while keeping 100% OSR and free of copyrighted IP.

ACKS II

Some huge news, the "Rules Cyclopedia" for ACKS is Kickstartering this summer as a 496-page compilation. This will be called the Adventurer Conqueror King System: Imperial Imprint, or ACKS II.

From the Facebook page:

I’m delighted to officially announce our next book for ACKS. Adventurer Conqueror King System: Imperial Imprint, or ACKS II, will be a 496-page compendium that updates and revises the rules for character creation, classes, equipment, proficiencies, adventures, campaigns, and warfare into one epic volume. It’s more than Like By This Axe, it will be available in our standard hardcover format as well as an exclusive leatherbound edition. There will be other books in the Imperial Imprint series as well, including a Judge’s handbook and creature compendium.

ACKS II is not just a new compilation of existing material published previously. It has many new features and improvements, both to the design and the layout. It corrects many longstanding complaints about the presentation of the rules, and subtly improves the game in ways that build on my 12 years of experience since first drafting it. However, ACKS II is not a “new edition” of ACKS, not in the sense that Wizards of the Coast has made new editions of D&D. It is almost entirely backwards-compatible with everything that has already been published. Lairs & Encounters, Heroic Fantasy Handbook, and all of our other amazing sourcebooks will be usable with, at most, a few pages of updates - less than the typical GM’s house rules. If ACKS was similar to Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert, ACKS II is most similar to D&D Rules Cyclopedia. You will not be playing a different game, just a better version of the game you already love.

ACKS II has been quietly playtested by an able group of ACKS experts for the last two years and already stands at 426 pages of text. It will Kickstart in summer 2023, probably around Independence Day. There’ll be more updates on ACKS II in the days and weeks ahead, with examples of the new class formats, proficiencies, and more.

I like this game, it is a fun OSR alternative focused on a Middle Ages world and plays like a B/X combined with a 4X generational kingdom management game. Not everything has to be "one B/X game to rule them all" and seeing the community creating new games and editions is always a great thing.