The elven sourcebook for ACKS II got a cover reveal today, and check it out over here:
https://arbiterofworlds.substack.com/p/before-all-others-covers-revealed
There is also a wealth of great information in that post, including details about the livestream, the collector's cover, and much more - this is worth reading for fans and new fans alike!
I love these conversion guides that come with games, and ACKS II includes a great one.
"If you are arriving here by way of D&D Fifth Edition or Pathfinder, then this book may seem a strange and surreal tome, alien and perhaps even old-fashioned. As an OSR product, it emulates the design ethos of the golden age of role-playing games from 1974 – 1983." - ACKS II System Compatibility Guide, page 1.
ACKS II is an OSR game, and like any of the games, such as Labyrinth Lord, Old School Essentials, Swords & Wizardry, AD&D, ADAD, Castles & Crusades, or the ...Without Number games - they all play so well together.
One aspect of ACKS II that I love is that it flips the whole descending versus ascending AC argument on its head. The game uses descending AC, where an AC of 0 is excellent, and gives characters a target number to hit, such as a 14+ on a d20. Then, AC is simply added to the attack throw. A higher AC is easier to hit, such as an AC 7 target, which is a +7 to the roll.
ACKS II also clarified the language using a throw versus a check, which makes the game far easier to grasp and play.
"The throw mechanic puts the emphasis on the character, rather than the situation. A player understands that if he has “Listening 14+” in most circumstances his character can eavesdrop on a roll of 14-20. If there is a modifier to this chance, it’s transparent to the player: “A penalty of -4 to your roll due to the loud noise”.
In contrast, systems such as 5E or Pathfinder, which use a fixed bonus against a variable difficulty, put the emphasis on the Judge’s decision as to the situation. In some games, the Judge is actually encouraged to calculate what chance he wants for success, and to then ‘customize’ the Difficulty accordingly (this is explicit in D&D 4E).
These sort of accounting illusions are unnecessary in ACKS. Where we believed a task should be equally challenging for characters of varying level, we simply use a type of throw that doesn’t change with level (such as the proficiency throw to bash open doors)."
- ACKS II System Compatibility Guide, page 1.
That explanation tells you all you need to know about ACKS II. The game isn't "grading on a curve" when it comes to high-level characters, and arbitrarily making all the locks in this castle DC 25 because there happens to be a higher-level adventure going on in here at the moment. Or else they would be too easy! Right? We can't have that.
I love how this example calls out D&D 4E for "massaging" the chance to succeed and "faking it" - well done. That game was so full of tricks and deceptions to make you feel more powerful than you actually were, such as the fireball spell, which was only valid as a "minion mop." That game was one of the largest shell games played in the hobby's history of D&D. In D&D 5E, they hid things a little better, but a lot did not change, especially getting weaker as you leveled, and fights still took forever.
A "Listening 14+" throw tells me precisely what my character can do, and gives me the odds right there. If the referee wishes to make it easier or more complicated, that is their decision.
That solid design ethos is baked into ACKS II, and the system will not let you down.
This game is not particularly challenging. The core concepts are the same as those of Old School Essentials and other games. To get started with ACKS II, begin by using the conversion guide and applying your existing OSR knowledge.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/autarch/before-all-others/
The prelaunch campaign for the Elven book for ACKS II is now live, so you'll be notified when it launches. These are great sourcebooks, so sign up to be one of the first to know and jump in.
ACKS II works as a dungeon game.
While a lot is said about the endgame options, and this is a strong and well-detailed part of the game, you don't really need to use it. ACKS II makes a fine dungeon-based game, and even more so when the Treasures book ships and is released soon.
The end-game content provides a wealth of campaign inspiration for the world around the characters. You could be searching for a lost tomb and wander into a regional war, or even a small-scale skirmish between two kingdoms that hate each other and are fighting over farmland. How do beast-men raiding parties work? Entering the Temple of Evil and Darkness nearby may be a lot more risky, considering a raiding camp is situated a few miles away and poses a constant threat to getting in and out with the treasure.
D&D has "wilderness encounters," but they are presented in a way that makes them appear as "random table results," and they function similarly to the random map encounters in a Final Fantasy video game. That double-rush sound effect plays, and the battle music kicks off.
Why are the beast-men here? Are they part of a bigger group? Do we usually see wyverns around here? Are there more giant ants in a nest somewhere? No, I rolled a 40. Please make some skill rolls or fight.
But as a dungeon game? ACKS II would do fine. This can be played at the low to mid levels without worrying about dominion building as a "hero game," and it would be a lot of fun.
